Soil mineralogy and dynamic pedogenic processes in response to redox cycles due to rice and sweet potato rotation

Abstract

Effect of long-term wet and dry (redox) cycles attributed to seasonally flooded soils in rotation of rice and upland food crops on soil characteristics is not yet available in modern agriculture. The objective of this study was to assess soil morphological features, mineralogical compositions and dynamic pedogenic processes under rotation of rice and honey-taste sweet potato. Four profiles that experienced redox cycles and one that did not (as a control) were sampled for soil analyses. Results showed that all soil profiles, irrespective of redox cycles, derived from similar parent materials as revealed by the same type of weatherable mineral contents (hornblende, labradorite, hypersthene, and olivine or muscovite), ranging within 27–84%. High proportions of easily weatherable minerals corresponded to the high availability of Ca, Mg, Si, Fe, Mn and Cu nutrients, suggesting the release of nutrient reserves from weatherable minerals. In all soils, the clay fraction contained only the one mineral, halloysite. Long-term redox cycles due to rotation of rice–honey-taste sweet potato resulted in a remarkable pedomorphic feature, i.e. discrete large soft black Mn segregation with the highest accumulation in the middle part of soil profiles. Other pedogenic processes were Ca, Mg, and Si translocation from the upper to lower layers of soil profiles, but Fe was retained in the uppermost two horizons. We proposed a new soil classification ‘Manganic Eutrudept’ as a subgroup category to accommodate the soil property of high soft Mn segregation.