ORIGINAL PAPER
Dynamics of soil hydraulic conductivity in response to incremental changes in sodium adsorption ratio: Evidence for soil structural hysteresis
1
Faculty of Life and Natural Sciences, Department of Agronomic Sciences,, University Ferhat Abbas Sétif-1 Laboratory of Natural Biological Resources Valorization, Sétif-1, Algeria
2
Department of Rural Engineering, National Higher Agronomic School (ENSA), Algeria
3
Faculty of Life and Natural Sciences, Department of Agronomic Sciences, University Ferhat Abbas Sétif-1
Laboratory of Natural Biological Resources Valorization, Sétif-1, Algeria
Submission date: 2025-03-26
Final revision date: 2025-08-03
Acceptance date: 2025-12-06
Online publication date: 2025-12-06
Publication date: 2025-12-06
Corresponding author
Louadj Yacine
Faculty of Life and Natural Sciences, Department of Agronomic Sciences,, University Ferhat Abbas Sétif-1 Laboratory of Natural Biological Resources Valorization, Sétif-1, Campus El Bez, 19137, Sétif, Algeria
Faculty of Life and Natural Sciences, Department of Agronomic Sciences,, University Ferhat Abbas Sétif-1 Laboratory of Natural Biological Resources Valorization, Sétif-1, Campus El Bez, 19137, Sétif, Algeria
Soil Sci. Ann., 2025, 76(4)215241
KEYWORDS
Soil sodicityHydraulic conductivityHysteresisSodium adsorption ratioSoil structureReclamation strategies
ABSTRACT
Soil sodification poses a significant threat to agricultural productivity, but the reversibility of sodicity-induced changes in soil hydraulic properties remains poorly understood. This study investigated the hysteresis in saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) of a clayey soil from the Algerian lower Cheliff plain under varying sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) conditions. Three SAR increment scenarios (±5, ±15, and ±30) were employed to quantify the magnitude and persistence of structural changes in response to sodification. The results revealed a strong hysteresis effect, with Ks decreasing by up to 75% as the SAR increased from 0 to 30, and showing limited recovery upon reduction of the SAR. A critical threshold was identified between SAR 10 and 15, where soil structural degradation accelerated significantly. The hysteresis effect was most pronounced in the ±5 increment scenario, indicating that gradual changes in soil sodicity resulted in more persistent structural alterations. A hysteresis index (HI) was introduced to quantify the degree of irreversibility in soil hydraulic properties, with values ranging from 0.24 to 0.83 across different SAR levels. These findings challenge the assumption of reversibility in current sodic soil reclamation models and highlight the need for preventive management strategies. This study offers crucial insights into the complex dynamics of soil structural changes under fluctuating sodicity, with significant implications for developing more effective strategies to manage and reclaim sodic soils in arid and semiarid regions.
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