Post-tillage evolution of structural pore space and saturated and near-saturated hydraulic conductivity in a clay loam soil

Sandin, Maria; Koestel, John; Jarvis, Nicholas; Larsbo, Mats

doi:10.1016/j.still.2016.08.004

Cited by 73 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Large within ‐treatment variations are commonly reported and have been suggested to hamper the identification of treatment effects (e.g. Luo et al ., ; Sandin et al ., ). All quantitative data on macropore network characteristics are presented in Table .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Effects of tillage and liming on macropore networks derived from X‐ray tomography images of a silty clay soil

Hellner

Koestel

Ulén

et al. 2018

Soil Use and Management

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Soil structure influences water infiltration, aeration and root growth and, thereby, also the conditions for sustainable crop production. Our objective was to quantify the effects of different soil management methods and land uses on the topsoil structure of a silty clay soil. We sampled 32 intact soil columns (18 cm high, 12.7 cm diameter) from an experimental silty clay field with four treatments: conventional tillage (CT), conventional tillage followed by liming (CTL), reduced tillage (RT) and unfertilized fallow (UF). The columns were analysed using 3‐D X‐ray tomography. The samples were taken in autumn after harvest, 7 yr after quick lime was applied to the CTL plots. Despite a relatively large number of replicates per treatment (8, 8, 8 and 6 (two UF samples were excluded), respectively), there were no significant differences between any of the investigated macropore network properties related to tilled treatments. The UF treatment, in contrast, exhibited more vertically oriented macropores, which were also better connected compared to the other treatments. This confirms previous findings that tillage may disrupt the vertical continuity of macropore clusters. The impact of liming on soil pore network properties may have been limited to pores smaller than the resolution in our X‐ray images. It is also possible that the effects of lime on soil structure were limited to a few years which means that any effect would have diminished by the time of this study. These matters should be further investigated in follow‐up studies to understand better the potential of lime amendments to clay soil.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Effects of tillage and liming on macropore networks derived from X‐ray tomography images of a silty clay soil

Hellner

Koestel

Ulén

et al. 2018

Soil Use and Management

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show abstract

“…The accessibility of macropore networks is particularly important for the flow of water, nutrients and air through the soils, although they comprise only a small fraction of total porosity. A macropore network with large accessibility increases the rate of infiltration and reduces surface runoff (Sandin, Koestel, Jarvis, & Larsbo, ), whereas a macropore network with small accessibility decreases the emission of GHGs (greenhouse gases) (Rabot, Lacoste, Henault, & Cousin, ), decreases air permeability and cuts off the water transport to deeper soil layers (Paradelo et al, ). Accessibility of the macropore network in this study was evaluated by the pore network model and network analyses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconfiguration of macropore networks in a silty loam soil following biochar addition identified by X‐ray microtomography and network analyses

2019

European J Soil Science

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Biochars are widely applied to improve soil pore structures. However, the quantitative effects of biochars on soil macropore networks still remain unclear. In this study, the effects and possible mechanism of biochar application on soil macropore networks were investigated quantitatively by industrial X‐ray microtomography (CT), a pore network model and network analyses. Soil cores of 5 cm in diameter and 10 cm in height were collected from a paddy soil (Typic Haplustalf) without biochar application (CK), and amended with rice straw biochar (RSB), corn straw biochar (CSB) and bamboo biochar (BB) at a rate of 25 Mg ha−1 (w/w). Results revealed that the total and connected macroporosity of the biochar‐amended soil was reduced significantly compared with CK, whereas the reverse was true for the isolated porosity. The three types of biochars exhibited different effects on macropores of the soil, depending on their size and shape. The pore network model and network analyses showed that the physical and topological structures of macropore networks in biochar‐amended soil were clearly reconfigured. The accessibility of these macropore networks was markedly reduced. Our results indicated that the incorporation of biochar did not necessarily increase the soil's macroporosity. The combination of pore network model and network analyses was effective for quantifying key properties of soil macropore networks affected by the incorporation of biochar. The changes in these properties may be used to evaluate the effects of biochar on water, air and nutrient transport. Highlights Effect of biochars on the soil macropore structure was studied by industrial CT. Macropore network structure was quantified by a pore network model and network analyses. Biochar incorporation markedly changed the accessibility of the soil macropore network. The macropore network of soil can be reconfigured following biochar addition.

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“…In addition to the effects of soil spatial heterogeneity, the temporal variability of soil properties in the field could have a major impact on soil water retention (e.g., Horn, 2004; Jirků et al, 2013; Sandin et al, 2017). In contrast, the laboratory water retention function represented only a single pore structural state at the time of sampling.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Water retention dynamics could be related to tillage effects (e.g., Strudley et al, 2008); intraseasonal changes of soil water retention as a result of swelling and shrinkage, wetting and drying, tillage, or changes in management (e.g., Jirků et al, 2013; Wang et al, 2015; Sandin et al, 2017) could cause the formation of new pores or aggregates and the closing or modification of existing pores by crop roots (Wang et al, 2015). For an intensively cultivated postglacial landscape as exemplified in the present study, the water retention dynamics could be more complex because of erosion‐induced pedogenetic modifications.…”

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confidence: 99%

Scales of Water Retention Dynamics Observed in Eroded Luvisols from an Arable Postglacial Soil Landscape

Herbrich

Gerke

2017

Vadose Zone Journal

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Soil water retention is frequently described by unique main drying curves measured in the laboratory on intact soil cores. In the field, however, soil pore structure changes as a result of swelling and shrinkage, wetting and drying, or tillage operations. For erosion-affected arable soils characterized by truncated profiles, water retention dynamics could be even more complex. The objective of this study was to separate shorter term hysteretic from longer term seasonal dynamics in field-measured water retention data of eroded Luvisols. Soil water content and matric potential data were from tensiometers and time-domain reflectometry sensors of six lysimeter soil monoliths from two sites. For 2012 through 2014, drying and wetting periods were identified and fitted with the van Genuchten (VG) retention function. The results confirmed that drying water retention curves were steeper than those obtained in the laboratory. Steepness increased and fitted VG parameter values of saturated water content decreased within seasons, indicating that rewetting rates successively declined after each dry-wet cycle. Drying water retention curves returned to a similar level in each spring except for soils of transferred monoliths, where drying water retention tended to increase. Results suggested that water retention dynamics of eroded Luvisols was affected by continual incorporation of subsoil material in the Ap horizon and crop management practices in addition to hysteresis and seasonal dynamics. The disentangling of dry-wet cycles from time series of soil water content and matric potential was found useful for identifying the processes responsible for water retention dynamics and could eventually help improve flow and transport models.

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Post-tillage evolution of structural pore space and saturated and near-saturated hydraulic conductivity in a clay loam soil

Cited by 73 publications

References 32 publications

Effects of tillage and liming on macropore networks derived from X‐ray tomography images of a silty clay soil

Effects of tillage and liming on macropore networks derived from X‐ray tomography images of a silty clay soil

Reconfiguration of macropore networks in a silty loam soil following biochar addition identified by X‐ray microtomography and network analyses

Scales of Water Retention Dynamics Observed in Eroded Luvisols from an Arable Postglacial Soil Landscape

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