Superabsorbents such as cross-linked PAM (polyacrylamides) are frequently used to increase water availability to plants. Commercial PAM providers suggest that besides its increasing water availability, PAMs also inc...Superabsorbents such as cross-linked PAM (polyacrylamides) are frequently used to increase water availability to plants. Commercial PAM providers suggest that besides its increasing water availability, PAMs also increase nutrient availability to plants. To test this premise, four application rates (0.0 g·kg^-1, 0.33 g·kg^-1, 1.66 g·kg^-1, 3.33 g·kg^-1 and 6.66 g·kg^-1) ofa PAM were mixed with sandy and loamy soils to evaluate its effect on nutrient leaching and retention in these soils. Miscible displacements of chloride were conducted on columns of PAM-soil mixtures and results were evaluated by an equilibrium CDE (convection dispersion equation) model. Increasing the PAM rates up to 1.66 g·kg^-1 resulted in increased early appearance and dispersive transport of chloride in sand. In addition, increasing the PAM rates gradually caused increased tailing of the breakthrough curves of chloride in both soils. These suggested that PAM increased preferential transport of chloride while it increased retention of chloride in soils. Effect of PAM on preferential transport and retardation of CI was greater in sand than loam.展开更多
文摘Superabsorbents such as cross-linked PAM (polyacrylamides) are frequently used to increase water availability to plants. Commercial PAM providers suggest that besides its increasing water availability, PAMs also increase nutrient availability to plants. To test this premise, four application rates (0.0 g·kg^-1, 0.33 g·kg^-1, 1.66 g·kg^-1, 3.33 g·kg^-1 and 6.66 g·kg^-1) ofa PAM were mixed with sandy and loamy soils to evaluate its effect on nutrient leaching and retention in these soils. Miscible displacements of chloride were conducted on columns of PAM-soil mixtures and results were evaluated by an equilibrium CDE (convection dispersion equation) model. Increasing the PAM rates up to 1.66 g·kg^-1 resulted in increased early appearance and dispersive transport of chloride in sand. In addition, increasing the PAM rates gradually caused increased tailing of the breakthrough curves of chloride in both soils. These suggested that PAM increased preferential transport of chloride while it increased retention of chloride in soils. Effect of PAM on preferential transport and retardation of CI was greater in sand than loam.