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Lysimeter Soil Retriever (LSR) - A tool for investigation on heterogeneity of the migration and structural changes

Authors:
  • UGT GmbH

Abstract

Generally research fields of lysimeter studies scheduled as long term experiments. In the course of the studies, the lysimeters act more or less as a "black box". Usually the soil material is identified and analysed at the beginning of the experiments. But there is also a strong need to analyze the soil without disturbance of the soil structure after the experiments in order to obtain information about spatial and structural changes within the soil profile. The new technique of the Lysimeter Soil Retriever for the first time enables studies on the heterogeneous migration of percolating water, and changes of soil structure as well as soil organic matter (SOM) and biomass distribution, as well as the distribution of mycorrhiza and microbes in different depths on intact soil profiles. The main target by using the LSR is the preparation of an intact soil monolith from the field lysimeter and the immediate dissection into slices to enable a direct sampling of its soil environment at several depths. Distribution and composition of SOM, pF-values, soil porosity, as well as degradation of PAH were only a few parameters, which are determined at the different soil depths. In this presentation we give some examples for the different application of the LSR and the advantage for the experiments: - The soil of 8 lysimeters, planted with young beeches was retrieved after several years of fumigation with doubled atmospheric ozone concentrations and application of fungi. Due to the accurate sectioning of the soil monoliths a very dense and intensive soil sampling was possible. As the whole soil space of 8 lysimeters could be sampled, precise spatial information were obtained about the rapid formation of SOM depth gradients within the experiment duration. - After the investigation on the mobilization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) by the seepage water, the lysimeter soil was retrieved. Investigations on the microbiological degradation of the PAH were possible in the whole soil monolith. - After the investigation on the migration behaviour of BTEX, MKW, PAK and Phenol, the soil of a lysimeter was retrieved to get information of the soil properties.
© 2010 19
th
World Congress of Soil Science, Soil Solutions for a Changing World
1 – 6 August 2010, Brisbane, Australia. Published on DVD.
44
Lysimeter Soil Retriever (LSR)-A tool for investigation on heterogeneity of the
migration and structural changes
S. Reth
A, C
, M. Gierig
B
, J.B. Winkler
C
, C.W. Mueller
D
, C. Nitsche
E
, and M. Seyfarth
A
A
Umwelt-Geräte-Technik GmbH, Müncheberg,( Branch South, Freising), Germany, Email sascha.reth@ugt-online.de
B
Bavarian Environmental Agency, Wielenbach, Germany
C
Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Soil Ecology, Department of
Environmental Engineering, Neuherberg, Germany
D
Lehrstuhl für Bodenkunde, TU München, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
E
BGD Boden- und Grundwasserlabor GmbH, Dresden, Germany
Abstract
Generally research fields of lysimeter studies scheduled as long term experiments. In the course of the
studies, the lysimeters act more or less as a “black box”. Usually the soil material is identified and analyzed
at the beginning of the experiments, but there is also a strong need to analyze the soil without disturbance of
the soil structure after the experiments in order to obtain information about spatial and structural changes
within the soil profile. The new technique of the Lysimeter Soil Retriever (Reth et al. 2006; 2007; Seyfarth
and Reth 2008) for the first time enables studies on the heterogeneous migration of percolating water, and
changes of soil structure as well as soil organic matter (SOM) and biomass distribution, as well as the
distribution of mycorrhiza and microbes in different depths on intact soil profiles. The main target by using
the LSR is the preparation of an intact soil monolith from the field lysimeter and the immediate dissection
into slices to enable a direct sampling of its soil environment at several depths. Distribution and composition
of SOM, pF-values, soil porosity, as well as degradation of PAH were only a few parameters, which are
determined at the different soil depths. In this presentation we give some examples for the different
application of the LSR and the advantage for the experiments:
Introduction
Objectives of the retrieving the lysimeter soil:
Compare chemical and biological soil functions, which are affected in long term experiments
Clarify the lysimeter vessel’s effect on the soil (e.g. side effects)
Measure changes in the top soil, e.g. packing, root distribution, aeration, water conductance, biological
activities
Quantify changes in soil physical parameters within long term experiments that used lysimeters as
well the reference site
Measurements
Example 1: In a lysimeter study, the impact of elevated ozone concentration and root pathogen infection on
the plant-soil-system of young beech (Fagus sylvatica) trees was assessed down to 2 m depth with a high
vertical resolution. Due to the accurate sectioning of the soil monoliths a very dense and intensive soil
sampling was possible. Fine root biomass below 1 m depth was significantly reduced under elevated ozone
while fine root biomass increased in soil deeper than 20 cm when trees were infected with the pathogen
(Figure 1). As the whole soil space of 8 lysimeters could be sampled, precise spatial information were
obtained about the rapid formation of SOM depth gradients within the duration of the experiment (Figure 2).
Example 2: After the investigation on the mobilization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) by the
seepage water, the lysimeter soil was retrieved. Investigations on the microbiological degradation of the
PAH were possible in the whole soil monolith. From spring 2004 to October 2006 a lysimeter (1 m² x 1.40
m depth) installed on the test area Wielenbach was investigated on the mobilization of polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAH) by the seepage water. The soil originated from a sleeper factory of the Deutsche Bahn
at Kirchsee on (Oberbayern, Germany) was contaminated by PAH with a concentration of 16 mg/kg soil.
The slices were analyzed to get information about the heterogeneity of the migration of the percolating
water.
© 2010 19
th
World Congress of Soil Science, Soil Solutions for a Changing World
1 – 6 August 2010, Brisbane, Australia. Published on DVD.
45
amb. O
3
fine root biomass (g cm
-1
)
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
soil depth (cm)
0-20
20-40
40-60
60-80
80-100
100-200
2 x amb. O
3
fine root biomass (g cm
-1
)
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
soil depth (cm)
0-20
20-40
40-60
60-80
80-100
100-200
amb. O
3
+P.citricola
fine root biomass (g cm
-1
)
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
soil depth (cm)
0-20
20-40
40-60
60-80
80-100
100-200
2xamb. O
3
+ P.citricola
fine root biomass (g cm
-1
)
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
soil depth (cm)
0-20
20-40
40-60
60-80
80-100
100-200
Figure 1. Vertical distribution of fine roots per tree and depth in the four treatments. Root biomass that was
estimated for each depth was equally distributed to 1 cm. Given are means ± 1SE, n=8. (Winkler et al. 2009).
0 2 4 6
C content (%)
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3
N content (%)
0-2 cm
2-5 cm
5-10 cm
10-20 cm
20-30 cm
30-60 cm
60-90 cm
> 90 cm
soil layer
carbon
nitrogen
Figure 2. The dense sampling of the lysimeters ensured a detailed study of the reforming depth distribution of
SOM properties (Mueller et al. 2009).
Example 3: After the investigation on the migration behavior of BTEX (Benzol, Toluol, Ethylbenzol and
Xylol), MKW (oil hydrocarbons), PAK (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and Phenol, the soil in a
lysimeter was retrieved to get information about the soil properties. To predict the seepage water in the
region of selected contaminated areas of the ecological project “SOW BÖHLEN”, the lysimeter soil was
retrieved to get the balance of the migration. The course of the BTEX concentration in the percolating water
is given in figure 5.
© 2010 19
th
World Congress of Soil Science, Soil Solutions for a Changing World
1 – 6 August 2010, Brisbane, Australia. Published on DVD.
46
Figure 3. a) LSR in preparation for slicing a monolith, b) and the scheme of the apparatus.
Figure 4. Freshly cut soil slices (diameter 1.13 m, thickness 20 cm), 1) topsoil 0-20cm; 2) 20-40 cm; 3) 40-60cm; 4)
60-80 cm
Lysimeter 3 , Lysimeter 4, IOCT 4 (4-5 m) und IOCT 6 (3-4 m):
BTEX-Concentration in the percolating water
1000
10000
100000
1000000
0,0 0,1 1,0 10,0 100,0
Exchanged Pore Volume
BTEX [µg/l]
Lysimeter 3 Lysimeter 4 IBSV 6 (3-4 m) IBSV 4 (4-5 m)
Figure 5. Lysimeter Tests in comparison with the results of IOCT in the laboratory scale
EPV = cumulative soil water outflow/ pore volume.
Conclusions
This technique allows, for the first time, the analysis of the soil without disturbing a long-term experiment.
Retrieving intact soil slices allows for a much broader range of applications of lysimeters. The main goal,
was the retrieval of intact soil monoliths from the lysimeters, and the immediate dissection into slices, such
© 2010 19
th
World Congress of Soil Science, Soil Solutions for a Changing World
1 – 6 August 2010, Brisbane, Australia. Published on DVD.
47
that the rhizosphere and its soil environment can be directly probed at several depths. The complete harvest
at the end of the experiment by using the LSR technology enabled for the first time the assessment of fine
and coarse root biomass of individual beech trees with a high vertical resolution down to two meter depth.
The development of depth gradients of SOM composition and distribution within 4 years after soil
disturbance and homogenization was studied in a lysimeter experiment with juvenile beech trees (Fagus
sylvatica L.). By this approach it was possible to imitate the ploughing and concomitant planting of trees as it
is common for newly established forests. The use of lysimeters with homogenised soil in eight replicates
enabled an experiment unbiased by field scale heterogeneities. The sampling scheme applied to the given
dense soil layers (0–2 cm, 2–5 cm, 5–10 cm and 10–20 cm) was crucial to study the subtle reformation of
SOM properties with depth in the artificially filled lysimeters. Due to the combination of physical SOM
fractionation with the application of
15
N-labelled beech litter and
13
C-CPMAS NMR spectroscopy a detailed
view was obtained on vertical differentiation of SOM properties.
References
Mueller C, Bruegemann N, Pritsch K, Stoelken G, Gayler S, Winkler JB, Kögel-Knabner I (2009) Initial
differentiation of vertical soil organic matter distribution and composition under juvenile beech (Fagus
sylvatica L.) trees. Plant and Soil DOI 10.1007/s11104-009-9932-1.
Reth S, Seyfarth M, Gefke O, Friedrich H (2007) Lysimeter Soil Retriever (LSR) - a new technique for
retrieving soil from lysimeters for analysis. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science 170, 1-2.
Reth S, Seyfarth M, Gefke O and Friedrich H (2006) Deutsche Patentanmeldung „Vorrichtung zur Entnahme
eines Bodenmonolithen aus einem Lysimetergefäß“. Anmeldedatum 27.02.2006, Patentnr. 10 2006 010
158.
Seyfarth M, Reth S (2008) Lysimeter Soil Retriever (LSR) – An application of a new technique for
retrieving soils from lysimeters. (2008) Water, Air, & Soil Pollution: Focus 8(2), 227-231.
Winkler JB, Fleischmann F, Gayler S, Scherb H, Matyssek R, Grams TEE (2009) Do chronic aboveground
O
3
exposure and belowground pathogen stress affect growth and belowground biomass partitioning of
juvenile beech trees (Fagus sylvatica L.)? Plant and Soil, DOI 10.1007/s11104-009-9968-2.
... Some lysimeter experiments require the retrieval of the soil column for destructive testing of properties such as variation in chemical composition through the soil profile, and variation of soil root density with depth (RethA et al 2010). This is conventionally achieved by retrieving the entire soil column and manually sectioning it, by taking sub-sample soil cores at different depths (Meissner et al 2008(Meissner et al , 2014, or by cutting the lysimeter body, with the soil column in it, into appropriate lengths with a saw (Sung et al 2003). ...
Article
Full-text available
A lysimeter-soil retriever (LSR) is a device used to retrieve the soil with minimum disturbance from lysimeters. This device makes the process of sampling intact soil layers from lysimeters easier and faster, especially when a large number of lysimeters are being sampled. In this study, mini lysimeters (200 mm diameter and 25 kg weight) were used to test fertilizers. A low-cost LSR was designed to aid the accurate removal of the soil from these lysimeters. This paper describes the design and testing of the suitability of a linear actuator for this application. This study investigates the influence of soil moisture on the retrieval and structural stability of lysimeter and LSR. The results revealed that soil with a high moisture level was more suitable as it showed lower disturbance for the retrieved block, lower soil losses, minimal disturbance for roots and lower variation of soil block height and weight. The retrieval time was influenced by soil moisture level and were 48 and 52 s for low and high-moisture soils, respectively. The finite element model showed that the stress applied by the linear actuator on the lysimeter body and top-wood plate were 2.18 and 0.32 MPa, respectively. These stress values were within the safe limit of the corresponding materials. It was found that the selected linear actuator is suitable for soil retrieving from lysimeters packed with sandy-clay loam and sand. It showed consistent performance (stroke time and maximum force) after retrieval of 400 soil blocks. The suitability of this design for various soil types needs to be tested to determine its applicability in a broader range of scenarios.
Article
Full-text available
In Europe more than 2,500 lysimeters operated by research institutes and industry (Lanthaler 2005). Originally lysimeters were built for investigations of soil water and solutes, nutrient leaching and pesticide degradation (see e.g. Winton and Weber 1996). Currently lysimeters additionally used as a tool for investigations on biological processes, and structural changes of plants, including root distribution, and enzyme activities etc. (see e.g. Dizer et al. 2002; Schloter et al. 2005).
Article
The impact of chronic free air ozone (O3) exposure and belowground pathogen stress on growth and total biomass development of young beech trees (Fagus sylvatica L.) was investigated in a lysimeter study. Plants were growing during four years under ambient or elevated atmospheric O3 concentrations. Additionally, in the last vegetation period the root rot pathogen Phytophthora citricola was introduced to study the interaction of ozone exposure and pathogen stress in the soil-plant system. A complete harvest at the end of the experiment enabled for the first time the assessment of fine and coarse root biomass of individual trees with a high vertical resolution down to two meter depth. Plant growth was significantly reduced by elevated ozone but not affected by P. citricola. Biomass partitioning between fine and coarse roots as well as vertical root distribution were significantly affected by both factors, whereas changes in root/shoot biomass ratio were not observed.
Article
Keywords:in situ;undisturbed sampling;soil structure;lysimeter vessel;soil processes;soil monolith
Article
In a lysimeter experiment with juvenile beech trees (Fagus sylvatica L.) we studied the development of depth gradients of soil organic matter (SOM) composition and distribution after soil disturbance. The sampling scheme applied to the given soil layers (0–2cm, 2–5cm, 5–10cm and 10–20cm) was crucial to study the subtle reformation of SOM properties with depth in the artificially filled lysimeters. Due to the combination of physical SOM fractionation with the application of 15N-labelled beech litter and 13C-CPMAS NMR spectroscopy we were able to obtain a detailed view on vertical differentiation of SOM properties. Four years after soil disturbance a significant decrease of the mass of particulate OM (POM) with depth could be found. A clear depth distribution was also shown for carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) within the SOM fractions related to bulk soil. The mineral fractions <63µm clearly dominated C storage (between 47 to 60% of bulk soil C) and N storage (between 68 to 86% of bulk soil N). A drastic increase in aliphatic C structures concomitant to decreasing O/N-alkyl C was detected with depth, increasing from free POM to occluded POM. Only a slight depth gradient was observed for 13C but a clear vertical incorporation of 15N from the applied labelled beech litter was demonstrated probably resulting from faunal and fungal incorporation. We clearly demonstrated a significant reformation of a SOM depth profile within a very short time of soil evolution. One important finding of this study is that especially in soils with reforming SOM depth gradients after land-use changes selective sampling of whole soil horizons can bias predictions of C and N dynamics as it overlooks a potential development of gradients of SOM properties on smaller scales. KeywordsLysimeter-Particulate organic matter-Mineral bound organic matter-Isotopic tracer- 13C- 15N- 13C-CPMAS NMR-Fungal hyphae
Deutsche Patentanmeldung "Vorrichtung zur Entnahme eines Bodenmonolithen aus einem Lysimetergefäß
  • S Reth
  • M Seyfarth
  • Gefke O Friedrich
Reth S, Seyfarth M, Gefke O and Friedrich H (2006) Deutsche Patentanmeldung "Vorrichtung zur Entnahme eines Bodenmonolithen aus einem Lysimetergefäß". Anmeldedatum 27.02.2006, Patentnr. 10 2006 010 158.
Initial differentiation of vertical soil organic matter distribution and composition under juvenile beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) trees. Plant and Soil
  • C Mueller
  • N Bruegemann
  • K Pritsch
  • G Stoelken
  • S Gayler
  • J B Winkler
  • I Kögel-Knabner
Mueller C, Bruegemann N, Pritsch K, Stoelken G, Gayler S, Winkler JB, Kögel-Knabner I (2009) Initial differentiation of vertical soil organic matter distribution and composition under juvenile beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) trees. Plant and Soil DOI 10.1007/s11104-009-9932-1.
Do chronic aboveground O 3 exposure and belowground pathogen stress affect growth and belowground biomass partitioning of juvenile beech trees (Fagus sylvatica L.)? Plant and Soil
  • J B Winkler
  • F Fleischmann
  • S Gayler
  • H Scherb
  • R Matyssek
  • Tee Grams
Winkler JB, Fleischmann F, Gayler S, Scherb H, Matyssek R, Grams TEE (2009) Do chronic aboveground O 3 exposure and belowground pathogen stress affect growth and belowground biomass partitioning of juvenile beech trees (Fagus sylvatica L.)? Plant and Soil, DOI 10.1007/s11104-009-9968-2.