RESEARCH PAPER
Development of pedotransfer functions to predict water-stable aggregates in heated and unheated soils
1
Pontificia Departamento de Ingeniería Hidráulica y Ambiental, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Av. Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Macul, Santiago, Chile
2
Department of Crop and Soil Science, Oregon State University, 109 Crop Science Building, Corvallis, OR 97331-3002, United States
3
Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Oregon State University, 2121 S 1st St, Hermiston, OR 97838, United States
These authors had equal contribution to this work
Final revision date: 2025-02-15
Acceptance date: 2025-03-12
Publication date: 2025-05-28
Corresponding author
Carlos A Bonilla
Department of Crop and Soil Science, Oregon State University, 2121 S 1st St, 97838, Hermiston, OR, United States
Department of Crop and Soil Science, Oregon State University, 2121 S 1st St, 97838, Hermiston, OR, United States
Int. Agrophys. 2025, 39(3): 319-330
HIGHLIGHTS
- Key soil properties were measured before and after soil heating
- Relationships between aggregate stability and soil properties were explored
- Selected soil properties significantly changed at 300°C but not at 100°C
- Measurements were suitable for predicting WSA before and after heating
- Using predicted WSA in unheated soils was better for WSA estimates at 300°C
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
The wildfire temperature can affect many soil properties, such as aggregate stability. The water stable aggregate (WSA) is a soil property not typically considered in soil analysis, so pedotransfer functions are an alternative for estimating it. This study provides a series of pedotransfer functions as models to predict the effect of heating on WSA using basic soil data. Soil samples were collected from 22 different sites and analyzed in the laboratory before and after being heated at 100 and 300°C. These temperatures represent low- and medium-severity wildfires. Bulk density, organic matter (OM), sand, silt, and clay contents, and pH were used to estimate WSA for unheated and heated soils. The results showed no significant differences in WSA between unheated soils and those heated at 100°C but a significant decrease at 300°C. WSA correlated significantly with OM content and pH in unheated soils and 100°C heated soils (p<0.01), but not at 300°C. A non-linear model was developed to predict WSA in unheated soils, and two additional models were developed for heated soils. Finally, at 300°C, the organic matter, clay content, and water-stable aggregates decreased significantly while pH increased.
FUNDING
This research was supported by funding from the National Agency for Research and Development, Chile, grant ANID/FONDECYT/REGULAR 1191166 and 1220777.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
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