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The Effect of Anhydrous Ammonia on Water Stability of Soil Aggregates
Author(s) -
Gifford Richard O.,
Strickling Edward
Publication year - 1958
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1958.03615995002200030006x
Subject(s) - anhydrous , aggregate (composite) , organic matter , soil science , ammonia , stability (learning theory) , chemistry , environmental chemistry , environmental science , materials science , organic chemistry , composite material , machine learning , computer science
The effect of anhydrous ammonia (NH 3 ) on the water stability of soil aggregates was investigated from 1954 to 1957 in the field and laboratory. Ammonia was applied with a commercial applicator to corn in field plots. Soil aggregates from some of these plots were treated in the laboratory by a procedure for NH 3 application set up to reproduce as nearly as possible conditions in the field along the applicator path. In field experiments conducted in 1954 there was a trend toward an increase in soil aggregate stability as a result of NH 3 treatment at 23 locations in Maryland. Soil samples from the check plots of these locations increased greatly in stability when treated with NH 3 in the laboratory. These increases were correlated with the total organic matter content (r = 0.661, n = 14). The increase in soil aggregate stability due to NH 3 treatment was not as large from 1955 to 1957 as in 1954. The difference in the effect of NH 3 on soil aggregate stability between 1954 and 1955 to 1957 suggested that the increase in aggregate stability was related to a specific, although not identified, fraction of the organic matter rather than total organic matter. An explanation of the effects of NH 3 on soil aggregate stability is proposed.