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| Author(s): |
Luiz Fernando Pires
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Doctoral Thesis |
| Press: | Piracicaba. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA/STB) |
| Defense date: | 2006-05-04 |
| Examining board members: |
Osny Oliveira Santos Bacchi;
Fábio Augusto Meira Cássaro;
Lorival Fante Júnior;
Manoel Dornelas de Souza;
Rubismar Stolf
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| Advisor: | Osny Oliveira Santos Bacchi |
| Abstract | |
Soil structure is related to the arrangement of soil particles, aggregates, and pores, which makes part of this porous media. The influence of structure on soil physical phenomena ranges from macro to microscope scale. Structure changes in microscope scale are important because affect the soil particle arrangement and, consequently, the pores distribution. Soil sample quality is directly related to soil structure, which is one of the most important properties that influences root development, water and gas movement and retention, soil fauna, etc. Natural forces and human action are the main factors that affect soil structure. Wetting and drying (W-D) cycles cause strong modifications on soil structure, especially in the pore size distribution, which reflects the temporal and spatial distribution of soil water and, consequently, these processes can affect soil water and nutrient retention and movement; having important practical consequences when calculating soil water storages and matric potentials, widely used in irrigation management. The main objective of this work was to use computed tomography (CT), gamma-ray attenuation, and micromorphologic analysis techniques as tools to investigate how soil structure can be affected by soil sampling procedures and wetting and drying cycles. A critical analysis about the behavior of soil structure when submitted to W-D cycles and the impact of possible structure changes on water retention was made. Core samples were collected from profiles of three soils with volumetric rings. Each soil sample was submitted to the application of three and nine W-D cycles. For the soil samples called control, none W-D cycle was applied. The CT scanner used is a first-generation system with a fixed source-detector arrangement and translation/rotational movements of the samples, equipped with a radioactive gamma-ray source of 241Am. The CT system permitted to obtain 2-D soil sample images and tomographic unit profiles. The gamma-ray attenuation system is equipped with the same radioactive source of the tomograph and it was used to evaluate soil density and water content. The pore size distribution, arrangement, and size of pores were analyzed through the micromorphologic analysis technique. By the analyses carried out through the non-invasive gamma-ray attenuation technique it was possible to evaluate soil water retention curves using a unique wetting cycle. The results allow to conclude that the nuclear method presents some advantages in relation to the traditional method (Richards method), like the higher accuracy in the determination of time of equilibrium, and reduction in the time required for the retention curve determination at the matric potential range of 0 to -100 kPa. The analyses using the CT technique allowed to confirm that soil compaction near the volumetric ring wall occur and that the effects of sampling procedures on soil structure need to be taken into account. It was showed that the size of the volumetric rings is very important and that small ones cause strong modifications on soil structure. Regarding the wetting and drying cycles, on the one hand, the technique allowed following the modifications on soil structure induced by these cycles, on the other, it makes possible to identify increases in soil porosity and development of some large macropores with the cycles. The micromorphologic analysis allowed an investigation of soil structure in a micrometric scale. This technique was particularly valuable because it was possible to analyze the changes in soil particle arrangement, shape, and pore distribution of samples submitted to W-D cycles and different sampling procedures. The results showed that soil structure is a dynamic property, suffering important changes on shape and pore size distributions, confirming the results obtained by the CT technique. Finally, analyses of soil structure changes during water retention curve determinations were made. By the results it was possible to conclude that the soil water retention curve is affected by sequences of W-D cycles. This sort of information is valuable because the water retention curve data are used in simulations of water and chemical products transport through the soil, and evaluations of soil water storages and matric potentials, widely used in irrigation management (AU) | |