The influence of surfactant and organic matter content on wetting pattern of different non-water repellent soils
Mohammad Reza Chaichi A D , Marcus Turcios A and Mina Rostamza B C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, College of Agriculture, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California 91709, USA.
B Agricultural Research Institute, Iranian Research Organisation for Science and Technology (IROST), Tehran 3353136846, Iran.
C Department of Agronomy, Purdue University, 915 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
D Corresponding author. Email: mrchaichi@cpp.edu
Soil Research 54(7) 880-888 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR15153
Submitted: 21 November 2014 Accepted: 30 September 2015 Published: 5 September 2016
Abstract
Non-ionic surfactants have been well researched as a tool to ameliorate water repellent conditions. However, few studies have evaluated the risks and benefits of non-ionic surfactant applications in wettable soil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a surfactant in modifying the wetting pattern in soils of different textures and organic matter contents. The experimental treatments consisted of (1) four different soil textures including sandy, sandy loam, sandy clay loam and silt loam, (2) four different organic matter contents (0.2, 0.7, 1.2 and 1.7% by weight), and (3) irrigation water treatments with or without surfactant (IrrigAid Gold). The experiment was carried out in Plexiglas boxes with one drip emitter under the soil surface. The results demonstrated the superiority of surfactant application on increasing water distribution in the soil profile for all soil textural classes. Silt loam texture had the highest side wetted area and wetting depth 45 min after the initiation of irrigation. Upward capillary water movement and top wetted area significantly decreased in the surfactant treatment across all soil textures except in sandy soil. As organic matter content increased, top wetted area decreased. These findings clarified the potential ability of surfactant in increasing water infiltration in non-repellent soil in an in vitro system.
Additional keywords: soil moisture, soil textures, water infiltration, wetted area, wetting depth.
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