What is slaking in soils?

What is slaking in soils?

Slaking is the breakdown of large, air-dry soil aggregates (>2-5 mm) into smaller sized microaggregates (<0.25 mm) when they are suddenly immersed in water. Slaking occurs when aggregates are not strong enough to withstand internal stresses caused by rapid water uptake.

What is the slake test?

The slake test measures the stability of soil when exposed to rapid wetting. This test is qualitative and should be measured on air-dried soil fragments or aggregates.

How can you tell if soil is stable?

Stability was measured by exposing soil aggregates to rainfall simulation (RS), wet sieving (WS), ultrasonic vibration (UV) and clay dispersion (CD). Analysis was conducted on 2.00–4.75 mm aggregates that were either (i) air-dry (DRY) or (ii) re-moistened to field capacity at −10 kPa (MOIST).

How do you measure soil slaking?

When you immerse the clump of soil in the jar of water, the longer it holds together, the better the soil structure to resist crusting. The slake test compares two chunks of topsoil in water to see how well and how long they will hold together.

What is dispersive soil?

In a dispersive soil, the soil aggregates (small clods) collapse when the soil gets wet by fresh water, because the individual clay particles disperse into solution. This collapse of structure causes the soil to slump, lose porosity and become denser, thus restricting root growth of most plants.

What is slaking and dispersion?

Slaking and dispersion are soil characteristics that will have a large influence on the behaviour and management of a soil. A scoring system is used to allow comparisons between different soils (Figure D4–1). The two scores that can be calculated and used are: • the slaking score (0–4) • the dispersion index (0–16).

What is slaking of clay?

Slaking is the breakdown of a lump of soil into smaller fragments on wetting. It is caused when clay swells and the trapped air bursts out. Organic matter reduces slaking by binding mineral particles and by slowing the rate of wetting. This process occurs in all soil groups of the main vegetable-growing districts.

What is aggregate soil?

Aggregates are a part of soil structure and function Each aggregate is made up of soil particles of different sizes held together by both the attraction of soil particles and the binding of organic matter between soil particles.

What causes slaking?

Slaking is the breakdown of a lump of soil into smaller fragments on wetting. It is caused when clay swells and the trapped air bursts out. Organic matter reduces slaking by binding mineral particles and by slowing the rate of wetting.

What is ESP soil?

Exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) is, accordingly, the amount of adsorbed sodium on the soil exchange complex expressed in percent of the cation exchange capacity in milliequivalents per 100 g of soil.

What is EC soil?

Soil electrical conductivity (EC) is a measure of the amount of salts in soil (salinity of soil). It is an excellent indicator of nutrient availability and loss, soil texture, and available water capacity.