Effects of fine-particle amendments on the hydraulic properties of coarse soils

✍ Scribed by David A. Stone

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1980
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 480 KB
• Volume: 31
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-5142
• DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.2740310803

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Three coarse‐textured soils were amended with pulverised fuel ash and two similar fine‐particle materials, fluidised combustor ash and ground silica sand. Incorporation of the amendments to the Ap horizon of the soils increased available water retention by up to 70%. The additional water was mainly held at matric potentials between −0.05 and −1 bar. A concomitant increase in hydraulic conductivity and soil water diffusivity over the same potential range indicates, however, that the increase in water retention was at least partially offset by greater evaporation from the soil surface. This could explain the poor crop response to increases in available water capacity (AWC) reported in previous work and questions the importance placed on AWC in current soil productivity classification.