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© 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.