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Rethinking soil water repellency and its management

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A Correction to this article was published on 03 December 2019

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Abstract

Soil water repellency (SWR) is a widespread challenge to plant establishment and growth. Despite considerable research, it remains a recalcitrant problem for which few alleviation technologies or solutions have been developed. Previous research has focused on SWR as a problem to be overcome; however, it is an inherent feature of many native ecosystems where it contributes to ecosystem functions. Therefore, we propose a shift in the way SWR is perceived in agriculture and in ecological restoration, from a problem to be solved to an opportunity to be harnessed. A new focus on potential ecological benefits of SWR is particularly timely given increasing incidence, frequency and severity of hotter droughts in many regions of the world. Our new way of conceptualising SWR seeks to understand how SWR can be temporarily alleviated at a micro-scale to successfully establish plants, and then harnessed in the longer term and at larger spatial scales to enhance soil water storage to act as a “drought-proofing” tool for plant survival in water-limited soils. For this to occur, we suggest research focusing on the alignment of physico-chemical and microbial properties and dynamics of SWR and, based on this mechanistic understanding, create products and interventions to improve success of plant establishment in agriculture, restoration and conservation contexts. In this paper, we outline the rationale for a new way of conceptualising SWR, and the research priorities needed to fill critical knowledge gaps in order to harness the ecological benefits from managing SWR.

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Change history

  • 03 December 2019

    The article entitled ���Rethinking soil water repellency and its management���, which is part of the special issue on ���Applying microbial communities to improve restoration and conservation outcomes��� was published prematurely in Volume 220, Issue 10, October 2019.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by ECU Centre for Ecosystem Management, Edith Cowan University (ECU Industry Award and Athena Swan Kick-Start Science Prize) and Murdoch University. This work was partly undertaken under the Centre of Climate Change, Woodland and Forest Health, which is a partnership between private industry, community groups, Universities, and the Government of Western Australia. The authors would also like to thank Jodi Burgess for the graphic design (jajographics.com.au).

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Author notes

  1. Katinka X. Ruthrof and Anna J. M. Hopkins are co-first authors of this paper.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental and Conservation Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia

    Katinka X. Ruthrof, Rachel Standish, Treena Burgess & Richard Harper

  2. Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, WA, 6151, Australia

    Katinka X. Ruthrof

  3. Centre for Ecosystem Management, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia

    Anna J. M. Hopkins & Melissa Danks

  4. Agricultural Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia

    Graham O’Hara, Richard Bell & John Howieson

  5. Chemistry and Physics, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia

    David Henry

  6. School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, Reading University, Berkshire, RG6 6AH, UK

    Mark Tibbett

Authors
  1. Katinka X. Ruthrof
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Correspondence to Katinka X. Ruthrof.

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Communicated by Dafeng Hui.

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Ruthrof, K.X., Hopkins, A.J.M., Danks, M. et al. Rethinking soil water repellency and its management. Plant Ecol 220, 977–984 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-019-00967-4

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