Abstract. We evaluated the performance of a new, simple test to evaluate soil structural stability. The QuantiSlakeTest (QST) consists in a quantitative approach of the slake test, a dynamic weighting of a dried structured soil sample once immersed in water. The objective of this work was threefold: we aimed to (i) derive indicators from QST curves to evaluate soil structural stability regarding the underlying mechanisms of soil disaggregation; (ii) establish the relationship between soil properties and QST indicators; and (iii) assess how QST indicators respond to contrasting soil management practices. To meet these goals, we sampled the soil of 35 plots from three long-term field trials in the silt loam region of Belgium dealing with contrasting organic matter inputs, tillage treatments and P-K fertilisation, respectively. For each plot, QST curves were compared to the three tests of Le Bissonnais, targeting specific mechanisms of soil disaggregation. Shortly after immersion in water, soil mass increases due to the rapid replacement of air by water in soil porosity. Then soil mass reaches a maximum before decreasing, once mass loss by disaggregation exceeds mass gain by air loss. Our results confirmed that the early mass loss under water is mainly related to slaking, whereas after a longer time period, clay dispersion becomes the dominant process of soil disaggregation. The overall soil structural stability was positively correlated to the soil organic carbon (SOC) content and negatively correlated to the clay content of soil. Accordingly, the SOC:clay ratio was closely related to QST indicators. Nevertheless, for a similar carbon (C) input, green manure and crop residues were more efficient in decreasing clay dispersivity whereas farmyard manure promoted SOC storage and was more efficient against slaking. QST curves had a strong discriminating power between reduced tillage and ploughing regardless of the indicator, as reduced tillage increases both total SOC content and root biomass in the topsoil. The QST has several advantages. It is rapid to run, doesn't require expensive equipment or consumables and provides a high density of information on both specific mechanisms of soil disaggregation and the overall soil structural stability. As an open access program for QST data management is currently under development, the test has a strong potential for adoption by a widespread community of end-users.

中文翻译：

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QuantiSlakeTest，水下土壤的动态加权以测量土壤结构稳定性

摘要。我们评估了一种新的简单测试的性能，以评估土壤结构稳定性。QuantiSlakeTest (QST) 采用一种定量方法进行熟化测试，即对浸入水中的干燥结构化土壤样品进行动态称重。这项工作的目标有三个：我们的目标是（i）从 QST 曲线中得出指标，以评估土壤结构稳定性方面的土壤分解的潜在机制；(ii) 建立土壤性质与 QST 指标之间的关系；(iii) 评估 QST 指标如何应对不同的土壤管理实践。为了实现这些目标，我们在比利时的淤泥壤土地区进行了三个长期田间试验，对 35 个地块的土壤进行了采样，分别处理对比有机质投入、耕作处理和 PK 施肥。对于每个地块，QST 曲线与 Le Bissonnais 的三个测试进行了比较，针对土壤分解的特定机制。浸入水中后不久，由于土壤孔隙中的空气迅速被水替代，土壤质量增加。然后土壤质量在减少之前达到最大值，一旦分解造成的质量损失超过空气损失的质量增加。我们的研究结果证实，早期的水下质量损失主要与熟化有关，而在较长时间后，粘土分散成为土壤解聚的主要过程。土壤整体结构稳定性与土壤有机碳（SOC）含量呈正相关，与土壤粘土含量呈负相关。因此，SOC：粘土比率与 QST 指标密切相关。然而，对于类似的碳 (C) 输入，绿肥和作物残茬在降低粘土分散性方面更有效，而农家肥促进 SOC 储存，更有效地防止熟化。无论指标如何，QST 曲线在减少耕作和耕作之间具有很强的区分能力，因为减少耕作会增加表土中的总 SOC 含量和根系生物量。QST 有几个优点。它运行迅速，不需要昂贵的设备或耗材，并提供有关土壤分解的具体机制和整体土壤结构稳定性的高密度信息。由于 QST 数据管理的开放访问程序目前正在开发中，因此该测试具有被广泛的最终用户社区采用的强大潜力。