• Title/Summary/Keyword: Artificial disturbance of soil profile

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Physico-chemical Properties of Disturbed Plastic Film House Soils under Cucumber and Grape Cultivation as Affected by Artificial Accumulation History

  • Han, Kyung-Hwa;Ibrahim, Muhammad;Zhang, Yong-Seon;Jung, Kang-Ho;Cho, Hee-Rae;Hur, Seung-Oh;Sonn, Yeon-Kyu
    • Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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    • v.48 no.2
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    • pp.105-118
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    • 2015
  • This study was carried out to investigate the effects of profile disturbance with different artificial accumulation history on physico-chemical properties of soil under plastic film house. The investigations included soil profile description using soil column cylinder auger F10cm x h110cm, in situ and laboratory measurements of soil properties at five sites each at the cucumber (Site Ic ~ Vc) and grape (Site Ig ~ Vg) plastic film houses with artificial soil accumulation. The sites except sites Ic, IVc, IVg and Vg, belong to ex-paddy area. The types of accumulates around root zone included sandy loam soil for 3 sites, loam soil for 1 site, saprolite for 2 sites, and multi-layer with different accumulates for 3 sites. Especially, Site IIg has mixed plow zone (Ap horizon) with original soil and saprolite, whereas disturbed soil layers of the other sites are composed of only external accumulates. The soil depth disturbed by artificial accumulation ranged from 20 cm, for Site IIg, to whole measured depth of 110 cm, for Site IVc, Vc, and Site IVg. Elapsed time from artificially accumulation to investigation time ranged from 3 months, Site IIc, to more than 20 years, Site Vg, paddy-soil covering over well-drained upland soil during land leveling in 1980s. Disturbed top layer in all sites except Site Vg had no structure, indicating low structural stability. In situ infiltration rate had no correlation with texture or organic matter content, but highest value with highest variability in Site IIIc, the shortest elapsed time since sandy loam soil accumulation. Relatively low infiltration rate was observed in sites accumulated by saprolite with coarse texture, presumably because its low structural stability in the way of weathering process could result in relatively high compaction in agro-machine work or irrigation. In all cucumber sites, there were water-transport limited zone with very low permeable or impermeability within 50 cm under soil surface, but Site IIg, IIIg, and Vg, with relatively weak disturbance or structured soil, were the reverse. We observed the big change in texture and re-increase of organic matter content, available phosphate, and exchangeable cations between disturbed layer and original soil layer. This study, therefore, suggest that the accumulation of coarse material such as saprolite for cultivating cash crop under plastic film house might not improve soil drainage and structural stability, inversely showing weaker disturbance of original soil profile with higher drainage.