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Hydro-Physical Properties of a Typic Hapludult under the Effect of Rice Husk Ash

ABSTRACT

The combustion of rice husk generates a partially burnt mixture called rice husk ash (RHA) that can be used as a source of nutrients to crops and as a conditioner of soil physical properties. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of RHA levels on the hydro-physical properties of a Typic Hapludult. The experimental design was composed of random blocks with four replications, which comprised plots of 24 m2 and treatments with increasing RHA rates: 0, 40, 80 and 120 Mg ha-1. Undisturbed soil samples were collected in the soil layers of 0.00-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m after nine months of RHA application, using steel cylinders (0.03 m of height and 0.047 m of diameter). These samples were used to determine soil bulk density (Bd), total soil porosity (TP), soil macroporosity (Ma), soil microporosity (Mi) and the available water capacity (AWC). Disturbed soil samples were collected to determine the stability of soil aggregates in water, mean weight diameter of water stable aggregates (MWD), and soil particle size distribution. The results show that, as the RHA rate increased in the soil, Bd values decreased and TP, Ma and MWD values increased. No effect of RHA was found on Mi and AWC values. The effects of RHA on the S parameter (Dexter, 2004), precompression stress and compression index (Dias Junior and Pierce, 1995) values are consistent those shown for density and total porosity. Rice husk ash was shown to be an efficient residue to improve soil physical properties, mainly at rates between 40 and 80 Mg ha-1. Rice husk ash reduces bulk density and increases total porosity, macroporosity and soil aggregation, but does not affect microporosity, field capacity, permanent wilting point, and available water capacity of the soil. The effect of rice husk ash on the S parameter, precompression stress and index compressibility coefficient values are consistent with those observed for the bulk density and total porosity.

bulk density; soil porosity; available water capacity; soil compressibility; soil aggregation

INTRODUCTION

Brazil is among the top 10 producers of rice globally, with an annual production of 11.8 million tons of grain in the husk (Conab, 2013Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento - Conab. Central de informações agropecuárias. 4º Levantamento de grãos da safra 2012/2013. Brasília, DF: 2013 [Acesssado em: dez. 2014]. Disponível em: http://www.conab.gov.br/OlalaCMS/uploads/arquivos/13_01_09_17_44_20_boletim_graos_janeiro_2013.pdf.
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), of which 68.7 % is produced in Rio Grande do Sul (IRGA, 2014Instituto Rio-grandense do Arroz – IRGA. Relatório final de colheita do arroz irrigado no Rio Grande do Sul - áreas e produções municipais - safra 2013/2014 [acessado em: dez. 2014]. Disponível em: http://www.irga.rs.gov.br/uploads/anexos/1313154576Area_Producao_e_Produtividade.pdf.
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). Considering that rice husk takes up on average 22 % of the total weight of rice (Umamaheswaran and Batra, 2008Umamaheswaran K, Batra VS. Physico-chemical characterization of Indian biomass ashes. Fuel. 2008;87:628-38. doi:10.1021/ef5027373), 2.6 million tons of rice husk are produced annually in Brazil. Due to its high calorific value and low cost, rice husk has been used as a source of energy (Capeletto, 2012Capeletto GJ. Setor energético do Rio Grande do Sul: ênfase em fontes de energia primária. In: Capeletto GJ, Moura GHZ, editores. Balanço energético do Rio Grande do Sul, 2012: ano base 2011. Porto Alegre: Grupo CEEE, Secretaria de Infraestrutura e Logística do Rio Grande do Sul; 2012. p.35-38.) resulting in a new solid waste, the rice husk ash (RHA). Since RHA is equivalent to 17 % of the dry mass of the husk (Chandrasekhar et al., 2006Chandrasekhar S, Pramada PN, Majeed J. Effect of calcination temperature and heating rate on the optical properties and reactivity of rice husk ash. J Mater Sci. 2006;41:7926-33. doi:10.1007/s10853-006-0859-0), the production potential of RHA in Brazil is 0.44 million tons per year.

The most striking feature of RHA is the high content of amorphous silica, i.e. around 90 % SiO2 (Chandrasekhar et al., 2005Chandrasekhar S, Pramada PN, Praveen L. Effect of organic acid treatment on the properties of rice husk silica. J Mater Sci. 2005;40:6535-44. doi:10.1007/s10853-005-1816-z). Thus, there has been intense research into technological processes for obtaining pure silica and other products for diverse uses (Gorthy and Mukunda, 1999Gorthy P, Mukunda PG. Production of silicon carbide from rice husks. J Am Ceram Soc. 1999;82:1393-400. doi:10.1111/j.1151-2916.1999.tb01929.x; Chandrasekhar et al., 2005Chandrasekhar S, Pramada PN, Praveen L. Effect of organic acid treatment on the properties of rice husk silica. J Mater Sci. 2005;40:6535-44. doi:10.1007/s10853-005-1816-z; Zemnukhova, 2005Zemnukhova LA, Fedorishcheva GA, Egorov AG, Sergienko VI. Recovery conditions, impurity composition, and characteristics of amorphous silicon dioxide from wastes formed in rice production. Russ J Appl Chem. 2005;78:319-23. doi:10.1007/s11167-005-0283-2; Della, 2006Della VP, Hotza D, Junkes JA, Oliveira APN. Estudo comparativo entre sílica obtida por lixívia ácida da casca de arroz e sílica obtida por tratamento térmico da cinza de casca de arroz. Quím Nova. 2006;29:1175-9. doi:10.1590/S0100-40422006000600005). Rice husk ash is also used as an adsorbent material in wastewater treatment (Farook and Ravendran, 2000Farook A, Ravendran S. Saturated fatty acid adsorption by acidified rice hull ash. J Am Oil Chem Soc. 2000;77:437-40. doi:10.1007/s11746-000-0070-0), as an additive in concrete and in the development of materials for construction (Gonçalves and Bergmann, 2007Gonçalves MRF, Bergmann CP. Thermal insulators made with rice husk ashes; production and correlation between properties and microstructure. Constr Build Mater. 2007;21:2059-65. doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2006.05.057). However, the use of RHA on the industrial scale is still limited to a small fraction of the amount produced. Therefore, its use in agriculture is a very promising and appropriate disposal method for this waste.

The immediate effects of RHA in soil are acidity correction and supply of nutrients. The potential of RHA as a corrective for soil acidity and as a source of P and K for plants has been demonstrated, but rate are high rates are necessary (Silva et al., 2008Silva FF, Bertonha A, Freitas PSL, Muniz AS, Ferreira RC. Aplicação de cinza da casca de arroz e de água residuária de fecularia de mandioca na cultura de aveia. Rev Agroneg Meio Amb. 2008;1:25-36.; Islabão, 2013Islabão GO. Uso da cinza de casca de arroz como corretivo e condicionador do solo [tese]. Pelotas: Universidade Federal de Pelotas; 2013.; Islabão et al., 2014Islabão GO, Vahl LC, Timm LC, Paul DL, Kath AH. Rice husk ash as corrective of soil acidity. Rev Bras Cienc Solo. 2014;38:934-41. doi:10.1590/S0100-06832014000300025). Such effects are expected due to the alkaline nature of RHA; as a crop residue, it has all the essential elements in its composition. However, due to the physical and chemical nature of RHA, it is not expected to react with the soil, thus the effects of RHA on physical properties of soil are not so obvious. Nevertheless, Salé et al. (1997)Salé LY, Chanasyk DS, Naeth MA. Temporal influence of fly ash on select soil physical properties. Can J Soil Sci. 1997;77:677-83. doi:10.4141/S96-078, Ramesh et al. (2008)Ramesh V, Korwar GR, Mandal UK, Prasad JVNS, Sharma KL, Yezzu SR, Kandula V. Influence of fly ash mixtures on early tree growth and physicochemical properties of soil in semi-arid tropical Alfisols. Agrofor Syst. 2008;73:13-22. doi:10.1080/03601234.2012.669288 and Karmakar et al. (2009)Karmakar S, Mittra BN, Ghosh BC. Influence of industrial solid wastes on soil-plant. Interaction in rice under acid lateritic soil. In: World of Coal Ash (WOCA) Conference; 2009; Lexington. Lexington, KY: 2009. p.1-13. observed that soil bulk density decreased following application of RHA. The RHA reduced resistance to penetration and increased total porosity and water availability (Masulili et al., 2010Masulili A, Utomo WH, Syechfani MS. Rice husk biochar for rice based cropping system in acid soil. The characteristics of rice husk biochar and its influence on the properties of acid sulfate soils and rice growth in west Kalimantan, Indonésia. J Agric Sci. 2010;2:39-47. doi:10.5539/jas.v2n1p39), although Pauletto et al. (1990)Pauletto EA, Nachtigall GR, Guadagnin CA. Adição de cinza de casca de arroz em dois solos do município de Pelotas, RS. Rev Bras Cienc Solo. 1990;14:255-8. found that RHA does not affect soil water retention.

Compaction is a problem that limits the development and productivity of crops in many soils. In the Rio Grande do Sul, Typic Hapludult with sandy loam, the A horizon is usually has a density higher than 1.6 Mg m-3, total porosity of approximately 35 % and macroporosity less than 10 %, as demonstrated by Teixeira et al. (1998)Teixeira CFA. Influência de sistemas de cultivo em plantio direto em alguns atributos físicos de um Podzólico Vermelho-Amarelo [dissertação]. Pelotas: Universidade Federal de Pelotas; 1998., Cruz et al. (2003)Cruz ACR, Pauletto EA, Flores CA, Silva JB. Atributos físicos e carbono orgânico de um Argissolo Vermelho sob sistemas de manejo. Rev Bras Cienc Solo. 2003;27:1105-12. doi:10.1590/S0100-06832003000600015 and Dupont (2011)Dupont PB. Qualidade física de um Argissolo sob diferentes sistemas de uso na Encosta do Sudeste do RS [dissertação]. Pelotas: Universidade Federal de Pelotas; 2011..

In these soils, the hypothesis is that the RHA can modify the soil physical attributes to appropriate values for plants development. In view of this, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of RHA rates on some physical properties in the 0.00-0.20 m layer in a Typic Hapludult.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The experimental area is located at the Agricultural Center of Palma, which belongs to the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel), situated in the Capão do Leão municipality, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil; the coordinates are E357.860 N6.480.490, UTM zone 22 datum WGS84. The soil is an Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo (Santos et al., 2013Santos HG, Jacomine PKT, Anjos LHC, Oliveira VA, Oliveira JB, Coelho MR, Lumbreras JF, Cunha TJF. Sistema brasileiro de classificação de solos. 3ª. ed. Rio de Janeiro: Embrapa Solos; 2013.), a Typic Hapludult (Soil Survey Staff, 2014Soil Survey Staff. Keys to soil taxonomy. 12th ed. Washington, DC: United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service; 2014.) with a sandy loam texture in the layer of 0.00-0.20 m. The chemical and physical characteristics are described in table 1.

Table 1
Soil chemical properties and particle size distribution of a Typic Hapludult in the 0.00-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m layers

The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with four replications, comprising plots of 24 m2 (6 × 4 m) and four treatments consisting of 0, 40, 80 and 120 Mg ha-1 as the RHA rate. In April 2010, RHA was applied to each experimental plot using a 0.80 × 0.60 × 0.54 m wooden box, with a total volume of 260 dm3. Setting the average dry ash density value at 0.184 kg dm-3, each box was estimated to have 48 kg of RHA (equivalent to 20 Mg ha-1 RHA). The use of the wooden box made it easy to carry and distribute RHA, which was incorporated using rotary tiller equipment at the 0.00-0.10 m layer.

For the chemical characterization of RHA, the content of silicon (Si) was determined by X ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDX-720). The organic carbon (Walkley-Black method) and total nitrogen (Kjeldahl method) contents of RHA as well its pH and calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE) were determined according to Tedesco et al. (1995)Tedesco MJ, Gianello C, Bissani CA, Bohnen H, Volkweiss SJ. Análises de solo, plantas e outros materiais. 2ª. ed. Porto Alegre: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul: 1995.. To determine the contents of K, Na, Ca, Mg, Al, P, S, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn, samples were digested in bi-distilled nitric acid and hydrofluoric acid (PA) and the determination was carried out through inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) (Perkin Elmer Optima 4300 DV) at the Environmental and Industrial Chemistry Laboratory - LAQIA at Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil. The chemical composition of the rice husk ash used in this study were in table 2.

Table 2
Chemical composition of the rice husk ash used in this study

Undisturbed soil samples were collected in the depth layers of 0.00-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m, nine months after the application of RHA, using steel cylinders (0.03 m of height and 0.047 m of diameter). To determine the soil water retention curves (SWRC), in each layer, three replications were randomly taken along the plot, totaling 12 replications per treatment. Soil water contents (θ) were measured at the tensions of 1 and 6 kPa, using a tension table apparatus, and at the tensions of 10, 33, 102 and 1530 kPa using a Richards pressure chamber (Klute, 1986Klute A. Water retention: laboratory methods. In: Black CA, editor. Methods of soil analysis; Physical and mineralogical methods. Madison: American Society of Agronomy; 1986. p.635-62.).

Soil total porosity (TP), macroporosity (Ma), microporosity (Mi) and soil bulk density (Bd) values were obtained according to Donagema et al. (2011)Donagema GK, Campos DVB, Calderano SB, Teixeira WG, Viana JHM. Manual de métodos de análise de solos. 2ª. ed. Rio de Janeiro: Embrapa Solos; 2011.. The available water capacity (AWC) was calculated considering θ obtained by SWRC and adjusted by the van Genuchten (1980)van Genuchten, MTh. A closed-form equation for predicting the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J. 1980;44:892-7. doi:10.2136/sssaj1980.03615995004400050002x model at tensions of 10 kPa (taken as the field capacity) and 1,530 kPa (taken as the permanent wilting point) (Reichardt and Timm, 2012Reichardt K, Timm LC. Solo, planta e atmosfera: Conceitos, processos e aplicações. 2ª. ed. São Paulo: Manole; 2012.). The values of the S parameter (Dexter, 2004Dexter AR. Soil physical quality: Part I. Theory, effects of soil texture, density, and organic matter, and effects on root growth. Geoderma. 2004;120:201-14. doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2003.09.004) were calculated based on the water retention curves (gravimetric water content), using the model of van Genuchten (1980)van Genuchten, MTh. A closed-form equation for predicting the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J. 1980;44:892-7. doi:10.2136/sssaj1980.03615995004400050002x in an SWRC computer program (Dourado Neto et al., 2000Dourado Neto D, Nielsen DR, Hopmans JW, Reichardt K, Bacchi OOS. Software to model soil water retention curves (SWRC, version 2.00). Sci Agric. 2000;57:191-2. doi:10.1590/S0103-90162000000100031).

Disturbed soil samples were also collected in the depths of 0.00-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m to determine the stability of the aggregates in water and the particles size distribution particles (clay, sand and silt contents). To determine the distribution of the stable aggregates in water at different size classes and the mean weight diameter of water stable aggregates (MWD), samples were sieved through a 9.52 mm mesh, using the method described by Kemper and Rosenau (1986)Kemper WD, Rosenau RC. Aggregate stability and size distribution. In: Klute A, editor. Methods of soil analysis; physical and mineralogical methods. Madison: American Society of Agronomy; 1986. Pt 1. p.425-42. and adapted by Palmeira et al. (1999)Palmeira PRT, Pauletto EA, Teixeira CFA, Gomes AS, Silva JB. Agregação de um Planossolo submetido a diferentes sistemas de cultivo. Rev Bras Cienc Solo. 1999;23:189-95. doi:10.1590/S0100-06831999000200001, which employs the Yoder (1936)Yoder RA. A direct method of aggregate analysis of soil and a study of the physical nature of erosion losses. Agron J. 1936;28:337-51. doi:10.2134/agronj1936.00021962002800050001x vertical oscillation device. The size distribution of soil particles and clay dispersed in water were determined by the pipette method (Gee and Bauder, 1986Gee GW, Bauder JW. Particle-size analysis. In: Klute A, editor. Methods of soil analysis; physical and mineralogical methods. Madison: American Society of Agronomy; 1986. Pt 1. p.383-411.). Based on the clay and dispersed clay in water (DC) contents, the flocculation degree (FD) was also calculated.

For the uniaxial compression tests, samples were saturated through capillarity for 24 h and equilibrated at the tension of 10 kPa using pressure chambers. Subsequently, static pressures of 25, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1,600 kPa were applied, according to the method described by Silva et al. (2007)Silva RB, Masquetto BJ, Lanças KP. Desenvolvimento e automação de um consolidômetro com interface homem máquina. In: Anais do 31º Congresso Brasileiro de Ciência do Solo [CD-ROM]; 2007; Gramado. Gramado: Sociedade Brasileira de Ciência do Solo; 2007., and the displacement at each applied pressure was recorded using an automatic consolidometer (Model CNTA-IHM/BR, Masquetto Automação Agrícola). The soil samples were oven dried at 105 oC for 24 h and soil bulk density was calculated (Donagema et al., 2011Donagema GK, Campos DVB, Calderano SB, Teixeira WG, Viana JHM. Manual de métodos de análise de solos. 2ª. ed. Rio de Janeiro: Embrapa Solos; 2011.). The soil compression curve was graphically constructed plotting the logarithm of the applied loads (x axis) and soil bulk density values (y axis) for each sample. Precompression stress (σp) and compressibility coefficient (Cc) values were calculated according to Dias Junior and Pierce (1995)Dias Junior MS, Pierce FJ. A simple procedure for estimating preconsolidation pressure from soil compression curves. Soil Technol. 1995;8:139-51. doi:10.1016/0933-3630(95)00015-8. In order to eliminate the initial soil compaction effect, soil compression curves were normalized by dividing the soil bulk density at the end of each applied pressure by the soil bulk density obtained in the field.

To evaluate the relationship between soil physical properties and rates of RHA, linear and quadratic models were fitted using the software Sigma Plot (Sigmaplot, 2004) using the F test at the 5 % significance level. Pearson correlation coefficients were assessed out to relate MWD and the physico-chemical properties of the soil under RHA.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

An increase in RHA rate caused a decrease in bulk density (Bd) in the 0.00-0.10 m layer, but there was no effect on Bd values in the 0.10-0.20 m layer (Figure 1a). An increase in the carbonized rice husk proportion resulted in a reduction in Bd was found by Guerrini and Trigueiro (2004)Guerrini IA, Trigueiro RM. Atributos físicos e químicos de substratos compostos por biossólidos e casca de arroz carbonizada. Rev Bras Cienc Solo. 2004;28:1069-76. doi:10.1590/S0100-06832004000600016. Figure 1a also shows that the mean value of Bd (1.68 Mg m-3) when the RHA rate was 0 Mg ha-1 is very close to the critical Bd value (BDc) suitable for the development of a crop root system in sandy loam soils (1.70 to 1.80 Mg m-3), as stated by Reichert et al. (2003)Reichert JM, Reinert DJ, Braida JA. Qualidade dos solos e sustentabilidade de sistemas agrícolas. Cienc Amb. 2003;27:29-48.. Using the equations proposed by Reichert et al. (2009)Reichert JM, Suzuki LEAS, Reinert DJ, Horn R, Hakansson I. Reference bulk density and critical degree-of-compactness for no-till crop production in subtropical highly weathered soils. Soil Till Res. 2009;102:242-54. doi:10.1016/j.still.2008.07.002 for estimating BDc based on the contents of clay or clay plus silt, for three methods of determination [considering the least limiting water range, values obtained under field conditions and equations developed by Jones (1983)], obtained values around 1.6 Mg m-3. These values have similarities to this study.

Figure 1
Mean values of (a) soil bulk density (Bd), (b) total porosity (TP), (c) macroporosity (Ma) and (d) microporosity (Mi) of a Typic Hapludult under different rates of rice husk ash in the 0.00-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m layers. Vertical bars indicate the standard deviation.

With the increasing RHA rates, there was an increase in total soil porosity (Figure 1b) and macroporosity mean values (Figure 1c) in the 0.00-0.10 m layer. On the other hand, there was no effect of increased RHA rates on microporosity values measured in both soil layers (Figure 1d).

Rice husk ash is a low-density material (0.184 Mg m-3); therefore, as the proportion of this material in the soil increases, the porosity increases and bulk density decreases. An effect of RHA in relation to a reduction in density and an increase in total porosity was observed by Masulili et al. (2010)Masulili A, Utomo WH, Syechfani MS. Rice husk biochar for rice based cropping system in acid soil. The characteristics of rice husk biochar and its influence on the properties of acid sulfate soils and rice growth in west Kalimantan, Indonésia. J Agric Sci. 2010;2:39-47. doi:10.5539/jas.v2n1p39. Salé et al. (1997)Salé LY, Chanasyk DS, Naeth MA. Temporal influence of fly ash on select soil physical properties. Can J Soil Sci. 1997;77:677-83. doi:10.4141/S96-078 and Ramesh et al. (2008)Ramesh V, Korwar GR, Mandal UK, Prasad JVNS, Sharma KL, Yezzu SR, Kandula V. Influence of fly ash mixtures on early tree growth and physicochemical properties of soil in semi-arid tropical Alfisols. Agrofor Syst. 2008;73:13-22. doi:10.1080/03601234.2012.669288 also observed a decrease in bulk density using fly ash.

Rice husk ash increased the concentration of stable aggregates in water in the 0.00-0.10 m layer, presenting the greatest effect between the 0 and 40 Mg ha-1 rates (Figure 2a). The results show that, up to the third class aggregates (1.99-1.00 mm), aggregation remained stable with increasing application of RHA; that is, a higher RHA rate did not promote soil disaggregation. In the 0.10-0.20 m layer, certain uniformity in the concentration of stable aggregates in water was observed in different classes with an increase in RHA rate (Figure 2b). In studies with rice husk biochar, Lu et al. (2014)Lu SG, Sun FF, Zong YT. Effect of rice husk biochar and coal fly ash on some physical properties of expansive clayey soil (Vertisol). Catena. 2014;114:37-44. doi:10.1016/j.catena.2013.10.014 also founded an increase in macroaggregates with a diameter greater than 0.25 mm and a reduction in microaggregates with a diameter less than 0.25 mm.

Figure 2
Distribution of water stable aggregates per size classes of a Typic Hapludult under different rates of rice husk ash in the 0.00-0.10 (a) and 0.10-0.20 m (b) layers.

In the 0.00-0.10 m layer, there was an increase in the MWD values with an increase in RHA rate (Figure 3). Lu et al. (2014)Lu SG, Sun FF, Zong YT. Effect of rice husk biochar and coal fly ash on some physical properties of expansive clayey soil (Vertisol). Catena. 2014;114:37-44. doi:10.1016/j.catena.2013.10.014 found that an increase in the rate of rice husk biochar resulted in higher values of MWD. This fact was attributed to a decrease in the aggregate breakdown by differential swelling and an increase in aggregate resistance to mechanical breakdown.

Figure 3
Mean weight diameter (MWD) of a Typic Hapludult under different rates of rice husk ash in the 0.00-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m layers.

The highest MWD value presented in the 0.10-0.20 m layer was due to the prior management, as it had been tilled for at least five years. Compact soils can present high aggregate stability in water and, consequently, higher MWD values (Conte et al., 2011Conte O, Wesp CL, Anghinoni I, Carvalho PCF, Levien R, Nabinger C. Densidade, agregação e frações de carbono de um Argissolo sob pastagem natural submetida a níveis de ofertas de forragem por longo tempo. Rev Bras Cienc Solo. 2011;35:579-87. doi:10.1590/S0100-06832011000200027).

Mean weight diameter of water stable aggregates values were positively related to the clay content in the soil in both layers. Clay is the most important granulometric fraction for soil aggregation. Physico-chemical processes of aggregation are mainly associated with the clay fraction (Brady and Weil, 2008Brady N, Weil RR. The nature and properties of soils. 14th ed. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall; 2008.).

The flocculation degree (FD) was positively related to the MWD in both layers, which might be explained by the relation between the clay and clay dispersed in water contents of the soil (Table 3). Clay content, and the clay dispersed in water (DC) did not present a significant correlation with MWD in any of the layers (Table 3).

Table 3
Coefficient of correlation (r) and probability (p) between the mean weight diameter (MWD) and the soil physical properties of a Typic Hapludult at the 0.00-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m layers

As previously observed, in the 0.00-0.10 m layer, an increase in RHA rate increased TP and MWD but decreased Bd. This relation was confirmed in the MWD correlation with these variables; and increase in soil MWD increases TP and decreases Bd. The MWD in the 0.10-0.20 m layer was positively correlated to organic carbon (Table 3); this is due to the fact that the organic matter acts as an aggregation agent, mainly of macroaggregates (Tisdall and Oades, 1982Tisdall JM, Oades JM. Organic matter and water stable aggregates in soil. J Soil Sci. 1982;33:141-63. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2389.1982.tb01755.x). This relation between OC and MWD can be confirmed by the fact that the sub-superficial layer also presented higher MWD values.

In the 0.00-0.10 m layer, only for tensions lower than 6 kPa, there were changes in the soil water retention curve (WRC) with an increase of RHA rate (Figure 4a), possibly due to variations in soil macroporosity (Figure 1c). Probably due to the non-incorporation of ash in the 0.10-0.20 m layer, there was no significant variation in the WRC with an increase in RHA rate (Figure 4b).

Figure 4
Water retention curves adjusted using the van Genutchen model of a Typic Hapludult under different rates of rice husk ash in the 0.00-0.10 (a) and 0.10-0.20 m (b) layers. The vertical dotted lines indicated the θCC (soil water content at field capacity, 10 kPa) and θPWP (soil water content at wilting point, 1,500 kPa).

No effect of the RHA rate was noted on the θCC and θPMP values (Figures 4a and 4b) and AWC in both layers evaluated (Figure 5), possibly due to the short time period of the experiment. Similar results were obtained by Pauletto et al. (1990)Pauletto EA, Nachtigall GR, Guadagnin CA. Adição de cinza de casca de arroz em dois solos do município de Pelotas, RS. Rev Bras Cienc Solo. 1990;14:255-8. in Brazil. However, several studies showed higher AWD using higher rates of fly ash (Ramesh et al., 2008Ramesh V, Korwar GR, Mandal UK, Prasad JVNS, Sharma KL, Yezzu SR, Kandula V. Influence of fly ash mixtures on early tree growth and physicochemical properties of soil in semi-arid tropical Alfisols. Agrofor Syst. 2008;73:13-22. doi:10.1080/03601234.2012.669288; Ukwattage et al., 2013Ukwattage NL, Ranjith PG, Bouazza M. The use of coal combustion fly ash as a soil amendment in agricultural lands (with comments on its potential to improve food security and sequester carbon). Fuel. 2013;109:400-8. doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2013.02.016; Lu et al., 2014Lu SG, Sun FF, Zong YT. Effect of rice husk biochar and coal fly ash on some physical properties of expansive clayey soil (Vertisol). Catena. 2014;114:37-44. doi:10.1016/j.catena.2013.10.014; Ram and Masto, 2014Ram LC, Masto RE. Fly ash for soil amelioration: A review on the influence of ash blending with inorganic and organic amendments. Earth Sci Rev. 2014;128:52-74. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2013.10.003).

Figure 5
Available water capacity (AWC) of a Typic Hapludult under different rates of rice husk ash at the layers 0.00-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m. Vertical bars indicate the standard deviation.

The S parameter, which represents the soil water retention curve slope at its inflexion point, was revealed as a sensitive indicator to evaluate the effects of RHA rates on the soil physical quality (Figure 6). The S values in the 0.00-0.10 m layer were above of the 0.035 set by Dexter (2004)Dexter AR. Soil physical quality: Part I. Theory, effects of soil texture, density, and organic matter, and effects on root growth. Geoderma. 2004;120:201-14. doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2003.09.004 as being favorable to the growth of plant roots. In the same layer, it was found that RHA increased S values, becoming stable at the 80 Mg ha-1. This fact might be related to the increase in total porosity and macroporosity in this layer (Figures 1b and 1c). In the 0.10-0.20 m layer, S values were below that 0.035, indicating, in this case, an unsuitable distribution of pore sizes, according to Dexter (2004)Dexter AR. Soil physical quality: Part I. Theory, effects of soil texture, density, and organic matter, and effects on root growth. Geoderma. 2004;120:201-14. doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2003.09.004. Despite of S is a static parameter, therefore implicitly unable to describe dynamic processes (van Lier, 2014van Lier QJ. Revisiting the S-index for soil physical quality and its use in Brazil. Rev Bras Cienc Solo. 2014;38:1-10. doi:10.1590/S0100-0683201400010000), we agreed that further studies can be carried out in this area including the relationship with different soil properties.

Figure 6
S parameter of a Typic Hapludult under different rates of rice husk ash in the 0.00-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m layers. The dotted line indicates the critical value for crop.

After normalizing the compressibility curves, in the 0.00-0.10 m (Figure 7a) and 0.10-0.20 m (Figure 7b) layers, only the first layer showed deformation of the soil structure with the maximum rate from 200 kPa.

Figure 7
Normalized compression curves of bulk density (Bd) versus applied loads of a Typic Hapludult under different rates of rice husk ash in the 0.00-0.10 (a) and 0.10-0.20 m (b) layers.

Lower precompression stress values (σp) were obtained and a higher compressibility coefficient was found in the 0.00-0.10 m layer (Figures 8a and 8b), confirming the effects of RHA regarding the decrease in Bd (Figure 1a) and consequent increase in TP (Figure 1b) and Ma (Figure 1c). These values are classified as extremely high by Horn and Fleige (2003)Horn R, Fleige H. A method for assessing the impact of load on mechanical stability and on physical properties of soils. Soil Till Res. 2003;73:89-99. doi:10.1016/S0167-1987(03)00102-8. However, similar values (Rucknagel et al., 2010Rucknagel J, Brandhuber R, Hofmann B, Lebert M, Marschall, K, Paul R, Stock O, Christen O. Variance of mechanical precompression stress in graphic estimations using the Casagrande method and derived mathematical models. Soil Till Res. 2010;106:165-70. doi:10.1016/j.still.2009.11.001; Vogelmann et al., 2012Vogelmann ES, Mentges MI, Reichert JM, Rosa DP, Barros CAP, Reinert DJ. Compressibilidade de um Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo trafegado e escarificado. Cienc Rural. 2012;42:291-7. doi:10.1590/S0103-84782012005000004) and higher (Lima et al., 2004Lima CLR, Silva AP, Imhoff S, Leão TP. Compressibilidade de um solo sob sistemas de pastejo rotacionado intensivo irrigado e não irrigado. Rev Bras Cienc Solo. 2004;28:945-51. doi:10.1590/S0100-06832004000600002) σp have been found in other agricultural areas.

Figure 8
Precompression stress (σp) (a) and compressibility coefficient (Cc) (b) of a Typic Hapludult under different rates of rice husk ash in the 0.00-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m layers. Vertical bars indicate the standard deviation.

The parameters obtained from the uniaxial compression curve are relevant to the suitability of use practices, management and machine traffic, aiming to minimize soil degradation (Silva et al., 2002Silva VR, Reinert DJ, Reichert JM. Fatores controladores da compressibilidade de um Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo distrófico arênico e de um Latossolo Vermelho distrófico típico. II – Grau de saturação em água. Rev Bras Cienc Solo. 2002;26:9-15. doi:10.1590/S0100-06832002000100002). The σp is related to the soil resistance to root penetration, and high values of precompression stress present a higher probability of reduced root growth (Pacheco and Cantalice, 2011Pacheco EP, Cantalice JRB. Análise de trilha no estudo dos efeitos de atributos físicos e matéria orgânica sobre a compressibilidade e resistência à penetração de um Argissolo cultivado com cana-de-açúcar. Rev Bras Cienc Solo. 2011;35:417-28. doi:10.1590/S0100-06832011000200011).

The findings of this study might serve as a guide to the use of rice husk ash in soils similar to this. However, it is necessary to increase our knowledge on the physical and chemical mechanisms inherent to the observed effects.

CONCLUSIONS

Rice husk ash was shown to be an efficient residue to improve soil physical properties, mainly at rates between 40 and 80 Mg ha-1.

Rice husk ash reduces bulk density and increases total porosity, macroporosity and soil aggregation, but does not affect microporosity, field capacity, permanent wilting point, and available water capacity of the soil.

The effect of rice husk ash on the S parameter, precompression stress and index compressibility coefficient values are consistent with those observed for the bulk density and total porosity.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors are indebted to the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES) for funding and for scholarships.

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Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    17 May 2016

History

  • Received
    12 Mar 2015
  • Accepted
    18 Nov 2015
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