11 Name: Ekanem, Edmund Major: Agricultural Science Advisor Name, Affiliation: Gary Feng, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture Project Category: Biological Sciences and Engineering Constructing a Wet Sieve Apparatus to Measure Soil Aggregate Size Aggregate size distribution and maintaining soil structural stability are important factors in enhancing soil health and land sustainability. The size and stability of soil aggregates can control soil erosion and directly influence water conservation, crop growth, and soil biological process. As macroaggregate sizes increase, soil productivity and health are protected. As soil aggregate stability increases, the susceptibility to soil erosion decreases. Developing technology to effectively and efficiently measure soil aggregate size, distribution and stability can assist researchers, extension agents, and producers to analyze the influence of soil aggregates on soil physical, chemical, and biological processes. The wet sieve apparatus was utilized to measure soil aggregate distribution through sieves submerged in water tanks arranged in the order of descending microns. The apparatus provides sufficient information to accurately measure and calculate aggregates size distribution, mean weight diameter and stability. However, such wet sieve apparatus is not commercially available in market. Therefore, we designed and constructed a wet sieve apparatus in the workshop of Biological Engineering Department at Mississippi State University. The steel bars and rods were precisely cut using a horizontal bandsaw. Construction of the frame was started after completing the cuttings to support the sieve and motor stage. Following the completion of the frame, the sieve nest was welded to secure and shake the sieves in the water-filled buckets. Finally, we connected the 115/208-230volt motor to the sieve nest to provide a source of power to shake the sieves during testing. Constructing the wet sieve apparatus has allowed soil aggregate distribution measurements to occur efficiently and accurately. The wet sieve apparatus that we built allows soil aggregates size to be measured with high accuracy. As soil aggregate size and distribution are important parameters in soil physical, chemical, and biological processes, the sieve we designed allows factors associated with soil health and crop production to be accurately assessed.
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