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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 47(7)

Aggregate stability of salt-affected kaolinitic soils on the North-east Plateau, Thailand

C. Kaewmano A , I. Kheoruenromne A C , A. Suddhiprakarn A and R. J. Gilkes B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand.

B School of Earth and Environment, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science, University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: irbs@ku.ac.th

Australian Journal of Soil Research 47(7) 697-706 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR08248
Submitted: 7 November 2008  Accepted: 9 July 2009   Published: 6 November 2009

Abstract

The aggregate stability of 56 salt-affected soil samples from the North-east Plateau, Thailand, was related to soil properties. The soils were Typic Natraqualfs and a Typic Endoaqualf, which are commonly used for paddy rice cultivation. The soil textures are mostly clays and clay loams with clay contents ranging from 313 to 849 g/kg. The dominant mineral in the clay fraction is kaolinite with minor smectite and traces of illite and a little quartz. Aggregate stability of these soils, measured by the wet sieving method, ranges from 3 to91%. Electrical conductivity measured by the saturation extract method ranges from 0.6 to 16.2 dS/m and exchangeable sodium percentage ranges from 5 to 31%, so that the soil samples can be variously classed as saline, sodic, saline–sodic, and normal.

The soil property that is most strongly correlated with aggregate stability is pH (r = –0.84) followed by exchangeable potassium (r = +0.75), cation exchange capacity (r = +0.73), clay content (r = +0.72), extractable acidity (r = +0.66), and organic matter (r = +0.66). However contrary to much published literature, no significant relationships exist between aggregate stability and exchangeable sodium percentage, sodium adsorption ratio, or electrical conductivity. Multivariate stepwise regression analyses indicated that aggregate stability of these mostly saline–sodic soils was well predicted by a combination of soil pH and clay content, which is convenient as they are properties determined in routine soil surveys. The presence of small amounts of smectite and illite may have reduced the stability of the dominantly kaolinitic soil aggregates.

Additional keywords: paddy soils, Natraqualf, Endoaqualf, clay content.


Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to The Royal Golden Jubilee Ph.D. Program of The Thailand Research Fund for financial support, Soil Survey Group, Department of Soil Science, Kasetsart University for the help on preparation of samples and laboratory work, and Soil Mineralogy Group of The University of Western Australia for laboratory facilities.


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