Soil permeability, aggregate stability and root growth: a pot experiment from a soil bioengineering perspective

Vergani, Chiara; Graf, Frank

doi:10.1002/eco.1686

Cited by 128 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Some previous field studies (van Noordwijk et al 1991;Mitchell et al 1995;Vergani and Graf 2015) also showed higher infiltration rate in vegetated soils than in the bare soil. However, it must be emphasised that these previous studies focused on one single mature plant (i.e., not multiple plants like the present study).…”

Section: Measured Saturated Hydraulic Conductivitymentioning

confidence: 61%

Investigation of plant growth and transpiration-induced matric suction under mixed grass–tree conditions

Leung

et al. 2017

Can. Geotech. J.

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Investigation of plant growth and transpiration-induced matric suction under mixed grass-tree conditions Ni, J. J.; Leung, Anthony; Ng, C. W. W.; So, P. S. General rightsCopyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in Discovery Research Portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights.• Users may download and print one copy of any publication from Discovery Research Portal for the purpose of private study or research.• You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain.• You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal. Take down policyIf you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. AbstractAlthough evapotranspiration-induced matric suction for single species has been widely studied, little is known about how mixed-species planting would affect the plant growth and induced matric suction. This study aims to explore the effects of grass-tree interaction on their growth and induced matric suction during evapotranspiration (ET) and rainfalls. Field monitoring was carried out to measure matric suction responses in compacted soil that was vegetated with (i) single tree species, Schefflera heptaphylla and (ii) mixed species of the trees and a grass species, Cynodon dactylon. In each condition, three tree spacings (120, 180 and 240 mm) were planted. When tree spacing increased from 120 to 240 mm, the peak tree root area index (RAI, for fine roots with diameter < 2 mm) decreased by 16%, but the peak grass RAI increased by 29%. At mixed planting plots, the ET-induced peak matric suction for tree spacing of 240 mm was 20% higher than that for spacing of 180 mm because of increased contribution of grass root-water uptake as the trees were more widely spaced. Without grass, a reverse trend was observed as tree-tree interaction reduced at wide spacings. The peak ET-induced matric suction had a significant linear correlation with RAI. During rainfalls, the highest matric suction was preserved for the case of 240 mm spacing due to the greatest reduction of soil hydraulic conductivity by roots.

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Section: Measured Saturated Hydraulic Conductivitymentioning

confidence: 61%

Investigation of plant growth and transpiration-induced matric suction under mixed grass–tree conditions

Leung

et al. 2017

Can. Geotech. J.

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“…Soil saturated hydraulic conductivity (SHC) is a key hydraulic property affecting different areas of interest from agriculture to forestry to slope stability and flood protection (Bens, Wahl, Fischer, & Hüttl, ; Rienzner & Gandolfi, ; Vergani & Graf, ). Saturated hydraulic conductivity is a critical parameter that controls how fast water can transmit while a soil is saturated, and it reflects soil conditions such as total porosity, pore size and tortuosity of pores, as well as characteristics of the soil water, including viscosity and density (Buelow, Steenwerth, & Parikh, ; Quirk & Schofield, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of interactions between soil particles and electrolytes on saturated hydraulic conductivity

Liu

Yang

et al. 2019

European J Soil Science

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Interactions between soil particles can strongly affect water movement in soil. In this study, a model to predict soil saturated hydraulic conductivity based on interactions between soil particles was proposed. Firstly, a model of ion−soil particle interactions at the soil/water interface was established taking specific ion effects into account. Based on the ion–soil interaction model, the theoretical relationship between the sodium adsorption ratio and the surface potential was derived, and the surface potentials were calculated at different sodium adsorption ratios and electrolyte concentrations. Secondly, a theoretical expression of midpoint potential between two adjacent soil particles in a mixed 1:1 + 2:1 electrolyte solution (e.g., NaCl + CaCl2) was derived. The midpoint potential was estimated based on the calculated surface potential. Thirdly, the interaction pressure (repulsive pressure) between soil particles was quantified based on the obtained midpoint potential. Finally, an empirical model of the relationship between measured saturated hydraulic conductivity and maximum net repulsive pressure was proposed. The surface potential, electrostatic repulsive pressure and net pressure between soil particles in the presence of Na+ is higher than that of Ca2+ because the effective charge of the former (1.18) is smaller than that of the latter (1.98). Although the soil saturated hydraulic conductivities were substantially different in Na+ and Ca2+ solutions, they can be described as a function of maximum repulsive pressure between soil particles. Employing this empirical relationship, saturated hydraulic conductivities might be predicted in other soils at different sodium adsorption ratios. This work implies that the sodium adsorption ratio and electrolyte concentration control saturated hydraulic conductivity through affecting the electrostatic repulsive pressure between soil particles. Highlights A model of ion–soil particle interactions was established considering specific ion effects. The theoretical relationship between sodium adsorption ratio and surface potential was derived. The interaction pressure between soil particles in mixed electrolytes was quantified. An empirical model of the relationship between saturated hydraulic conductivity and net repulsive pressure was proposed.

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“…We observed that planted treatments had more organo-mineral aggregates than the bare soil (without plants) that had the highest percentage of nonaggregated organic particles. This observation is related to the absence of the root system that is a key factor in promoting soil aggregation and stability of aggregates (Vergani and Graf 2016). Indeed, roots are known to stabilize surrounding aggregates through soil drying and root exudation with its associated microbial activity (Six et al 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crop rotation associating a legume and the nickel hyperaccumulator Alyssum murale improves the structure and biofunctioning of an ultramafic soil

Saad

Kobaissi

Machinet

et al. 2017

Ecological Research

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Nickel (Ni) agromining aims to phytoextract heavy metals using hyperaccumulators whilst at the same time rehabilitating ultramafic soils. After removing the bioavailable metal, ultramafic soils are improved in terms of their agronomic properties with the aim of future agricultural uses. The low fertility of ultramafic soils can be compensated by integrating legumes already used in traditional agro‐systems because of their importance in soil nitrogen enrichment. However, few studies have evaluated the potential profits of legumes on Ni agromining and their potential benefits on soil biological fertility. Here, we characterized the effect of a crop rotation with two plants, a legume (Vicia sativa) and a hyperaccumulator (Alyssum murale), on the phytoextraction efficiency and on soil structure and biofunctioning. A pot experiment was set up in controlled conditions to grow A. murale and four treatments were tested: rotation with V. sativa (Ro), fertilized mono‐culture (FMo), non‐fertilized mono‐culture (NFMo) and bare soil without plants (BS). No significant difference was found between the Ro and NFMo treatments for the dry biomass yield. However, the Ro treatment showed the highest Ni concentrations ([Ni]) in A. murale shoots compared to FMo and NFMo treatments. The Ro treatment plants had more than twice as many leaves [Ni] compared to FMo. Soil physico‐chemical analyses showed that the Ro treatment was better structured and showed the highest presence of bacterial micro‐aggregates, as well as less non‐aggregated particles. Legumes integration in Ni‐agromining systems could be a pioneering strategy to reduce chemical inputs and to improve soil biofunctioning and thus fertility.

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Soil permeability, aggregate stability and root growth: a pot experiment from a soil bioengineering perspective

Cited by 128 publications

References 47 publications

Investigation of plant growth and transpiration-induced matric suction under mixed grass–tree conditions

Investigation of plant growth and transpiration-induced matric suction under mixed grass–tree conditions

Effects of interactions between soil particles and electrolytes on saturated hydraulic conductivity

Crop rotation associating a legume and the nickel hyperaccumulator Alyssum murale improves the structure and biofunctioning of an ultramafic soil

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