J. Letey
Polymers have been demonstrated to improve soil physical properties under some conditions. This study was conducted to determine the effects of polyanions on a soil that was treated to severely disrupt the aggregates. Three negatively charged polymers, two polyacrylamides and a polysaccharide guar, were tested as soil conditioners. Arlington loamy soil was structurally disrupted under different conditions. The buildup of new aggregates and their stability after treatment were determined by dry- and wet-sieving, respectively. Treatment with polymers affected soil aggregation positively, negatively, or neutrally as compared with no polymer treatment, depending on specific experimental variables. Despite complex interaction between various treatment variables, the resultant comparative effects of various treatments were qualitatively the same for both aggregate stability under wet-sieving and the weight of <53-μm aggregates under dry-sieving.
J. Letey
Polymers have been demonstrated to improve soil physical properties under some conditions. This study was conducted to determine the effects of polyanions on a soil that was treated to severely disrupt the aggregates. Three negatively charged polymers, two polyacrylamides and a polysaccharide guar, were tested as soil conditioners. Arlington loamy soil was structurally disrupted under different conditions. The buildup of new aggregates and their stability after treatment were determined by dry- and wet-sieving, respectively. Treatment with polymers affected soil aggregation positively, negatively, or neutrally as compared with no polymer treatment, depending on specific experimental variables. Despite complex interaction between various treatment variables, the resultant comparative effects of various treatments were qualitatively the same for both aggregate stability under wet-sieving and the weight of <53-μm aggregates under dry-sieving.