Classical soil aggregate stability (AS) methods lack standardized protocols and require long measurement times. However, the fairly new SLAKES method purportedly allows for rapid AS estimation with minimal technical equipment. SLAKES has been tested on fine‐textured soils but its suitability for other soil types is unknown. This study investigated SLAKES’ suitability for AS measurements on silty clay, silt loam, and sandy loam soils. For each SLAKES test, three aggregates were immersed in distilled water and imaged for 10 min. SLAKES output includes disaggregation data per aggregate and three coefficients from a Gompertz function that describe slaking dynamics. Four AS descriptors obtained from SLAKES output were investigated: the averaged maximum slaking from a test (aSK), the maximum slaking for each measurement (aggregate) (aFT, from fitting a Gompertz function to SLAKES raw data), the averaged aFT for the measurements in a test (a̅FT), and the slaking index at 10 min per measurement (SI600). The aSK is a direct descriptor included in the SLAKES output, while aFT, a̅FT, and SI600 are indirect descriptors. The SI600 was the most preferred SLAKES AS descriptor since it is a calculated parameter and due to its sensitivity in detecting AS status among all soil types. The sandy loam soil was the most stable from both the raw SLAKES data and fitting, albeit counterintuitive. SLAKES default measurement time was sufficient for the silty clay and silt loam soils but not for the sandy loam soil. Overall, SLAKES was a useful tool for AS measurements on fine‐textured soils but was less suitable for AS measurements on the coarse‐textured soil.

中文翻译：

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SLAKES 方法的探索性评估，用于表征不同土壤类型的团聚体稳定性

经典的土壤团聚稳定性（AS）方法缺乏标准化协议并且需要较长的测量时间。然而，据称相当新的 SLAKES 方法可以用最少的技术设备进行快速 AS 估计。 SLAKES 已在细质地土壤上进行了测试，但其对其他土壤类型的适用性尚不清楚。本研究调查了 SLAKES 对粉质粘土、粉质壤土和砂质壤土进行 AS 测量的适用性。对于每个 SLAKES 测试，将三个聚集体浸入蒸馏水中并成像 10 分钟。 SLAKES 输出包括每个聚合的分解数据以及来自 Gompertz 函数的描述熟化动态的三个系数。研究了从 SLAKES 输出获得的四个 AS 描述符：测试中的平均最大熟化（ASK），每次测量的最大熟化（合计）（A金融时报，从将 Gompertz 函数拟合到 SLAKES 原始数据），平均A金融时报对于测试中的测量（A金融时报），以及每次测量 10 分钟时的熟化指数（SI600）。这ASK是 SLAKES 输出中包含的直接描述符，而A金融时报,A金融时报，和SI600是间接描述符。国际单位制600是最受欢迎的 SLAKES AS 描述符，因为它是一个计算参数，并且由于其在检测所有土壤类型中 AS 状态方面的敏感性。从原始 SLAKES 数据和拟合来看，沙壤土是最稳定的，尽管有悖常理。 SLAKES 默认测量时间对于粉质粘土和粉壤土来说足够，但对于砂壤土则不够。总体而言，SLAKES 是细质地土壤 AS 测量的有用工具，但不太适合粗质地土壤 AS 测量。