Effects of wetting and drying cycles on the reorganization of the microgranular structure of Latosols

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to,examine the structural modifications engendered by wetting-drying cycles in Latosol samples (Oxisols) with different mineralogical properties submitted to dry grinding, compared with bulk samples. Air-dried soil samples were sieved through a 1.00 mm sieve and separated in two groups. One was kept as control group and the other ground in a mortar and sieved through a 0.105 mm sieve. This second was also split in two groups, one of which received particulate humic acid treatment. The materials were placed in aluminum columns, subjected to 10 weekly wetting cycles by capillarity followed by air-drying. At the end of the cycles, the samples were impregnated with polyester resin, cut in blocks and thin-sectioned for microscopy analysis. The sections were scrutinized under optical microscope, photographed, and the images digitalized, analyzed, and quantified with the Software QUANTIPORO. After the wetting and drying cycles, important alterations in both shape and structural pattern were observed in the ground samples. These changes were attributed to a re-organization of soil particles during the plasma shrinkage after the drying process. All materials presented a different structural pattern in relation to the original soil structure. No trend for reversion to the original structure was observed after the cycles. This indicates that other factors besides the physical-chemical and mineralogical should be considered to explain the genesis of Latosol microaggregates.