Cattle manure effects on structural stability and water retention capacity of a granitic sandy soil in Zimbabwe

The evaluation of soil aggregate stability and water retention is important in the assessment of soil management options. A 3-year study was conducted in 1999 to determine the effects of two cattle manure application methods on soil aggregate stability and water retention capacity of a sandy soil (H...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Soil & tillage research Vol. 62; no. 3; pp. 157 - 162
Main Authors:	Nyamangara, J, Gotosa, J, Mpofu, S.E
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01-11-2001 Elsevier
Subjects:	Aggregate stability Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions Biological and medical sciences Cattle manure Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology General agronomy. Plant production Organic C Other nutrients. Amendments. Solid and liquid wastes. Sludges and slurries Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility. Fertilization. Amendments Water retention capacity Zimbabwe Southern Africa Africa Aggregate stability Water retention capacity Organic C Cattle manure Organic carbon Structure stability Tropical zone Soil structure Lixisols Sandy soil Aggregate Water holding capacity Organic amendment Granite
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Summary:	The evaluation of soil aggregate stability and water retention is important in the assessment of soil management options. A 3-year study was conducted in 1999 to determine the effects of two cattle manure application methods on soil aggregate stability and water retention capacity of a sandy soil (Haplic Lixisol). Manure application increased soil organic C by 10–38% in the 0–10 cm layer. Compared with the control, manure management treatments increased the aggregate stability of soil as measured by the mean weight diameter (MWD) and aggregates between 2 and 10 mm (AGG2) indices from 0.243 to 0.733–0.926 mm, and from 27.3 to 128.3–148.3 g kg −1, respectively. The readily available water (RAW) capacity of the soil was significantly increased by manure addition, whereas the increase in AWC was not significant. The increase in water retention capacity in the soil was more affected at low suctions and this was related to the effects of manure on macroporosity. It was concluded that cattle manure was beneficial to the structural stability and water retention of this soil.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23
ISSN:	0167-1987 1879-3444
DOI:	10.1016/S0167-1987(01)00215-X