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Water retention curve to analyze soil structure changes due to liming
Talita R Ferreira1, Luiz F Pires1, André C Auler1
1Laboratório de Física Aplicada a Solos e Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa/UEPG, Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazil.
Anais Da Academia Brasileira De Ciencias
|June 6, 2019
Summary
Liming acid soils alters soil structure, reducing large pores and increasing small pores, especially in surface layers. This study quanties these soil structure changes using water retention data.
Area of Science:
- Soil Science
- Agronomy
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Liming is a common practice to amend acid soils, influencing soil properties and crop growth.
- Soil structure, including pore geometry and water retention, is crucial for soil health and agricultural productivity.
- Understanding liming's impact on soil structure is essential for sustainable land management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the effects of different lime rates on soil structure.
- To analyze soil water retention characteristics and pore size distribution after liming.
- To quantify changes in soil porosity in response to liming in an acid soil.
Main Methods:
- Investigated the effects of three lime rates (0, 15, and 20 t ha-1) on a silty-clay "Cambissolo Háplico Alumínico" (Dystrudept).
- Analyzed soil cores from 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm layers after 31 months.
- Utilized eleven matric potentials (0 to -7000 cm H2O) to calculate soil water retention and pore size distribution curves using cubic spline adjustment.
Main Results:
- Soil porosity exhibited a trimodal distribution with three distinct peaks.
- Equivalent pore diameters between 9.18 µm and 13.18 µm separated structural and matrix domains.
- Surface liming under no-till conditions led to a decrease in large pore volume and an increase in small pore volume in the surface layer.
Conclusions:
- Liming significantly influences soil structure by altering pore size distribution.
- The study quantifies changes in soil porosity, indicating a shift towards smaller pores with surface liming.
- Findings provide valuable insights for optimizing liming strategies to improve soil physical properties and crop productivity in acid soils.
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