Basic soil physical

properties
AGGREGATION, SOIL STRUCTURE AND AGGREGATE
STABILITY
What is soil aggregate or aggregation?
- Soil aggregates are clumps of soil particles that are adhered
together by clay, fine roots, and microbial residues (Oades, 1984; Six et
al., 2004)

- North Dakota State University (https://www.ndsu.edu/soilhealth/soil-

health/soil-property-1/aggregation/) – Arrangement of
primary soil particles (sand, silt, clay) around soil organic matter and
through particle associations
Aggregates vs peds

Although aggregate and ped

can be used synonymously,
the term ped is most
commonly used to describe
the large-scale structure,
evident when observing soil
profiles and involving structural
units which range in size from a
few mm to about 1 m.
Aggregate Formation

 Soil aggregates are formed through physical, chemical

and biological activity below ground.
 Soil organic matter holds aggregates together, making
them stable and structural.
 At the same time, aggregates protect the organic matter
from decomposition.
 Aggregates are broken down into microaggregates and
macroaggregates; each class having specific benefits for
soil health.
Roles of soil organisms on soil aggregate
formation

Earthworm Bacterial
effects effects

Mycorrhizal
Root
fungi
effects
effects
Soil aggregate
hierarchy:
Roles of soil biota &
soil management
Plant roots help to hold soil aggregates
Micro-vs macro-aggregates

 Microaggregates are silt and clay particles tightly

bound by organic materials. This providers a long-term
pool for organic matter.
 Macroaggregates are a collection of silt/clay particles,
microaggregates, and organic matter. Plant roots,
mycorrhizae and earthworms are major contributors to
the formation of macroaggregates. These larger
aggregates have a shorter breakdown time, providing a
organic matter source for roots, bacteria, and fungi.
Soil aggregate construction
Soil structure
Sand, silt, and clay particles can be thought of as the
building blocks from which soil is constructed. Soil
structure describes the way these building blocks are
associated together in aggregates of various sizes and
shapes.
Soil structure (the way particles are arranged together) is
just as important as soil texture (the relative amounts of
different sizes of particles) in governing how water and
air move in soils. Both structure and texture
fundamentally influence many processes in soil,
including the growth of plant roots.
 Soil structure describes the spatial arrangement of particles to complex aggregations,
pores, and channels. Sand, silt, clay, and organic particles become aggregated
together due to various forces and at different scales to form distinct structural units
called peds or aggregates (left figure).
 When a mass of soil is excavated and gently broken apart, it tends to break into peds
along natural zones of weakness. These zones exhibit low tensile strength because
particles within a ped or aggregate are more strongly attracted to one another than
to the particles of the surrounding soil.
https://wiki.ubc.ca/LFS:Soil
Web/Interactions_Among_
Soil_Components/Soil_Stru
cture
The University of British
Columbia
 Tipe struktur apa ini?

Dapatkah anda menjelaskan kemungkinan

sifat-sifat pencirinya?
Tanah Ultisols (?) Seko. Elevasi 1300 m dpl, CH + 2000
mm/thn, topografi bergelombang. 23 Sept 2019
Tanah asal Kab. Majene.
Bagaimana struktur tanahnya?
Natural vegetation influences the type of soil
eventually formed from a given parent material
Aggregates and structure change
due to soil management
 Management such as tillage, cropping systems, and
deforestation affect soil aggregation.
 Aggregation is a soil quality indicator, sensitive to management
 Soil aggregates play a major role in soil structure formation and
soil health. In agriculture, the stability of aggregates is critical to
how well an agroecosystem will function. The pore spaces in soil
influence air and water storage, and gaseous exchange. They
create habitat for soil microorganisms, and allow for plant root
development and penetration. They also assist in nutrient
cycling and transport.
Factors affecting soil structure breakdown
 Internal factors
 Soil texture → inherent property
 Cations adsorbed → inherent property, but relatively manageable to some extent
 Soil biota, including roos and hyphae → manageable
 Organic matter → manageable
 External factors
 Tillage → manageable
 Cropping system/crop management → manageable
 Rainfall energy → may be reduced, e.g. by mulching
 Irrigation/wetting → manageable

The manageable factors are subject to correct management

Aggregate breakdown

 Soil structure is a dynamic soil property, sensitive to management and natural processes
 Changes of soil structural quality are influenced by the stability of aggregates against
destructive forces caused by water (such as raindrops and irrigation) and mechanical
energy (e.g. tillage and traffic).
 Water content (matric potential) influences aggregate stability. Wetter soil is weaker.
 Naturally, aggregate breakdown is mainly caused by the disruptive forces of water:
 Slaking (through the hydration process, i.e. pressure of trapped air and uneven
swelling developed during rapid wetting). This for example happens in flood irrigation
of dry soil;
 Soil dispersion (usually happens if the soil contains sufficiently high Na+);
 Raindrop kinetic energy.
 Tillage breaks down soil peds/clods to create soil bed with good soil structure, but it can
also lead to compaction (damage soil structure).
Compaction creates massive soil
structure

How to prevent or
minimize compaction?
Processes of slaking and dispersion

Slaking Dispersion
 It commonly happens in  It happens in soils with high Na+
soil with weak macro- content.
aggregates due to low  Clays are released, leading to
organic matter content. total aggregate breakdown.
 During rapid wetting:
 Presure of trapped air
develops;
 Uneven swelling within the
soil as wetting is progressing
Images of slaking and dispersion

Soil aggregates slake Soil aggregates disperse

Assessing soil structural quality
based on AWC and air capacity
Ketersediaan air tanah
bagi tanaman (AWC)
dan aerasi (air
capacity) adalah
indikator kualitas
struktur tanah.
Thus, quality of soil
structure may be
ameliorated through
management that
improves AWC and air
capacity
Soal (bahan diskusi)
 Apa itu struktur tanah?
 Apa beda antara struktur dan agregat tanah?
 Apa itu peds?
 Bagaimanakah struktur tanah dibangun?
 Jelaskan peran organisme tanah, bahan organik dan
kation-kation dalam pembentukan dan stabilitas struktur
tanah.
 Jelaskan pengaruh struktur tanah terhadap pergerakan
air dan udara, kekuatan tanah dan erosi oleh air.
 Apakah struktur tanah bisa dijadikan indeks kualitas
tanah?
 Mengapa struktur tanah peka terhadap manajemen
tanah dan tanaman?
 Apa yang perlu dilakukan untuk memerbaiki kualitas
struktur tanah?
Tugas individu!

Baca, terjemahkan dan interpretasi artikel dengan

judul: “Soil Quality Indicators: Aggregate Stability”
pada link di bawah:

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs142p2_052820.pdf
Discussion & Q-A