Variation of soil microaggregate stability as a function of WRB reference soil groups and diagnostic properties

Microaggregates are structural elements of the soil smaller than 250 µm. These microaggregates are composed from diverse mineral, organic and biotic materials that are bound together during the process of pedogenesis (through a variety of ways and processes). According to the general theories, microaggregates are predominantly stabilized by organo-mineral complexes, which are relatively stable and are not easily degraded by changes in soil organic matter content as a result of land use and cultivation. At present, the relationship between soil processes and the formation of microaggregate stability needed further studies to gain a better understanding

In our study, we were looking for a quantifiable relationship between the stability of microaggregates and different soil reference groups and diagnostic properties. We examined 55 Hungarian soil profiles, which were selected on the basis of their various parameters. The stability of the microaggregate was determined by laser diffractometry (LDM) with a Malvern Mastersizer 3000, Hydro LV dispersion unit, as the ratio of dispersed to non-dispersed clay content. The measured data were sorted into a database and a statistical analysis were performed between the soils and WRB diagnostic properties of each reference group and the stability of the microaggregate. Based on our results, different significant soil groups could be identified, furthermore there is a good connection between the stability of the microaggregate and the soil reference groups. There is also a clear difference between the horizons of cultivated and uncultivated soils.

This research is supported through the common grant of the Hungarian and Polish Academy of Sciences (Grant No. NKM-2019-17) and by the Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Office Foundation (Grant No. OTKA K 119475).