Submerged Soils

Introduction
Submerged soils are soils that are saturated with water for a long time in a year to give the soil
a distinctive gley horizon resulting from oxidation-reduction processes:

1. A partially oxidized A horizon rich in organic matter

2. A mottled zone in which oxidation and reduction alternate

3. A permanently reduced zone which is bluish in colour

The soil intermittently saturated with water, oxidation of organic matter is slow and
accumulated in the A horizon

In the second horizon Fe and Mn deposited as rusty mottles and streaks if diffusion of oxygen
is slow

Kinds of submerged soils

1. Continuous submerged soils

2. Alternate submerged soils important for rice cultivation (2.5-7.5 cm depth)

Characteristics of submerged soils

1. Greater amount of soil solution

2. Reduced oxygen level

3. Reduced aerobic microbial activity

4. Altered chemical status of the soil

Properties of submerged soils

1. Physical:

a) Depletion of oxygen and accumulation of CO2

b) Compaction

c) Bulk Density

d) Gaseous exchange and movement of water

2. Chemical:

Soil reduction and transformation of different nutrient elements

3. Electro-chemical:
 a) Soil pH- Increase the pH of acid soil and decrease the pH of alkaline soil

b) Redox potential (Decrease in redox potential)

4. Biological:

a) Decomposition of Organic matter

b) Mineralization and Immobilization process

Puddling
Puddling refers to the breaking down of the soil aggregates at near saturation into ultimate
soil particles.

The mechanical reduction in the specific volume of soil is found due to puddling

Soils with 20% of clay particles are prone to puddling.

Puddling, an intensive wetland cultivation, breaks the natural aggregates into finer fractions.
Puddling influences physical, chemical and biological soil properties which in turn influence
rice growth

Transformation of nutrients in submerged soils

1. Nitrogen:
In submerged soils, the main transformations are accumulation of ammonia, volatilization
loss of ammonia, denitrification, nitrogen fixation and leaching losses of nitrogen

In submerged soils:

Organic form of N NH4 ……. Stops at this point

Aerobic soils:

Organic form of nitrogen NH3 NO2 NO3

Nitrogen

The accumulation of NH3 in submerged soil is therefore a good index of the capacity of a soil
to meet up the demand of N to the rice crop.

The presence of an aerobic layer over the anaerobic layer is the major cause of instability of N
in submerged soils and result in considerable loss of nitrogen through nitrification-
denitrification reactions

NO3 NO2 NO N2O N2

Phosphorus
Phosphorus not directly involved in oxidation reduction reactions in submerged soils. When
an aerobic soil is submerged the concentration of available P initially increased and thereafter
declines with the period of submergence

a) Increase in P availability:

i) Release of P from mineralization of organic residues

ii) Reduction of strengite to more soluble P caused by an increase in pH coupled with

reduction of acid soil

iii) Increase in solubility of calcium phosphates due to decrease in pH caused by liberation

of CO2 in calcareous soils

iv) b) Decrease in P concentration

v) i) Fixation of released P by clay colloids (kaolinite, montmorillionite and hydrous oxide

of Fe and Al)

vi) ii) Decreased in solubility of P associated with Ca

Potassium
Potassium present in soil in 3 forms:

Soluble K Exchangeable K Non-exchangeable K Mineral K

(Instantly available) (Easily mobile) (Slowly mobile) (Reserve)

With flooding or submergence soluble Fe and Mn ions increase and exchangeable K+ is

displaced from the soil solution

Hence, rice plants can absorb a larger percentage of the total absorbed K+ from the non-
exchangeable form under submergence than that of non-submergence condition

It has also been reported that availability of applied potassium decreases in submerged soils
due to the formation of Fe-K sparingly soluble complexes

Sulphur

In submerged soils the main transformation of Sulphur are the reduction of sulphate to
sulphite and the dissimilation of amino acids, cysteine and cysteine and methionine to H2S

SO4 H2S

Fe3+ Fe2+ H2S

Avoiding H2S toxicity:

Because Fe3+ reduce to Fe2+ before SO4- reduction and on reaction with H2S forms FeS
which is insoluble
Akiochi disease due to H2S toxicity

Iron
Reduction of Iron and increase in its solubility

Due to reduction of Fe3+ to Fe2+, the colour of the soil changes from brown to grey and large
amount of Fe2+ enter into the soil solution

Fe2+ increases initially to some peak values and then gradually starts declining

1. Increase

Fe(OH3) + e Fe2+ + 3OH-

(Insoluble) (Soluble)

2. Decrease:

2Fe2+ + 3 CO2 2FeCO3

(Soluble) (Insoluble)

Rice benefits from the increase in the availability of Fe but may suffer in acid soil from an
excess