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Water‐repellent Soil Clods and Pellets as Mulch 1
Author(s) -
Fairbourn Merle L.,
Gardner H. R.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1975.00021962006700030024x
Subject(s) - pellets , loam , pellet , soil water , environmental science , mollisol , agronomy , evaporation , soil science , chemistry , materials science , biology , composite material , physics , thermodynamics
Water‐repellent clods and pellets of a Mollisol soil, Nunn clay loam, were tested in laboratory and field experiments to determine the potential for use in place of gravel as a mulch for reducing soil water evaporation. Solutions of two hydrophobic compounds, dialkyl quaternary ammonium chloride (Arquad), and sodium methyl silanolate (R‐20), were used either as a dip for soil clods and pellets or for mixing with the soil to form pellets. Seven treatments were tested for endurance in the laboratory by the wet sieve, alternate freezing and thawing, and alternate wetting and drying methods. The treatments were also exposed to the ambient climate. The most stable treatments, R‐20 dipped clods, R‐20 mixed pellets, and Arquad mixed pellets, were compared with treatments of gravel and bare soil in evaporation tests to determine the efficiency in reducing soil water loss. The three soil clod and pellet treatments were durable for over 1 year, and each reduced cumulative evaporation with time compared with a bare soil. First‐day evaporation rates after a 5.0‐cm water application showed bare soil was higher than gravel by 79%, R‐20 mixed pellets by 73%, R‐20 dipped clods by 63%, and Arquad mixed pellets by 36%. The R‐20 mixed‐pellet, mulch‐reduced soil water evaporation rate with nearly the same efficiency as gravel and could save about 30% more precipitation for plant use than a bare soil.