Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Soil Research Soil Research Society
Soil, land care and environmental research
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > SR > SR05127
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 44(5)

Modelling aggregate liberation and dispersion of three soil types exposed to ultrasonic agitation

Damien J. Field A C , Budiman Minasny B and Michael Gaggin B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Australian Cotton Co-operative Research Centre, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.

B Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: d.field@usyd.edu.au

Australian Journal of Soil Research 44(5) 497-502 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR05127
Submitted: 2 September 2005  Accepted: 2 April 2006   Published: 4 August 2006

Abstract

This paper reports on a study involving the application of ultrasonic agitation to 3 soil types to assess soil aggregate disruption and subsequent dispersion. The measurement of various particle size fractions resulting after the application of ultrasonic agitation for different time periods made it possible to describe the resulting aggregate disruption using the established aggregate liberation and dispersion curve (ALDC) model. Originally this model had been used to assess only the 2–20 µm fraction liberated from Vertosols. This work has shown that the model can be applied to a variety of size fractions between 2 and 100 µm in diameter and soil types, namely Chromosols and Ferrosols. By estimating the critical energy (Ecrit) required to initiate dispersion of liberated aggregates for each fraction, it is implied that the linkage between aggregates is weaker than the linkages between the materials composing the aggregates. Further, the ratio between the rate constants in the ALDC model can be used to establish if there is a stepwise breakdown of larger aggregates, a criterion required to establish the presence of an aggregate hierarchy. Finally, by assessing the aggregate distribution on a continuous scale, it is possible to recognise unique pathways of aggregate liberation and dispersion for each soil type rather than assuming that aggregates breakdown into predefined discrete size fractions.

Additional keywords: soil aggregates, ultrasonic methods, soil mechanical properties, soil dynamics, aggregate distribution.


References


Agassi M, Tarchitzky J, Keren K, Chen Y, Goldstien D, Fizik E (2003) Effects of prolonged irrigation with treated municipal effluent on runoff rate. Journal of Environmental Quality 32, 1053–1057.
| PubMed |
open url image1

Baldock JA (2001) Interactions of organic materials and microorganisms with minerals in the stabilization of soil structure. In ‘Interactions between soil particles and microorganisms: impact on the terrestrial ecosystem’. (Eds PM Huang, JM Bollag, N Senesi) (John Wiley & Sons Ltd: London)

Barthès B, Roose E (2002) Aggregate stability as an indicator of soil susceptibility to runoff and erosion; validation at several levels. CATENA 47, 133–149.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Bresson LM, Moran CJ (2003) Role of compaction versus aggregate disruption on slumping and shrinking of repacked hardsetting seedbeds. Soil Science 168, 585–594.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Chan KY, Mullins CE (1994) Slaking characteristics of some Australian and British soils. European Journal of Soil Science 45, 273–283.
| Crossref |
open url image1

Dexter AR (2004) Soil physical quality: Part II. Friability, tillage, tilth and hard-setting. Geoderma 120, 215–225.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Field DJ, Minasny B (1999) A description of aggregate liberation and dispersion in A horizons of Australian Vertisols by ultrasonic agitation. Geoderma 91, 11–26.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Field DJ, Sullivan LA, Cattle SR, Koppi AJ (2004) Comparison of four methods for liberating various aggregate fractions in Vertosols to study their morphology. Australian Journal of Soil Research 42, 29–37.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Jastrow JD, Miller RM (1991) Methods for assessing the affect of biota on soil structure. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment 34, 279–303.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Jastrow JD , Miller RM (1998) Soil aggregate stabilization and carbon sequestration: Feedbacks through organomineral associations. In ‘Soil processes and carbon cycling’. Advances in Soil Science. (Eds R Lal, JM Kimble, RF Follet, BA Stewart) (CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL)

Le Bissonnais Y (1996) Aggregate stability and assessment of soil crustability and erodibility: I. Theory and methodology. European Journal of Soil Science 47, 425–437.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

MathWorks (2003) ‘Matlab Release 13.’ (The MathWorks Inc.: Natick, MA)

North PF (1976) Towards an absolute measurement of soil structural stability using ultrasound. Journal of Soil Science 27, 451–459.
| Crossref |
open url image1

Oades JM, Waters AG (1991) Aggregate hierarchy in soils. Australian Journal of Soil Research 29, 815–828.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Raine SR, So HB (1993) An energy based parameter for the assessment of aggregate bond energy. Journal of Soil Science 44, 249–259. open url image1

Raine SR, So HB (1997) An investigation of the relationships between dispersion, power, and mechanical energy using the end-over-end shaking and ultrasonic methods of aggregate stability assessment. Australian Journal of Soil Research 35, 41–53.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Ramos MC, Nacci S, Pla I (2003) Effect of raindrop impact and its relationship with aggregate stability to different disaggregation forces. CATENA 53, 365–376.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Seker C (2003) Effects of selected amendments on soil properties and emergence of wheat seedlings. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 83, 615–621. open url image1

Tippkötter R (1994) The effect of ultrasound on the stability of mesoaggregates (60–2000 µm). Zeitschrift Pflanzenernähr Bodenkunde 157, 99–104. open url image1

Vrdoljak G , Sposito G (2002) Soil aggregate hierarchy in a Brazilian Oxisol. In ‘Soil mineral-organic matter-microorganism interactions and ecosystem health: Dynamics, mobility and transformation of pollutants and nutrients’. (Eds A Violante, P M Huang, J M Bollag, L Gianfreda) (Elsevier Science B.V.: Amsterdam)