Journal Article

Stability of Aggregates of Arable Soils: Experimental Determination and Normative Characteristics

Ushkova, D. A., Potapov, D. I., Konkina, U. A., Shein, E. V., Fedotov, G. N., Gorepekin, I. V.

2023

Overview

In modern soil physics soil stability as a concept is divided into two directions, namely water stability and mechanical resistance to compression and wedging. Both soil properties in water-saturated soil are based on the rupture of interaggregate interparticle bonds, however, no standard of physically based parameters have been proposed to characterize the aggregate stability. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the physical concept of stability of soil aggregates and to propose a single methodological method for quantifying stability as a normative soil characteristic. A high-performance method has been developed based on the dissection of linearly arranged water-saturated aggregates with blades under controlled load. The main stages of the technique are vacuuming of aggregates to eliminate the uncontrolled influence of trapped air, saturation of aggregates with water in vacuum, and subsequent determination of the aggregate stability to penetration of blades. Experimental stability values (mN/aggregate) were obtained for 17 soils, which made it possible to form normative ranges for arable loamy soils, namely 17–19, 27–29, and 34–37 mN/aggregate for soddy-podzolic, gray forest soils, and chernozem, respectively, and a number of other soils, which makes it possible to apply the obtained value as a soil characteristic of the aggregate stability. The possibility of using the stability values as a methodological basis for monitoring soil stability and degradation and for quantitative directions for assessing of physical characteristics of soil aggregates (firstly, their main parameter—stability) is discussed. Taking into account the highly correlative dependence of the proposed stability characteristic on the water stability values obtained by the Savvinov method (>85%) and the high performance of the stability determination method (the proposed method is about 20 times more productive than the Savvinov method), the possibilities of using the method and the obtained values of the stability of aggregates as a general physical characteristic and a separate one for quantifying water stability are discussed.

• Publisher: Pleiades Publishing,Springer,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: aggregate stability / Aggregates / air / Arable land / Blades / Compression / dissection / Earth and Environmental Science / Earth Sciences / Environmental monitoring / Forest soils / forests / Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences / Loam / mechanical properties / Methods / Moisture content / Parameters / Physical characteristics / Physical properties / Physics / Saturated soils / Slope stability / Soil aggregates / Soil biology / Soil characteristics / Soil degradation / Soil mechanics / Soil Physics / Soil properties / Soil sciences / Soil stability / Soil structure / Water / Water stability / Wheat