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Hydrophobic or water repellent soils slowly absorb water because of the low wett ability of the soil particles which are coated with hydrophobic organic substances. These pose significant effects on plant growth, water infiltration and retention, surface runoff and erosion. The objective of this study was to compare the performance of tension micro-infiltrometer(TMI) and the water drop penetration time (WDPT) methods in the determination of the hydrophobicity index of eighteen soils from southern Brazil. Soil samples were collected from the 0-5cm soil layer to determine particle size distribution, organic matter content, hydrophobicity index of soil aggregates and droplet penetration time of disaggregated and sieved soil samples. For the TMI method the soil samples were subjected to minor changes due to the use of macroaggregates to preserve the distribution of solid constituents in the soil. Due to the homogeneity of the soil samples the WDPT method gave smaller coefficients of variation unlike the TMI method where the soil structure is preserved. However, both methods had low coefficients of variation, and are thus effective for determining the soil hydrophobicity, especially when the log hydrophobicity index or log WDPT is >1.

Hydrophobicity is the phenomenon where the soil has reduced wettability, usually associated with coating of soil particles by hydrophobic organic substances. This study aimed to provide a description of the hydrophobicity occurrence, highlight recent discoveries about the origin of phenomenon and discuss the main hydro-physical properties and chemical processes linked to the development of hydrophobic behavior in soils. Hydrophobicity is associated with other factors such as soil moisture, presence of some fungi species, particle size, soil pH and occurrence of burnings. The causative substances may be provided by local vegetation, through deposition or decomposition. The dependence and combination of different factors that influence hydrophobicity in soils lead to a spatial and temporal variability of the phenomenon, with negative consequences in the processes of infiltration and water percolation, affecting the three-dimensional distribution and dynamics of soil moisture. Thus, the occurrence of a hydrophobic character requires special attention, especially regarding soil use and management.

Desde 1986, vem-se observando o fenômeno de repelência à água, em amostras de horizontes coletadas para levantamentos de solos realizados pelo Departamento de Solos da Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ) e pela EMBRAPA - Centro Nacional de Pesquisa de Solos. Com o objetivo de estudar as causas desse fenômeno, selecionaram-se sete amostras de solo que, inicialmente, foram submetidas à avaliação do grau de repelência à água pelos métodos da molaridade de gotas de etanol e tempo de penetração de gotas de água no laboratório de solos da UFRRJ. A fim de identificar os compostos orgânicos responsáveis pelo fenômeno da repelência, foram empregados dois métodos de extração, os quais foram eficientes na retirada do caráter hidrofóbico das amostras. O primeiro teve por base o uso da partição isopropanol:água destilada, e o outro, desenvolvido pelos autores, empregou extrações simples com n-hexano, éter de petróleo e clorofórmio, além de partições n-hexano:água destilada e clorofórmio:água destilada. As substâncias extraídas foram analisadas no Instituto de Biociências da Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Os resultados indicam que as substâncias isoladas têm sua origem na vegetação local, sendo os alcanos de alto peso molecular os responsáveis pelo caráter hidrofóbico das amostras de solo.

Compreender os processos de estabilização do carbono no solo pode ser muito útil no desenvolvimento de técnicas de mitigação das emissões de CO2 e do aquecimento global. Quanto maior a hidrofobicidade da matéria orgânica do solo, mais estabilizado é o carbono do solo. Portanto, a hidrofobicidade pode ser usada como indicador para caracterizar a qualidade da matéria orgânica do solo. O presente trabalho caracterizou as estruturas químicas de ácidos húmicos extraídos de solos coletados a três profundidades de um Neossolo sob plantação de Pinus taeda. Os resultados das análises espectroscópicas e químicas (ultra-violeta, fluorescência, ressonância paramagnética eletrônica e difração de raio-X) indicaram que a ocorrência de estruturas conjugadas, grupos aromáticos e radicais orgânicos livres e, portanto, maiores índices de humificação, aumentaram com a profundidade do solo. Grupos alifáticos na fração húmica estavam mais concentrados nas camadas superficiais, o que pode ser explicado pelo constante aporte de liteira na superfície. Testes da repelência à água apontaram maior hidrofobicidade na superfície do solo, provavelmente devido a componentes não húmicos da matéria orgânica, tais como suberina e cutina. doi: 10.4336/2010.pfb.30.62.93

Hydrophobicity is the phenomenon where the soil has reduced wettability, usually associated with coating of soil particles by hydrophobic organic substances. This study aimed to provide a description of the hydrophobicity occurrence, highlight recent discoveries about the origin of phenomenon and discuss the main hydro-physical properties and chemical processes linked to the development of hydrophobic behavior in soils. Hydrophobicity is associated with other factors such as soil moisture, presence of some fungi species, particle size, soil pH and occurrence of burnings. The causative substances may be provided by local vegetation, through deposition or decomposition. The dependence and combination of different factors that influence hydrophobicity in soils lead to a spatial and temporal variability of the phenomenon, with negative consequences in the processes of infi ltration and water percolation, affecting the three-dimensional distribution and dynamics of soil moisture. Thus, the occurrence of a hydrophobic character requires special attention, especially regarding soil use and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]