Factori i Procese Pedogenetice din Zona Temperat 6 S.

nou (2007) 117-124

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE SOILS FROM THE NORTHERN PART OF THE MOLDAVIAN PLAIN
I. Vasiliniuc University Al.I.Cuza Iassy IMPLICATII PRACTICE REFERITOARE LA PROPRIETATILE FIZICE ALE SOLURILOR DIN PARTEA NORICA A CAMPIEI MOLDOVEI Abstract
Cunoaterea relaiilor care au loc n sol este cheia ctre nelegerea diferitelor aspecte legate de utilizarea raional a acestuia. Proprietile fizice ale solului sunt cele mai importante caracteristici luate n calcul n utilizarea acestuia pentru diferite scopuri. Astfel, acestea intervin n deciziile legate de modul de utilizare, de culturile propice, de tipurile de agrotehnici necesare i de momentul interveniei cu anumite lucrri pe un anumit teren. Astfel, cunoaterea variabilitii spaiale a acestor proprieti este foarte important pentru un management corect al solului. Keywords: soil physical properties, variations, agrotechnique methods

INTRODUCTION The region we are making reference to is the northern part of Moldavian Plain, more exactly Baeu Plain. As features of the delineated region we may mention the dominance of the clayey-sandy facies, the longer evolution of the area, the relief that seems to be less evaluated, characteristic being the higher altitudes than that of the immediately southern area, although the later benefited from a shorter evolution period. The hills are large, the structural relief being weakly developed; the riverbeds have relatively small dimensions, and the slope processes are intense. In the region occurs a large spectrum of soils, whose repartition and proportion is in a strong connection with the geologic, geomorphologic, climatic and vegetation elements. In this context the soil cover presents the same stage disposal from WNW to SSE as the relief or climate do, being distinguished two main soil areas: - the area of the hills from west and north, with a high complexity of the soil cover, in which dominate the Luvisols in association with Erodosols. The negative hydro-physical characteristics of the soils with Bt horizon or of those with vertic character, with a poor internal drainage, have determined the frequent occurrence of the pseudogleic processes.

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Fig. 1. The geographic position of Baeu Plain

In general, from west to east, with the decrease in altitude and as we approach the plain area, the frequency of the Luvisols decreases, and increases the percentage of Chernozems Due to the high relief energy and of the intense fragmentation, on the slopes the soil profile has been shortened and on the riverbeds are met Fluvisols, in association with Gleysols. - the plain area in which although the relief is less varied, the soil cover presents quite a diversity caused by the mezo- or micro-relief forms, as well as by the varied geology or by the influences of the water table. In this area have evolved the most fertile soils from the Chernozems class. These soils are different one from another due to the intensity and thickness of humus accumulation, as well as to the intensity of calcium carbonate levigation. Thus, at the same Astfel la acelai regim de precipitaii, pe terenuri plane cernoziomurile sunt levigate (cambice), n timp ce pe versani conin carbonat de calciu chiar de la suprafa. On the terrains with the water table at 2.5 4.0m depth, the carbonate elluviation took place less intense because of the ascendant current that dominates during the drought periods. More profound elluviation in this case take place in areas with more abundant precipitations and with a reduced external drainage. In what regards the Vertisols and the saline soils, their evolution is conditioned by the presence of the highly clayey rocks and respectively of the saltcontaining ones, the salt washing process depending on the external drainage of the precipitation water. The water affected soils are conditioned by the presence of the water table close to the surface or by the presence of a clayey stratum with lower permeability that determined water stagnation on the soil profile. The entic subtypes
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are met in the riverbeds of the major rivers and on the accentuated slopes that favored sheet erosion. Along Pruts riverbed occur hard limestones that made possible the formation of entic Rendzinas. The soil degradation processes, erosion and landslides have occurred on the background of the geological stratification, through the practicing of an irrational agriculture, deforestation and pasture fallowing. The intensity of these processes is different according to the duration of the agricultural use and the terrain slope, to which are added the physical and chemical soil properties. MATERIALS AND METHODS The present paper represents the result of the studies conducted in 2005-2006 during the master studies in Soil Science. The materials used for realizing it have been, besides the bibliographical sources, have constituted of a thematic fund made of geologic (1:200000) and topographic (1:50000) maps, as well as the regions soil map realized according to the studies conducted by OSPA Botoani (1:100000), renewed. Besides the field studies, in the purpose of the correct determination of the soil physical properties, have been used geotechnical methods (analysis conducted in the purpose of determining physical and mechanical properties density, bulk density, indices of plasticity, contraction, swelling etc.), as well as statistic methods (for obtaining correlations between the characteristics of parental materials and those of soils). There have been used a consistent number of soil profile analysis, and the final results and the resulting cartographic materials have been interpreted using TNT Mips 6.9 software program. RESULTS AND DISSCUSIONS Soil structure imprints the soil features that complete the textural ones, with direct and indirect influence on the management of their potential. In the structured soils, at the surface of the macro-aggregates take place aerobe biochemical processes of transformation of the organic matter into mineral substances. In their interior air is mainly missing, and occur accentuated anaerobe processes of lent transformation of the organic substances, with formation of humic acids. Thus, in the better structured soil accumulate and are kept important quantities of water, enters enough air and the biochemical processes develop intensively, resulting important quantities of nutritive elements. Structure improves the textural characteristics, and assures the optimum development of all the physical, chemical and biological processes. In general, the soils from Baeu Plain are characterized by a blocky or granular structure in the upper horizon, due to the quite high content of organic matter of good quality, but also to the linking elements taken from the parental material. Thus, most of the rocks being of carbonatic nature, in the majority of cases are present the Ca2+ ions, element that stabilizes the soil colloidal complex and contributes to the formation of a well defined granular or blocky structure. In the case of the presence of the clayey deposits, the structure that forms is usually angular or subangular polyhedral (in the case of Chernozems) or columnar in the case of Luvisols. In the cases when the content
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of clay on the profile is high, the structure is polyhedral, and in the case of Vertosols it may be classified as sphenoidal, due to the presence of the slickensides between the aggregates. The more accentuated shrinking and swelling at the upper part of these soils leads to the formation of a network of cracks and to the formation in this way of the angular and subangular micro-aggregates, with low porosity. In this way occurs the mulch stratum characteristic to these soils, with a favorable role for some hydrophysical characteristics. Vertosols present a texture which in A varies from loam to clay loam, and in By from clay loam to clay. Another feature that occurs at the soil surface, realizes also through the shrink-swell processes, is the self-mulching that leads to the soil granulation in small and hard particles that make up a 2-5 cm stratum. In the case of the soils formed on the limestone and shales from the bank of Prut, the structure is granular in the upper horizon (because of the presence of Ca2+), polyhedral angular at the middle part and blocky at the lower. The presence of the loess-like deposits, themselves having a granular structure, determines for the upper horizons of the soils formed on these materials a granular structure. In the case when the clay levigation or clay neo-formation on place processes are present, and thus its accumulation on the middle part of the profile, the resulted structure being polyhedral angular or subangular, more rarely columnar or prismatic. Texture may have a determinant role for many of the soils characteristics. Most soils from Baeu Plain have a clayey texture, determined by the characteristics of the parental materials they formed on. The variation of the grain size distributions on profiles varies from a soil type to another, according to the soil forming processes that contributed at their formation. Thus we may clearly observe the influence the fluvial parental materials have in the case of a Fluvisol, materialized in quite prominent textural differentiation indices, more precisely through important texture variations on the profile. In the case of the Luvic Chernozem, we may observe how from an initially homogeneous profile (situation maintained at the upper part of the profile), through a easily clay elluviation process has occurred an residual increase of the sand fraction at the middle part of the profile, and a similar situation in the case of the clay from the lower part. The small textural differentiations from the profile indicate a weak stratification of the parental material. The same situation may be observed in the case of the Luvic Chernozem formed on loess-like deposits, yet with a higher homogeneity of the texture on the profile, not complicated by the parental material. Referring to the Vertic Chernozems, these soils are characterized by a soft increase of the clay content towards the lower part of the profile, due probably to the formation of the clayey material from shales.

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Fig. 2. Textural variations: a) Gleyic Fluvisol; b) Luvic Chernozem on clays; c) Luvic Chernozem

Fig. 3. Textural variations: a) Luvic Chernozem on loess-like deposits; b) Entic Luvisol on clays; c) Vertosol on clays

In the case of the Entic Luvisol the repartition of the grain size fractions is obviously influenced by the elluviation processes, being observed a clear decrease of the fine fractions and a residual increase in silt and sand. Also obvious is the situation of the Vertosol profiles, those formed on marls having a visible increase of the clay content at the inferior part on the basis on its formation through weathering. The small differences that occur are due to small variations in the silt or sand content. This dominance of the clay fractions has positive effects on the properties of these soils, as the high water retention capacity, favorable conditions for the accumulation of the humic substances. Still, they present and deficient characteristics,
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that present limitations for the productive potential of the respective soils: low permeability, compaction, high cohesion; when they absorb water swell, and when dry shrink and crack; high retention capacity between the strata of the 2:1 clay minerals of the cations of the mineral substances, among them the nutritive ones. Because of this motif the effect of the ammonia and potassium fertilizers is more reduced on the clayey soils formed on 2:1 clayey minerals rocks (montmorillonite, vermiculite), very often in Baeu Plain in the area of the Chernozems (Simon Glasberg, 2002). Having a low aeration, these soils are maintained long time cold, and as a consequence the microbiological activity and the nitrification capacity are very reduced, below the necessities of the crops. Density. In the composition of the soils solid phase the content in primary minerals is determined by the parental rocks, and particularly by their nature, origin and composition. In the case of Baeu Plain the density of the soils with texturally undifferentiated profile (Chernozems) has values from 2.50-2.52 g/cm3 in the A horizon to 2.68-2.70 g/cm3 in the C horizon. In the case of the Chernozem profiles, but also of other soil types, the variation of the solid phase density values with depth is synchronous with the humus and fine clay distribution. This aspect is somehow concordant with the density values of the parental materials, the loess-like deposits having a density of 2.56 2.76 g/cm3. In the case of the Darabani Mitoc bentonitic clays, the values of the real density determined in the laboratory with the picnometer method were of 2.715 2.750 g/cm3, fact that explains the higher density values of the Vertosols. The bulk density. The values of the soil bulk density are mainly influenced by the grain size distribution, the content of organic matter and the degree of soil structuring. An important role in the determination of the soil bulk density values is held by the structuring degree. Soil structure contributes to the increase in the total volume of pores in the soil. As the structuring degree increases, the bulk density of the horizon is smaller (Gh. Jigu). As the content in physical clay (<0,001mm) and the decrease of the silt and sand one, the equilibrated proportion between them is lost and soil structuring will be weaker. In the case of the Baeu Plain soils, the Chernozems formed on loess-like deposits have bulk density values of 1.23 -1.42 g/cm3, decreasing on the inferior part of the profile to 1.55-1.6 g/cm3. The clay elluvial soils have in the upper horizons bulk density values of 1.2-1.4 g/cm3, and in the lower ones of 1.6-1.8 g/cm3. In the case of the saline soils, the values of the bulk density are variable on the profile, with a usual decrease on the middle of the profile (due to the destruction and migration of clay under the influence of sodium ion), but in general the values are around 1.30-1.50 g/cm3. On a Gleyic Solonetz profile we observed the situation in which the density values are homogeneous, due to the gleysation processes (1.24 g/cm3). Vertosols and the vertic soils have different values of the bulk density, explained in one side by the parental materials they formed on (marls, clays) and on the other by the less typical character that it presents in comparison with similar soils from the area. Although the soil material mixture between different horizons is present, we observe a tendency of
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bulk density value decrease from surface towards the inferior part, from values of 1.101.20 to 1.35-1.50 g/cm3. The highest values of the Vertosols bulk density are concordant with the values of the same parameter for the rocks they formed on. Thus for example in the case of the Darabani-Mitoc bentonitic clays the values of the bulk density determined in the laboratory were of 1.81 in dry state and 2.067-2.150 g/cm3 in wet state. In the case of the raw bulk density the values were da = 0.742-0.800 g/cm3, and in the tight state were of 1.23-1.25 g/cm3. The Fluvisols present, as it was expected, differentiations on the profile due to the alternation of alluvial depositions, as well as high values of this parameter (in many cases of 1.40 even from the surface). The compaction degree is an important indicator of appreciating soil characteristics, especially those that have a practical value. The compaction degree of soils is directly dependent on the clay content (situation evidenced and by the taking into account in the minimum necessary porosity calculation of the clay content). Thus the compaction degree is much higher for the fine textured soils; the middle textures do not pose serious compaction problems, with the exception of some loess-like deposits. Thus in the case of the soils from the Moldavian Plain most of them enter the class of weak to medium compaction degree. Only in the case of Vertosols is registered a more pregnant classification as weakly and (rarely in natural conditions) moderate compacted. From all the consistency states and limits, a special attention must be paid to plasticity. In soil physics the plasticity limits are used to calculate the hydrophility degree (Kn) of the finely dispersed fractions and of the colloidal activity degree (Kp) (Gh. Jigu). The specified parameters may be calculated as following: Kn = Wl/Mt, where: Kn hydrophylity degree; Wl the humidity corresponding to the upper plasticity limit; Mt the fine clay content, %. Kp = Mp/Mt, where: Kp degree of colloidal activity; Mp the humidity corresponding to the lower plasticity limit; Mt the fine clay content, %. Conducting such calculations for different soil types from Baeu Plain, we obtained for the hydrophylity degree values of 0.30 and 0.60, and for the colloidal activity 0.65 and 1.10, the highest values being met in the case of the saline soils, the Entic Luvisols and the Luvic Chernozems. The adherence is manifested only for the humid soils and is due to the reciprocal attraction forces of the molecules from the contact surface (Van der Walls forces). At the same humidity level adherence registers an increase tendency as the clay content increases, fact that demonstrates that the mechanism of the process is due to the adherence force of the water pellicle adsorbed by the colloidal soil particles. Adherence is directly influenced and by the mineralogical composition of the fine dispersed fraction, that determines the quantity of physically water. Thus the adherence of the soils from Baeu Plain varies according to the mentioned characteristics between 5-6 n/cm2. Shrinking and swelling. In Baeu Plain the shrinking and swelling capacity is most specific in the case of the Vertosols and vertic subtypes, most of them developed
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on the Darabani-Mitoc clays or on the deposits originated from their weathering. The analysis conducted on these rocks have given values of the dry contraction of 11-15%, and for the volume contraction of 30-35%, thus showing a high potential for the mentioned processes. Cohesion and shearing. Cohesion is defined as the force that links between them the elemental particles of the soil, due to physical and chemical mechanisms. This parameter is strongly influenced by humidity, texture and other soil properties (cementing, compaction etc.). The maximum cohesion values characterize the soils with fine grain size distribution, formed on the montmorillonite clays (Vertosols and vertic subtypes). As the grain size becomes coarser, and in the composition of the fine dispersed fraction the smectite content is reduced, cohesion decreases. The cohesion of the Vertosols in wet state is of 10-50 kg/cm2, and in dry state of 200-250 kg/cm2. In the case of the Chernozems and Entic Luvisols it has smaller values, of 25-50 kg/cm2. CONCLUSIONS The knowledge of the soil physical properties is very important for the agrotechnique of the respective terrains. The particular characteristics of density, structure, texture, plasticity, compaction of these soils impose different agro-technique methods, as these may be in certain cases restrictive, but that in the situation of a correct use may give very good results. The detailed analyses of these properties may help to the correct implementation of these methods and to a correct approach of the production process. . REFERENCES BCUANU V., 1958, Contribuii la studiul geomorfologic al Cmpiei Moldovei. Anal. t. Univ. "Al.I.Cuza" Iai, s. II, VI, 1, Iai. BUCUR N.,1953, Caracterizare elementar a complexului pedologie din Depresiunea Jijia-Bahlui. St. cerc. t. Acad. Romn, Fii. Iai, IV, 1-4, Iai. BUCUR N., BARBU N., 1959, Contributions a letude des roches loesso'ides de la depression Jijia et Bahlui. Anal. t. Univ. "Al.I.Cuza" Iai, s. II, VII, 1, Iai. FLOREA N., EDELSTEIN-HELLER DOROTHEA, MUNTEANU I., OPRI M., POPESCU FLORICA, CICOTTI M., 1971, Cernoziomul compact din Moldova de nord, Anal. ICPA, XXXIX, Bucureti. GRASU C., MICLU CRINA, BRNZIL M., BOBO I., 2002, Sarmaianul din sistemul bazinelor de foreland ale Carpailor Orientali, Ed. Tehnic, Bucureti PLTINEANU CR., SECELEANU I., CRCIUN C., 2003, Vertisolurile i solurile vertice din Romnia, Ed. Estfalia, Bucureti SECU C., 2003, Bazinul rului Baeu. Studiu fizico-geografic, Ed. Terra Nostra, Iai

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