Relationship between Soil Water Repellency and Soil Physicalchemical Properties for Vertical Profiles in Secondary Saline Field

Abstract:

In order to seek the variations of soil water repellency and its relationship with soil moisture content, soil salt content and pH value, soils samples were collected in two profiles at two grids (intervals were 10cm×10cm and 5cm×5cm, respectively) in a newly cultivated cotton field mulched with plastic film and irrigated with trickle method in Xinjiang. The soil water repellency, soil moisture content, soil salt content and pH value of the profiles were tested and analyzed using the methods of classical statistics, geostatistics and correlation analysis. The results showed that the soil water repellency had moderate variability and the spatial autocorrelation was under the level of the middle class in secondary saline field profiles. The strongest soil water repellency appeared around the depth of 40cm and the characteristics of soil water repellency were not obvious when the depth was deeper than 80cm. The soil moisture content and the soil water repellency appeared to be positively related at 0~40cm depth and negatively related at 40~80cm depth. Soil salt content and soil water repellency appeared to be positively related to the surface soil layer at 0~10cm depth but negatively related to the other depth. The pH value and the soil water repellency mostly were generally positively related. 