Marjan Ansari DEZFUL, Shahla MAHMOUDİ, Mohammad Hasan MASİH ABADİ, Abde Ali NASERİ

Soil morphology as an indicator for assessment of drainage system efficiency in sugarcane cultivated lands, South Khuzestan, Iran

Land drainage is an operation which increases land production and ensures sustainable land use. Soil scientists attempt to arrive a scientific procedure for assessing the efficiency of drainage system, among the correlation between soil morphological characteristics, mainly soil color and redoximorphic features and water table behavior. The aims of this study were investigating the efficiency of drainage system through soil morphological and micromorphological characteristics and judge about the existence of episaturation or endosaturation, in Khuzestan sugarcane cultivated lands after years of artificial drainage. 5 pedons were dug and characterized based on their morphological and micromorphological features. The characteristics of redoximorphic features showed no considerable differences in drainage class between artificial drained field and virgin land. The only contrast was shallower ground water table in virgin lands. 4 pedons were classified as somewhat poorly drained and one as well drained. These drainage classes show that despite the existence of artificial drainage system, the problems haven’t been eliminated yet. All pedons showed horizons with low chroma colours in deeper horizons and different types of redoximorphic feature. Micromorphological observations proved that the lands were involved in Endosaturation due to high ground water level.

Keywords:

Endosaturation Episaturation, Drainage, Redoximorphic features, Soil morphology,

PDF

___

Bower, C.A, Hatchea, J.T., 1966. Simultaneous determination of surface area and cation exchange capacity. Soil Science Society of American Proceedings 30: 525-527.
Daniels, R.B., Gamble, F.E., Nelson, LA., 1971. Relation between soil morphology and water table levels on a dissected North Carolina Coastal Plain surface. Soil Science Society of American Proceedings 35: 78 -784.
Fisher, H. M., Stone, E.L., 1991. Iron oxidation at the surfaces of slash pine roots from saturated soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal 55: 1123-1129.
Franzmeier, D.P., Yahner, J.E., Steinhardt, G.C., Sinclair, H.R., 1983. Color patterns and water table levels in some Indiana soils. Soil Science Society America Journal 47: 1196-1202.
Gee, G.W, Bauder, J.W., 1986. Particle size analysis. In: Methods of Soil Analysis, 2nd Ed, Madison.
Genthner, M.H., Daniels, W.L., Hodges, R.L., Thomas, P.J., 1998. Redoximorphic features and seasonal water table relations, Upper Coastal Plain, Virginia. Soil Science Society America 677 S. Segoe Rd., Madison, WI 53711, USA.
Grossman, R.B., Reinsch, T.G., 2002. Bulk density and linear extensibility. In J.H. Dane and G.C. Topp (ed.) Methods of soil analysis. Part 4. Physical methods. SSSA Book Ser. 5. SSSA, Madison WI.
Hassan Nejad, H., Pashaee, A., Khormali, F., Mohammadian, M., 2008. Morphology and micromorphology of paddy soils under different soil moisture regime and ground water table in Mazandaran province, Northern Iran. International Journal of Soil Science 3(3): 149-156.
Jackson, M.L, 1975. Soil Chemical Analysis. Advanced Course. University of Wisconsin, College of Agriculture, Department of Soils, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Kodeva, I., Lebedeva, M., Zhang, G., Gong, Z., Li, D., Chizhikova, N., Vasenyev, V. 2010. Intensity and duration of waterlogging under rice crop estimated by micromorphology and mineralogy. Paper presented at the 19th world congress of soil science, soil solutions for a changing world, Brisbane, Australia, 1–6 August 2010.
McLean, E.O., 1982. Soil pH and lime requirement. In: A.L. Page, R.H. Miller, D.R. Keeney (Eds) Methods of soil analysis. Part 2. Agron. Monogr. 9, Am. Soc. Agron., Madison, WI.
National Technical Committee for Hydric Soils. 1991. Hydric soils of the United States. USDA-SCS, Misc. Publ. No. 1491, U.S. Govt. Print. Off., Washington, D.C.
NRCS, 2010. National resources conservation service. Field indicators of hydric soils in the United States, Version7.
Nelson, R.E., 1982. Carbonate and gypsum. In: Page, A.L. (2nd Ed.), Methods of Soil Analysis Part 2 American Society of Agronomy, Madison, WI., USA.
Nelson, D.W., Sommers, L.E, 1982. Total Carbon, Organic Carbon, and Organic Matter. In: Page, A.L. (2nd Ed.), Methods of Soil Analysis Part 2 American Society of Agronomy, Madison, WI., USA.
Salinity Laboratory Staff, 1954. Diagnosis and Improvement of Saline and Alkali Soils. USDA Handbook, vol. 60. Washington, DC.
Schelling, J., 1960. Aspects of soil classification with particular reference to reclaimed hydromorphic soils. p. 218-224. Trans. Int. Congr. Soil Sci. 74.
Simonson, G.H., Bocrsma, L., 1972. Soil morphology and water table relations in correlation between annual water fluctuations and profile features. Soil Science Society of American Proceedings 36: 649-653.
Soil Survey Staff, 1981. Soil survey manual. Ch. 4. Examination and description of soils in the field. Issue 1, Directive 430-V-SSM, May, 1981. Soil Conservation Service, U.S.D.A., Washington, DC.
Soil Survey Staff, 2006. Keys to Soil Taxonomy. 10th Edn. Department of agriculture, Natural resources conservation service, Washington DC., USA.
Stoops, G., 2003. Pedofeatures In: Guidelines for analysis and description of soil and regolith thin sections.(1st Ed), Pages: 101-120.
Vepraskas, M, J., Wilding, L.P., 1983. Aquic moisture regimes in soils with and without low chroma colors. Soil Science Society of America Journal 47: 280-285.
Vepraskas, M.J., 1992. Redoximorphic features for identifying aquic conditions. Tech. Bull. 301. North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC.
Vepraskas, M.J., Teets, S.J., Richardson, J.L., Tandarich, J.P., 1995. Development of Redoximorphic features in Constructed Wetland Soils. Technical paper No. 5, Wetlands Research, Inc.
Vepraskas, M.J., Guertal, W.R., 1992. Morphological indicators of soil wetness. In J.M. Kimble (ed.) Proc. 8th Int. Soil correlation Meet., Baton Rouge. LA and College Station, TX. 6-21 Oct. 1990. USDA-SCS Soil Manage. Support Serv., Washington. DC.
Whiting, D., Card, A., Wilson C., Breeder, J., 2010. Soil drainage In: CMG Garden Notes, 219, Colorado State University extension.
Zobeck, T.M., Ritchie, J.R.A., 1984. Relation of water table depth and soil morphology in two clay-rich soils of Northwestern Ohio. OHIO Journal of Science 84(5): 228-236.