The influence of surfactant and organic matter content on wetting pattern of different non-water repellent soils

Abstract

Non-ionic surfactants have been well researched as a tool to ameliorate water repellent conditions. However, few studies have evaluated the risks and benefits of non-ionic surfactant applications in wettable soil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a surfactant in modifying the wetting pattern in soils of different textures and organic matter contents. The experimental treatments consisted of (1) four different soil textures including sandy, sandy loam, sandy clay loam and silt loam, (2) four different organic matter contents (0.2, 0.7, 1.2 and 1.7% by weight), and (3) irrigation water treatments with or without surfactant (IrrigAid Gold). The experiment was carried out in Plexiglas boxes with one drip emitter under the soil surface. The results demonstrated the superiority of surfactant application on increasing water distribution in the soil profile for all soil textural classes. Silt loam texture had the highest side wetted area and wetting depth 45min after the initiation of irrigation. Upward capillary water movement and top wetted area significantly decreased in the surfactant treatment across all soil textures except in sandy soil. As organic matter content increased, top wetted area decreased. These findings clarified the potential ability of surfactant in increasing water infiltration in non-repellent soil in an in vitro system.

Developing extruded seed pellets to overcome soil hydrophobicity and seedling emergence barriers

“…clay) that increase water adsorption and transport. The application of surfactants has been found to increase the efficiency of water storage by soils, whether by increasing water retention in coarse textured soils or by improving water movement in water‐repellent agricultural (Chaichi, Turcios, & Rostamza, 2016; Sullivan, Nuti, & Truman, 2009) and post‐fire restoration soils (Madsen et al., 2012; Madsen, Davies, Boyd, Kerby, & Svejcar, 2016).…”