Articles | Volume 9, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-141-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-141-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Wetting and drying cycles, organic amendments, and gypsum play a key role in structure formation and stability of sodic Vertisols
Sara Niaz
University of Queensland, School of Agriculture and Food
Sciences, St. Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia
J. Bernhard Wehr
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
University of Queensland, School of Agriculture and Food
Sciences, St. Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia
Ram C. Dalal
University of Queensland, School of Agriculture and Food
Sciences, St. Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia
Peter M. Kopittke
University of Queensland, School of Agriculture and Food
Sciences, St. Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia
Neal W. Menzies
University of Queensland, School of Agriculture and Food
Sciences, St. Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia
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Short summary
Sodic soils affect ~580 Mha in semi-arid and arid regions of the world. These soils have a weak structure. This laboratory study evaluated treatments to overcome the weak aggregate structure in two sodic Vertisols by applying organic amendments, gypsum, and wetting–drying cycles. We conclude that sodic soils need to be treated with gypsum to flocculate clay and organic amendments (lucerne or chicken manure) to form aggregates, whereas drying cycles aid in small macroaggregates formation.
Sodic soils affect ~580 Mha in semi-arid and arid regions of the world. These soils have a weak...