Enzyme Technology Approach for Alleviation of Soil Water Repellency.

Soil water repellency (SWR) is where a soil does not spontaneously wet when a drop of water is applied to the surface – i.e., the soil is hydrophobic – due to hydrophobic organic matter coatings on sand particles or organic particulate matter. On turfgrass sites, SWR is a reoccurring problem on sandy soils, where it is often called “localized dry spot” (LDS), and within the dry area of basidiomycete “fairy-ring” on all soil types. In this study, we propose a novel method involving enzymes as biological catalysts to resolve soil water repellency by degradation of the organic matter coatings. It is noteworthy that this is the first research using direct application of enzymes as a biological treatment to address this issue. This “proof of concept” laboratory study under conditions that should favor enzyme activity entails: a) investigation of several enzymes that target different organic components; b) a wide range of enzyme activity to provide insight into the effective rate; c) determination of residual enzyme activity/recovery; and d) investigation of combinations of the most effective enzymes.