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The Dynamic Effect of Root Exudates on Soil Structure – Characterization by X-ray Tomography

Soil mucilage strongly affects soil structural packing and stability. We characterized the effects of mucilage and the subsequent effect of wetting and drying on the microstructure of three agricultural soils: clayey, sandy-clay-loam, and loamy-sand soils. Soil stability measurement trends, assessed by a laser granulometry based aggregate durability index (ADI), varied between the soils. While aggregates stability of the clayey and loamy-sand soils decreased after subjecting soil samples to wetting and drying, stability increased in the case of the sandy-clay-loam soil. This observation can be explained by the high CaCO 3 content in the loamy-sand soils (19.5%) which contributes to the formation of durable aggregates induced by calcite cementation. ADI values of all soils increased following mucilage amendment (0.035 w/w). Mucilage, consisting mainly of polysaccharides and lipids, may affect soil mechanical properties and structure by binding soil particles due to its adhesive properties, thus reinforcing the internal structure of the aggregates. Stability was further analyzed after subjecting the mucilage amended samples to a wetting and drying cycle, and a diverse trend was measured. While stability increased for the clayey and the loamy-sand soils, it decreased for the sandy-clay-loam soil. Mucilage is known to induce surface hydrophobicity, following its dehydration, which may lead to a decrease in the wettability of soil particles and protect aggregates from deterioration by water. However, in the sandy-clay-loam soil, the cumulative effect CaCO 3 and mucilage which increases entropy overpowers the mucilage stabilizing effect.