Mechanisms of aggregate stabilization in Ultisols from subtropical China

The quantification and interpretation of aggregate stability depend on internal soil properties and external factors such as measurement method and aggregate size. The objectives of this study were to: (i) determine the aggregate stability in Ultisols from subtropical China applying the Le Bisssonais Method; (ii) determine the effect of initial aggregate size on its stability, and (iii) interpret mechanisms of aggregate stabilization in the soils. Three aggregate-size ranges (5–3, 3–2 and 2–1 mm) were obtained by dry sieving. After the wetting treatments, the dominant fraction of fragments for each soil was 2–1 mm or 0.63–0.2 mm. The mechanisms of aggregate breakdown was in the order, slaking>mechanical breakdown>micro-cracking. They differed with soil type and composition. The normalized mean weight diameter (NMWD) of the aggregates after fast wetting and wet stirring were more correlated with soil properties, such as degree of micro-aggregation (DOA), cation exchange capacity (CEC), K2O, Fe2O3 or Al2O3 rather than clay and soil organic carbon (SOC) content. The binding force by soil organic matter was smaller than the force caused by entrapped air or the force of combination of mechanical stress by stirring and differential swelling of minerals. The smaller the aggregate, the larger was the aggregate stability according to NMWD. The rankings of the soils differed with the soil aggregate sizes and the wetting treatments. Sandy loams from sandstone (Sc and Sw) were the weakest soils while the purple mudstone (Pp) was the strongest. All the cultivated soils decreased in aggregate stability compared with the comparable uncultivated soils or parent materials irrespective of the cultivation time and the changes in SOC content after cultivation.