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Year: 2007 | Volume: 2 | Issue: 3 | Page No.: 211 - 217
E.U. Onweremadu and M.A.N. Anikwe
Abstract
This study was conducted from September 2005 and February 2006 to investigate wettability properties of soils on a catena in the humid tropics. A transect technique was used to align pedons on three identifiable forested physiographic positions. Soils were classified as Typic Paleustult/Dystric Nitisols. Soil samples were used to determine Soil Organic Matter (SOM), water [SOM (W)] and sodium pyrophosphate [SOM (PY)] soluble SOM fractions. Hydrophobic (A) and hydrophilic (B) functional groups of bulk soil SOM and soluble fractions were assessed with Fourier-Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Soil wettability increased when Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) contents were less than 14 g kg-1 while it decreased for SOC contents greater than 14 g kg-1. The Contact Angle (CA) of footslope soil was largest at Bt3 horizon but with smallest SOC (1.6 g kg-1) content.