Vegetation effects on soil water erosion rates and nutrient losses at Santa Catarina highlands, south Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertol, I.; Barbosa, F. T.; Vidal Vázquez, E.; Paz Ferreiro, J.

2009-04-01

Water erosion involves three main processes: detachment, transport and deposition of soil particles. The main factors affecting water erosion are rainfall, soil, topography, soil management and land cover and use. Soil erosion potential is increased if the soil has no or very little vegetative cover of plants and/or crop residues, whereas plant and residue cover substantially decrease rates of soil erosion. Plant and residue cover protects the soil from raindrop impact and splash, tends to slow down the movement of surface runoff and allows excess surface water to infiltrate. Moreover, plant and residue cover improve soil physical, chemical and biological properties. Soils with improved structure have a greater resistance to erosion. By contrast, accelerated soil erosion is accentuated by deforestation, biomass burning, plowing and disking, cultivation of open-row crops, etc. The erosion-reducing effectiveness of plant and/or residue covers depends on the type, extent and quantity of cover. Vegetation and residue combinations that completely cover the soil are the most efficient in controlling soil. Partially incorporated residues and residual roots are also important, as these provide channels that allow surface water to move into the soil. The effectiveness of any crop, management system or protective cover also depends on how much protection is available at various periods during the year, relative to the amount of erosive rainfall that falls during these periods. Most of the erosion on annual row crop land can be reduced by leaving a residue cover greater after harvest and over the winter months, or by inter-seeding a forage crop. Soil erosion potential is also affected by tillage operations and tillage system. Conservation tillage reduces water erosion in relation to conventional tillage by increasing soil cover and soil surface roughness. Here, we review the effect of vegetation on soil erosion in the Santa Catarina highlands, south of Brazil, under subtropical climatic conditions. The area cropped under no tillage in Brazil has increased rapidly since 1990, especially in the southern region. This practice was first introduced in the 1970s as a strategy to control soil erosion and continuous declines in land productivity under conventional tillage systems. No tillage almost entirely keeps the previous crop residue on the surface. In the last 15 years soil and water losses by water erosion have been quantified for different soil tillage systems, diverse crop rotations and successive crop stages under simulated and natural rain conditions. Plot experiments showed that soil losses under no tillage systems with a vegetative cover were 98% lower when compared with conventionally tilled bare soil. Moreover water losses were 60% lower for these conditions. Conventional tillage (plowing + harrowing) in the presence of vegetative cover reduced soil losses and water losses by 80% and 50%, respectively, taken the uncultivated bare soil as a reference. The review includes the effect of vegetative cover on nutrient losses at the studied sites in the Santa Catarina highlands.

Cropping practices manipulate abundance patterns of root and soil microbiome members paving the way to smart farming.

PubMed

Hartman, Kyle; van der Heijden, Marcel G A; Wittwer, Raphaël A; Banerjee, Samiran; Walser, Jean-Claude; Schlaeppi, Klaus

2018-01-16

Harnessing beneficial microbes presents a promising strategy to optimize plant growth and agricultural sustainability. Little is known to which extent and how specifically soil and plant microbiomes can be manipulated through different cropping practices. Here, we investigated soil and wheat root microbial communities in a cropping system experiment consisting of conventional and organic managements, both with different tillage intensities. While microbial richness was marginally affected, we found pronounced cropping effects on community composition, which were specific for the respective microbiomes. Soil bacterial communities were primarily structured by tillage, whereas soil fungal communities responded mainly to management type with additional effects by tillage. In roots, management type was also the driving factor for bacteria but not for fungi, which were generally determined by changes in tillage intensity. To quantify an "effect size" for microbiota manipulation, we found that about 10% of variation in microbial communities was explained by the tested cropping practices. Cropping sensitive microbes were taxonomically diverse, and they responded in guilds of taxa to the specific practices. These microbes also included frequent community members or members co-occurring with many other microbes in the community, suggesting that cropping practices may allow manipulation of influential community members. Understanding the abundance patterns of cropping sensitive microbes presents the basis towards developing microbiota management strategies for smart farming. For future targeted microbiota management-e.g., to foster certain microbes with specific agricultural practices-a next step will be to identify the functional traits of the cropping sensitive microbes.

Simulating dryland water availability and spring wheat production under various management practices in the Northern Great Plains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Agricultural system models are useful tools to synthesize field experimental data and to extrapolate the results to longer periods of weather and other cropping systems. The objectives of this study were: 1) to quantify the effects of planting date, seeding rate, and tillage on spring wheat producti...

Effect of Tillage Practices on Soil Properties and Crop Productivity in Wheat-Mungbean-Rice Cropping System under Subtropical Climatic Conditions

PubMed Central

Islam, Md. Monirul; Hasanuzzaman, Mirza

2014-01-01

This study was conducted to know cropping cycles required to improve OM status in soil and to investigate the effects of medium-term tillage practices on soil properties and crop yields in Grey Terrace soil of Bangladesh under wheat-mungbean-T. aman cropping system. Four different tillage practices, namely, zero tillage (ZT), minimum tillage (MT), conventional tillage (CT), and deep tillage (DT), were studied in a randomized complete block (RCB) design with four replications. Tillage practices showed positive effects on soil properties and crop yields. After four cropping cycles, the highest OM accumulation, the maximum root mass density (0–15 cm soil depth), and the improved physical and chemical properties were recorded in the conservational tillage practices. Bulk and particle densities were decreased due to tillage practices, having the highest reduction of these properties and the highest increase of porosity and field capacity in zero tillage. The highest total N, P, K, and S in their available forms were recorded in zero tillage. All tillage practices showed similar yield after four years of cropping cycles. Therefore, we conclude that zero tillage with 20% residue retention was found to be suitable for soil health and achieving optimum yield under the cropping system in Grey Terrace soil (Aeric Albaquept). PMID:25197702

Crop response to deep tillage - a meta-analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Florian; Don, Axel; Hennings, Inga; Schmittmann, Oliver; Seidel, Sabine J.

2017-04-01

Subsoil, i.e. the soil layer below the topsoil, stores tremendous stocks of nutrients and can keep water even under drought conditions. Deep tillage may be a method to enhance the plant-availability of subsoil resources. However, in field trials, deep tillage effects on crop yields were inconsistent. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis of crop yield response to subsoiling, deep ploughing and deep mixing of soil profiles. Our search resulted in 1530 yield comparisons following deep and conventional control tillage on 67 experimental cropping sites. The vast majority of the data derived from temperate latitudes, from trials conducted in the USA (679 observations) and Germany (630 observations). On average, crop yield response to deep tillage was slightly positive (6% increase). However, individual deep tillage effects were highly scattered including about 40% yield depressions after deep tillage. Deep tillage on soils with root restrictive layers increased crop yields about 20%, while soils containing >70% silt increased the risk of yield depressions following deep tillage. Generally, deep tillage effects increased with drought intensity indicating deep tillage as climate adaptation measure at certain sites. Our results suggest that deep tillage can facilitate the plant-availability of subsoil nutrients, which increases crop yields if (i) nutrients in the topsoil are growth limiting, and (ii) deep tillage does not come at the cost of impairing topsoil fertility. On sites with root restrictive soil layers, deep tillage can be an effective measure to mitigate drought stress and improve the resilience of crops. However, deep tillage should only be performed on soils with a stable structure, i.e. <70% silt content. We will discuss the contribution of deep tillage options to enhance the sustainability of agricultural production by facilitating the uptake of nutrients and water from the subsoil.

Effect of N fertilization and tillage on nitrous oxide (N2O) loss from soil under wheat production

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bansal, Sheel; Aberle, Ezra; Teboh, Jasper; Yuja, Szilvia; Liebig, Mark; Meier, Jacob; Boyd, Alec

2017-01-01

Nitrous oxide (N2O-N) is one of the most important gases in the atmosphere because it is 300 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in its ability to trap heat, and is a key chemical agent of ozone depletion. The amount of N2O-N emitted from agricultural fields can be quite high, depending on the complex interplay between N fertility and residue management, plant N uptake, microbial processes, environmental conditions, and wet-up and dry-down events. High N fertilizer rates generally increase yields, but may disproportionately increase N2O-N losses due to prolonged residence time in soil when not used by the crop, and incomplete decomposition of excess N-compounds by microbes. Tillage could also affect N2O-N losses through changes in soil moisture content. Though nitrogen monoxide (NO) is one form of N lost from the soil, especially under conventional tillage, this study objective was to quantify N2O loss in wheat fields from applied urea on soil under no-till (NT) versus incorporated urea under conventional till (CT).

Effects of different soil management practices on soil properties and microbial diversity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gajda, Anna M.; Czyż, Ewa A.; Dexter, Anthony R.; Furtak, Karolina M.; Grządziel, Jarosław; Stanek-Tarkowska, Jadwiga

2018-01-01

The effects of different tillage systems on the properties and microbial diversity of an agricultural soil was investigated. In doing so, soil physical, chemical and biological properties were analysed in 2013-2015, on a long-term field experiment on a loamy sand at the IUNG-PIB Experimental Station in Grabów, Poland. Winter wheat was grown under two tillage treatments: conventional tillage using a mouldboard plough and traditional soil tillage equipment, and reduced tillage based on soil crushing-loosening equipment and a rigid-tine cultivator. Chopped wheat straw was used as a mulch on both treatments. Reduced tillage resulted in increased water content throughout the whole soil profile, in comparison with conventional tillage. Under reduced tillage, the content of readily dispersible clay was also reduced, and, therefore, soil stability was increased in the toplayers, compared with conventional tillage. In addition, the beneficial effects of reduced tillage were reflected in higher soil microbial activity as measured with dehydrogenases and hydrolysis of fluorescein diacetate, compared with conventional tillage. Moreover, the polimerase chain reaction - denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis showed that soil under reduced till-age had greater diversity of microbial communities, compared with conventionally-tilled soil. Finally, reduced tillage increased organic matter content, stability in water and microbial diversity in the top layer of the soil.

Long-term influence of tillage and fertilization on net carbon dioxide exchange rate on two soils with different textures.

PubMed

Feiziene, Dalia; Feiza, Virginijus; Slepetiene, Alvyra; Liaudanskiene, Inga; Kadziene, Grazina; Deveikyte, Irena; Vaideliene, Asta

2011-01-01

The importance of agricultural practices to greenhouse gas mitigation is examined worldwide. However, there is no consensus on soil organic carbon (SOC) content and CO emissions as affected by soil management practices and their relationships with soil texture. No-till (NT) agriculture often results in soil C gain, though, not always. Soil net CO exchange rate (NCER) and environmental factors (SOC, soil temperature [T], and water content [W]), as affected by soil type (loam and sandy loam), tillage (conventional, reduced, and NT), and fertilization, were quantified in long-term field experiments in Lithuania. Soil tillage and fertilization affected total CO flux (heterotrophic and autotrophic) through effect on soil SOC sequestration, water, and temperature regime. After 11 yr of different tillage and fertilization management, SOC content was 23% more in loam than in sandy loam. Long-term NT contributed to 7 to 27% more SOC sequestration on loam and to 29 to 33% more on sandy loam compared with reduced tillage (RT) or conventional tillage (CT). Soil water content in loam was 7% more than in sandy loam. Soil gravimetric water content, averaged across measurement dates and fertilization treatments, was significantly less in NT than CT and RT in both soils. Soil organic carbon content and water storage capacity of the loam and sandy loam soils exerted different influences on NCER. The NCER from the sandy loam soil was 13% greater than that from the loam. In addition, NCER was 4 to 9% less with NT than with CT and RT systems on both loam and sandy loam soils. Application of mineral NPK fertilizers promoted significantly greater NCER from loam but suppressed NCER by 15% from sandy loam. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

[Impact of tillage and nutrient management practices on the spring weed community in a winter wheat-summer maize rotation farmland].

PubMed

Wang, Neng Wei; Ge, Xiu Li; Li, Sheng Dong

2017-03-18

Conservation tillage and the weed diversity are two hot issues in the modern ecological agriculture. Although it is known that the diversity of weed would increase slightly in the farmland under conservation tillage, the interaction effects between the tillage and the nutrient management on the weed community are not clear. In this study, one wheat-maize rotation field located in Ji'nan, Shandong Province, was selected as the studying site. Different tillage methods (no-tillage, deep subsoiling, rotary tillage, deep tillage) and different nutrient managements (farmers routine, 480 kg N hm -2 per year; high production and efficiency, 360 kg N hm -2 per year; optimal management, 300 kg N hm -2 per year) were carried out for 3 years. The characteristics of the spring weed communities under different managements were investigated and compared. The results showed that there were 15 species in the spring weed communities in the test filed and Digitaria sanguinalis and Echinochloa crusgalli were the dominant species. The plots under no-tillage or deep subsoiling had higher weed densities compared with those under the deep tillage or rotary tillage. In terms of the effect of tillage on the weed community diversity, both species richness index and species evenness index were lowest but the community dominance index was highest in the plots under deep tillage. In terms of the effect of the nutrient management, with the increase of fertilizer application, both species richness and evenness index increased under the different tillage methods. The community dominance increased with the increasing fertilizer application under deep tillage or rotary tillage and vice versa under no-tillage, deep subsoiling. In terms of weed biomass, the plots under no-tillage or deep subsoiling had significantly higher weed biomass than those under the other two tillage methods. The plots under routine nutrient management had higher weed biomass than those under the other two nutrient managements. Among all these treatments, the plots under the combination treatment of no-tillage and routine nutrient management had the highest weed biomass. According to these results, it was implied that no-tillage and fertilization would improve species richness index, species evenness index, and the productivity of spring weed community in the wheat-maize farmland.

Warmer and Wetter Soil Stimulates Assimilation More than Respiration in Rainfed Agricultural Ecosystem on the China Loess Plateau: The Role of Partial Plastic Film Mulching Tillage.

PubMed

Gong, Daozhi; Hao, Weiping; Mei, Xurong; Gao, Xiang; Liu, Qi; Caylor, Kelly

2015-01-01

Effects of agricultural practices on ecosystem carbon storage have acquired widespread concern due to its alleviation of rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Recently, combining of furrow-ridge with plastic film mulching in spring maize ecosystem was widely applied to boost crop water productivity in the semiarid regions of China. However, there is still limited information about the potentials for increased ecosystem carbon storage of this tillage method. The objective of this study was to quantify and contrast net carbon dioxide exchange, biomass accumulation and carbon budgets of maize (Zea maize L.) fields under the traditional non-mulching with flat tillage (CK) and partial plastic film mulching with furrow-ridge tillage (MFR) on the China Loess Plateau. Half-hourly net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) of both treatments were synchronously measured with two eddy covariance systems during the growing seasons of 2011 through 2013. At same time green leaf area index (GLAI) and biomass were also measured biweekly. Compared with CK, the warmer and wetter (+1.3°C and +4.3%) top soil at MFR accelerated the rates of biomass accumulation, promoted greater green leaf area and thus shortened the growing seasons by an average value of 10.4 days for three years. MFR stimulated assimilation more than respiration during whole growing season, resulting in a higher carbon sequestration in terms of NEE of -79 gC/m2 than CK. However, after considering carbon in harvested grain (or aboveground biomass), there is a slight higher carbon sink (or a stronger carbon source) in MFR due to its greater difference of aboveground biomass than that of grain between both treatments. These results demonstrate that partial plastic film mulched furrow-ridge tillage with aboveground biomass exclusive of grain returned to the soil is an effective way to enhance simultaneously carbon sequestration and grain yield of maize in the semiarid regions.

Warmer and Wetter Soil Stimulates Assimilation More than Respiration in Rainfed Agricultural Ecosystem on the China Loess Plateau: The Role of Partial Plastic Film Mulching Tillage

PubMed Central

Gong, Daozhi; Hao, Weiping; Mei, Xurong; Gao, Xiang; Liu, Qi; Caylor, Kelly

2015-01-01

Effects of agricultural practices on ecosystem carbon storage have acquired widespread concern due to its alleviation of rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Recently, combining of furrow-ridge with plastic film mulching in spring maize ecosystem was widely applied to boost crop water productivity in the semiarid regions of China. However, there is still limited information about the potentials for increased ecosystem carbon storage of this tillage method. The objective of this study was to quantify and contrast net carbon dioxide exchange, biomass accumulation and carbon budgets of maize (Zea maize L.) fields under the traditional non-mulching with flat tillage (CK) and partial plastic film mulching with furrow-ridge tillage (MFR) on the China Loess Plateau. Half-hourly net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) of both treatments were synchronously measured with two eddy covariance systems during the growing seasons of 2011 through 2013. At same time green leaf area index (GLAI) and biomass were also measured biweekly. Compared with CK, the warmer and wetter (+1.3°C and +4.3%) top soil at MFR accelerated the rates of biomass accumulation, promoted greater green leaf area and thus shortened the growing seasons by an average value of 10.4 days for three years. MFR stimulated assimilation more than respiration during whole growing season, resulting in a higher carbon sequestration in terms of NEE of -79 gC/m2 than CK. However, after considering carbon in harvested grain (or aboveground biomass), there is a slight higher carbon sink (or a stronger carbon source) in MFR due to its greater difference of aboveground biomass than that of grain between both treatments. These results demonstrate that partial plastic film mulched furrow-ridge tillage with aboveground biomass exclusive of grain returned to the soil is an effective way to enhance simultaneously carbon sequestration and grain yield of maize in the semiarid regions. PMID:26305354

The effects of one-time inversion tillage on soil physical properties after long-term reduced tillage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuhwald, Michael; Augustin, Katja; Duttmann, Rainer

2017-04-01

The positive effects of reduced tillage on soil stability and on various soil functions such as infiltrability or saturated hydraulic conductivity are known in general. However, long-term employment of conservation tillage can increase weed pressure, damage by mice and soil compaction. Thus, the application of one-time inversion tillage (occasional or strategic tillage) is customarily used as a method for overcoming these drawbacks. Hitherto, the effects of one-time inversion tillage on soil physical properties have not been investigated. This study focuses on analysing whether the improved soil physical properties derived by long-term reduced tillage remain after one-time inversion tillage by mouldboard plough. The study was carried out in a 5.5 ha field in the southern part of Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1996, this field has been subdivided into three plots, one managed conventionally by using a mouldboard plough (CT), while in the others a chisel plough (RT1) and a disk harrow (RT2) were employed. In October 2014, the entire field was ploughed by mouldboard plough to a depth of 30 cm. During the following year, four field studies were conducted to analyse the effects of this one-time inversion tillage on volumetric soil water content, bulk density, saturated hydraulic conductivity and infiltration rate. Additionally, penetration resistance measurements taken across the entire field were interpolated by kriging to analyse the spatial distribution of soil characteristics. The surveys of RT1 and RT2 were compared with CT and with analyses conducted before the one-time inversion tillage. This study shows that positive effects of long-term conservation tillage on several soil physical characteristics still remain after one-time mouldboard ploughing. Throughout the entire cropping season, the topsoil tilled under former conservation tillage practices revealed significantly higher (p < 0.05) values of saturated hydraulic conductivities and infiltration rates compared to the plot that experienced continuously conventional tillage. Moreover, field-wide measuring of penetration resistance indicated the removal of the compaction zone developed under conservation tillage in soil depths between 10 and 20 cm. After mouldboard ploughing, penetration resistance in the topsoil was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced in both plots, showing the same order of magnitude as measured in the conventionally managed plot. The results of this study suggest that one-time inversion tillage with a mouldboard plough offers a suitable management option for overcoming some of the main disadvantages associated with long-term conservation tillage, while conserving the improved soil physical properties and functions.

Cover crops support ecological intensification of arable cropping systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wittwer, Raphaël A.; Dorn, Brigitte; Jossi, Werner; van der Heijden, Marcel G. A.

2017-02-01

A major challenge for agriculture is to enhance productivity with minimum impact on the environment. Several studies indicate that cover crops could replace anthropogenic inputs and enhance crop productivity. However, so far, it is unclear if cover crop effects vary between different cropping systems, and direct comparisons among major arable production systems are rare. Here we compared the short-term effects of various cover crops on crop yield, nitrogen uptake, and weed infestation in four arable production systems (conventional cropping with intensive tillage and no-tillage; organic cropping with intensive tillage and reduced tillage). We hypothesized that cover cropping effects increase with decreasing management intensity. Our study demonstrated that cover crop effects on crop yield were highest in the organic system with reduced tillage (+24%), intermediate in the organic system with tillage (+13%) and in the conventional system with no tillage (+8%) and lowest in the conventional system with tillage (+2%). Our results indicate that cover crops are essential to maintaining a certain yield level when soil tillage intensity is reduced (e.g. under conservation agriculture), or when production is converted to organic agriculture. Thus, the inclusion of cover crops provides additional opportunities to increase the yield of lower intensity production systems and contribute to ecological intensification.

Particulate emissions calculations from fall tillage operations using point and remote sensors.

PubMed

Moore, Kori D; Wojcik, Michael D; Martin, Randal S; Marchant, Christian C; Bingham, Gail E; Pfeiffer, Richard L; Prueger, John H; Hatfield, Jerry L

2013-07-01

Soil preparation for agricultural crops produces aerosols that may significantly contribute to seasonal atmospheric particulate matter (PM). Efforts to reduce PM emissions from tillage through a variety of conservation management practices (CMPs) have been made, but the reductions from many of these practices have not been measured in the field. A study was conducted in California's San Joaquin Valley to quantify emissions reductions from fall tillage CMP. Emissions were measured from conventional tillage methods and from a "combined operations" CMP, which combines several implements to reduce tractor passes. Measurements were made of soil moisture, bulk density, meteorological profiles, filter-based total suspended PM (TSP), concentrations of PM with an equivalent aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm (PM) and PM with an equivalent aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM), and aerosol size distribution. A mass-calibrated, scanning, three-wavelength light detection and ranging (LIDAR) procedure estimated PM through a series of algorithms. Emissions were calculated via inverse modeling with mass concentration measurements and applying a mass balance to LIDAR data. Inverse modeling emission estimates were higher, often with statistically significant differences. Derived PM emissions for conventional operations generally agree with literature values. Sampling irregularities with a few filter-based samples prevented calculation of a complete set of emissions through inverse modeling; however, the LIDAR-based emissions dataset was complete. The CMP control effectiveness was calculated based on LIDAR-derived emissions to be 29 ± 2%, 60 ± 1%, and 25 ± 1% for PM, PM, and TSP size fractions, respectively. Implementation of this CMP provides an effective method for the reduction of PM emissions. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Extrapolating effects of conservation tillage on yield, soil moisture and dry spell mitigation using simulation modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mkoga, Z. J.; Tumbo, S. D.; Kihupi, N.; Semoka, J.

There is big effort to disseminate conservation tillage practices in Tanzania. Despite wide spread field demonstrations there has been some field experiments meant to assess and verify suitability of the tillage options in local areas. Much of the experiments are short lived and thus long term effects of the tillage options are unknown. Experiments to study long term effects of the tillage options are lacking because they are expensive and cannot be easily managed. Crop simulation models have the ability to use long term weather data and the local soil parameters to assess long term effects of the tillage practices. The Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) crop simulation model; was used to simulate long term production series of soil moisture and grain yield based on the soil and weather conditions in Mkoji sub-catchment of the great Ruaha river basin in Tanzania. A 24 year simulated maize yield series based on conventional tillage with ox-plough, without surface crop residues (CT) treatment was compared with similar yield series based on conservation tillage (ox-ripping, with surface crop residues (RR)). Results showed that predicted yield averages were significantly higher in conservation tillage than in conventional tillage ( P < 0.001). Long term analysis, using APSIM simulation model, showed that average soil moisture in the conservation tillage was significantly higher ( P < 0.05) (about 0.29 mm/mm) than in conventional tillage (0.22 mm/mm) treatment during the seasons which received rainfall between 468 and 770 mm. Similarly the conservation tillage treatment recorded significantly higher yields (4.4 t/ha) ( P < 0.01) than the conventional tillage (3.6 t/ha) treatment in the same range of seasonal rainfall. On the other hand there was no significant difference in soil moisture for the seasons which received rainfall above 770 mm. In these seasons grain yield in conservation tillage treatment was significantly lower (3.1 kg/ha) than in the conventional tillage treatment (4.8 kg/ha) ( P < 0.05). Results also indicated a probability of 0.5 of getting higher yield in conservation than in conventional tillage practice. The conservation tillage treatment had the ability to even-out the acute and long intra-seasonal dry spells. For example a 36-days agricultural dry spell which occurred between 85th and 130th day after planting in the 1989/1990 season (in the CT treatment) was mitigated to zero days in the RR treatment by maintaining soil moisture above the critical point. Critical soil moisture for maize was measured at 0.55 of maximum soil moisture that can be depleted crop (0.55 D). It is concluded that conservation tillage practice where ripping and surface crop residues is used is much more effective in mitigating dry spells and increase productivity in a seasonal rainfall range of between 460 and 770 mm. It is recommended that farmers in the area adopt that type of conservation tillage because rainfall was in this range (460-770 mm) in 12 out of the past 24 years, indicating possibility of yield losses once in every 2 years.

Effect of simulated tillage on microbial autotrophic CO2 fixation in paddy and upland soils

PubMed Central

Ge, Tida; Wu, Xiaohong; Liu, Qiong; Zhu, Zhenke; Yuan, Hongzhao; Wang, Wei; Whiteley, A. S.; Wu, Jinshui

2016-01-01

Tillage is a common agricultural practice affecting soil structure and biogeochemistry. To evaluate how tillage affects soil microbial CO2 fixation, we incubated and continuously labelled samples from two paddy soils and two upland soils subjected to simulated conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT) treatments. Results showed that CO2 fixation (14C-SOC) in CT soils was significantly higher than in NT soils. We also observed a significant, soil type- and depth-dependent effect of tillage on the incorporation rates of labelled C to the labile carbon pool. Concentrations of labelled C in the carbon pool significantly decreased with soil depth, irrespective of tillage. Additionally, quantitative PCR assays revealed that for most soils, total bacteria and cbbL-carrying bacteria were less abundant in CT versus NT treatments, and tended to decrease in abundance with increasing depth. However, specific CO2 fixation activity was significantly higher in CT than in NT soils, suggesting that the abundance of cbbL-containing bacteria may not always reflect their functional activity. This study highlights the positive effect of tillage on soil microbial CO2 fixation, and the results can be readily applied to the development of sustainable agricultural management. PMID:26795428

The Effects of Reduced Tillage on Phosphate Transport from Agricultural Land.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-01-01

SOLUBLE INORGANIC I’IIOSPIORUS IN RUNOFF ................................................... 12 .F.ECT OF PHOSPHATE FERTILI ZATION ON LOSSES OF AVAILABLE...an reverse side if necessary end identifY by block number) Conservation Tillage Soil Loss Phosphorus Loss Surface Runoff 20 AMThAC? fCinf--- mbb iV...tillage (primarily no till) versus conventional tillage on surface runoff , soil loss and phosphorus loss. The data show that conservation tillage

Dairy manure and tillage effects on soil fertility and corn yields.

PubMed

Khan, Anwar U H; Iqbal, M; Islam, K R

2007-07-01

Organic amendments have received renewed attention to improve soil fertility for crop production. A randomized complete block split plot experiment was conducted to evaluate the dairy manure (DM) amendments of soil for corn (Zea mays L. cv. Monsanto 919) production under different tillage systems. Main plot treatments were no-till (NT), conventional tillage (CT), and deep tillage (DT), and subplot treatments were chemical fertilization (DM(0)), and DM at 10Mgha(-1)yr(-1) (DM(10)) and 20Mgha(-1)yr(-1) (DM(20)) with supplemental chemical fertilization. Results show that tillage and DM had significantly reduced bulk density (rho(b)) with greater porosity (f(t)) and hydraulic conductivity (K(fs)) than soils under NT and DM(0). Manuring was effective to improve soil physical properties in all tillage treatments. While manure significantly increased C sequestration, the N concentration was influenced by both tillage and manure with significant interaction. The CT significantly increased P as did the addition of manure. However, with manure, K was significantly increased in all tillage treatments. While tilled soils produced taller plants with higher grain yields, and water-use efficiency than NT soils, manuring, in contrast, increased corn harvest index. Manure exerted significant quadratic effect on corn biomass N and K uptake. The variable effects of tillage and dairy manuring on soil properties and corn growth are most probably related to "transitional period" in which soil ecosystems may have adjusting to a new equilibrium.

Comparison of tillage treatments on greenhouse gas fluxes in winter wheat

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Tillage is commonly used to control weeds and prepare fields for planting. Repeated tillage can result in soil drying, sudden bursts of mineralized carbon and nitrogen from soil organic matter, and alterations in soil microbial communities. The effects of tillage on winter wheat cropping systems an...

Cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analysis of BMPs in controlling agricultural nonpoint source pollution in China based on the SWAT model.

PubMed

Liu, Ruimin; Zhang, Peipei; Wang, Xiujuan; Wang, Jiawei; Yu, Wenwen; Shen, Zhenyao

2014-12-01

Best management practices (BMPs) have been widely used in managing agricultural nonpoint source pollution (ANSP) at the watershed level. Most BMPs are related to land use, tillage management, and fertilizer levels. In total, seven BMP scenarios (Reforest1, Reforest2, No Tillage, Contour tillage, and fertilizer level 1-4) that are related to these three factors were estimated in this study. The objectives were to investigate the effectiveness and cost-benefit of these BMPs on ANSP reduction in a large tributary of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) in China, which are based on the simulation results of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. The results indicated that reforestation was the most economically efficient of all BMPs, and its net benefits were up to CNY 4.36×10(7) years(-1) (about USD 7.08×10(6) years(-1)). Regarding tillage practices, no tillage practice was more environmentally friendly than other tillage practices, and contour tillage was more economically efficient. Reducing the local fertilizer level to 0.8-fold less than that of 2010 can yield a satisfactory environmental and economic efficiency. Reforestation and fertilizer management were more effective in reducing total phosphorus (TP), whereas tillage management was more effective in reducing total nitrogen (TN). When CNY 10,000 (about USD 162) was applied to reforestation, no tillage, contour tillage, and an 0.8-fold reduction in the fertilizer level, then annual TN load can be reduced by 0.08, 0.16, 0.11, and 0.04 t and annual TP load can be reduced by 0.04, 0.02, 0.01 and 0.03 t, respectively. The cost-benefit (CB) ratios of the BMPs were as follows: reforestation (207 %) > contour tillage (129 %) > no tillage (114 %) > fertilizer management (96 and 89 %). The most economical and effective BMPs can be designated as follows: BMP1 (returning arable land with slopes greater than 25° to forests and those lands with slopes of 15-25° to orchards), BMP2 (implementing no tillage on arable land with slopes less than 15°), and BMP5 (0.8-fold less than that of 2010).

Soil greenhouse gas emissions affected by irrigation, tillage, crop rotation, and nitrogen fertilization.

PubMed

Sainju, Upendra M; Stevens, William B; Caesar-Tonthat, Thecan; Liebig, Mark A

2012-01-01

Management practices, such as irrigation, tillage, cropping system, and N fertilization, may influence soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We quantified the effects of irrigation, tillage, crop rotation, and N fertilization on soil CO, NO, and CH emissions from March to November, 2008 to 2011 in a Lihen sandy loam in western North Dakota. Treatments were two irrigation practices (irrigated and nonirrigated) and five cropping systems (conventional-tilled malt barley [ L.] with N fertilizer [CT-N], conventional-tilled malt barley with no N fertilizer [CT-C], no-tilled malt barley-pea [ L.] with N fertilizer [NT-PN], no-tilled malt barley with N fertilizer [NT-N], and no-tilled malt barley with no N fertilizer [NT-C]). The GHG fluxes varied with date of sampling and peaked immediately after precipitation, irrigation, and/or N fertilization events during increased soil temperature. Both CO and NO fluxes were greater in CT-N under the irrigated condition, but CH uptake was greater in NT-PN under the nonirrigated condition than in other treatments. Although tillage and N fertilization increased CO and NO fluxes by 8 to 30%, N fertilization and monocropping reduced CH uptake by 39 to 40%. The NT-PN, regardless of irrigation, might mitigate GHG emissions by reducing CO and NO emissions and increasing CH uptake relative to other treatments. To account for global warming potential for such a practice, information on productions associated with CO emissions along with NO and CH fluxes is needed. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

[Effect of tillage patterns on the structure of weed communities in oat fields in the cold and arid region of North China].

PubMed

Zhang, Li; Zhang, Li; Wu, Dong-Xia; Zhang, Jun-Jun

2014-06-01

In order to clarify the effects of tillage patterns on farmland weed community structure and crop production characteristics, based on 10 years location experiment with no-tillage, subsoiling and conventional tillage in the cold and arid region of North China, and supplementary experiment of plowing after 10 years no-tillage and subsoiling, oat was planted in 2 soils under different tillage patterns, and field weed total density, dominant weed types, weed diversity index, field weed biomass and oats yield were measured. The results showed that the regional weed community was dominated by foxtail weed (Setaira viridis); the weed density under long-term no-tillage was 2.20-5.14 times of tillage at different growing stages of oat, but there were no significant differences between conditional tillage and plowing after long-term no-tillage and subsoiling. Field weed Shannon diversity indices were 0.429 and 0.531, respectively, for sandy chestnut soil and loamy meadow soil under no-tillage conditions, and field weed biomass values were 1.35 and 2.26 times of plowing treatment, while the oat biomass values were only 2807.4 kg x hm(-2) and 4053.9 kg x hm(-2), decreased by 22.3% and 46.2%, respectively. The results showed that the weed community characteristics were affected by both tillage patterns and soil types. Long-term no-tillage farmland in the cold and arid region of North China could promote the natural evolution of plant communities by keeping more perennial weeds, and the plowing pattern lowered the annual weed density, eliminated perennial weeds with shallow roots, and stimulated perennial weeds with deep roots.

[Effects of different straw recycling and tillage methods on soil respiration and microbial activity].

PubMed

Li, Xiao-sha; Wu, Ning; Liu, Ling; Feng, Yu-peng; Xu, Xu; Han, Hui-fang; Ning, Tang-yuan; Li, Zeng-jia

2015-06-01

To explore the effects of different tillage methods and straw recycling on soil respiration and microbial activity in summer maize field during the winter wheat and summer maize double cropping system, substrate induced respiration method and CO2 release method were used to determine soil microbial biomass carbon, microbial activity, soil respiration, and microbial respiratory quotient. The experiment included 3 tillage methods during the winter wheat growing season, i.e., no-tillage, subsoiling and conventional tillage. Each tillage method was companied with 2 straw management patterns, i.e., straw recycling and no straw. The results indicated that the conservation tillage methods and straw recycling mainly affected 0-10 cm soil layer. Straw recycling could significantly improve the microbial biomass carbon and microbial activity, while decrease microbial respiratory quotient. Straw recycling could improve the soil respiration at both seedling stage and anthesis, however, it could reduce the soil respiration at filling stage, wax ripeness, and harvest stage. Under the same straw application, compared with conventional tillage, the soil respiration and microbial respiratory quotient in both subsoiling and no-tillage were reduced, while the microbial biomass carbon and microbial activity were increased. During the summer maize growing season, soil microbial biomass carbon and microbial activity were increased in straw returning with conservation tillage, while the respiratory quotient was reduced. In 0-10 cm soil layer, compared with conventional tillage, straw recycling with subsoiling and no-tillage significantly increased soil microbial biomass carbon by 95.8% and 74.3%, and increased soil microbial activity by 97.1% and 74.2%, respectively.

[Effects of different tillage methods on phospholipid fatty acids and enzyme activities in calcareous cinnamon soil].

PubMed

Pei, Xue-Xia; Dang, Jian-You; Zhang, Ding-Yi; Wang, Jiao-Ai; Zhang, Jing

2014-08-01

In order to study changes of physical and chemical characteristics and microbial activities in soil under different tillage methods, effects of four tillage methods, rotary tillage (RT), subsoil tillage (ST), conventional tillage (CT) with corn straw returned to soil, and rotary tillage with no corn straw returned to soil (CK), on phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) characteristics and hydrolase enzymes activities in calcareous cinnamon soil were investigated. The results showed that soil hydrolase enzymes activities, nutrient contents, microbial diversity varied greatly with the different tillage methods. Returning corn straw to soil increased the kinds, amount of soil total PLFAs, bacteria PLFAs and actonomycetes PLFAs, while decreased the fungi PLFAs, indicating that fungi was more adaptable than bacteria to an infertile environment. ST and CT resulted in higher amounts of total PLFAs, which were 74.7% and 53.3% higher than that of CK, indicating they were more beneficial to the growth of plants. They could also improve soil physical and chemical properties, increase alk-phosphatase, protease and urease activities, which would provide a favorable soil condition for high and stable crop yields.

Effects of Different Tillage and Straw Return on Soil Organic Carbon in a Rice-Wheat Rotation System

PubMed Central

Zhu, Liqun; Hu, Naijuan; Yang, Minfang; Zhan, Xinhua; Zhang, Zhengwen

2014-01-01

Soil management practices, such as tillage method or straw return, could alter soil organic carbon (C) contents. However, the effects of tillage method or straw return on soil organic C (SOC) have showed inconsistent results in different soil/climate/cropping systems. The Yangtze River Delta of China is the main production region of rice and wheat, and rice-wheat rotation is the most important cropping system in this region. However, few studies in this region have been conducted to assess the effects of different tillage methods combined with straw return on soil labile C fractions in the rice-wheat rotation system. In this study, a field experiment was used to evaluate the effects of different tillage methods, straw return and their interaction on soil total organic C (TOC) and labile organic C fractions at three soil depths (0–7, 7–14 and 14–21 cm) for a rice-wheat rotation in Yangzhong of the Yangtze River Delta of China. Soil TOC, easily oxidizable C (EOC), dissolved organic C (DOC) and microbial biomass C (MBC) contents were measured in this study. Soil TOC and labile organic C fractions contents were significantly affected by straw returns, and were higher under straw return treatments than non-straw return at three depths. At 0–7 cm depth, soil MBC was significantly higher under plowing tillage than rotary tillage, but EOC was just opposite. Rotary tillage had significantly higher soil TOC than plowing tillage at 7–14 cm depth. However, at 14–21 cm depth, TOC, DOC and MBC were significantly higher under plowing tillage than rotary tillage except for EOC. Consequently, under short-term condition, rice and wheat straw both return in rice-wheat rotation system could increase SOC content and improve soil quality in the Yangtze River Delta. PMID:24586434

Effects of over-winter green cover on soil solution nitrate concentrations beneath tillage land.

PubMed

Premrov, Alina; Coxon, Catherine E; Hackett, Richard; Kirwan, Laura; Richards, Karl G

2014-02-01

There is a growing need to reduce nitrogen losses from agricultural systems to increase food production while reducing negative environmental impacts. The efficacy of vegetation cover for reducing nitrate leaching in tillage systems during fallow periods has been widely investigated. Nitrate leaching reductions by natural regeneration (i.e. growth of weeds and crop volunteers) have been investigated to a lesser extent than reductions by planted cover crops. This study compares the efficacy of natural regeneration and a sown cover crop (mustard) relative to no vegetative cover under both a reduced tillage system and conventional plough-based system as potential mitigation measures for reducing over-winter soil solution nitrate concentrations. The study was conducted over three winter fallow seasons on well drained soil, highly susceptible to leaching, under temperate maritime climatic conditions. Mustard cover crop under both reduced tillage and conventional ploughing was observed to be an effective measure for significantly reducing nitrate concentrations. Natural regeneration under reduced tillage was found to significantly reduce the soil solution nitrate concentrations. This was not the case for the natural regeneration under conventional ploughing. The improved efficacy of natural regeneration under reduced tillage could be a consequence of potential stimulation of seedling germination by the autumn reduced tillage practices and improved over-winter plant growth. There was no significant effect of tillage practices on nitrate concentrations. This study shows that over winter covers of mustard and natural regeneration, under reduced tillage, are effective measures for reducing nitrate concentrations in free draining temperate soils. © 2013.

Tillage and crop rotation effects on soil quality in two Iowa fields

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil quality is affected by inherent (parent material, climate, and topography) and anthropogenic (tillage and crop rotation) factors. We evaluated effects of five tillage treatments on 23 potential soil quality indicators after 31 years in a corn (Zea mays L.)/soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotat...

Long-term tillage frequency effects on dryland soil physical and hydraulic properties

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Long-term tillage influences physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil environment and thereby crop production and quality. We evaluated the effect of long-term (> 22 years) tillage frequency [no-till (NT), spring till (ST), and fall and spring till (FST)] under continuous spring whe...

Sustainable semiarid dryland production in relation to tillage effects on Hydrology: 1983-2013

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Semiarid dryland crop yields with no-till, NT, residue management are often greater than stubble-mulch tillage, SM, as a result of improved soil conditions or water conservation, but knowledge of long-term tillage effects on the comprehensive field hydrology and sustained crop production is needed. ...

[Effect of tillage system on soil animal, microorganism and enzyme activity in paddy field].

PubMed

Gao, Ming; Zhou, Baotong; Wei, Chaofu; Xie, Deti; Zhang, Lei

2004-07-01

A long-term experiment showed that under ridge-no-tillage, the amount of soil animal in 0 - 20 cm layer was 14700 ind. x m(-2), while under no-tillage and fallow in winter, paddy-upland rotation, and conventional tillage, it was 10450, 7950 and 6275 ind. x m(-2), respectively. Soil microbial biomass and microbial biomass N were more in spring and autumn, and less in summer. Soil enzyme activity was higher in surface soil layer and lower in bottom soil layer. The amount of soil animal, microbial biomass and microbial biomass N and soil enzyme activity was in order of ridge-no-tillage > paddy-upland rotation > no-tillage and fallow in winter > conventional tillage. The results also indicated that ridge-no-tillage was advantageous to improve soil ecological environment and soil fertility in paddy field.

Comparison of tillage treatments on greenhouse gas and soil carbon and nitrogen cycling in established winter wheat production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Tillage is commonly used to control weeds and prepare fields for planting. Repeated tillage can result in soil drying, sudden bursts of mineralized carbon and nitrogen from soil organic matter, and alterations in soil microbial communities. The effects of tillage on winter wheat cropping systems an...

Concentration and movement of neonicotinoids as particulate matter downwind during agricultural practices using air samplers in southwestern Ontario, Canada.

PubMed

Forero, Luis Gabriel; Limay-Rios, Victor; Xue, Yingen; Schaafsma, Arthur

2017-12-01

Atmospheric emissions of neonicotinoid seed treatment insecticides as particulate matter in field crops occur mainly for two reasons: 1) due to abraded dust of treated seed generated during planting using vacuum planters, and 2) as a result of disturbances (tillage or wind events) in the surface of parental soils which release wind erodible soil-bound residues. In the present study, concentration and movement of neonicotinoids as particulate matter were quantified under real conditions using passive and active air samplers. Average neonicotinoid concentrations in Total Suspended Particulate (TSP) using passive samplers were 0.48 ng/cm 2 , trace, trace (LOD 0.80 and 0.04 ng/cm 2 for clothianidin and thiamethoxam, respectively), and using active samplers 16.22, 1.91 and 0.61 ng/m 3 during planting, tillage and wind events, respectively. There was a difference between events on total neonicotinoid concentration collected in particulate matter using either passive or active sampling. Distance of sampling from the source field during planting of treated seed had an effect on total neonicotinoid air concentration. However, during tillage distance did not present an effect on measured concentrations. Using hypothetical scenarios, values of contact exposure for a honey bee were estimated to be in the range from 1.1% to 36.4% of the reference contact LD 50 value of clothianidin of 44 ng/bee. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Effects of tillage pattern on the flag leaf senescence and grain yield of winter wheat under dry farming].

PubMed

Huang, Ming; Wu, Jin-Zhi; Li, You-Jun; Yao, Yu-Qing; Zhang, Can-Jun; Cai, Dian-Xiong; Jin, Ke

2009-06-01

A field experiment was conducted to study the effects of different tillage patterns, i.e., deep plowing once, no-tillage, subsoiling, and conventional tillage, on the flag leaf senescence and grain yield of winter wheat, as well as the soil moisture and nutrient status under dry farming. No-tillage and subsoiling increased the SOD and POD activities and the chlorophyll and soluble protein contents, decreased the MDA and O2(-.) contents, and postponed the senescence of flag leaf. Under non-tillage and subsoiling, the moisture content in 0-40 cm soil layer at anthesis and grain-filling stages was decreased by 4.13% and 6.23% and by 5.50% and 9.27%, respectively, and the contents of alkali-hydrolysable N, available P, and available K in this soil layer also increased significantly, compared with those under conventional tillage. Deep plowing once decreased the moisture content and increased the nutrients contents in 0-40 cm soil layer, but the decrement and increment were not significant. The post-anthesis biomass, post-anthesis dry matter translocation rate, and grain yield under no-tillage and subsoiling were 4.34% and 4.76%, 15.56% and 13.51%, and 10.22% and 9.26% higher than those under conventional tillage, respectively. It could be concluded that no-tillage and subsoiling provided better soil conditions for the post-anthesis growth of winter wheat, under which, the flag leaf senescence postponed, post-anthesis dry matter accumulation and translocation accelerated, and grain yield increased significantly, being the feasible tillage practices in dry farming winter wheat areas.

Soil organic carbon sequestration potential of conservation vs. conventional tillage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meurer, Katharina H. E.; Ghafoor, Abdul; Haddaway, Neal R.; Bolinder, Martin A.; Kätterer, Thomas

2017-04-01

Soil tillage has been associated with many negative impacts on soil quality, especially a reduction in soil organic carbon (SOC). The benefits of no tillage (NT) on topsoil SOC concentrations have been demonstrated in several reviews, but the effect of reduced tillage (RT) compared to conventional tillage (CT) that usually involves soil inversion through moldboard ploughing is still unclear. Moreover, the effect of tillage on total SOC stocks including deeper layers is still a matter of considerable debate, because the assessment depends on many factors such as depth and method of measurement, cropping systems, soil type, climatic conditions, and length of the experiments used for the analysis. From a recently published systematic map database consisting of 735 long-term field experiments (≥ 10 years) within the boreal and temperate climate zones (Haddaway et al. 2015; Environmental Evidence 4:23), we selected all tillage studies (about 80) reporting SOC concentrations along with dry soil bulk density and conducted a systematic review. SOC stocks were calculated considering both fixed soil depths and by using the concept of equivalent soil mass. A meta-analysis was used to determine the influence of environmental, management, and soil-related factors regarding their prediction potential on SOC stock changes between the tillage categories NT, RT, and CT. C concentrations and stocks to a certain depth were generally highest under NT, intermediate under RT, and lowest under CT. However, this effect was mainly limited to the first 15 cm and disappeared or was even reversed in deeper layers, especially when adjusting soil depth according to the equivalent soil mineral mass. Our study highlights the impact of tillage-induced changes in soil bulk density between treatments and shows that neglecting the principles of equivalent soil mass leads to overestimation of SOC stocks for by conservation tillage practices.

Effect of deep vs. shallow tillage on onion stunting and onion bulb yield, 2012

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A field experiment was conducted at a site inoculated with R. solani AG 8 at the Oregon State University Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Hermiston, OR to determine the effect of plowing (deep tillage) vs. rototilling (shallow tillage) on onion stunting caused by R. solani AG ...

Long-term conventional and no-tillage effects on field hydrology and yields of a dryland crop rotation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Semiarid dryland crop yields with no-till, NT, residue management are often greater than stubble-mulch, SM, tillage as a result of improved soil conditions and water conservation, but information on long-term tillage effects on field hydrology and sustained crop production are needed. Our objective ...

[Diversity of soil fauna in corn fields in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China under effects of conservation tillage].

PubMed

Zhu, Qiang-Gen; Zhu, An-Ning; Zhang, Jia-Bao; Zhang, Huan-Chao; Huang, Ping; Zhang, Cong-Zhi

2009-10-01

An investigation was made on the abundance and diversity of soil fauna in the corn fields under conventional and conservation tillage in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China. The abundance and diversity of soil fauna were higher at corn maturing (September) than at its jointing stage (July), and higher at jointing stage under conservation tillage than under conventional tillage. Soil fauna mainly distributed in surface soil layer (0-10 cm), but still had a larger number in 10-20 cm layer under conservation tillage. The individuals of acari, diptera, diplura, and microdrile oligochaetes, especially those of acari, were higher under conservation tillage than under conventional tillage. At maturing stage, an obvious effect of straw-returning under conservation tillage was observed, i. e., the more the straw returned, the higher the abundance of soil fauna, among which, the individuals of collembola, acari, coleopteran, and psocoptera, especially those of collembolan, increased significantly. The abundance of collembola at both jointing and maturing stages was significantly positively correlated with the quantity of straw returned, suggesting that collembola played an important role in straw decomposition and nutrient cycling.

Long-term no-tillage and organic input management enhanced the diversity and stability of soil microbial community.

PubMed

Wang, Yi; Li, Chunyue; Tu, Cong; Hoyt, Greg D; DeForest, Jared L; Hu, Shuijin

2017-12-31

Intensive tillage and high inputs of chemicals are frequently used in conventional agriculture management, which critically depresses soil properties and causes soil erosion and nonpoint source pollution. Conservation practices, such as no-tillage and organic farming, have potential to enhance soil health. However, the long-term impact of no-tillage and organic practices on soil microbial diversity and community structure has not been fully understood, particularly in humid, warm climate regions such as the southeast USA. We hypothesized that organic inputs will lead to greater microbial diversity and a more stable microbial community, and that the combination of no-tillage and organic inputs will maximize soil microbial diversity. We conducted a long-term experiment in the southern Appalachian mountains of North Carolina, USA to test these hypotheses. The results showed that soil microbial diversity and community structure diverged under different management regimes after long term continuous treatments. Organic input dominated the effect of management practices on soil microbial properties, although no-tillage practice also exerted significant impacts. Both no-tillage and organic inputs significantly promoted soil microbial diversity and community stability. The combination of no-tillage and organic management increased soil microbial diversity over the conventional tillage and led to a microbial community structure more similar to the one in an adjacent grassland. These results indicate that effective management through reducing tillage and increasing organic C inputs can enhance soil microbial diversity and community stability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Variable rainfall intensity and tillage effects on runoff, sediment, and carbon losses from a loamy sand under simulated rainfall.

PubMed

Truman, C C; Strickland, T C; Potter, T L; Franklin, D H; Bosch, D D; Bednarz, C W

2007-01-01

The low-carbon, intensively cropped Coastal Plain soils of Georgia are susceptible to runoff, soil loss, and drought. Reduced tillage systems offer the best management tool for sustained row crop production. Understanding runoff, sediment, and chemical losses from conventional and reduced tillage systems is expected to improve if the effect of a variable rainfall intensity storm was quantified. Our objective was to quantify and compare effects of a constant (Ic) intensity pattern and a more realistic, observed, variable (Iv) rainfall intensity pattern on runoff (R), sediment (E), and carbon losses (C) from a Tifton loamy sand cropped to conventional-till (CT) and strip-till (ST) cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Four treatments were evaluated: CT-Ic, CT-Iv, ST-Ic, and ST-Iv, each replicated three times. Field plots (n=12), each 2 by 3 m, were established on each treatment. Each 6-m2 field plot received simulated rainfall at a constant (57 mm h(-1)) or variable rainfall intensity pattern for 70 min (12-run ave.=1402 mL; CV=3%). The Iv pattern represented the most frequent occurring intensity pattern for spring storms in the region. Compared with CT, ST decreased R by 2.5-fold, E by 3.5-fold, and C by 7-fold. Maximum runoff values for Iv events were 1.6-fold higher than those for Ic events and occurred 38 min earlier. Values for Etot and Ctot for Iv events were 19-36% and 1.5-fold higher than corresponding values for Ic events. Values for Emax and Cmax for Iv events were 3-fold and 4-fold higher than corresponding values for Ic events. Carbon enrichment ratios (CER) were or=1.0 for CT plots (except for first 20 min). Maximum CER for CT-Ic, CT-Iv, ST-Ic, and ST-Iv were 2.0, 2.2, 1.0, and 1.2, respectively. Transport of sediment, carbon, and agrichemicals would be better understood if variable rainfall intensity patterns derived from natural rainfall were used in rainfall simulations to evaluate their fate and transport from CT and ST systems.

[Effects of different tillage patterns on soil properties, maize yield and water use efficiency in Weibei Highland, China.

PubMed

Liu, Dan; Zhang, Xia; Li, Jun; Wang, Xu-Dong

2018-02-01

An eight-year field experiment of straw returning was conducted on dark loessial soil in Weibei Highland to investigate the effects of tillage patterns on soil aggregate, soil organic carbon (SOC), corn yield and soil water use efficiency (WUE). There were six tillage patterns, including conventional tillage (CT/CT), no-tillage (NT/NT), subsoiling tillage (ST/ST), no-tillage/subsoiling tillage (NT/ST), conventional tillage/no-tillage (CT/NT) and conventional tillage/subsoiling tillage (CT/ST). The results showed that compared with CT/CT, the patterns of NT/NT, ST/ST and the rotational tillage patterns (NT/ST, CT/NT and CT/ST) decreased the mean mass diameter of soil mechanical stable aggregate. The patterns of NT/NT, ST/ST and NT/ST increased the content of soil water-stable aggregate with the particle size >0.25 mm (WR 0.25 ) and their mean mass diameter, especially in the depth of 20-50 cm. These patterns reduced the proportion of aggregate destruction (PAD). Compared with CT/CT, the patterns of NT/ST, CT/NT, NT/NT and ST/ST increased the content of SOC in 0-10 cm soil layer. The content of SOC decreased as the increases of soil depth for all tillage patterns, but the decrease in SOC of three single tillage patterns (ST/ST, NT/NT and CT/CT) was larger than that of three rotational tillage patterns. Compared with CT/CT, the other five tillage patterns increased soil water storage in 0-200 cm soil profile, crop yield and WUE in maize. The yield and WUE in NT/ST pattern were significantly increased by 15.1% and 27.5%, respectively. Both corn yield and WUE were significantly and positively correlated with soil water storage in 0-200 cm soil profile in field during the cropping and fallow periods. Moreover, soil water storage during the cropping period was positively correlated with WR 0.25 , but negatively correlated with PAD in 0-50 cm soil layer. Particularly, maize yield, WUE and soil water storage during the cropping period were closely related to WR 0.25 in 20-50 cm soil layer and PAD. Both WUE and soil water storage during the cropping period was correlated with the SOC content in 0-10 cm soil layer. With respect to the soil properties, crop yield and WUE, the tillage pattern of NT/ST was the best stratety in dark loessial soil for spring maize growth in Weibei Highland.

Effect of Tillage and Planting Date on Seasonal Abundance and Diversity of Predacious Ground Beetles in Cotton

PubMed Central

Shrestha, R. B.; Parajulee, M. N.

2010-01-01

A 2-year field study was conducted in the southern High Plains region of Texas to evaluate the effect of tillage system and cotton planting date window on seasonal abundance and activity patterns of predacious ground beetles. The experiment was deployed in a split-plot randomized block design with tillage as the main-plot factor and planting date as the subplot factor. There were two levels for each factor. The two tillage systems were conservation tillage (30% or more of the soil surface is covered with crop residue) and conventional tillage. The two cotton planting date window treatments were early May (normal planting) and early June (late planting). Five prevailing predacious ground beetles, Cicindela sexguttata F., Calosoma scrutator Drees, Pasimachus spp., Pterostichus spp., and Megacephala Carolina L. (Coleoptera: Carabidae), were monitored using pitfall traps at 2-week intervals from June 2002 to October 2003. The highest total number of ground beetles (6/trap) was observed on 9 July 2003. Cicindela sexguttata was the dominant ground dwelling predacious beetle among the five species. A significant difference between the two tillage systems was observed in the abundances of Pterostichus spp. and C. sexguttata. In 2002. significantly more Pterostichus spp. were recorded from conventional plots (0.27/trap) than were recorded from conservation tillage plots (0.05/trap). Significantly more C. sexguttata were recorded in 2003 from conservation plots (3.77/trap) than were recorded from conventional tillage plots (1.04/trap). There was a significant interaction between year and tillage treatments. However, there was no significant difference in the abundances of M. Carolina and Pasimachus spp. between the two tillage practices in either of the two years. M. Carolina numbers were significantly higher in late-planted cotton compared with those observed in normal-planted cotton. However, planting date window had no significant influence on the activity patterns of the other species. Ground beetle species abundance, diversity, and species richness were significantly higher in conservation tillage plots. This suggests that field conditions arising from the practice of conservation tillage may support higher predacious ground beetle activity than might be observed under field conditions arising from conventional tillage practices. PMID:21062204

Drainage and tillage practices in the winter fallow season mitigate CH4 and N2O emissions from a double-rice field in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Guangbin; Yu, Haiyang; Fan, Xianfang; Yang, Yuting; Ma, Jing; Xu, Hua

2016-09-01

Traditional land management (no tillage, no drainage, NTND) during the winter fallow season results in substantial CH4 and N2O emissions from double-rice fields in China. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of drainage and tillage during the winter fallow season on CH4 and N2O emissions and to develop mitigation options. The experiment had four treatments: NTND, NTD (drainage but no tillage), TND (tillage but no drainage), and TD (both drainage and tillage). The study was conducted from 2010 to 2014 in a Chinese double-rice field. During winter, total precipitation and mean daily temperature significantly affected CH4 emission. Compared to NTND, drainage and tillage decreased annual CH4 emissions in early- and late-rice seasons by 54 and 33 kg CH4 ha-1 yr-1, respectively. Drainage and tillage increased N2O emissions in the winter fallow season but reduced it in early- and late-rice seasons, resulting in no annual change in N2O emission. Global warming potentials of CH4 and N2O emissions were decreased by 1.49 and 0.92 t CO2 eq. ha-1 yr-1, respectively, and were reduced more by combining drainage with tillage, providing a mitigation potential of 1.96 t CO2 eq. ha-1 yr-1. A low total C content and high C / N ratio in rice residues showed that tillage in the winter fallow season reduced CH4 and N2O emissions in both early- and late-rice seasons. Drainage and tillage significantly decreased the abundance of methanogens in paddy soil, and this may explain the decrease of CH4 emissions. Greenhouse gas intensity was significantly decreased by drainage and tillage separately, and the reduction was greater by combining drainage with tillage, resulting in a reduction of 0.17 t CO2 eq. t-1. The results indicate that drainage combined with tillage during the winter fallow season is an effective strategy for mitigating greenhouse gas releases from double-rice fields.

[Effects of tillage rotation and fertilization on soil aggregates and organic carbon content in corn field in Weibei Highland].

PubMed

Wang, Li; Li, Jun; Li, Juan; Bai, Wei-Xia

2014-03-01

A field experiment on effects of tillage rotation and fertilization on corn continuous cropping-practiced lands was carried out in Heyang of Shaanxi in 2007-2012. The tillage types included annual rotation of no-tillage and subsoiling (NT-ST), subsoiling and conventional tillage (ST-CT), or conventional tillage and no-tillage (CT-NT), and yearly practice of no tillage (NT-NT), subsoiling (ST-ST) or conventional tillage (CT-CT). The fertilization treatments included balanced fertilization, low-rate fertilization and conventional fertilization, which were separately practiced against the different tillage types. The experiment investigated compositions, mean mass diameters (MWD), geometrical mean diameters (GMD) and fraction dimension numbers (D) of soil aggregates in 0-40 cm soil and contents of organic carbon in 0-60 cm soil. The results indicated that: 1) The increased tillage intensity caused the reduced mechanical stability and content of soil aggregates and increased soil organic carbon loss. No-tillage or tillage rotation increased the MWD, GMD and contents of soil organic carbon and soil aggregates with diameters of more than 0.25 mm, but decreased D. Under the same fertilization treatment, the contents of soil aggregates with diameters of more than 0.25 mm were ranked in the order of NT-NT>NT-ST>NT-CT>ST-ST>CT-ST>CT-CT, and under the same tillage rotations, the soil aggregates were more stable with the balanced or low- rate fertilization than with the conventional fertilization. 2) Mathematical fractal dimension fitting of soil aggregates indicated that the fractal dimension numbers of soil aggregates ranged within 2.247-2.681 by dry sieving and 2.897-2.976 by wet sieving. In 0-30 cm soil, the fractal dimension numbers of soil aggregates were significantly lower under no-tillage or tillage rotation than under conventional tillage, and in 0-40 cm soil, the fractal dimensions of soil aggregates increased with soil depth, and tended to stabilize at the soil depth of 40 cm. 3) The different fertilization treatments exerted significantly different influences on the contents of soil organic carbon (P < 0.05), which tended to decline with soil depth. Compared to the conventional fertilization, the balanced fertilization increased the content of soil organic carbon by 6.9%, and the contents of soil organic carbon increased as the diameters of soil aggregates increased. The correlation analysis showed that the contents of soil aggregates with diameters of 0.25-2 mm significantly affected the content of soil organic carbon, with the coefficient of determination being 0.848 (P < 0.01).

Tillage, Mulch and N Fertilizer Affect Emissions of CO2 under the Rain Fed Condition

PubMed Central

Tanveer, Sikander Khan; Wen, Xiaoxia; Lu, Xing Li; Zhang, Junli; Liao, Yuncheng

2013-01-01

A two year (2010–2012) study was conducted to assess the effects of different agronomic management practices on the emissions of CO2 from a field of non-irrigated wheat planted on China's Loess Plateau. Management practices included four tillage methods i.e. T1: (chisel plow tillage), T2: (zero-tillage), T3: (rotary tillage) and T4: (mold board plow tillage), 2 mulch levels i.e., M0 (no corn residue mulch) and M1 (application of corn residue mulch) and 5 levels of N fertilizer (0, 80, 160, 240, 320 kg N/ha). A factorial experiment having a strip split-split arrangement, with tillage methods in the main plots, mulch levels in the sub plots and N-fertilizer levels in the sub-sub plots with three replicates, was used for this study. The CO2 data were recorded three times per week using a portable GXH-3010E1 gas analyzer. The highest CO2 emissions were recorded following rotary tillage, compared to the lowest emissions from the zero tillage planting method. The lowest emissions were recorded at the 160 kg N/ha, fertilizer level. Higher CO2 emissions were recorded during the cropping year 2010–11 relative to the year 2011–12. During cropping year 2010–11, applications of corn residue mulch significantly increased CO2 emissions in comparison to the non-mulched treatments, and during the year 2011–12, equal emissions were recorded for both types of mulch treatments. Higher CO2 emissions were recorded immediately after the tillage operations. Different environmental factors, i.e., rain, air temperatures, soil temperatures and soil moistures, had significant effects on the CO2 emissions. We conclude that conservation tillage practices, i.e., zero tillage, the use of corn residue mulch and optimum N fertilizer use, can reduce CO2 emissions, give better yields and provide environmentally friendly options. PMID:24086256

Effects of Long-term Conservation Tillage on Soil Nutrients in Sloping Fields in Regions Characterized by Water and Wind Erosion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Chunjian; Cao, Xue; Yuan, Shuai; Wang, Weiyu; Feng, Yongzhong; Qiao, Bo

2015-12-01

Conservation tillage is commonly used in regions affected by water and wind erosion. To understand the effects of conservation tillage on soil nutrients and yield, a long-term experiment was set up in a region affected by water and wind erosion on the Loess Plateau. The treatments used were traditional tillage (CK), no tillage (NT), straw mulching (SM), plastic-film mulching (PM), ridging and plastic-film mulching (RPM) and intercropping (In). Our results demonstrate that the available nutrients in soils subjected to non-traditional tillage treatments decreased during the first several years and then remained stable over the last several years of the experiment. The soil organic matter and total nitrogen content increased gradually over 6 years in all treatments except CK. The nutrient content of soils subjected to conservative tillage methods, such as NT and SM, were significantly higher than those in soils under the CK treatment. Straw mulching and film mulching effectively reduced an observed decrease in soybean yield. Over the final 6 years of the experiment, soybean yields followed the trend RPM > PM > SM > NT > CK > In. This trend has implications for controlling soil erosion and preventing non-point source pollution in sloping fields by sacrificing some food production.

Tillage and crop residue management methods had minor effects on the stock and stabilization of topsoil carbon in a 30-year field experiment.

PubMed

Singh, Pooja; Heikkinen, Jaakko; Ketoja, Elise; Nuutinen, Visa; Palojärvi, Ansa; Sheehy, Jatta; Esala, Martti; Mitra, Sudip; Alakukku, Laura; Regina, Kristiina

2015-06-15

We studied the effects of tillage and straw management on soil aggregation and soil carbon sequestration in a 30-year split-plot experiment on clay soil in southern Finland. The experimental plots were under conventional or reduced tillage with straw retained, removed or burnt. Wet sieving was done to study organic carbon and soil composition divided in four fractions: 1) large macroaggregates, 2) small macroaggregates, 3) microaggregates and 4) silt and clay. To further estimate the stability of carbon in the soil, coarse particulate organic matter, microaggregates and silt and clay were isolated from the macroaggregates. Total carbon stock in the topsoil (equivalent to 200 kg m(-2)) was slightly lower under reduced tillage (5.0 kg m(-2)) than under conventional tillage (5.2 kg m(-2)). Reduced tillage changed the soil composition by increasing the percentage of macroaggregates and decreasing the percentage of microaggregates. There was no evidence of differences in the composition of the macroaggregates or carbon content in the macroaggregate-occluded fractions. However, due to the higher total amount of macroaggregates in the soil, more carbon was bound to the macroaggregate-occluded microaggregates in reduced tillage. Compared with plowed soil, the density of deep burrowing earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) was considerably higher under reduced tillage and positively associated with the percentage of large macroaggregates. The total amount of microbial biomass carbon did not differ between the treatments. Straw management did not have discernible effects either on soil aggregation or soil carbon stock. We conclude that although reduced tillage can improve clay soil structure, generally the chances to increase topsoil carbon sequestration by reduced tillage or straw management practices appear limited in cereal monoculture systems of the boreal region. This may be related to the already high C content of soils, the precipitation level favoring decomposition and aggregate turnover in the winter with topsoil frost. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Review and Outlook for Soil and Tillage Research.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The journal, Soil and Tillage Research, is concerned with the changes in physical, chemical and biological properties and processes of the soil environment brought about by soil tillage and field traffic, their effects on both below- and above-ground environmental quality, crop establishment, root d...

Factors Influencing Observed Tillage Impacts on Herbicide Transport

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The widespread use and potential human health effects of the herbicides atrazine and glyphosate have generated interest in establishing how no-tillage impacts loading of these herbicides to runoff water in comparison to other tillage practices. In this study, potentially confounding factors such as ...

Modelling the effect of agricultural management practices on soil organic carbon stocks: does soil erosion matter?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nadeu, Elisabet; Van Wesemael, Bas; Van Oost, Kristof

2014-05-01

Over the last decades, an increasing number of studies have been conducted to assess the effect of soil management practices on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. At regional scales, biogeochemical models such as CENTURY or Roth-C have been commonly applied. These models simulate SOC dynamics at the profile level (point basis) over long temporal scales but do not consider the continuous lateral transfer of sediment that takes place along geomorphic toposequences. As a consequence, the impact of soil redistribution on carbon fluxes is very seldom taken into account when evaluating changes in SOC stocks due to agricultural management practices on the short and long-term. To address this gap, we assessed the role of soil erosion by water and tillage on SOC stocks under different agricultural management practices in the Walloon region of Belgium. The SPEROS-C model was run for a 100-year period combining three typical crop rotations (using winter wheat, winter barley, sugar beet and maize) with three tillage scenarios (conventional tillage, reduced tillage and reduced tillage in combination with additional crop residues). The results showed that including soil erosion by water in the simulations led to a general decrease in SOC stocks relative to a baseline scenario (where no erosion took place). The SOC lost from these arable soils was mainly exported to adjacent sites and to the river system by lateral fluxes, with magnitudes differing between crop rotations and in all cases lower under conservation tillage practices than under conventional tillage. Although tillage erosion plays an important role in carbon redistribution within fields, lateral fluxes induced by water erosion led to a higher spatial and in-depth heterogeneity of SOC stocks with potential effects on the soil water holding capacity and crop yields. This indicates that studies assessing the effect of agricultural management practices on SOC stocks and other soil properties over the landscape should account for the impact of soil erosion (both by water and tillage).

Soil & Tillage Research: Publication history and assessment of progress

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The journal, Soil and Tillage Research, is concerned with the changes in physical, chemical and biological properties and processes of the soil environment brought about by soil tillage and field traffic, their effects on both below- and above-ground environmental quality, crop establishment, root d...

Crop rotations and poultry litter impact dynamic soil chemical properties and soil biota long-term

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Dynamic soil physiochemical interactions with conservation agricultural practices and soil biota are largely unknown. Therefore, this study aims to quantify long-term (12-yr) impacts of cover crops, poultry litter, crop rotations, and conservation tillage and their interactions on soil physiochemica...

Tillage and planting date effects on weed dormancy, emergence, and early growth in organic corn

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Weed management is a major constraint to adoption of reduced-tillage practices for organic grain production. Tillage, cover crop management, and crop planting date are all factors that influence the periodicity and growth potential of important weed species in these systems. Therefore, we assessed...

Soil profile organic carbon as affected by tillage and cropping systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Reports on the long-term effects of tillage and cropping systems on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration in the entire rooting profile are limited. A long-term experiment with three cropping systems [continuous corn (CC), continuous soybean (CSB), and soybean-corn (SB-C)] in six primary tillage s...

Fertilizer placement and tillage effects on phosphorus leaching in fine-textured soils

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Adoption of no-tillage in agricultural watersheds has resulted in substantial reductions in sediment and particulate phosphorus (P) delivery to surface waters. No-tillage, however, may result in increased losses of dissolved P in tile-drained landscapes due to the accumulation of P in surface soil l...

Evaluating agricultural management effects on alachlor availability: Tillage, green manure, and biochar

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Agricultural and soil management practices have been reported to affect alachlor sorption-desorption and degradation rates. The objectives of this study were to: (a) assess differences in alachlor sorption due to tillage treatments (chisel plow and ridge tillage) on soils from three Midwestern U.S. ...

Soil structure, microbial biomass and carbon and nitrogen stocks as influenced by conventional tillage and conservation techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abrougui, Khaoula; Khemis, Chiheb; Cornelis, Wim; Chehaibi, Sayed

2017-04-01

To evaluate the impact of tillage systems on soil environment, it is necessary to quantify the modifications to physical, chemical and biological properties. The objective of this study was to evaluate the short-term impact of different tillage systems in organic farming on soil resistance to penetration, bulk density, microbial biomass, organic matter, and carbon and nitrogen stocks. The tillage systems included conventional tillage (CT), 'agronomic' tillage (AT) and superficial (shallow) tillage (ST), with ST being a non-inversion practice. Tests were carried out on alluvial poorly developed soil (10% clay, 57% silt, 33% sand) in the Higher Institute of Agronomy of Chott Meriem (Tunisia). The soil resistance to penetration was measured with a penetrologger till 50 cm depth along with soil water content measurements. Bulk density (g cm-3) was measured by a cylinder densimeter on samples collected every 10 cm till 30 cm depth. Microbial biomass is a determining factor in soil biological quality because of its role in the regulation, transformation and storage of nutrients. To count the germs, we used the method of enumeration after incorporation into agar. The Walkley and Black method was used for the determination of soil organic matter, and Kjeldahl's for the analysis of total nitrogen content. Carbon and nitrogen stocks (t ha-1) were then calculated as a function of carbon and nitrogen contents, bulk density and the horizon depth. Shallow tillage without inversion ST showed the best values in terms of soil resistance and bulk density. Indeed, soil resistance was 3.1, 2.4 and 2 MPa under CT, AT and ST respectively at 40 cm depth. By adopting this conservation technique, we noted an increase in organic matter with 53% as compared to CT (from 1.9% to 2.9%) and thus a significant increase in C (from 12.5 to 14.5 g kg-1) and N (from 5 to 8 g kg-1) stocks, particularly in the topsoil. In fact, the increase of organic matter in the topsoil constituted a reserve of essential nutrients which allowed the development and boosted the activity of living beings from 756 to 780 UFC g-1 x 105 in the topsoil as compared to CT. The overall increase of C stocks in the topsoil for ST significantly contributes to carbon sequestration.

Long-term effects of conventional and reduced tillage systems on soil condition and yield of maize

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rátonyi, Tamás; Széles, Adrienn; Harsányi, Endre

2015-04-01

As a consequence of operations which neglect soil condition and consist of frequent soil disturbance, conventional tillage (primary tillage with autumn ploughing) results in the degradation and compaction of soil structure, as well as the reduction of organic matter. These unfavourable processes pose an increasing economic and environmental protection problem today. The unfavourable physical condition of soils on which conventional tillage was performed indicate the need for preserving methods and tools. The examinations were performed in the multifactorial long-term tillage experiment established at the Látókép experiment site of DE MÉK. The experiment site is located in the Hajdúság loess ridge (Hungary) and its soil is loess-based calcareous chernozem with deep humus layer. The physical soil type is mid-heavy adobe. The long-term experiment has a split-split plot design. The main plots are different tillage methods (autumn ploughing, spring shallow tillage) without replication. In this paper, the effect of conventional and reduced (shallow) tillage methods on soil conditions and maize yield was examined. A manual penetrometer was used to determine the physical condition and compactedness of the soil. The soil moisture content was determined with deep probe measurement (based on capacitive method). In addition to soil analyses, the yield per hectare of different plots was also observed. In reduced tillage, one compacted layer is shown in the soil resistance profile determined with a penetrometer, while there are two compacted layers in autumn ploughing. The highest resistance was measured in the case of primary tillage performed at the same depth for several years in the compacted (pan disk) layer developed under the developed layer in both treatments. The unfavourable impact of spring shallow primary tillage on physical soil conditions is shown by the fact that the compaction of the pan disk exceed the critical limit value of 3 MPa. Over the years, further deterioration of physical conditions were observed below the regularly cultivated layer. In shallow tillage, soil contained more moisture (at 40-50 cm deep and below) than in the ploughed treatment. There are multiple reasons for this phenomenon. This tillage method is moisture preserving as the depth of disturbance (15 cm) is lower than in ploughed treatments (25-30 cm). Soil surface is covered by stem residues after sowing, which may reduce the extent of evaporation. The soil surface CO2 emission was determined based on primary tillage depth, intensity and the period which passed since primary tillage. Spring shallow primary tillage resulted in higher CO2 emission than conventional tillage. The average maize yield was significantly higher in the autumn ploughing treatment (6,6-13,9 t/ha) in the first half (7 years) of the examined period (2000-2014). Higher average yields were observed in two years in the spring shallow tillage treatment and no significant yield difference was observed between tillage treatments in other examined years. Reduced (shallow) tillage increases the risk of near-surface soil compaction and the biological activity of the soil, while it reduces the moisture loss of the soil. Reducing tillage intensity does not necessarily reduce the average yield of the produced crop (maize).

Implications of Using Corn Stalks as a Biofuel Source: A Joint ARS and DOE Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilhelm, W. W.; Cushman, J.

2003-12-01

Corn stover is a readily source of biomass for cellulosic ethanol production, and may provide additional income for growers. Published research shows that residue removal changes the rate of soil physical, chemical, and biological processes, and in turn, crop growth. Building a sustainable cellulosic ethanol industry based on corn residue requires residue management practices that do not reduce long-term productivity. To develop such systems, impacts of stover removal on the soil and subsequent crops must be quantified. The ARS/DOE Biofuel Project is the cooperative endeavor among scientists from six western Corn Belt US Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) locations and US Dept. of Energy. The objectives of the project are to determine the influence of stover removal on crop productivity, soil aggregation, quality, carbon content, and seasonal energy balance, and carbon sequestration. When residue is removed soil temperatures fluctuate more and soil water evaporation is greater. Residue removal reduces the amount of soil organic carbon (SOC), but the degree of reduction is highly dependent on degree of tillage, quantity of stover removed, and frequency of stover removal. Of the three cultural factors (stover removal, tillage, and N fertilization) tillage had the greatest effect on amount of corn-derived SOC. No tillage tends to increase the fraction of aggregates in the 2.00 to 0.25 mm size range at all removal rates. Stover harvest reduces corn-derived SOC by 35% compared to retaining stover on the soil averaged over all tillage systems. Corn stover yield has not differed across stover removal treatments in these studies. In the irrigated study, grain yield increased with stover removal. In the rain-fed studies, grain yield has not differed among residue management treatments. Incorporating the biomass ethanol fermentation by-product into a soil with low SOC showed a positive relationship between the amount of lignin added and the subsequent humic acid concentration and aggregate stability. These and future outcomes from this effort will provide DOE and the developing biomass ethanol industry knowledge and guidelines on the environmental and crop productivity consequences of large-scale collection of corn stover.

Inoculum Potential of Fusarium spp. Relates to Tillage and Straw Management in Norwegian Fields of Spring Oats

PubMed Central

Hofgaard, Ingerd S.; Seehusen, Till; Aamot, Heidi U.; Riley, Hugh; Razzaghian, Jafar; Le, Vinh H.; Hjelkrem, Anne-Grete R.; Dill-Macky, Ruth; Brodal, Guro

2016-01-01

The increased occurrence of Fusarium-mycotoxins in Norwegian cereals over the last decade, is thought to be caused by increased inoculum resulting from more cereal residues at the soil surface as a result of reduced tillage practices. In addition, weather conditions have increasingly promoted inoculum development and infection by Fusarium species. The objective of this work was to elucidate the influence of different tillage regimes (autumn plowing; autumn harrowing; spring plowing; spring harrowing) on the inoculum potential (IP) and dispersal of Fusarium spp. in spring oats. Tillage trials were conducted at two different locations in southeast Norway from 2010 to 2012. Oat residues from the previous year’s crop were collected within a week after sowing for evaluation. IP was calculated as the percentage of residues infested with Fusarium spp. multiplied by the proportion of the soil surface covered with residues. Fusarium avenaceum and F. graminearum were the most common Fusarium species recovered from oat residues. The IP of Fusarium spp. was significantly lower in plowed plots compared to those that were harrowed. Plowing in either the autumn or spring resulted in a low IP. Harrowing in autumn was more effective in reducing IP than the spring harrowing, and IP levels for the spring harrowed treatments were generally higher than all other tillage treatments examined. Surprisingly low levels of F. langsethiae were detected in the residues, although this species is a common pathogen of oat in Norway. The percentage of the residues infested with F. avenaceum, F. graminearum, F. culmorum, and F. langsethiae generally related to the quantity of DNA of the respective Fusarium species determined using quantitative PCR (qPCR). Fusarium dispersal, quantified by qPCR analysis of spore trap samples collected at and after heading, generally corresponded to the IP. Fusarium dispersal was also observed to increase after rainy periods. Our findings are in line with the general understanding that plowing is a means to reduce the IP of Fusarium spp. in cereal fields. The main inoculum source for F. langsethiae remains unclear. Our results will be useful in the development of forecasting tools to calculate the risk of Fusarium in cereals. PMID:27148236

[Conservation tillage systems in North America and their significance for China].

PubMed

Yang, Xueming; Zhang, Xiaoping; Fang, Huajun; Liang, Aizhen; Qi, Xiaoning; Wang, Yang

2004-02-01

Soil degradation through erosion and desertification reduces soil productivity, and is a serious problem in agricultural production of China. To avert our arable land from further degradation, soil management must be shifted from degrading tillage to conservation practices. Over viewing the technology used in the 20th century for controlling soil degradation from erosion, conservation tillage developed in the United States and adopted in South America and Africa is one of the most successful measures to overcome soil degradation problems. This paper reviewed the historical development and the current situation of conservation tillage systems used in North and South America, with special reference to their effects on soil erosion control and soil quality. The increasing adoption of conservation tillage systems in North and South America and Africa followed an enhanced awareness of the increasing risk of soil erosion and the high cost of fuel associated with conventional tillage. Many crucial points for successfully adopting conservation tillage systems were emphasized, such as equipment/tool development and chemical weed control. Adopting conservation tillage could provide China with low-priced means of reducing soil degradation and improving soil and water quality.

[Effect of conservation tillage on weeds in a rotation system on the Loess Plateau of eastern Gansu, Northwest China].

PubMed

Zhao, Yu-xin; Lu, Jiao-yun; Yang, Hui-min

2015-04-01

A field study was conducted to investigate the influences of no-tillage, stubble retention and crop type on weed density, species composition and community feature in a rotation system (winter wheat-common vetch-maize) established 12 years ago on the Loess Plateau of eastern Gansu. This study showed that the weed species composition, density and community feature varied with the change of crop phases. No-tillage practice increased the weed density at maize phase, while rotation with common vetch decreased the density in the no-tillage field. Stubble retention reduced the weed density under maize phase and the lowest density was observed in the no-tillage plus stubble retention field. No-tillage practice significantly increased the weed species diversity under winter wheat phase and decreased the diversity under common vetch phase. At maize phase, a greater species diversity index was observed in the no-tillage field. These results suggested that no-tillage practice and stubble retention possibly suppress specific weeds with the presence of some crops and crop rotation is a vital way to controlling weeds in a farming system.

Uncertainties in assessing tillage erosion - how appropriate are our measuring techniques?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiener, Peter; Deumlich, Detlef; Gómez, José A.; Guzmán, Gema; Hardy, Robert; Jague, Emilien A.; Quinton, John; Sommer, Michael; van Oost, Kristof; Wexler, Robert; Wilken, Florian

2017-04-01

In undulating arable landscapes tillage erosion is one of the dominant processes initiating lateral transfer of soil and soil constituents. Especially, in relatively dry regions, where tillage erosion can be much larger than water erosion, the associated changes in soil hydraulic properties might have substantial effects upon the sustainable use of soil resources. There have been some studies using different techniques to determine tillage erosion which build the basis for tillage erosion modelling approaches. However, tillage erosion is rather understudied compared to water erosion. The goal of this study was to bring together experts using different techniques to determine tillage erosion in an experimental set-up and to analyse the different results and assess the uncertainties associated with typical model inputs. Tillage erosion on a 50 x 10 m plot was determined after two phases of seven tillage passes performed within a week (simulating 10-14 yrs of tillage). As tracers, two different micro-tracers (magnetite mixed with soil and fluorescent sand) and one macro-tracer (passive Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) transponders; dia. 3 mm, length 20 mm) were used. Moreover, tillage induced changes in topography were spatially determined for the entire plot with two different terrestrial laser scanners and an UAV-based structure by motion topography analysis. Topography changes were also evaluated at 12 points using buried concrete flagstones as reference. A preliminary analysis of tracer movement indicates substantial differences in tillage induced translocation depending on type of tracer. While the mean translocation of the RFIDs was 0.47 m per pass the mean movement of the micro-tracers was 0.70 m. Substantial differences were also found for the different techniques to determine changes in topography. Overall the experiment underlines the importance of tillage erosion for the lateral transfer of soil and soil constituents, but also shows the large discrepancies between measurements based on different techniques. The latter introduces substantial uncertainties in any existing tillage erosion modelling approach.

Long-term Tillage influences on soil carbon, nitrogen, physical, chemical, and biological properties

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Long-term tillage influences physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil environment and thereby crop production and quality. We evaluated the effect of long-term (>20 yrs) tillage no-till, spring till, and fall plus spring till under continuous spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) on s...

Tillage and Water Deficit Stress Effects on Corn (Zea mays, L.) Root Distribution

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

One goal of soil management is to provide optimum conditions for root growth. Corn root distributions were measured in 2004 from a crop rotation – tillage experiment that was started in 2000. Corn was grown either following corn or following sunflower with either no till or deep chisel tillage. Wate...

Irrigation and cultivar effects in no-till, cover crop, and conventional tillage systems in Arkansas Cotton.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This field experiment was conducted in association with a long term tillage study established in fall 2007 at the Judd Hill Foundation Research Farm in Northeast Arkansas to assess agronomic and environmental impacts of conservation tillage systems. In component studies in 2016 we evaluated performa...

The effect of water regime and soil management on methane (CH4) emission of rice field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naharia, O.; Setyanto, P.; Arsyad, M.; Burhan, H.; Aswad, M.

2018-05-01

Mitigation of CH4 emission of rice field is becoming a serious issue. The Agricultural Environment Preservation Research Station in Central Java conducted a field study to investigate the effect of water regime and soil tillage on CH4 emission from paddy fields. Treatments consisted of two factors. The first factor was water regime, e.g., 1) continuously flooded 5 cm, 2) intermittent irrigation and 3) saturated water condition at 0-1 cm water level. The second factor was soil management, e.g., 1) normal tillage, 2) zero tillage + 3 sulfosate ha-1 and 3) zero tillage + 3 L paraquat ha-1. Most of treatments gave a significant reduction of total CH4 emission between 34 – 85% during the wet season crop as compared to normal rice cropping practice, while in the dry season the CH4 reduction ranged between 16 – 92%. No-tillage with non-selective herbicides combined with intermittent/saturated irrigation system significantly reduced methane emission without significantly affecting rice productivity as compared to normal tillage with continuous flooding (farmers practice)

No tillage combined with crop rotation improves soil microbial community composition and metabolic activity.

PubMed

Sun, Bingjie; Jia, Shuxia; Zhang, Shixiu; McLaughlin, Neil B; Liang, Aizhen; Chen, Xuewen; Liu, Siyi; Zhang, Xiaoping

2016-04-01

Soil microbial community can vary with different agricultural managements, which in turn can affect soil quality. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of long-term tillage practice (no tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT)) and crop rotation (maize-soybean (MS) rotation and monoculture maize (MM)) on soil microbial community composition and metabolic capacity in different soil layers. Long-term NT increased the soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) mainly at the 0-5 cm depth which was accompanied with a greater microbial abundance. The greater fungi-to-bacteria (F/B) ratio was found in NTMS at the 0-5 cm depth. Both tillage and crop rotation had a significant effect on the metabolic activity, with the greatest average well color development (AWCD) value in NTMS soil at all three soil depths. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that the shift in microbial community composition was accompanied with the changes in capacity of utilizing different carbon substrates. Therefore, no tillage combined with crop rotation could improve soil biological quality and make agricultural systems more sustainable.

Reduced greenhouse gas mitigation potential of no-tillage soils through earthworm activity

PubMed Central

Lubbers, Ingrid M.; Jan van Groenigen, Kees; Brussaard, Lijbert; van Groenigen, Jan Willem

2015-01-01

Concerns about rising greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations have spurred the promotion of no-tillage practices as a means to stimulate carbon storage and reduce CO2 emissions in agro-ecosystems. Recent research has ignited debate about the effect of earthworms on the GHG balance of soil. It is unclear how earthworms interact with soil management practices, making long-term predictions on their effect in agro-ecosystems problematic. Here we show, in a unique two-year experiment, that earthworm presence increases the combined cumulative emissions of CO2 and N2O from a simulated no-tillage (NT) system to the same level as a simulated conventional tillage (CT) system. We found no evidence for increased soil C storage in the presence of earthworms. Because NT agriculture stimulates earthworm presence, our results identify a possible biological pathway for the limited potential of no-tillage soils with respect to GHG mitigation. PMID:26337488

Use of multispectral Ikonos imagery for discriminating between conventional and conservation agricultural tillage practices

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vina, Andres; Peters, Albert J.; Ji, Lei

2003-01-01

There is a global concern about the increase in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases. One method being discussed to encourage greenhouse gas mitigation efforts is based on a trading system whereby carbon emitters can buy effective mitigation efforts from farmers implementing conservation tillage practices. These practices sequester carbon from the atmosphere, and such a trading system would require a low-cost and accurate method of verification. Remote sensing technology can offer such a verification technique. This paper is focused on the use of standard image processing procedures applied to a multispectral Ikonos image, to determine whether it is possible to validate that farmers have complied with agreements to implement conservation tillage practices. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed in order to isolate image variance in cropped fields. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) statistical procedures were used to evaluate the capability of each Ikonos band and each principal component to discriminate between conventional and conservation tillage practices. A logistic regression model was implemented on the principal component most effective in discriminating between conventional and conservation tillage, in order to produce a map of the probability of conventional tillage. The Ikonos imagery, in combination with ground-reference information, proved to be a useful tool for verification of conservation tillage practices.

Natural establishment and selenium accumulation of herbaceous plant species in soils with elevated concentrations of selenium and salinity under irrigation and tillage practices.

PubMed

Wu, L; Enberg, A; Tanji, K K

1993-04-01

The effects of irrigation and tillage practices were studied on species richness, biomass, and selenium accumulation of naturally established herbaceous plants in soils with elevated levels of selenium (Se) and salinity at Kesterson Reservoir, Merced County, California. The four different irrigation-tillage practice combinations were (1) no irrigation, no tillage; (2) irrigation, no tillage; (3) no irrigation, tillage; and (4) irrigation, tillage. The fields were allowed to become colonized naturally by herbaceous plant species. For the Mediterranean climate in the study site, irrigation was conducted biweekly through the summer months, and tillage was done in 3-month intervals. Biomass and Se accumulation of Atriplex patula L, Bassia hyssopifolia Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl., Melilotus indica (L.) All., and Salsola kali L. were substantially affected by irrigation. The degree and direction of the effects were found to be species dependent. The field plots which were tilled at 3-month intervals remained bare throughout the experiment. The total soil Se concentrations in the top 15 cm soil horizon were found to be in the range of 40 to 70 mg kg-1 dry wt. Soil Se concentrations below 25 cm soil depth were much lower and within a range of 2 to 4 mg kg-1. Less than 1/10th of the total soil Se inventory in the top soil horizon was water extractable, and the distribution of the Se inventory did not change significantly over the period of 1990 and 1991 despite the irrigation and tillage practices suggesting that a large portion of the Se inventory was not remobilized. The water-extractable soil Se concentration was found to be significantly lower in soils with the greatest biomass production suggesting an effective bioextraction of soil selenium by the native herbaceous plants.

Effects of Management Practices on Meloidogyne incognita and Snap Bean Yield.

PubMed

Smittle, D A; Johnson, A W

1982-01-01

Phenamiphos applied at 6.7 kg ai/ha through a solid set or a center pivot irrigation system with 28 mm of water effectively controlled root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne incognita, and resulted in greater snap bean growth and yields irrespective of growing season, tillage method, or cover crop system. The percentage yield increases attributed to this method of M. incognita control over nontreated controls were 45% in the spring crop, and 90% and 409% in the fall crops following winter rye and fallow, respectively. Root galling was not affected by tillage systems or cover crop, but disk tillage resulted in over 50% reduction in bean yield compared with yields from the subsoil-bed tillage system.

Combining Landsat-8 and WorldView-3 data to assess crop residue cover

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Crop residues on the soil surface contribute to soil quality and form the first line defense against the erosive forces of water and wind. Quantifying crop residue cover on the soil surface after crops are planted is crucial for monitoring soil tillage intensity and assessing the extent of conserva...

Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in organic and conventional grain crop production: accounting for nutrient inflows

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Agriculture is a large source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with large energy requirements. Previous research has shown that organic farming and conservation tillage practices can reduce environmental impacts from agriculture. We used the Farm Energy Analysis Tool (FEAT) to quantify the energy u...

The Effect on Soil Erosion of Different Tillage Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gür, Kazım

2016-04-01

The Effects on Soil Erosion of Different Tillage Applications Kazım Gür1, Kazim Çarman2 and Wim M.Cornelis3 1Bahri Daǧdaş International Agricultural Research Instıtute, 42020 Konya, Turkey 2Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Machinery, University of Selçuk, 42031 Konya, Turkey 3Department of Soil Management, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 653 Coupure Links, 9000 Gent, Belgium Traditional soil cultivation systems, with excessive and inappropriate soil tillage, will generally lead to soil degradation and loss of soil by wind erosion. Continuous reduced tillage and no-till maintaining soil cover with plant residues called Conservation Agriculture that is considered as effective in reducing erosion. There exist a wide variety of practices using different tools that comply with reduced tillage principles. However, few studies have compared the effect of several of such tools in reducing wind erosion and related soil and surface properties. We therefore measured sediment transport rates over bare soil surfaces (but with under stubbles of wheat, Triticum aestivum L.) subjected to three tillage practices using two pulling type machines and one type of power takeoff movable machines and generated with a portable field wind tunnel. At 10 ms-1, sediment transport rates varied from 107 to 573 gm-1h-1, and from 176 to 768 gm-1h-1 at 13 ms-1. The lowest transport rates were observed for N(no-tillage) and the highest for Rr(L-type rototiller). After tillage, surface roughness, mean weighted diameter, wind erodible fraction, mechanical stability and soil water content were measured as well and varied from 5.0 to 15.9%, 6.9 to 13.8 mm, 14.3 to 29.7%, 79.5 to 93.4% and 8.6 to 15.1%, respectively, with again N is being the most successful practice. In terms of conservation soil tillage technique, it can be said that the applications compared with each other; direct sowing machine is more appropriate and cause to the less erosion.

Long-term N fertilization and conservation tillage practices conserve surface but not profile SOC stocks under semi-arid irrigated corn

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

No tillage (NT) and N fertilization can increase surface soil organic C (SOC) stocks, but the effects deeper in the soil profile are uncertain. Subsequent tillage could counter SOC stabilized through NT practices by disrupting soil aggregation and promoting decomposition. We followed a long-term ti...

Effect of tillage system on yield and weed populations of soybean ( Glycin Max L.).

PubMed

Hosseini, Seyed Z; Firouzi, Saeed; Aminpanah, Hashem; Sadeghnejhad, Hamid R

2016-03-01

Field experiment was conducted at Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Golestan Province, Iran, to determine the effects of tillage system and weed management regime on yield and weed populations in soybean ( Glycin max L.). The experimental design was a split plot where the whole plot portion was a randomized complete block with three replicates. Main plots were tillage system: 1- No-till row crop seeding, 2- No-till seed drilling, 3- Tillage with disc harrow and drill planting, 4- Tillage with chisel packer and drill planting. The subplots were weed management regimes: 1-Weed control with herbicide application, 2- Hand weeding, 3- Herbicide application plus hand weeding, and 4- Non-weeding. Results indicated that the main effects of tillage system and weed management regime were significant for seed yield, pod number per plant, seed number per pod, weed density and biomass, while their interaction were significant only for weed density, weed biomass, and seed number per pod. The highest grain yields (3838 kg ha-1) were recorded for No-till row crop seeding. The highest seed yield (3877 kg ha-1) also was recorded for weed control with herbicide and hand weeding treatment, followed by hand weeding (3379 kg ha-1).

Micro and macroscopic investigation to quantify tillage impact on soil hydrodynamic behaviour

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beckers, E.; Roisin, C.; Plougonven, E.; Deraedt, D.; Léonard, A.; Degré, A.

2012-04-01

Nowadays, tillage simplification is an increasing practice. Many advantages are cited in the literature, such as energy saving, soil conservation etc. Agricultural management practices influence soil structure, but consequent changes in soil hydrodynamic behaviour at the field scale are still not well understood. Many studies focus only on macroscopic measurements which do not provide mechanistic explanations. Moreover, research shows divergent conclusions over structure modification. The aim of this work is to fill this gap by quantifying soil structure modification depending on tillage intensity through both macroscopic and microscopic measurements, the latter improving our comprehension of the fundamental mechanisms involved. Our experiment takes place in Gentinnes (Walloon Brabant, Belgium), on a field organized in a Latin square scheme. Since 2004, plots have been cultivated in conventional tillage (CT) or in reduced tillage (RT). The latter consists in sowing after stubble ploughing of about 10cm. The crop rotation is sugar beet followed by winter wheat. The soil is mainly composed of silt loam and can be classified as a Luvisol. Macroscopic investigations consist in establishing pF and K(h) curves and 3D soil strength profiles. At the microscale, 3D morphologic parameters are measured using X-ray microtomography. Because of the variation of working depth between management practices (10cm for RT vs. 25cm for CT), two horizons were investigated: H1 between 0-10cm and H2 between 12-25cm. 3D soil strength profiles were established thanks to a fully automated penetrometer (30° angle cone with a base area of 10mm2) which covered a 160 × 80cm2 area with 5cm spacing between neighbouring points. At each node, penetration was performed and soil strength measurements were collected every 1cm from 5 to 55cm depth. K(h) curves were provided by 20cm diameter tension-infiltrometer measurements (Eijkelkamp Agrisearch Equipment). Undisturbed soil samples were removed from H1 and H2 for both management practices: 100cm3 samples were used to establish pF curves with the Richards procedure, and 35cm3 samples were used for X-ray microtomography investigation. Samples for microtomography were air-dried at 40°C in order to empty meso- and macroporosity and then scanned using a Skyscan-1172 high-resolution desktop micro-CT system (Skyscan, Kontich, Belgium). Macroscopic measurements show consistent results: penetrometry profiles confirm the presence of two different horizons for RT, with a permeable superficial horizon between 0 and 10cm and a compacted subjacent horizon. Despite the long-term experiment, the old plough pan is still observed. The superficial horizon is equivalent in terms of pF curves to CT. The second horizon in RT shows significant differences with CT: porosity and especially effective porosity are greater for CT than RT. Infiltration tests confirm these reports with a higher conductivity for CT than RT. In fact, the first permeable horizon for RT is thin and the second horizon impacts vertical infiltration. These observations will be completed with microtomograms analysis. Pore size distribution, but particularly morphological parameters like eccentricity, orientation, connectivity and anisotropy of the pore network will be quantified and connected with macroscopic measurements.

Effect of Erosion on Productivity in Subtropical Red Soil Hilly Region: A Multi-Scale Spatio-Temporal Study by Simulated Rainfall

PubMed Central

Li, Zhongwu; Huang, Jinquan; Zeng, Guangming; Nie, Xiaodong; Ma, Wenming; Yu, Wei; Guo, Wang; Zhang, Jiachao

2013-01-01

The effects of water erosion (including long-term historical erosion and single erosion event) on soil properties and productivity in different farming systems were investigated. A typical sloping cropland with homogeneous soil properties was designed in 2009 and then protected from other external disturbances except natural water erosion. In 2012, this cropland was divided in three equally sized blocks. Three treatments were performed on these blocks with different simulated rainfall intensities and farming methods: (1) high rainfall intensity (1.5 - 1.7 mm min−1), no-tillage operation; (2) low rainfall intensity (0.5 - 0.7 mm min−1), no-tillage operation; and (3) low rainfall intensity, tillage operation. All of the blocks were divided in five equally sized subplots along the slope to characterize the three-year effects of historical erosion quantitatively. Redundancy analysis showed that the effects of long-term historical erosion significantly caused most of the variations in soil productivity in no-tillage and low rainfall erosion intensity systems. The intensities of the simulated rainfall did not exhibit significant effects on soil productivity in no-tillage systems. By contrast, different farming operations induced a statistical difference in soil productivity at the same single erosion intensity. Soil organic carbon (SOC) was the major limiting variable that influenced soil productivity. Most explanations of long-term historical erosion for the variation in soil productivity arose from its sharing with SOC. SOC, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus were found as the regressors of soil productivity because of tillage operation. In general, this study provided strong evidence that single erosion event could also impose significant constraints on soil productivity by integrating with tillage operation, although single erosion is not the dominant effect relative to the long-term historical erosion. Our study demonstrated that an effective management of organic carbon pool should be the preferred option to maintain soil productivity in subtropical red soil hilly region. PMID:24147090

Assessing the fate and effects of an insecticidal formulation.

PubMed

de Perre, Chloé; Williard, Karl W J; Schoonover, Jon E; Young, Bryan G; Murphy, Tracye M; Lydy, Michael J

2015-01-01

A 3-yr study was conducted on a corn field in central Illinois, USA, to understand the fate and effects of an insecticidal formulation containing the active ingredients phostebupirim and cyfluthrin. The objectives were to determine the best tillage practice (conventional vs conservation tillage) in terms of grain yields and potential environmental risk, to assess insecticidal exposure using concentrations measured in soil and runoff water and sediments, to compare measured insecticidal concentrations with predicted concentrations from selected risk assessment exposure models, and to calculate toxicity benchmarks from laboratory bioassays performed on reference aquatic and terrestrial nontarget organisms, using individual active ingredients and the formulation. Corn grain yields were not significantly different based on tillage treatment. Similarly, field concentrations of insecticides were not significantly (p > 0.05) different in strip tillage versus conventional tillage, suggesting that neither of the tillage systems would enable greater environmental risk from the insecticidal formulation. Risk quotients were calculated from field concentrations and toxicity data to determine potential risk to nontarget species. The insecticidal formulation used at the recommended rate resulted in soil, sediment, and water concentrations that were potentially harmful to aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, if exposure occurred, with risk quotients up to 34. © 2014 SETAC.

Impact of agronomy practices on the effects of reduced tillage systems on CH4 and N2O emissions from agricultural fields: A global meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Zhou, Xiyue; Xu, Chunchun; Ji, Long; Chen, Zhongdu

2018-01-01

The effect of no- and reduced tillage (NT/RT) on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission was highly variable and may depend on other agronomy practices. However, how the other practices affect the effect of NT/RT on GHG emission remains elusive. Therefore, we conducted a global meta-analysis (including 49 papers with 196 comparisons) to assess the effect of five options (i.e. cropping system, crop residue management, split application of N fertilizer, irrigation, and tillage duration) on the effect of NT/RT on CH4 and N2O emissions from agricultural fields. The results showed that NT/RT significantly mitigated the overall global warming potential (GWP) of CH4 and N2O emissions by 6.6% as compared with conventional tillage (CT). Rotation cropping systems and crop straw remove facilitated no-tillage (NT) to reduce the CH4, N2O, or overall GWP both in upland and paddy field. NT significantly mitigated the overall GWP when the percentage of basal N fertilizer (PBN) >50%, when tillage duration > 10 years or rainfed in upland, while when PBN <50%, when duration between 5 and 10 years, or with continuous flooding in paddy field. RT significantly reduced the overall GWP under single crop monoculture system in upland. These results suggested that assessing the effectiveness of NT/RT on the mitigation of GHG emission should consider the interaction of NT/RT with other agronomy practices and land use type. PMID:29782525

Impact of agronomy practices on the effects of reduced tillage systems on CH4 and N2O emissions from agricultural fields: A global meta-analysis.

PubMed

Feng, Jinfei; Li, Fengbo; Zhou, Xiyue; Xu, Chunchun; Ji, Long; Chen, Zhongdu; Fang, Fuping

2018-01-01

The effect of no- and reduced tillage (NT/RT) on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission was highly variable and may depend on other agronomy practices. However, how the other practices affect the effect of NT/RT on GHG emission remains elusive. Therefore, we conducted a global meta-analysis (including 49 papers with 196 comparisons) to assess the effect of five options (i.e. cropping system, crop residue management, split application of N fertilizer, irrigation, and tillage duration) on the effect of NT/RT on CH4 and N2O emissions from agricultural fields. The results showed that NT/RT significantly mitigated the overall global warming potential (GWP) of CH4 and N2O emissions by 6.6% as compared with conventional tillage (CT). Rotation cropping systems and crop straw remove facilitated no-tillage (NT) to reduce the CH4, N2O, or overall GWP both in upland and paddy field. NT significantly mitigated the overall GWP when the percentage of basal N fertilizer (PBN) >50%, when tillage duration > 10 years or rainfed in upland, while when PBN <50%, when duration between 5 and 10 years, or with continuous flooding in paddy field. RT significantly reduced the overall GWP under single crop monoculture system in upland. These results suggested that assessing the effectiveness of NT/RT on the mitigation of GHG emission should consider the interaction of NT/RT with other agronomy practices and land use type.

Net global warming potential and greenhouse gas intensity of conventional and conservation agriculture system in rainfed semi arid tropics of India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pratibha, G.; Srinivas, I.; Rao, K. V.; Shanker, Arun K.; Raju, B. M. K.; Choudhary, Deepak K.; Srinivas Rao, K.; Srinivasarao, Ch.; Maheswari, M.

2016-11-01

Agriculture has been considered as one of the contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and it continues to increase with increase in crop production. Hence development of sustainable agro techniques with maximum crop production, and low global warming potential is need of the hour. Quantifying net global warming potential (NGWP) and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) of an agricultural activity is a method to assess the mitigation potential of the activity. But there is dearth of information on NGWP of conservation agriculture under rainfed conditions. Hence in this study two methods such as crop based (NGWPcrop) and soil based (NGWPsoil) were estimated from the data of the experiment initiated in 2009 in rainfed semiarid regions of Hyderabad, India with different tillage practices like conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT), zero tillage (ZT) and residue retention levels by harvesting at different heights which includes 0, 10 and 30 cm anchored residue in pigeonpea-castor systems. The results of the study revealed that under rainfed conditions CT recorded 24% higher yields over ZT, but CT and RT were on par with each other. However, the yield gap between the tillage treatments is narrowing down over 5 years of study. ZT and RT recorded 26 and 11% lower indirect GHG emissions (emissions from farm operations and input use) over CT, respectively. The percent contribution of CO2 eq. N2O emission is higher to total GHG emissions in both the crops. Both NGWPcrop, NGWPsoil, GHGIcrop, and GHGIsoil based were influenced by tillage and residue treatments. Further, castor grown on pigeonpea residue recorded 20% higher GHG emissions over pigeonpea grown on castor residues. The fuel consumption in ZT was reduced by 58% and 81% as compared to CT in pigeonpea and castor, respectively. Lower NGWP and GHGI based on crop and soil was observed with increase in crop residues and decrease in tillage intensity in both the crops. The results of the study indicate that, there is scope to reduce the NGWP emissions by reducing one tillage operation as in RT and increase in crop residue by harvesting at 10 and 30 cm height with minimal impact on the crop yields. However, the trade-off between higher yield and soil health versus GHG emissions should be considered while promoting conservation agriculture. The NGWPcrop estimation method indicated considerable benefits of residues to the soil and higher potential of GHG mitigation than by the NGWPsoil method and may overestimate the potential of GHG mitigation in agriculture system.

Influence of Agricultural Practice on Surface Temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czajkowski, K.; Ault, T.; Hayase, R.; Benko, T.

2006-12-01

Changes in land uses/covers can have a significant effect on the temperature of the Earth's surface. Agricultural fields exhibit a significant change in land cover within a single year and from year to year as different crops are planted. These changes in agricultural practices including tillage practice and crop type influence the energy budget as reflected in differences in surface temperature. In this project, Landsat 5 and 7 imagery were used to investigate the influence of crop type and tillage practice on surface temperature in Iowa and NW Ohio. In particular, the three crop rotation of corn, soybeans and wheat, as well as no-till, conservation tillage and tradition tillage methods, were investigated. Crop type and conservation tillage practices were identified using supervised classification. Student surface temperature observations from the GLOBE program were used to correct for the effects of the atmosphere for some of the satellite thermal observations. Students took surface temperature observations in field sites near there schools using hand- held infrared thermometers.

An interdisciplinary tillage erosion experiment: establishing a new field in grassland with reconstructed ard plough of the Bronze Age - Iron Age

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavelka, Jan; Smetanová, Anna; Rejman, Jerzy; Kováčik, Peter

2017-04-01

Despite recognising the role of tillage erosion in landforms evolution, little research has documented its effects in prehistoric times. Herein, an interdisciplinary archaeological-geomorphological experiment with reconstructed tillage tools and management was conducted in order to measure tillage erosion when a new field in grasslands was established in the Bronze Age-Iron Age. Three wooden ards were reconstructed based on archaeological findings. They were tested in a cross-tillage experiment, consisting of a tillage pass perpendicular to the primary slope (6.5-9.7%), and a second tillage pass parallel to the primary slope of a convex-convex ridge with mowed grass (0.2 m high, vegetation cover >90%). The standard sole ard proved to be the most effective, with a mean tillage depth of 0.12 m, a mean tillage speed of 3.8 km h-1, and a mean distance between furrows of 0.20-0.25 m. Only 13% of the 264 tracers placed on 6 transects were displaced, and the mean tracers displacement parallel to the primary slope was 0.04 ± 0.17 m. Contour tillage perpendicular to primary slope created V or U shaped furrows with a mean depth of 0.1-0.12 m, a mean width of 0.05-0.1 m, and incision under the main root zone. Only soil in direct contact with the ard was displaced, with a mean translocation distance of 0.06 ± 0.2 m parallel and 0.06 ± 0.3 m perpendicular to the primary slope. During tillage parallel to slope, soil clods of 0.20 x 0.25 x 0.10 m were created and slightly disturbed or turned over one another. The tracers moved within the furrows and with the soil clods. Loose soil, resembling a seedbed, was not covered by soil clods. Mean displacement during the second pass was 0.03 ± 0.19 m parallel and 0.00 ± 0.15 m perpendicular to primary slope. The displacement from cross-tillage with a wooden ard in permanent grasslands was lower than many previously measured values of traditional animal-powered metal ploughs in permanent fields. No relationship between mean soil displacement and slope gradient was found. Dense vegetation and root structure influenced ard soil-penetration, its movement within the soil, and the displacement of tracers packed between the roots. Cross-tillage with a wooden ard proved to be insufficient for seedbed preparation. The results suggest that grazing or fire management, followed by repeated tillage with ard or hoe in order to destroy soil clods were necessary to establish a new field in grasslands during the Bronze Age-Iron Age.

Reduced tillage and cover crops as a strategy for mitigating atmospheric CO2 increase through soil organic carbon sequestration in dry Mediterranean agroecosystems.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almagro, María; Garcia-Franco, Noelia; de Vente, Joris; Boix-Fayos, Carolina; Díaz-Pereira, Elvira; Martínez-Mena, María

2016-04-01

The implementation of sustainable land management (SLM) practices in semiarid Mediterranean agroecosystems can be beneficial to maintain or enhance levels of soil organic carbon and mitigate current atmospheric CO2 increase. In this study, we assess the effects of different tillage treatments (conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT), reduced tillage combined with green manure (RTG), and no tillage (NT)) on soil CO2 efflux, aggregation and organic carbon stabilization in two semiarid organic rainfed almond (Prunus dulcis Mill., var. Ferragnes) orchards located in SE Spain Soil CO2 efflux, temperature and moisture were measured monthly between May 2012 and December 2014 (site 1), and between February 2013 and December 2014 (site 2). In site 1, soil CO2 efflux rates were also measured immediately following winter and spring tillage operations. Aboveground biomass inputs were estimated at the end of the growing season in each tillage treatment. Soil samples (0-15 cm) were collected in the rows between the trees (n=4) in October 2012. Four aggregate size classes were distinguished by sieving (large and small macroaggregates, free microaggregates, and free silt plus clay fraction), and the microaggregates occluded within macroaggregates (SMm) were isolated. Soil CO2efflux rates in all tillage treatments varied significantly during the year, following changes during the autumn, winter and early spring, or changes in soil moisture during late spring and summer. Repeated measures analyses of variance revealed that there were no significant differences in soil CO2 efflux between tillage treatments throughout the study period at both sites. Average annual values of C lost by soil respiration were slightly but not significantly higher under RT and RTG treatments (492 g C-CO2 m-2 yr-1) than under NT treatment (405 g C-CO2 m-2 yr-1) in site 1, while slightly but not significantly lower values were observed under RT and RTG treatments (468 and 439 g C-CO2 m-2 yr-1, respectively) than under CT treatment (399 g C-CO2 m-2 yr-1) in site 2. Tillage operations had a rapid but short-lived effect on soil CO2 efflux rates, with no significant influence on the annual soil CO2 emissions. The larger amounts of plant biomass incorporated into soil annually in the reduced tillage treatments compared to the conventional tillage treatment promoted soil aggregation and the physico-chemical soil organic carbon stabilization while soil CO2 emissions did not significantly increase. According to our results, reduced-tillage is strongly recommended as a beneficial SLM strategy for mitigating atmospheric CO2 increase through soil carbon sequestration and stabilization in semiarid Mediterranean agroecosystems.

Assessment of Micro-Basin Tillage as a Soil and Water Conservation Practice in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China.

PubMed

Sui, Yuanyuan; Ou, Yang; Yan, Baixing; Xu, Xiaohong; Rousseau, Alain N; Zhang, Yu

2016-01-01

Micro-basin tillage is a soil and water conservation practice that requires building individual earth blocks along furrows. In this study, plot experiments were conducted to assess the efficiency of micro-basin tillage on sloping croplands between 2012 and 2013 (5°and 7°). The conceptual, optimal, block interval model was used to design micro-basins which are meant to capture the maximum amount of water per unit area. Results indicated that when compared to the up-down slope tillage, micro-basin tillage could increase soil water content and maize yield by about 45% and 17%, and reduce runoff, sediment and nutrients loads by about 63%, 96% and 86%, respectively. Meanwhile, micro-basin tillage could reduce the peak runoff rates and delay the initial runoff-yielding time. In addition, micro-basin tillage with the optimal block interval proved to be the best one among all treatments with different intervals. Compared with treatments of other block intervals, the optimal block interval treatments increased soil moisture by around 10% and reduced runoff rate by around 15%. In general, micro-basin tillage with optimal block interval represents an effective soil and water conservation practice for sloping farmland of the black soil region.

Assessment of Micro-Basin Tillage as a Soil and Water Conservation Practice in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China

PubMed Central

Sui, Yuanyuan; Ou, Yang; Yan, Baixing; Xu, Xiaohong; Rousseau, Alain N.; Zhang, Yu

2016-01-01

Micro-basin tillage is a soil and water conservation practice that requires building individual earth blocks along furrows. In this study, plot experiments were conducted to assess the efficiency of micro-basin tillage on sloping croplands between 2012 and 2013 (5°and 7°). The conceptual, optimal, block interval model was used to design micro-basins which are meant to capture the maximum amount of water per unit area. Results indicated that when compared to the up-down slope tillage, micro-basin tillage could increase soil water content and maize yield by about 45% and 17%, and reduce runoff, sediment and nutrients loads by about 63%, 96% and 86%, respectively. Meanwhile, micro-basin tillage could reduce the peak runoff rates and delay the initial runoff-yielding time. In addition, micro-basin tillage with the optimal block interval proved to be the best one among all treatments with different intervals. Compared with treatments of other block intervals, the optimal block interval treatments increased soil moisture by around 10% and reduced runoff rate by around 15%. In general, micro-basin tillage with optimal block interval represents an effective soil and water conservation practice for sloping farmland of the black soil region. PMID:27031339

Soil erosion measurements under organic and conventional land use treatments and different tillage systems using micro-scale runoff plots and a portable rainfall simulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seitz, Steffen; Goebes, Philipp; Song, Zhengshan; Wittwer, Raphaël; van der Heijden, Marcel; Scholten, Thomas

2015-04-01

Soil erosion is a major environmental problem of our time and negatively affects soil organic matter (SOM), aggregate stability or nutrient availability for instance. It is well known that agricultural practices have a severe influence on soil erosion by water. Several long-term field trials show that the use of low input strategies (e.g. organic farming) instead of conventional high-input farming systems leads to considerable changes of soil characteristics. Organic farming relies on crop rotation, absence of agrochemicals, green manure and weed control without herbicides. As a consequence, SOM content in the top soil layer is usually higher than on arable land under conventional use. Furthermore, the soil surface is better protected against particle detachment and overland flow due to a continuous vegetation cover and a well-developed root system increases soil stability. Likewise, tillage itself can cause soil erosion on arable land. In this respect, conservation and reduced tillage systems like No-Till or Ridge-Till provide a protecting cover from the previous year's residue and reduce soil disturbance. Many studies have been carried out on the effect of farming practices on soil erosion, but with contrasting results. To our knowledge, most of those studies rely on soil erosion models to calculate soil erosion rates and replicated experimental field measurement designs are rarely used. In this study, we performed direct field assessment on a farming system trial in Rümlang, Switzerland (FAST: Farming System and Tillage experiment Agroscope) to investigate the effect of organic farming practises and tillage systems on soil erosion. A portable single nozzle rainfall simulator and a light weight tent have been used with micro-scale runoff plots (0.4 m x 0.4 m). Four treatments (Conventional/Tillage, Conventional/No-Tillage, Organic/Tillage, Organic/Reduced-tillage) have been sampled with 8 replications each for a total of 32 runoff plots. All plots have been distributed randomly within the treatments. Linear mixed effect modelling was used to examine the effects of the treatments on sediment discharge and surface runoff. Results were compared with recent findings from erosion models and laboratory studies. Results show that sediment discharge is significantly higher (59 %, p=0.018) on conventional treatments (31.8 g/m2/h) than on organic treatments (20.0 g/m2/h). This finding supports results from several studies, which found soil erosion rates from 18 % to 184 % higher on conventional than on organic treatments. Under both farming systems, ploughed treatments show higher sediment discharge (conventional farming: 104 %, organic farming: 133 %, p=0.004) than treatments with reduced or no tillage. Runoff volume did not show significant effects in our treatments. An interaction between the farming practice and the tillage system could not be found, which strengthens the importance of both. With the help of a well-replicated micro-scale runoff plot design and a portable rainfall simulator we were able to gather reliable soil erosion data in situ in short term and without external parameterization. Our field assessment shows that organic farming and reduced tillage practices protect agricultural land best against soil erosion.

Effect of tillage and crop residue on soil temperature following planting for a Black soil in Northeast China.

PubMed

Shen, Yan; McLaughlin, Neil; Zhang, Xiaoping; Xu, Minggang; Liang, Aizhen

2018-03-14

Crop residue return is imperative to maintain soil health and productivity but some farmers resist adopting conservation tillage systems with residue return fearing reduced soil temperature following planting and crop yield. Soil temperatures were measured at 10 cm depth for one month following planting from 2004 to 2007 in a field experiment in Northeast China. Tillage treatments included mouldboard plough (MP), no till (NT), and ridge till (RT) with maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max Merr.) crops. Tillage had significant effects on soil temperature in 10 of 15 weekly periods. Weekly average NT soil temperature was 0-1.5 °C lower than MP, but the difference was significant (P < 0.05) only in 2007 when residue was not returned in MP the previous autumn. RT showed no clear advantage over NT in increasing soil temperature. Higher residue coverage caused lower soil temperature; the effect was greater for maize than soybean residue. Residue type had significant effect on soil temperature in 9 of 15 weekly periods with 0-1.9 °C lower soil temperature under maize than soybean residue. Both tillage and residue had small but inconsistent effect on soil temperature following planting in Northeast China representative of a cool to temperate zone.

Structure, composition and metagenomic profile of soil microbiomes associated to agricultural land use and tillage systems in Argentine Pampas.

PubMed

Carbonetto, Belén; Rascovan, Nicolás; Álvarez, Roberto; Mentaberry, Alejandro; Vázquez, Martin P

2014-01-01

Agriculture is facing a major challenge nowadays: to increase crop production for food and energy while preserving ecosystem functioning and soil quality. Argentine Pampas is one of the main world producers of crops and one of the main adopters of conservation agriculture. Changes in soil chemical and physical properties of Pampas soils due to different tillage systems have been deeply studied. Still, not much evidence has been reported on the effects of agricultural practices on Pampas soil microbiomes. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of agricultural land use on community structure, composition and metabolic profiles on soil microbiomes of Argentine Pampas. We also compared the effects associated to conventional practices with the effects of no-tillage systems. Our results confirmed the impact on microbiome structure and composition due to agricultural practices. The phyla Verrucomicrobia, Plactomycetes, Actinobacteria, and Chloroflexi were more abundant in non cultivated soils while Gemmatimonadetes, Nitrospirae and WS3 were more abundant in cultivated soils. Effects on metabolic metagenomic profiles were also observed. The relative abundance of genes assigned to transcription, protein modification, nucleotide transport and metabolism, wall and membrane biogenesis and intracellular trafficking and secretion were higher in cultivated fertilized soils than in non cultivated soils. We also observed significant differences in microbiome structure and taxonomic composition between soils under conventional and no-tillage systems. Overall, our results suggest that agronomical land use and the type of tillage system have induced microbiomes to shift their life-history strategies. Microbiomes of cultivated fertilized soils (i.e. higher nutrient amendment) presented tendencies to copiotrophy while microbiomes of non cultivated homogenous soils appeared to have a more oligotrophic life-style. Additionally, we propose that conventional tillage systems may promote copiotrophy more than no-tillage systems by decreasing soil organic matter stability and therefore increasing nutrient availability.

Structure, Composition and Metagenomic Profile of Soil Microbiomes Associated to Agricultural Land Use and Tillage Systems in Argentine Pampas

PubMed Central

Carbonetto, Belén; Rascovan, Nicolás; Álvarez, Roberto; Mentaberry, Alejandro; Vázquez, Martin P.

2014-01-01

Agriculture is facing a major challenge nowadays: to increase crop production for food and energy while preserving ecosystem functioning and soil quality. Argentine Pampas is one of the main world producers of crops and one of the main adopters of conservation agriculture. Changes in soil chemical and physical properties of Pampas soils due to different tillage systems have been deeply studied. Still, not much evidence has been reported on the effects of agricultural practices on Pampas soil microbiomes. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of agricultural land use on community structure, composition and metabolic profiles on soil microbiomes of Argentine Pampas. We also compared the effects associated to conventional practices with the effects of no-tillage systems. Our results confirmed the impact on microbiome structure and composition due to agricultural practices. The phyla Verrucomicrobia, Plactomycetes, Actinobacteria, and Chloroflexi were more abundant in non cultivated soils while Gemmatimonadetes, Nitrospirae and WS3 were more abundant in cultivated soils. Effects on metabolic metagenomic profiles were also observed. The relative abundance of genes assigned to transcription, protein modification, nucleotide transport and metabolism, wall and membrane biogenesis and intracellular trafficking and secretion were higher in cultivated fertilized soils than in non cultivated soils. We also observed significant differences in microbiome structure and taxonomic composition between soils under conventional and no- tillage systems. Overall, our results suggest that agronomical land use and the type of tillage system have induced microbiomes to shift their life-history strategies. Microbiomes of cultivated fertilized soils (i.e. higher nutrient amendment) presented tendencies to copiotrophy while microbiomes of non cultivated homogenous soils appeared to have a more oligotrophic life-style. Additionally, we propose that conventional tillage systems may promote copiotrophy more than no-tillage systems by decreasing soil organic matter stability and therefore increasing nutrient availability. PMID:24923965

Effects of field experimental warming on wheat root distribution under conventional tillage and no-tillage systems.

PubMed

Hou, Ruixing; Ouyang, Zhu; Han, Daorui; Wilson, Glenn V

2018-03-01

Despite the obvious importance of roots to agro-ecosystem functioning, few studies have attempted to examine the effects of warming on root biomass and distribution, especially under different tillage systems. In this study, we performed a field warming experiment using infrared heaters on winter wheat, in long-term conventional tillage and no-tillage plots, to determine the responses of root biomass and distribution to warming. Soil monoliths were collected from three soil depths (0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm). Results showed that root biomass was noticeably increased under both till and no-till tillage systems (12.1% and 12.9% in 2011, and 9.9% and 14.5% in 2013, in the two tillage systems, respectively) in the 0-30 cm depth, associated with a similar increase in shoot biomass. However, warming-induced root biomass increases occurred in the deeper soil layers (i.e., 10-20 and 20-30 cm) in till, while the increase in no-till was focused in the surface layer (0-10 cm). Differences in the warming-induced increases in root biomass between till and no-till were positively correlated with the differences in soil total nitrogen ( R 2  = .863, p  <   .001) and soil bulk density ( R 2  = .853, p  <   .001). Knowledge of the distribution of wheat root in response to warming should help manage nutrient application and cycling of soil C-N pools under anticipated climate change conditions.

Interactions of tillage and cover crop on water, sediment, and pre-emergence herbicide loss in glyphosate-resistant cotton: implications for the control of glyphosate-resistant weed biotypes.

PubMed

Krutz, L Jason; Locke, Martin A; Steinriede, R Wade

2009-01-01

The need to control glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine]-resistant weed biotypes with tillage and preemergence herbicides in glyphosate-resistant crops (GRCs) is causing a reduction in no-tillage hectarage thereby threatening the advances made in water quality over the past decade. Consequently, if environmental gains afforded by GRCs are to be maintained, then an in-field best management practice (BMP) compatible with tillage is required for hectarage infested with glyphosate-resistant weed biotypes. Thus, 1 d after a preemergent application of fluometuron [N,N-dimethyl-N'-(3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea] (1.02 kg ha(-1)) and metolachlor [2-chloro-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl)acetamide] (1.18 kg ha(-1)) to a Dundee silt loam (fine-silty, mixed, active, thermic Typic Endoaqualf), simulated rainfall (60 mm h(-1)) was applied to 0.0002-ha microplots for approximately 1.25 h to elucidate tillage (no tillage [NT] and reduced tillage [RT])and cover crop (no cover [NC] and rye cover [RC]) effects on water, sediment, and herbicide loss in surface runoff. Regardless of tillage, RC delayed time-to-runoff 1.3-fold, reduced cumulative runoff volume 1.4-fold, and decreased cumulative sediment loss 4.7-fold. Cumulative fluometuron loss was not affected by tillage or cover crop. Conversely, total metolachlor loss was 1.3-fold lower in NT than RT and 1.4-fold lower in RC than NC. These data indicate that RC can be established in hectarage requiring tillage and potentially curtail water, sediment, and preemergence herbicide losses in the spring to levels equivalent to or better than that of NT, thereby protecting environmental gains provided by GRCs.

Combined effects of constant versus variable intensity simulated rainfall and reduced tillage management on cotton preemergence herbicide runoff.

PubMed

Potter, Thomas L; Truman, Clint C; Strickland, Timothy C; Bosch, David D; Webster, Theodore M; Franklin, Dorcas H; Bednarz, Craig W

2006-01-01

Pesticide runoff research relies heavily on rainfall simulation experiments. Most are conducted at a constant intensity, i.e., at a fixed rainfall rate; however, large differences in natural rainfall intensity is common. To assess implications we quantified runoff of two herbicides, fluometuron and pendimethalin, and applied preemergence after planting cotton on Tifton loamy sand. Rainfall at constant and variable intensity patterns representative of late spring thunderstorms in the Atlantic Coastal Plain region of Georgia (USA) were simulated on 6-m2 plots under strip- (ST) and conventional-tillage (CT) management. The variable pattern produced significantly higher runoff rates of both compounds from CT but not ST plots. However, on an event-basis, runoff totals (% applied) were not significantly different, with one exception: fluometuron runoff from CT plots. There was about 25% more fluometuron runoff with the variable versus the constant intensity pattern (P = 0.10). Study results suggest that conduct of simulations using variable intensity storm patterns may provide more representative rainfall simulation-based estimates of pesticide runoff and that the greatest impacts will be observed with CT. The study also found significantly more fluometuron in runoff from ST than CT plots. Further work is needed to determine whether this behavior may be generalized to other active ingredients with similar properties [low K(oc) (organic carbon partition coefficient) approximately 100 mL g(-1); high water solubility approximately 100 mg L(-1)]. If so, it should be considered when making tillage-specific herbicide recommendations to reduce runoff potential.

Variations in thematic mapper spectra of soil related to tillage and crop residue management - Initial evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seeley, M. W.; Ruschy, D. L.; Linden, D. R.

1983-01-01

A cooperative research project was initiated in 1982 to study differences in thematic mapper spectral characteristics caused by variable tillage and crop residue practices. Initial evaluations of radiometric data suggest that spectral separability of variably tilled soils can be confounded by moisture and weathering effects. Separability of bare tilled soils from those with significant amounts of corn residue is enhanced by wet conditions, but still possible under dry conditions when recent tillage operations have occurred. In addition, thematic mapper data may provide an alternative method to study the radiant energy balance at the soil surface in conjunction with variable tillage systems.

Tillage-induced short-term soil organic matter turnover and respiration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiedler, Sebastian Rainer; Leinweber, Peter; Jurasinski, Gerald; Eckhardt, Kai-Uwe; Glatzel, Stephan

2016-09-01

Tillage induces decomposition and mineralisation of soil organic matter (SOM) by the disruption of macroaggregates and may increase soil CO2 efflux by respiration, but these processes are not well understood at the molecular level. We sampled three treatments (mineral fertiliser: MF; biogas digestate: BD; unfertilised control: CL) of a Stagnic Luvisol a few hours before and directly after tillage as well as 4 days later from a harvested maize field in northern Germany and investigated these samples by means of pyrolysis-field ionisation mass spectrometry (Py-FIMS) and hot-water extraction. Before tillage, the Py-FIMS mass spectra revealed differences in relative ion intensities of MF and CL compared to BD most likely attributable to the cattle manure used for the biogas feedstock and to relative enrichments during anaerobic fermentation. After tillage, the CO2 effluxes were increased in all treatments, but this increase was less pronounced in BD. We explain this by restricted availability of readily biodegradable carbon compounds and possibly an inhibitory effect of sterols from digestates. Significant changes in SOM composition were observed following tillage. In particular, lignin decomposition and increased proportions of N-containing compounds were detected in BD. In MF, lipid proportions increased at the expense of ammonia, ammonium, carbohydrates and peptides, indicating enhanced microbial activity. SOM composition in CL was unaffected by tillage. Our analyses provide strong evidence for significant short-term SOM changes due to tillage in fertilised soils.

Introduction to tillage erosion

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Tillage as a source of erosion Tillage erosion is the downslope movement of soil by tillage. During tillage, soil is lifted and gravity moves soil downslope. Soil movement by tillage increases with slope steepness. However, net soil transport by tillage is determined by the change in slope. Soil mov...

Soil management shapes ecosystem service provision and trade-offs in agricultural landscapes.

PubMed

Tamburini, Giovanni; De Simone, Serena; Sigura, Maurizia; Boscutti, Francesco; Marini, Lorenzo

2016-08-31

Agroecosystems are principally managed to maximize food provisioning even if they receive a large array of supporting and regulating ecosystem services (ESs). Hence, comprehensive studies investigating the effects of local management and landscape composition on the provision of and trade-offs between multiple ESs are urgently needed. We explored the effects of conservation tillage, nitrogen fertilization and landscape composition on six ESs (crop production, disease control, soil fertility, water quality regulation, weed and pest control) in winter cereals. Conservation tillage enhanced soil fertility and pest control, decreased water quality regulation and weed control, without affecting crop production and disease control. Fertilization only influenced crop production by increasing grain yield. Landscape intensification reduced the provision of disease and pest control. We also found tillage and landscape composition to interactively affect water quality regulation and weed control. Under N fertilization, conventional tillage resulted in more trade-offs between ESs than conservation tillage. Our results demonstrate that soil management and landscape composition affect the provision of several ESs and that soil management potentially shapes the trade-offs between them. © 2016 The Author(s).

Simulated responses of soil organic carbon stock to tillage management scenarios in the Northwest Great Plains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tan, Z.; Liu, S.; Li, Z.; Loveland, Thomas R.

2007-01-01

Background: Tillage practices greatly affect carbon (C) stocks in agricultural soils. Quantification of the impacts of tillage on C stocks at a regional scale has been challenging because of the spatial heterogeneity of soil, climate, and management conditions. We evaluated the effects of tillage management on the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) in croplands of the Northwest Great Plains ecoregion of the United States using the General Ensemble biogeochemical Modeling System (GEMS). Tillage management scenarios included actual tillage management (ATM), conventional tillage (CT), and no-till (NT). Results: Model simulations show that the average amount of C (kg C ha-1yr-1) released from croplands between 1972 and 2000 was 246 with ATM, 261 with CT, and 210 with NT. The reduction in the rate of C emissions with conversion of CT to NT at the ecoregion scale is much smaller than those reported at plot scale and simulated for other regions. Results indicate that the response of SOC to tillage practices depends significantly on baseline SOC levels: the conversion of CT to NT had less influence on SOC stocks in soils having lower baseline SOC levels but would lead to higher potentials to mitigate C release from soils having higher baseline SOC levels. Conclusion: For assessing the potential of agricultural soils to mitigate C emissions with conservation tillage practices, it is critical to consider both the crop rotations being used at a local scale and the composition of all cropping systems at a regional scale. ?? 2007 Tan et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Effects of N Fertilizer Sources and Tillage Practices on NH3 Volatilization, Grain Yield, and N Use Efficiency of Rice Fields in Central China

PubMed Central

Liu, Tianqi; Huang, Jinfeng; Chai, Kaibin; Cao, Cougui; Li, Chengfang

2018-01-01

Tillage practices and nitrogen (N) sources are important factors affecting rice production. Few studies, however, have examined the interactions between tillage practices and N fertilizer sources on NH3 volatilization, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), and rice grain yield. This study aimed to investigate the effects of N fertilizer sources (no N fertilizer, inorganic N fertilizer, organic N fertilizer alone, organic N fertilizer plus inorganic N fertilizer, and slow-release N fertilizer plus inorganic N fertilizer) and tillage practices (no-tillage [NT] and conventional intensive tillage [CT]) on NH3 flux, grain yield, and NUE in the rice field of central China. N sources significantly affected NH3 volatilization, as the cumulative volatilization from the treatments of inorganic N fertilizer, organic N fertilizer, organic N fertilizer plus inorganic N fertilizer, slow-release N fertilizer plus inorganic N fertilizer was 4.19, 2.13, 3.42, and 2.23 folds in 2013, and 2.49, 1.68, 2.08, and 1.85 folds in 2014 compared with that under no N fertilizer treatment, respectively. The organic N fertilizer treatment had the lowest grain yield and NUE among all N fertilizer treatments, while slow-release N fertilizer plus inorganic N fertilizer treatment led to relatively higher grain yield and the greatest N use efficiency. Moreover, NT only markedly increased NH3 volatilization from basal fertilizer by 10–14% in average compared with CT, but had no obvious effects on total volatilization during the whole seasons. Tillage practices had no significant effects on grain yield and NUE. Our study suggested that the combination of slow-release N fertilizer plus inorganic N fertilizer and NT might be a sustainable method for mitigating greenhouse gas and NH3 emissions and improving grain yield and NUE in paddy fields of central China. PMID:29623086

Modeling the Effects of Conservation Tillage on Water Quality at the Field Scale

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The development and application of predictive tools to quantitatively assess the effects of tillage and related management activities should be carefully tested against high quality field data. This study reports on: 1) the calibration and validation of the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM) to a...

Effect of tillage and fumigation on Pasteuria penetrans

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The endospore-forming bacterium Pasteuria penetrans (Pp) is a parasite of Meloidogyne spp. In this study, the effect of tillage and the fumigant 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) on numbers of Pp and suppression of M. incognita (Mi) was evaluated from 2011-2013. A split-plot experiment was established i...

Legume proportions, poultry litter, and tillage effects on cover crop decomposition

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth.)–cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crop mixtures can provide N scavenging and N provisioning benefits in grain cropping systems. The objectives of this research were to determine, under field conditions, the effects of species proportions, tillage, and pelletized...

Impact of crop residue management on crop production and soil chemistry after seven years of crop rotation in temperate climate, loamy soils.

PubMed

Hiel, Marie-Pierre; Barbieux, Sophie; Pierreux, Jérôme; Olivier, Claire; Lobet, Guillaume; Roisin, Christian; Garré, Sarah; Colinet, Gilles; Bodson, Bernard; Dumont, Benjamin

2018-01-01

Society is increasingly demanding a more sustainable management of agro-ecosystems in a context of climate change and an ever growing global population. The fate of crop residues is one of the important management aspects under debate, since it represents an unneglectable quantity of organic matter which can be kept in or removed from the agro-ecosystem. The topic of residue management is not new, but the need for global conclusion on the impact of crop residue management on the agro-ecosystem linked to local pedo-climatic conditions has become apparent with an increasing amount of studies showing a diversity of conclusions. This study specifically focusses on temperate climate and loamy soil using a seven-year data set. Between 2008 and 2016, we compared four contrasting residue management strategies differing in the amount of crop residues returned to the soil (incorporation vs. exportation of residues) and in the type of tillage (reduced tillage (10 cm depth) vs. conventional tillage (ploughing at 25 cm depth)) in a field experiment. We assessed the impact of the crop residue management on crop production (three crops-winter wheat, faba bean and maize-cultivated over six cropping seasons), soil organic carbon content, nitrate ([Formula: see text]), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) soil content and uptake by the crops. The main differences came primarily from the tillage practice and less from the restitution or removal of residues. All years and crops combined, conventional tillage resulted in a yield advantage of 3.4% as compared to reduced tillage, which can be partly explained by a lower germination rate observed under reduced tillage, especially during drier years. On average, only small differences were observed for total organic carbon (TOC) content of the soil, but reduced tillage resulted in a very clear stratification of TOC and also of P and K content as compared to conventional tillage. We observed no effect of residue management on the [Formula: see text] content, since the effect of fertilization dominated the effect of residue management. To confirm the results and enhance early tendencies, we believe that the experiment should be followed up in the future to observe whether more consistent changes in the whole agro-ecosystem functioning are present on the long term when managing residues with contrasted strategies.

Soil respiration, labile carbon pools, and enzyme activities as affected by tillage practices in a tropical rice-maize-cowpea cropping system.

PubMed

Neogi, S; Bhattacharyya, P; Roy, K S; Panda, B B; Nayak, A K; Rao, K S; Manna, M C

2014-07-01

In order to identify the viable option of tillage practices in rice-maize-cowpea cropping system that could cut down soil carbon dioxide (CO2) emission, sustain grain yield, and maintain better soil quality in tropical low land rice ecology soil respiration in terms of CO2 emission, labile carbon (C) pools, water-stable aggregate C fractions, and enzymatic activities were investigated in a sandy clay loam soil. Soil respiration is the major pathway of gaseous C efflux from terrestrial systems and acts as an important index of ecosystem functioning. The CO2-C emissions were quantified in between plants and rows throughout the year in rice-maize-cowpea cropping sequence both under conventional tillage (CT) and minimum tillage (MT) practices along with soil moisture and temperature. The CO2-C emissions, as a whole, were 24 % higher in between plants than in rows, and were in the range of 23.4-78.1, 37.1-128.1, and 28.6-101.2 mg m(-2) h(-1) under CT and 10.7-60.3, 17.3-99.1, and 17.2-79.1 mg m(-2) h(-1) under MT in rice, maize, and cowpea, respectively. The CO2-C emission was found highest under maize (44 %) followed by rice (33 %) and cowpea (23 %) irrespective of CT and MT practices. In CT system, the CO2-C emission increased significantly by 37.1 % with respect to MT on cumulative annual basis including fallow. The CO2-C emission per unit yield was at par in rice and cowpea signifying the beneficial effect of MT in maintaining soil quality and reduction of CO2 emission. The microbial biomass C (MBC), readily mineralizable C (RMC), water-soluble C (WSC), and permanganate-oxidizable C (PMOC) were 19.4, 20.4, 39.5, and 15.1 % higher under MT than CT. The C contents in soil aggregate fraction were significantly higher in MT than CT. Soil enzymatic activities like, dehydrogenase, fluorescein diacetate, and β-glucosidase were significantly higher by 13.8, 15.4, and 27.4 % under MT compared to CT. The soil labile C pools, enzymatic activities, and heterotrophic microbial populations were in the order of maize > cowpea > rice, irrespective of the tillage treatments. Environmental sustainability point of view, minimum tillage practices in rice-maize-cowpea cropping system in tropical low land soil could be adopted to minimize CO2-C emission, sustain yield, and maintain soil health.

Nutrient and dust enrichment in Danish wind erosion sediments for different tillage directions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammadian Behbahani, Ali; Fister, Wolfgang; Heckrath, Goswin; Kuhn, Nikolaus J.

2015-04-01

More than 80% of the soil types in Denmark have a sandy texture. Denmark is also subject to strong offshore and onshore winds, therefore, Danish soils are considered especially vulnerable to wind erosion. Where conventional tillage operations are applied on poorly aggregated soils, tillage ridges are more or less the only roughness element that can be used to protect soils against wind erosion until crop plants are large enough to provide sufficient breaks. Since wind erosion is a selective process, it can be assumed that increasing erosion rates are associated with increasing loss of dust sized particles and nutrients. However, selective erosion is strongly affected by the orientation and respective trapping efficiency of tillage ridges and furrows. The main objective of this study, therefore, was to determine the effect of tillage direction on nutrient mobilization by wind erosion from agricultural land in Denmark. In order to assess the relationship between the enrichment ratio of specific particle sizes and the amount of eroded nutrients, three soils with loamy sand texture, but varying amounts of sand-sized particles, were selected. In addition, a soil with slightly less sand, but much higher organic matter content was chosen. The soils were tested with three different soil surface scenarios (flat surface, parallel tillage, perpendicular tillage) in a wind tunnel simulation. The parallel tillage operation experienced the greatest erosion rates, independent of soil type. Particles with D50 between 100-155 µm showed the greatest risk of erosion. However, due to a greater loss of dust sized particles from perpendicularly tilled surfaces, this wind-surface arrangement showed a significant increase in nutrient enrichment ratio compared to parallel tillage and flat surfaces. The main reason for this phenomenon is most probably the trapping of larger particles in the perpendicular furrows. This indicates that the highest rate of soil protection does not necessarily coincide with lowest soil nutrient losses and dust emissions. For the evaluation of protection measures on these soil types in Denmark it is, therefore, important to differentiate between their effectivity to reduce total soil erosion amount, dust emission, and nutrient loss.

Long-term Tillage and Cropping Sequence Effect on Dryland Crop Yields and Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Improved management practices are needed to increase dryland crop yields and soil organic matter compared with conventional farming practices in the northern Great Plains. We evaluated the 21-yr effect of tillage and cropping sequence on dryland grain and biomass (stems + leaves) yields and N uptake...

[Long-term effects of tillage methods on heavy metal accumulation and availability in purple paddy soil].

PubMed

Chang, Tong-Ju; Cui, Xiao-Qiang; Ruan, Zhen; Zhao, Xiu-Lan

2014-06-01

A long-term experiment, conducted at Southwest University since 1990, was used to evaluate the effect of tillage methods on the total and available contents of heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd) in the profile of purple paddy soil and the contents of those metals in root, stem leaf and brown rice. The experiment included five tillage methods: conventional tillage, paddy-upland rotation, no-tillage and fallow in winter, ridge-no-tillage and compartments-no-tillage. The results showed that the total concentrations of Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd in the soil profile had no significant differences among five treatments, but it was found that total Mn has a significant decline in 0-20 cm under conventional tillage, paddy-upland rotation and no-tillage and fallow in winter compared with ridge-no-tillage and compartments-no-tillage. The availability of Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd decreased with the increase of soil depth in all treatments, but the availability of Mn was found to be the highest in the 20-40 cm layers except those in the paddy-upland rotation. In the ploughed layer, the contents of available Fe, Mn was the highest in paddy-upland rotation, while the contents of available Zn and Pb was the highest in conventional tillage, but tillage treatments had not significant influence to the contents of available Cu. Correlation analysis showed that available Fe was significantly negatively related to the pH values and significantly negatively related to the organic matter of soils, available Mn was significantly negatively related to the pH values and organic matter of soils, whereas the available Zn was significantly positively related to total Zn. The contents of Fe, Mn in rice root, the contents of Fe, Mn, Cu and Cd in rice straw and Cu in brown rice were higher under paddy-upland rotation, ridge-no-tillage and compartments-no-tillage than those in conventional tillage and no-tillage and fellow in winter. Paddy-upland rotation can significantly lower the migration coefficient value of Cd in brown rice, and the Pb, Cd concentration in brown rice in the treatment of paddy-upland rotation was lower than the upper limit (< 0.2 mg x kg(-1)) of the National Standard for Food Hygiene for Cd concentration. The content of Fe in root was significantly and negatively related with soil pH and significantly and positively related with soil available Fe, the content of Mn in root was significantly negatively related with soil pH and significantly positively related with soil available Mn, the content of Mn in straw was significantly negatively related with soil pH, significantly positively related with soil total Mn and significantly positively related with soil available Mn, the content of Cu in straw and brown rice was significantly negatively related with soil pH, the content of Zn was significant related with soil pH and significant related with soil CEC. The content of Fe in root, Mn in root and straw and Cd in straw was positively related with soil available Fe, Mn and Cd, respectively, but was negatively related with pH in plough layer soil, Zn in straw was also negatively related with plough layer soil pH. From the results as above, it is concluded that different tillage methods can change the values of soil pH, alter the availability of heavy metal in soils, consequently affect uptake of heavy metal by rice. Of the tillage methods, paddy-upland rotation could increase the availability of Fe and Mn, but decrease the availability of Zn, Pb and Cd in purple paddy soils. Paddy-upland rotation can also increase the contents of Fe, Mn in rice root and straw, but decrease Cd content in brown rice, and could reduce the Pb, Cd contents in brown rice in a certain extent, however, attention should be given to long-term paddy-upland rotation cause of leaching of soil surface Mn.

[Effects of Short-time Conservation Tillage Managements on Greenhouse Gases Emissions from Soybean-Winter Wheat Rotation System].

PubMed

Xie, Yan; Chen, Xi; Hu, Zheng-hua; Chen, Shu-tao; Zhang, Han; Ling, Hui; Shen, Shuang-he

2016-04-15

Field experiments including one soybean growing season and one winter-wheat growing season were adopted. The experimental field was divided into four equal-area sub-blocks which differed from each other only in tillage managements, which were conventional tillage (T) , no-tillage with no straw cover ( NT) , conventional tillage with straw cover (TS) , and no-tillage with straw cover (NTS). CO₂ and N₂O emission fluxes from soil-crop system were measured by static chamber-gas chromatograph technique. The results showed that: compared with T, in the soybean growing season, NTS significantly increased the cumulative amount of CO₂ (CAC) from soil-soybean system by 27.9% (P = 0.045) during the flowering-podding stage, while NT significantly declined CAC by 28.9% (P = 0.043) during the grain filling-maturity stage. Compared with T, NT significantly declined the cumulative amount of N₂O (CAN) by 28.3% (P = 0.042) during the grain filling-maturity stage. In the winter-wheat growing season, compared with T, TS and NT significantly declined CAC by 24.3% (P = 0.032) and 36.0% (P = 0.041) during the elongation-booting stage, and also declined CAC by 26.8% (P = 0.027) and 33.1% (P = 0.038) during the maturity stage. During the turning-green stage, compared with T treatment, NT, NTS, and TS treatments had no significant effect on CAN, while NTS significant declined CAN by 42.0% (P = 0.035) compared with NT. Our findings suggested that conservation tillage managements had a more significant impact on CO₂ emission than 20 emission from soil-crop system.

A comparison of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, chloride and potassium loss in conventional and conservation tillage

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Tillage impact on dissolved losses of ammonium (NH4-N) and nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N), chloride (Cl), and potassium (K) during rotational cotton and peanut production was evaluated. Tillage treatments were strip-tillage (ST) and conventional-tillage (CT). Winter cover crops were used in both tillage...

Towards a no-till no-spray future? Introduction to a symposium on nonchemical weed management for reduced-tillage cropping systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Reduced-tillage systems including no-tillage and strip tillage have well-known benefits for conserving and improving soils, protecting vulnerable crops from extreme weather events, and reducing labor and fuel costs associated with full-width inversion tillage. Despite these benefits, reduced-tillage...

Modeling Edge Effects of Tillage Erosion

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Tillage erosion has been recognized as an important factor in redistribution of soil over time and in the development of morphological changes within agricultural fields. Field borders, fences, and vegetated strips that interrupt soil fluxes lead to the creation topographic discontinuities or lynche...

Rainfall and tillage effects on transport of fecal bacteria and sex hormones 17beta-estradiol and testosterone from broiler litter applications to a Georgia Piedmont Ultisol.

PubMed

Jenkins, Michael B; Truman, Clint C; Siragusa, Gregory; Line, Eric; Bailey, J Stan; Frye, Jonathan; Endale, Dinku M; Franklin, Dorcas H; Schomberg, Harry H; Fisher, Dwight S; Sharpe, Ronald R

2008-09-15

Poultry litter provides nutrients for crop and pasture production; however, it also contains fecal bacteria, sex hormones (17beta-estradiol and testosterone) and antibiotic residues that may contaminate surface waters. Our objective was to quantify transport of fecal bacteria, estradiol, testosterone and antibiotic residues from a Cecil sandy loam managed since 1991 under no-till (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) to which either poultry litter (PL) or conventional fertilizer (CF) was applied based on the nitrogen needs of corn (Zea mays L) in the Southern Piedmont of NE Georgia. Simulated rainfall was applied for 60 min to 2 by 3-m field plots at a constant rate in 2004 and variable rate in 2005. Runoff was continuously measured and subsamples taken for determining flow-weighted concentrations of fecal bacteria, hormones, and antibiotic residues. Neither Salmonella, nor Campylobacter, nor antimicrobial residues were detected in litter, soil, or runoff. Differences in soil concentrations of fecal bacteria before and after rainfall simulations were observed only for Escherichia coli in the constant rainfall intensity experiment. Differences in flow-weighted concentrations were observed only for testosterone in both constant and variable intensity rainfall experiments, and were greatest for treatments that received poultry litter. Total loads of E. coli and fecal enterococci, were largest for both tillage treatments receiving poultry litter for the variable rainfall intensity. Load of testosterone was greatest for no-till plots receiving poultry litter under variable rainfall intensity. Poultry litter application rates commensurate for corn appeared to enhance only soil concentrations of E. coli, and runoff concentrations of testosterone above background levels.

Comparative assessment of herbicide and fungicide runoff risk: a case study for peanut production in the Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain (USA).

PubMed

Potter, Thomas L; Bosch, David D; Strickland, Timothy C

2014-08-15

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is produced intensively in the southern Atlantic Coastal Plain of the eastern USA. To effectively protect the region's water quality data are needed which quantify runoff of pesticides used to protect these crops. Fungicides are used intensively yet there is little published data which describe their potential for loss in surface runoff. This study compared runoff of a fungicide, tebuconazole (α-[2-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl]-α-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole-1-ethanol), and an herbicide, metolachlor (2-chloro-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl)acetamide) from 0.2 ha fields in strip (ST), a commonly used conservation-tillage practice, and conventional tillage (CT) near Tifton, GA (USA). Following their first application, metolachlor and tebuconazole were detected at high frequency in runoff. Concentrations and their annual losses increased with application frequency and runoff event timing and frequency with respect to applications, and when fields were positioned at the top of the slope and CT was practiced. Runoff one day after treatment (DAT) contributed to high tebuconazole runoff loss, up to 9.8% of the amount applied on an annual basis. In all cases, metolachlor loss was more than 10 times less even though total application was 45% higher. This was linked to the fact that the one metolachlor application to each crop was in May, one of the region's driest months. In sum, studies showed that fungicide runoff rates may be relatively high and emphasize the need to focus on these products in future studies on peanut and other crops. The study also showed that peanut farmers should be encouraged to use conservation tillage practices like ST which can substantially reduce pesticide runoff. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Behaviour of bentazon as influenced by water and tillage management in rice-growing conditions.

PubMed

López-Piñeiro, Antonio; Peña, David; Albarrán, Ángel; Sánchez-Llerena, Javier; Rato-Nunes, José Manuel; Rozas, María Ángeles

2017-06-01

Bentazon is a widely used herbicide in rice agroecosystems that has commonly been found in water resources. To assess how tillage and water regimes affect sorption/desorption, dissipation and leaching of bentazon in Mediterranean rice-growing conditions, field experiments were carried out using tillage and flooding (TF), tillage and sprinkler irrigation (TS), no-tillage and sprinkler irrigation (NTS) and long-term no-tillage and sprinkler irrigation (NTS7). After 3 years, the K d values in TS were 2.3, 1.6 and 1.7 times lower than the values in NTS7, NTS and TF respectively. Greater sorption of bentazon was related to higher contents in total organic carbon and, although to a lesser extent, in humic acids and dissolved organic carbon. The persistence of bentazon was significantly greater under anaerobic (half-life DT 50 = 94.1-135 days) than under aerobic (DT 50 = 42.4-91.3 days) incubation conditions for all management regimes. Leaching losses of bentazon were reduced from 78 and 74% in TS and TF to 61 and 62% in NTS7 and NTS respectively. The mid- and long-term implementation of sprinkler irrigation in combination with no-tillage could be considered a management system that is effective at reducing water contamination by bentazon in Mediterranean rice-growing agroecosystems. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of plough pan development on surface hydrology and on soil physical properties in Southeastern Brazilian plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertolino, Ana V. F. A.; Fernandes, Nelson F.; Miranda, João P. L.; Souza, Andréa P.; Lopes, Marcel R. S.; Palmieri, Francesco

2010-10-01

SummaryConventional tillage may impose changes in soil physical properties that lead to a decrease in soil physical quality. Although plough pan formation is considered to be an important consequence of conventional tillage practices in Southeastern Brazil, few studies have focused on its hydrological consequences. Detailed investigations in two experimental plots located in the hilly landscape of Serra do Mar close to Rio de Janeiro city were carried out to characterize the changes in soil physical properties and in soil hydrology due to plough pan formation. Conventional (CT) and minimum tillage (MT) practices were implemented in two plots for 3 years and soil matric potential (SMP) was monitored in each plot via nests of tensiometers and Watermark® sensors installed at different depths. Undisturbed soil blocks were collected for micromorphological analyses to quantify the total pore space in soils under CT and MT systems, and in soils under natural tropical forest. Results suggest that soils under the CT system developed a plough pan layer at about 20 cm depth that had 44% less total porosity as compared to surface conditions. It is shown that soils under the CT system tended to stay saturated for longer periods of time after each rainfall event. Besides, during intense rainy periods soils under the CT system may develop hydrologic conditions that favor lateral flows while soils under the MT system were still draining. Such hydrological responses may explain why average soil erosion rates measured for individual rainfall events under the CT system were about 2.5 times greater than the ones observed at MT. The results attested that conventional tillage in this area generated modifications in soil fabric, especially in pore-size distribution and connectivity, which induced important changes in soil hydrology and soil erosion. The agricultural practices used in this area, associated with the local steep hillslopes and intense rainfall events, are definitely not adequate and require the introduction of soil and water conservation practices in order to become sustainable.

Sustainable land management practices as providers of several ecosystem services under rainfed Mediterranean agroecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almagro, María; de Vente, Joris; Boix-Fayós, Carolina; García-Franco, Noelia; Melgares de Aguilar, Javier; González, David; Solé-Benet, Albert; Martínez-Mena, María

2015-04-01

Little is known about the multiple impacts of sustainable land management practices on soil and water conservation, carbon sequestration, mitigation of global warming, and crop yield productivity in semiarid Mediterranean agroecosystems. We hypothesized that a shift from intensive tillage to more conservative tillage management practices (reduced tillage optionally combined with green manure) leads to an improvement in soil structure and quality and will reduce soil erosion and enhance carbon sequestration in semiarid Mediterranean rainfed agroecosystems. To test the hypothesis, we assessed the effects of different tillage treatments (conventional (CT), reduced (RT), reduced tillage combined with green manure (RTG), and no tillage (NT)) on soil structure and soil water content, runoff and erosion control, soil CO2 emissions, crop yield and carbon sequestration in two semiarid agroecosystems with organic rainfed almond in the Murcia Region southeast Spain). It was found that reduction and suppression of tillage under almonds led to an increase in soil water content in both agroecosystems. Crop yields ranged from 775 to 1766 kg ha-1 between tillage 18 treatments, but we did not find a clear relation between soil water content and crop yield. RT and RTG treatments showed lower soil erosion rates and higher crop yields of almonds than under CT treatment. Overall, higher soil organic carbon contents and aggregate stability were observed under RTG treatment than under RT or CT treatment. It is concluded that conversion from CT to RTG is suitable to increase carbon inputs without enhancing soil CO2 emissions in semiarid Mediterranean agroecosystems.

Effect of rainfall timing and tillage on the transport of steroid hormones in runoff from manure amended row crop fields

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Manure generated from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) represents one of the major sources of steroid hormones found in surface water. This paper presents results of a study conducted near Concord, NE to determine the effects of manure handling (compost vs. stockpile), tillage (no-till...

Tillage and phosphorus management effects on enzyme-labile bioactive phosphorus availability in brazilian cerrado oxisols and temperature zone typic hapludults

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Tillage management practices have a direct effect on the behavior and availability of soil nutrients. Phosphorus (P) is an essential element in crop growth which can be growth-limiting or an environmental contaminant, if present in excess. Sorption and availability of various soil P forms were eva...

Dryland soil chemical properties and crop yields affected by long-term tillage and cropping sequence

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Information on the effect of long-term management on soil nutrients and chemical properties is scanty. We examined the 30-yr effect of tillage frequency and cropping sequence combination on dryland soil Olsen-P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, SO4-S, and Zn concentrations, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and catio...

Influence of crop rotation and tillage intensity on soil physical properties and functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krümmelbein, Julia

2013-04-01

Soil tillage intensity can vary concerning tillage depth, frequency, power input into the soil and degree of soil turn-over. Conventional tillage systems where a plough is regularly used to turn over the soil can be differentiated from reduced tillage systems without ploughing but with loosening the upper soil and no tillage systems. Between conventional tillage and no tillage is a wide range of more or less reduced tillage systems. In our case the different tillage intensities are not induced by different agricultural machinery or techniques, but result from varying crop rotations with more or less perennial crops and therefore lower or higher tillage frequency. Our experimental area constitutes of quite unstructured substrates, partly heavily compacted. The development of a functioning soil structure and accumulation of nutrients and organic matter are of high importance. Three different crop rotations induce varying tillage intensities and frequencies. The first crop rotation (Alfalfa monoculture) has only experienced seed bed preparation once and subsequently is wheeled once a year to cut and chaff the biomass. The second crop rotation contains perennial and annual crops and has therefore been tilled more often, while the third crop rotation consists only of annual crops with annual seedbed preparation. Our results show that reduced tillage intensity/frequency combined with the intense root growth of Alfalfa creates the most favourable soil physical state of the substrate compared to increased tillage and lower root growth intensity of the other crop rotations. Soil tillage disturbs soil structure development, especially when the substrate is mechanically unstable as in our case. For such problematic locations it is recommendable to reduce tillage intensity and/or frequency to allow the development of soil structure enhanced by root growth and thereby the accumulation of organic matter and nutrients within the rooting zone.

Land management effects on soil carbon in olive groves of Mediterranean areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández-Romero, Maria Luisa; Parras-Alcántara, Luis; Lozano-García, Beatriz; Clark, Joanna; Collins, Chris

2015-04-01

The study analysed soil organic carbon (SOC) and hot-water extractable carbon (HWC) in an agricultural Mediterranean area of Southern Spain under different land management: Conventional tillage (CT); Conventional tillage with the addition of oil mill waste, also known as alperujo (A); Conventional tillage with the addition of oil mill waste olive leaves (L); No tillage with chipped pruned branches (NT1); and No tillage with chipped pruned branches and weeds (NT2). SOC values in CT, A, NT1 and NT2 decreased with depth. In L, SOC also decreased with depth, although there was an increase of 89% from the first (0-10 cm) to the second horizon (10-16 cm). Total SOC stock (considering the entire soil profile) was very similar under A (101.9 Mg ha-1), CT (101.7 Mg ha-1), NT1 (105.8 Mg ha-1) and NT2 (111.3 Mg ha-1). However, SOC under L was significantly higher (p

Process-orientated simulation of tillage practices and land use change to optimize distributed flood control measures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Disse, M.; Rieger, W.

2009-04-01

Not only climate change affects hydrological systems but also land use change and agricultural tillage practises have an important impact on infiltration and runoff generation. In the last five to six decades monocropping, drainage and rectification of small rivers were carried out to optimize crop yields and economic benefits. However, in recent years more holistic and sustainable management concepts are required. The advantages of ecological management of land, soil and water resources are manifold: the biodiversity is higher, the buffer function of soils will be conserved and both low water and floods are positive affected. The target of the presented research project which is financed by the Bavarian environment agency, is to establish an optimal flood retention concept in a mesoscale catchment of 150 km² which emphasizes ecological flood measures like best tillage practices, small retention basins and renaturation of small rivers. To quantify the effects of these measures the water balance model WaSiM-ETH was used. The grid-based water flow and balance simulation model WaSiM-ETH is a well-established tool for investigating the spatial and temporal variability of hydrological processes in complex river basins. The model can be seen as a reasonable compromise between detailed physical basis and minimum data requirements (http://www.wasim.ch/en/index.html). WaSiM was coupled with a 2d-ground water model and an additional drainage tool. Different vegetation was parameterized with high spatial and temporal resolution. Additionally, future climate scenarios like the extension of vegetation periods were considered. The effectiveness of decentralized retention basins could be simulated by a new implemented see storage tool. The presentation will give quantitative results for different flood control measures. The pros and cons of physically based approaches in hydrological modelling will be discussed.

Influence of agricultural management on chemical quality of a clay soil of semi-arid Morocco

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibno Namr, Khalid; Mrabet, Rachid

2004-06-01

Morocco's semi-arid lands are characterized by unique challenges. The most important obstacles to the development of durable agriculture are (1) limited and unpredictable supply of soil moisture and (2) low soil quality. Intensive use of soil throughout history has led to depletion in soil quality, leading in return to reduced yields because of the consequent reduced organic matter. Recognizing the need to recover soil quality and production decline, INRA scientists began, in the early 1980s, research on the effects of crop rotations, tillage and residue management on the productivity and quality of cropped soils. The present study concerns the short-term effect of rotation, tillage and residue management on selected quality indices of a calcixeroll (organic matter, nitrogen, particulate organic carbon (Cpom), particulate organic nitrogen (Npom) and pH). Hence, three rotations (wheat-wheat, WW; fallow-wheat, FW; and fallow-wheat-barley, FWB), two tillage systems (conventional offset disking, CT and no-tillage, NT), and three levels of residue in the NT system (NT 0 = no-residue cover, NT 50 = half surface residue cover, NT 100 = full surface residue cover) were selected. Three surface horizons were sampled (0-2.5, 2.5-7 and 7-20 cm). The study results showed an improvement of measured soil chemical properties under NT compared to CT, at the surface layer. No-tillage system helped sequestration of carbon and nitrogen, build-up of particulate organic carbon and nitrogen and sensible reduction of pH only at the surface layer. Continuous wheat permitted a slight improvement of soil quality, mainly at the 0-2.5 cm depth. Effects of rotation, tillage and residue level were reduced with depth of measurements.

[Effects of tillage at pre-planting of winter wheat and summer maize on leaf senescence of summer maize].

PubMed

Li, Xia; Zhang, Ji-wang; Ren, Bai-zhao; Fan, Xia; Dong, Shu-ting; Liu, Peng; Zhao, Bin

2015-05-01

This study explored the effects of different tillage treatments at pre-planting winter wheat and summer maize on leaf senescence physiological characteristics of summer maize in double cropping system. Zhengdan 958 was used as experimental material. Three tillage treatments, including rotary tillage before winter wheat seeding and no-tillage before summer maize seeding (RN), mold- board plow before winter wheat seeding and no-tillage before summer maize seeding (MN), and moldboard plow before winter wheat seeding and rotary tillage before summer maize seeding (MR), were designed to determine the effects of different tillage treatments on leaf area (LA) , leaf area reduction, photosynthetic pigments content, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in ear leaves of summer maize after tasselling (VT). LA of MN and MR were higher than that of RN from VT to 40 days after tasseling (VT + 40) and LA reduction of MR was the highest after VT + 40. As for MR, MN and NT, the photosynthetic pigments content got the maximum value at 20 days after tasselling (VT + 20) and then decreased, following the change of unimodal curve. At VT + 20, the contents of chlorophyll a in MR and MN were increased by 11.4% and 9.7%, the contents of chlorophyll b in MR and MN were increased by 14.9% and 15.9%, compared with RN. The soluble protein content in ear leaves decreased following the growth process in all treatments, and that of MR and MN remained 11.5% and 24.4% higher than that of RN from VT to VT + 40. SOD, CAT and POD activities of three treatments got the maximum values at VT + 20 and then decreased, following the change of unimodal curve. MDA content increased following the growth process in all treatments and that of RN always remained at high levels. Grain yields of MN and MR were 24.0% and 30.6% greater than that of RN, respectively. Grain yield of MR was 5.2% higher than that of MN. In conclusion, the ability of leaf senescence resistance of MN was improved, which was helpful to increase the yield of summer maize.

Atmospheric LiDAR coupled with point measurement air quality samplers to measure fineparticulate matter (PM) emissions from agricultural operations. Part 2 of the California 2007 - 2008 Tillage Campaigns: Spring 2008 Data Analysis

EPA Science Inventory

Concern with health effects resulting from PM10 exposure is drawing increased regulatory scrutiny and research toward local agricultural tillage operations. To investigate the control effectiveness of one of the current Conservation Management Practices (CMPs) written for agricul...

Soil total carbon and nitrogen and crop yields after eight years of tillage, crop rotation, and cultural practice

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Information on the long-term effect of management practices on soil C and N stocks is lacking. An experiment was conducted from 2004 to 2011 in the northern Great Plains, USA to examine the effects of tillage, crop rotation, and cultural practice on annualized crop biomass (stems + leaves) residue r...

Soybean Yield and Heterodera glycines Population Dynamics as Affected by Cultural Practices in Major Production Areas of the United States and Canada

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Little information is available on the interactive effects of tillage and row spacing on yield of soybean and population dynamics of H. glycines. This study investigated the effects of rotation of soybean and corn, tillage, row spacing, and cultivar on yield of soybean and population dynamics of H. ...

Reducing Soil CO2 Emission and Improving Upland Rice Yield with no-Tillage, Straw Mulch and Nitrogen Fertilization in Northern Benin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dossou-Yovo, E.; Brueggemann, N.; Naab, J.; Huat, J.; Ampofo, E.; Ago, E.; Agbossou, E.

2015-12-01

To explore effective ways to decrease soil CO2 emission and increase grain yield, field experiments were conducted on two upland rice soils (Lixisols and Gleyic Luvisols) in northern Benin in West Africa. The treatments were two tillage systems (no-tillage, and manual tillage), two rice straw managements (no rice straw, and rice straw mulch at 3 Mg ha-1) and three nitrogen fertilizers levels (no nitrogen, recommended level of nitrogen: 60 kg ha-1, and high level of nitrogen: 120 kg ha-1). Potassium and phosphorus fertilizers were applied to be non-limiting at 40 kg K2O ha-1 and 40 kg P2O5 ha-1. Four replications of the twelve treatment combinations were arranged in a randomized complete block design. Soil CO2 emission, soil moisture and soil temperature were measured at 5 cm depth in 6 to 10 days intervals during the rainy season and every two weeks during the dry season. Soil moisture was the main factor explaining the seasonal variability of soil CO2 emission. Much larger soil CO2 emissions were found in rainy than dry season. No-tillage planting significantly reduced soil CO2 emissions compared with manual tillage. Higher soil CO2 emissions were recorded in the mulched treatments. Soil CO2 emissions were higher in fertilized treatments compared with non fertilized treatments. Rice biomass and yield were not significantly different as a function of tillage systems. On the contrary, rice biomass and yield significantly increased with application of rice straw mulch and nitrogen fertilizer. The highest response of rice yield to nitrogen fertilizer addition was obtained for 60 kg N ha-1 in combination with 3 Mg ha-1 of rice straw for the two tillage systems. Soil CO2 emission per unit grain yield was lower under no-tillage, rice straw mulch and nitrogen fertilizer treatments. No-tillage combined with rice straw mulch and 60 kg N ha-1 could be used by smallholder farmers to achieve higher grain yield and lower soil CO2 emission in upland rice fields in northern Benin.

Corn Yield and Soil Nitrous Oxide Emission under Different Fertilizer and Soil Management: A Three-Year Field Experiment in Middle Tennessee.

PubMed

Deng, Qi; Hui, Dafeng; Wang, Junming; Iwuozo, Stephen; Yu, Chih-Li; Jima, Tigist; Smart, David; Reddy, Chandra; Dennis, Sam

2015-01-01

A three-year field experiment was conducted to examine the responses of corn yield and soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emission to various management practices in middle Tennessee. The management practices include no-tillage + regular applications of urea ammonium nitrate (NT-URAN); no-tillage + regular applications of URAN + denitrification inhibitor (NT-inhibitor); no-tillage + regular applications of URAN + biochar (NT-biochar); no-tillage + 20% applications of URAN + chicken litter (NT-litter), no-tillage + split applications of URAN (NT-split); and conventional tillage + regular applications of URAN as a control (CT-URAN). Fertilizer equivalent to 217 kg N ha(-1) was applied to each of the experimental plots. Results showed that no-tillage (NT-URAN) significantly increased corn yield by 28% over the conventional tillage (CT-URAN) due to soil water conservation. The management practices significantly altered soil N2O emission, with the highest in the CT-URAN (0.48 mg N2O m(-2) h(-1)) and the lowest in the NT-inhibitor (0.20 mg N2O m(-2) h(-1)) and NT-biochar (0.16 mg N2O m(-2) h(-1)) treatments. Significant exponential relationships between soil N2O emission and water filled pore space were revealed in all treatments. However, variations in soil N2O emission among the treatments were positively correlated with the moisture sensitivity of soil N2O emission that likely reflects an interactive effect between soil properties and WFPS. Our results indicated that improved fertilizer and soil management have the potential to maintain highly productive corn yield while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Corn Yield and Soil Nitrous Oxide Emission under Different Fertilizer and Soil Management: A Three-Year Field Experiment in Middle Tennessee

PubMed Central

Deng, Qi; Hui, Dafeng; Wang, Junming; Iwuozo, Stephen; Yu, Chih-Li; Jima, Tigist; Smart, David; Reddy, Chandra; Dennis, Sam

2015-01-01

Background A three-year field experiment was conducted to examine the responses of corn yield and soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emission to various management practices in middle Tennessee. Methodology/Principal Findings The management practices include no-tillage + regular applications of urea ammonium nitrate (NT-URAN); no-tillage + regular applications of URAN + denitrification inhibitor (NT-inhibitor); no-tillage + regular applications of URAN + biochar (NT-biochar); no-tillage + 20% applications of URAN + chicken litter (NT-litter), no-tillage + split applications of URAN (NT-split); and conventional tillage + regular applications of URAN as a control (CT-URAN). Fertilizer equivalent to 217 kg N ha-1 was applied to each of the experimental plots. Results showed that no-tillage (NT-URAN) significantly increased corn yield by 28% over the conventional tillage (CT-URAN) due to soil water conservation. The management practices significantly altered soil N2O emission, with the highest in the CT-URAN (0.48 mg N2O m-2 h-1) and the lowest in the NT-inhibitor (0.20 mg N2O m-2 h-1) and NT-biochar (0.16 mg N2O m-2 h-1) treatments. Significant exponential relationships between soil N2O emission and water filled pore space were revealed in all treatments. However, variations in soil N2O emission among the treatments were positively correlated with the moisture sensitivity of soil N2O emission that likely reflects an interactive effect between soil properties and WFPS. Conclusion/Significance Our results indicated that improved fertilizer and soil management have the potential to maintain highly productive corn yield while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. PMID:25923716

Water–use efficiency of dryland wheat in response to mulching and tillage practices on the Loess Plateau

PubMed Central

Wang, Li-fang; Shangguan, Zhou-ping

2015-01-01

Mulching and tillage are widely considered to be major practices for improving soil and water conservation where water is scarce. This paper studied the effects of FM (flat mulching), RFM (ridge-furrow mulching), SM (straw mulching), MTMC (mulching with two materials combined), MOM (mulching with other materials), NT (no-tillage) ST (subsoiling tillage) and RT (rotational tillage) on wheat yield based on a synthesis of 85 recent publications (including 2795 observations at 24 sites) in the Loess Plateau, China. This synthesis suggests that wheat yield was in the range of 259–7898 kg ha−1 for FM and RFM. The sequence of water use efficiency (WUE) effect sizes was similar to that of wheat yield for the practices. Wheat yields were more sensitive to soil water at planting covered by plastic film, wheat straw, liquid film, water-permeable plastic film and sand compared to NT, ST and RT. RFM and RT increased the yields of wheat by 18 and 15%, respectively, and corresponding for WUE by 20.11 and 12.50%. This synthesis demonstrates that RFM was better for avoiding the risk of reduced production due to lack of precipitation; however, under conditions of better soil moisture, RT and MTMC were also economic. PMID:26192158

Manure and tillage use in remediation of eroded land and impacts on soil chemical properties.

PubMed

Mikha, Maysoon M; Benjamin, Joseph G; Vigil, Merle F; Poss, David J

2017-01-01

Soil loss through wind and water erosion is an ongoing problem in semiarid regions. A thin layer of top soil loss over a hectare of cropland could be corresponding to tons of productive soil loss per hectare. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the influence of beef feedlot manure, tillage and legume grass mixtures on changes in soil quality and nutrient components. The study was initiated in 2006 on an eroded site near Akron, Colorado, on a Norka-Colby very-fine sandy loam (fine-silty, mixed, mesic, Aridic, Argiustolls). Tillage treatments were no-tillage, shallow tillage (sweeps operations with V-blade) and deep tillage (DT; moldboard plow operations). In one set of plots, DT was implemented biannually (DT-2); and in another set the DT was done once at the initiation of the experiment in 2006. Amendments consisted of beef manure and urea (46-0-0), N fertilizer. Both amendments were added at low and high rates. A control treatment, with no fertilizer or manure added, was included with no-tillage and shallow tillage only. Six years of manure addition and tillage significantly altered soil chemical properties compared with fertilizer and grass legume mixtures. Across all the tillage treatments, at the 0-30 cm depth, soil pH from 2006 to 2012, was reduced 1.8 fold with high-manure compared with high-fertilizer treatment. Soil EC, Na, and SAR increased by 2.7 fold while soil P increase by 3.5 fold with high-manure treatment compared with low-manure from 2006 to 2012 across all the tillage treatments at the surface 0-30 cm. Soil organic carbon associated with high-manure was 71% higher than low-manure and 230% higher than high-fertilizer treatments in the 0-60 cm depth. Similar patterns were observed with soil total N. Overall, manure amendments greatly improved the soil nutrient status on this eroded site. However, the legume grass mixtures showed little effect on improving soils chemical properties. The micronutrients supplied by manure improved the soil nutrient status compared with inorganic fertilizer, the grass, and the grass-legume treatments. We concluded that more than six years are needed to measure significant improvements in soil quality from specific treatments, specifically fertilizer, grasses, and grass-legume mixtures in such eroded crop land.

Manure and tillage use in remediation of eroded land and impacts on soil chemical properties

PubMed Central

Mikha, Maysoon M.; Benjamin, Joseph G.; Vigil, Merle F.; Poss, David J.

2017-01-01

Soil loss through wind and water erosion is an ongoing problem in semiarid regions. A thin layer of top soil loss over a hectare of cropland could be corresponding to tons of productive soil loss per hectare. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the influence of beef feedlot manure, tillage and legume grass mixtures on changes in soil quality and nutrient components. The study was initiated in 2006 on an eroded site near Akron, Colorado, on a Norka-Colby very-fine sandy loam (fine-silty, mixed, mesic, Aridic, Argiustolls). Tillage treatments were no-tillage, shallow tillage (sweeps operations with V-blade) and deep tillage (DT; moldboard plow operations). In one set of plots, DT was implemented biannually (DT-2); and in another set the DT was done once at the initiation of the experiment in 2006. Amendments consisted of beef manure and urea (46-0-0), N fertilizer. Both amendments were added at low and high rates. A control treatment, with no fertilizer or manure added, was included with no-tillage and shallow tillage only. Six years of manure addition and tillage significantly altered soil chemical properties compared with fertilizer and grass legume mixtures. Across all the tillage treatments, at the 0–30 cm depth, soil pH from 2006 to 2012, was reduced 1.8 fold with high-manure compared with high-fertilizer treatment. Soil EC, Na, and SAR increased by 2.7 fold while soil P increase by 3.5 fold with high-manure treatment compared with low-manure from 2006 to 2012 across all the tillage treatments at the surface 0–30 cm. Soil organic carbon associated with high-manure was 71% higher than low-manure and 230% higher than high-fertilizer treatments in the 0–60 cm depth. Similar patterns were observed with soil total N. Overall, manure amendments greatly improved the soil nutrient status on this eroded site. However, the legume grass mixtures showed little effect on improving soils chemical properties. The micronutrients supplied by manure improved the soil nutrient status compared with inorganic fertilizer, the grass, and the grass-legume treatments. We concluded that more than six years are needed to measure significant improvements in soil quality from specific treatments, specifically fertilizer, grasses, and grass-legume mixtures in such eroded crop land. PMID:28448510

Identifying conservation hotspots using tillage erosion modeling

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Tillage operations redistribute soil within agricultural landscapes due to deviations in the quantity of soil moved during tillage. Tillage erosion is the net loss or accumulation of soil at any spot within an agricultural landscape due to soil being directly moved by tillage; it is a dominant erosi...

Tillage and Residue Management Effects on Semi-Arid Mediterranean Soil Quality

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

No-tillage practices for semi-arid Mediterranean soils can conserve water and increase crop productivity, but producers are reluctant to adopt those practices because of concern regarding potential increases in penetration resistance and bulk density. We hypothesized that knowing more about all aspe...

Evaluation of ammonia emissions from manure incorporated with different soil aerator configurations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The incorporation of swine manure with tillage effectively reduces ammonia emissions and conserves crop available N but is not compatible with no-till and many other conservation tillage programs. Rolling-tine aerators potentially provide a means to enhance manure infiltration with limited disruptio...

Dust and nutrient enrichment by wind erosion from Danish soils in dependence of tillage direction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammadian Behbahani, Ali; Fister, Wolfgang; Heckrath, Goswin; Kuhn, Nikolaus J.

2016-04-01

Wind erosion is a selective process, which promotes erosion of fine particles. Therefore, it can be assumed that increasing erosion rates are generally associated with increasing loss of dust sized particles and nutrients. However, this selective process is strongly affected by the orientation and respective trapping efficiency of tillage ridges and furrows. Since tillage ridges are often the only protection measure available on poorly aggregated soils in absence of a protective vegetation cover, it is very important to know which orientation respective to the dominant wind direction provides best protection. This knowledge could be very helpful for planning erosion protection measures on fields with high wind erosion susceptibility. The main objective of this study, therefore, was to determine the effect of tillage direction on dust and nutrient mobilization by wind, using wind tunnel simulations. In order to assess the relationship between the enrichment ratio of specific particle sizes and the amount of eroded nutrients, three soils with loamy sand texture, but varying amounts of sand-sized particles, were selected. In addition, a soil with slightly less sand, but much higher organic matter content was chosen. The soils were tested with three different soil surface scenarios - flat surface, parallel tillage, perpendicular tillage. The parallel tillage operation experienced the greatest erosion rates, independent of soil type. Particles with D50 between 100-155 μm showed the greatest risk of erosion. However, due to a greater loss of dust sized particles from perpendicularly tilled surfaces, this wind-surface arrangement showed a significant increase in nutrient enrichment ratio compared to parallel tillage and flat surfaces. The main reason for this phenomenon is most probably the trapping of larger particles in the perpendicular furrows. This indicates that the highest rate of soil protection does not necessarily coincide with lowest soil nutrient losses and dust emissions. For the evaluation of protection measures on these soil types in Denmark it is, therefore, important to differentiate between their effectivity to reduce total soil erosion amount, dust emission, and nutrient loss.

Fungal community profiles in agricultural soils of a long-term field trial under different tillage, fertilization and crop rotation conditions analyzed by high-throughput ITS-amplicon sequencing

PubMed Central

Geistlinger, Joerg; Wibberg, Daniel; Deubel, Annette; Zwanzig, Jessica; Babin, Doreen; Schlüter, Andreas; Schellenberg, Ingo

2018-01-01

Fungal communities in agricultural soils are assumed to be affected by soil and crop management. Our intention was to investigate the impact of different tillage and fertilization practices on fungal communities in a long-term crop rotation field trial established in 1992 in Central Germany. Two winter wheat fields in replicated strip-tillage design, comprising conventional vs. conservation tillage, intensive vs. extensive fertilization and different pre-crops (maize vs. rapeseed) were analyzed by a metabarcoding approach applying Illumina paired-end sequencing of amplicons generated by two recently developed primer pairs targeting the two fungal Internal Transcribed Spacer regions (ITS1, ITS2). Analysis of 5.1 million high-quality sequence reads uncovered a diverse fungal community in the two fields, composed of 296 fungal genera including 3,398 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) at the 97% sequence similarity threshold. Both primer pairs detected the same fungal phyla (Basidio-, Asco-, Zygo-, Glomero- and Chytridiomycota), but in different relative abundances. OTU richness was higher in the ITS1 dataset, while ITS2 data were more diverse and of higher evenness. Effects of farming practice on fungal community structures were revealed. Almost two-thirds of the fungal genera were represented in all different soil treatments, whereas the remaining genera clearly responded to farming practice. Principal Component Analysis revealed four distinct clusters according to tillage practice and pre-crop. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) substantiated the results and proved significant influences of tillage and pre-crop, while fertilization had the smallest and non-significant effect. In-depth analysis of putative phytopathogenic and plant beneficial fungal groups indicated distinct responses; for example Fusarium was significantly enriched in the intensively fertilized conservation tillage variants with the pre-crop maize, while Phoma displayed significant association with conventional tillage and pre-crop rapeseed. Many putative plant beneficial fungi also reacted differentially to farming practice with the most distinct responders identified among the Glomeromycota (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, AMF). PMID:29621291

Effects of tillage technologies and application of biopreparations on micromycetes in the rhizosphere and rhizoplane of spring wheat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirokikh, I. G.; Kozlova, L. M.; Shirokikh, A. A.; Popov, F. A.; Tovstik, E. V.

2017-07-01

The population density and structure of complexes of soil microscopic fungi in the rhizosphere and rhizoplane of spring wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.), plant damage by root rot and leaf diseases, and crop yield were determined in a stationary field experiment on a silty loamy soddy-podzolic soil (Albic Retisol (Loamic, Aric)) in dependence on the soil tillage technique: (a) moldboard plowing to 20-22 cm and (b) non-inversive tillage to 14-16 cm. The results were treated with the two-way ANOVA method. It was shown that the number of fungal propagules in the rhizosphere and rhizoplane of plants in the variant with non-inversive tillage was significantly smaller than that in the variant with plowing. Minimization of the impact on the soil during five years led to insignificant changes in the structure of micromycete complexes in the rhizosphere of wheat. The damage of the plants with root rot and leaf diseases upon non-inversive tillage did not increase in comparison with that upon plowing. Wheat yield in the variant with non-inversive tillage was insignificantly lower than that in the variant with moldboard plowing. The application of biopreparations based on the Streptomyces hygroscopicus A4 and Pseudomonas aureofaciens BS 1393 resulted in a significant decrease of plant damage with leaf rust.

Burrower bugs (Heteroptera: Cydnidae) in peanut: seasonal species abundance, tillage effects, grade reduction effects, insecticide efficacy, and management.

PubMed

Chapin, Jay W; Thomas, James S

2003-08-01

Pitfall traps placed in South Carolina peanut, Arachis hypogaea (L.), fields collected three species of burrower bugs (Cydnidae): Cyrtomenus ciliatus (Palisot de Beauvois), Sehirus cinctus cinctus (Palisot de Beauvois), and Pangaeus bilineatus (Say). Cyrtomenus ciliatus was rarely collected. Sehirus cinctus produced a nymphal cohort in peanut during May and June, probably because of abundant henbit seeds, Lamium amplexicaule L., in strip-till production systems. No S. cinctus were present during peanut pod formation. Pangaeus bilineatus was the most abundant species collected and the only species associated with peanut kernel feeding injury. Overwintering P. bilineatus adults were present in a conservation tillage peanut field before planting and two to three subsequent generations were observed. Few nymphs were collected until the R6 (full seed) growth stage. Tillage and choice of cover crop affected P. bilineatus populations. Peanuts strip-tilled into corn or wheat residue had greater P. bilineatus populations and kernel-feeding than conventional tillage or strip-tillage into rye residue. Fall tillage before planting a wheat cover crop also reduced burrower bug feeding on peanut. At-pegging (early July) granular chlorpyrifos treatments were most consistent in suppressing kernel feeding. Kernels fed on by P. bilineatus were on average 10% lighter than unfed on kernels. Pangaeus bilineatus feeding reduced peanut grade by reducing individual kernel weight, and increasing the percentage damaged kernels. Each 10% increase in kernels fed on by P. bilineatus was associated with a 1.7% decrease in total sound mature kernels, and kernel feeding levels above 30% increase the risk of damaged kernel grade penalties.

Tillage effects on soil quality after three years of irrigation in Northern Spain

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Irrigation is being initiated on large areas of traditionally rainfed land to meet increasing global demand for food, feed, fiber, and fuel. However, the consequences of this transition on soil quality (SQ) have scarcely been studied. Therefore, after previously identifying the most tillage-sensitiv...

Impact of long-term tillage and manure application on soil physical properties

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil physical properties play an integral role in maintaining soil quality for sustainable agricultural practices. Agronomic practices such as tillage systems and organic amendments have been shown to influence soil physical properties. Thus, a study was conducted to evaluate effects of long-term ma...

The effects of mulching, tillage, and herbicides on weed control and watermelon yield

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Currently few producers in the Southeast US have adopted conservation tillage practices in specialty crop production. The lack of conservation adoption is likely due to the added challenges in producing vegetables in cover crop residues, especially high biomass cover crop systems. The objective of t...

Effective use patterns for HPPD herbicides in non-transgenic conservation tillage sweet corn.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Weed control is still a challenge in non-transgenic sweet corn due to the suite of weeds present (including wild proso millet and triazine resistant species) and conservation tillage systems that are evolving to meet challenges of environmental stewardship and increasing input costs, mainly the risi...

Influence of tillage practices and straw incorporation on soil aggregates, organic carbon, and crop yields in a rice-wheat rotation system

PubMed Central

Song, Ke; Yang, Jianjun; Xue, Yong; Lv, Weiguang; Zheng, Xianqing; Pan, Jianjun

2016-01-01

In this study, a fixed-site field experiment was conducted to study the influence of different combinations of tillage and straw incorporation management on carbon storage in different-sized soil aggregates and on crop yield after three years of rice-wheat rotation. Compared to conventional tillage, the percentages of >2 mm macroaggregates and water-stable macroaggregates in rice-wheat double-conservation tillage (zero-tillage and straw incorporation) were increased 17.22% and 36.38% in the 0–15 cm soil layer and 28.93% and 66.34% in the 15–30 cm soil layer, respectively. Zero tillage and straw incorporation also increased the mean weight diameter and stability of the soil aggregates. In surface soil (0–15 cm), the maximum proportion of total aggregated carbon was retained with 0.25–0.106 mm aggregates, and rice-wheat double-conservation tillage had the greatest ability to hold the organic carbon (33.64 g kg−1). However, different forms occurred at higher levels in the 15–30 cm soil layer under the conventional tillage. In terms of crop yield, the rice grown under conventional tillage and the wheat under zero tillage showed improved equivalent rice yields of 8.77% and 6.17% compared to rice-wheat double-cropping under zero tillage or conventional tillage, respectively. PMID:27812038

Integrated palmer amaranth management in glufosinate-resistant cotton: II. primary, secondary, and conservation tillage

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A three-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the role of inversion tillage, cover crops and spring tillage methods for Palmer amaranth between-row (BR) and within-row (WR) management in glufosinate-resistant cotton. Main plots were two inversion tillage systems: fall inversion tillage (IT...

Tillage practices in the conterminous United States, 1989-2004-Datasets Aggregated by Watershed

USGS Publications Warehouse

Baker, Nancy T.

2011-01-01

This report documents the methods used to aggregate county-level tillage practices to the 8-digit hydrologic unit (HU) watershed. The original county-level data were collected by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC). The CTIC collects tillage data by conducting surveys about tillage systems for all counties in the United States. Tillage systems include three types of conservation tillage (no-till, ridge-till, and mulch-till), reduced tillage, and intensive tillage. Total planted acreage for each tillage practice for each crop grown is reported to the CTIC. The dataset includes total planted acreage by tillage type for selected crops (corn, cotton, grain sorghum, soybeans, fallow, forage, newly established permanent pasture, spring and fall seeded small grains, and 'other' crops) for 1989-2004. Two tabular datasets, based on the 1992 enhanced and 2001 National Land Cover Data (NLCD), are provided as part of this report and include the land-cover area-weighted interpolation and aggregation of acreage for each tillage practice in each 8-digit HU watershed in the conterminous United States for each crop. Watershed aggregations were done by overlying the 8-digit HU polygons with a raster of county boundaries and a raster of either the enhanced 1992 or the 2001 NLCD for cultivated land to derive a county/land-cover area weighting factor. The weighting factor then was applied to the county-level tillage data for the counties within each 8-digit HU and summed to yield the total acreage of each tillage type within each 8-digit HU watershed.

Impact of crop residue management on crop production and soil chemistry after seven years of crop rotation in temperate climate, loamy soils

PubMed Central

Hiel, Marie-Pierre; Barbieux, Sophie; Pierreux, Jérôme; Olivier, Claire; Lobet, Guillaume; Roisin, Christian; Garré, Sarah; Colinet, Gilles; Bodson, Bernard

2018-01-01

Society is increasingly demanding a more sustainable management of agro-ecosystems in a context of climate change and an ever growing global population. The fate of crop residues is one of the important management aspects under debate, since it represents an unneglectable quantity of organic matter which can be kept in or removed from the agro-ecosystem. The topic of residue management is not new, but the need for global conclusion on the impact of crop residue management on the agro-ecosystem linked to local pedo-climatic conditions has become apparent with an increasing amount of studies showing a diversity of conclusions. This study specifically focusses on temperate climate and loamy soil using a seven-year data set. Between 2008 and 2016, we compared four contrasting residue management strategies differing in the amount of crop residues returned to the soil (incorporation vs. exportation of residues) and in the type of tillage (reduced tillage (10 cm depth) vs. conventional tillage (ploughing at 25 cm depth)) in a field experiment. We assessed the impact of the crop residue management on crop production (three crops—winter wheat, faba bean and maize—cultivated over six cropping seasons), soil organic carbon content, nitrate (\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document} }{}${\\mathrm{NO}}_{3}^{-}$\\end{document}NO3−), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) soil content and uptake by the crops. The main differences came primarily from the tillage practice and less from the restitution or removal of residues. All years and crops combined, conventional tillage resulted in a yield advantage of 3.4% as compared to reduced tillage, which can be partly explained by a lower germination rate observed under reduced tillage, especially during drier years. On average, only small differences were observed for total organic carbon (TOC) content of the soil, but reduced tillage resulted in a very clear stratification of TOC and also of P and K content as compared to conventional tillage. We observed no effect of residue management on the \\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document} }{}${\\mathrm{NO}}_{3}^{-}$\\end{document}NO3− content, since the effect of fertilization dominated the effect of residue management. To confirm the results and enhance early tendencies, we believe that the experiment should be followed up in the future to observe whether more consistent changes in the whole agro-ecosystem functioning are present on the long term when managing residues with contrasted strategies. PMID:29844983

Greenhouse gas flux and crop productivity after 10 years of reduced and no tillage in a wheat-maize cropping system.

PubMed

Tian, Shenzhong; Wang, Yu; Ning, Tangyuan; Zhao, Hongxiang; Wang, Bingwen; Li, Na; Li, Zengjia; Chi, Shuyun

2013-01-01

Appropriate tillage plays an important role in mitigating the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) in regions with higher crop yields, but the emission situations of some reduced tillage systems such as subsoiling, harrow tillage and rotary tillage are not comprehensively studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate the emission characteristics of GHG (CH4 and N2O) under four reduced tillage systems from October 2007 to August 2009 based on a 10-yr tillage experiment in the North China Plain, which included no-tillage (NT) and three reduced tillage systems of subsoil tillage (ST), harrow tillage (HT) and rotary tillage (RT), with the conventional tillage (CT) as the control. The soil under the five tillage systems was an absorption sink for CH4 and an emission source for N2O. The soil temperature positive impacted on the CH4 absorption by the soils of different tillage systems, while a significant negative correlation was observed between the absorption and soil moisture. The main driving factor for increased N2O emission was not the soil temperature but the soil moisture and the content of nitrate. In the two rotation cycle of wheat-maize system (10/2007-10/2008 and 10/2008-10/2009), averaged cumulative uptake fluxes of CH4 under CT, ST, HT, RT and NT systems were approximately 1.67, 1.72, 1.63, 1.77 and 1.17 t ha(-1) year(-1), respectively, and meanwhile, approximately 4.43, 4.38, 4.47, 4.30 and 4.61 t ha(-1) year(-1) of N2O were emitted from soil of these systems, respectively. Moreover, they also gained 33.73, 34.63, 32.62, 34.56 and 27.54 t ha(-1) yields during two crop-rotation periods, respectively. Based on these comparisons, the rotary tillage and subsoiling mitigated the emissions of CH4 and N2O as well as improving crop productivity of a wheat-maize cropping system.

Greenhouse Gas Flux and Crop Productivity after 10 Years of Reduced and No Tillage in a Wheat-Maize Cropping System

PubMed Central

Tian, Shenzhong; Wang, Yu; Ning, Tangyuan; Zhao, Hongxiang; Wang, Bingwen; Li, Na; Li, Zengjia; Chi, Shuyun

2013-01-01

Appropriate tillage plays an important role in mitigating the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) in regions with higher crop yields, but the emission situations of some reduced tillage systems such as subsoiling, harrow tillage and rotary tillage are not comprehensively studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate the emission characteristics of GHG (CH4 and N2O) under four reduced tillage systems from October 2007 to August 2009 based on a 10-yr tillage experiment in the North China Plain, which included no-tillage (NT) and three reduced tillage systems of subsoil tillage (ST), harrow tillage (HT) and rotary tillage (RT), with the conventional tillage (CT) as the control. The soil under the five tillage systems was an absorption sink for CH4 and an emission source for N2O. The soil temperature positive impacted on the CH4 absorption by the soils of different tillage systems, while a significant negative correlation was observed between the absorption and soil moisture. The main driving factor for increased N2O emission was not the soil temperature but the soil moisture and the content of nitrate. In the two rotation cycle of wheat-maize system (10/2007–10/2008 and 10/2008–10/2009), averaged cumulative uptake fluxes of CH4 under CT, ST, HT, RT and NT systems were approximately 1.67, 1.72, 1.63, 1.77 and 1.17 t ha−1 year−1, respectively, and meanwhile, approximately 4.43, 4.38, 4.47, 4.30 and 4.61 t ha−1 year−1 of N2O were emitted from soil of these systems, respectively. Moreover, they also gained 33.73, 34.63, 32.62, 34.56 and 27.54 t ha−1 yields during two crop-rotation periods, respectively. Based on these comparisons, the rotary tillage and subsoiling mitigated the emissions of CH4 and N2O as well as improving crop productivity of a wheat-maize cropping system. PMID:24019923

Strip-tillage: A conservation alternative to full-width tillage systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolkowski, Richard

2015-04-01

Historically no-till management has been a challenge for maize production in the Midwestern USA because crop residue slows the warming of the soil in the spring and can physically impair planting by plugging the planter. After trying no-till, producers often return to more aggressive tillage operations to address residue concerns; however these systems can cause soil erosion and can increase the cost of production. An alternative system known as strip-tillage has been suggested as a compromise between no-till and full-width tillage. This practice utilizes implements that loosen the soil and allow warming in the row area, yet maintain nearly as much residue as no-till. Strip-tillage is generally understood to be a single pass with a separate implement in the fall, although spring strip-tillage is possible if soil moisture and conditions permit. Strip-tillage can be accomplished in a shorter time, with lower energy and equipment inputs compared to full-width tillage. The first of two studies that examined the merits of strip-tillage was conducted the University of Wisconsin Lancaster Agricultural Research Station (42.84, -90.80). Natural runoff collectors were installed in a field having a silt loam soil with an 8% slope in fall chisel and fall strip-tillage system. The measured soil loss in a year that experienced substantial rainfall prior to canopy closure was 10.6 Mg ha-1 in chisel vs. 0.64 Mg ha-1 in strip-tillage. Soil loss was much less for both systems in the second year when early season rainfall was minimal. A second, ten year study was conducted at the University of Wisconsin Arlington Agricultural Research Station (43.30, -89.36) that compared fall strip-tillage with fall chisel/spring field cultivator and no-till systems in both a continuous maize and soybean-maize rotation. This work showed equal maize grain yield in maize after soybean when comparing chisel and strip-tillage. No-till yield was about 5 % lower. Yield in continuous maize was highest in the chisel system, being about 4 % greater than strip-tillage and 8 % greater than no-till. An economic analysis of this data showed that the benefit to strip-tillage is greatest in maize following soybean. Strip-tillage is a system that can optimize both economic and environmental return for maize production and should be implemented more widely, especially on erosive soils.

29 CFR 780.110 - Operations included in “cultivation and tillage of the soil.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Operations included in âcultivation and tillage of the soil... FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT General Scope of Agriculture Cultivation and Tillage of the Soil § 780.110 Operations included in “cultivation and tillage of the soil.” “Cultivation and tillage of the soil” includes...

29 CFR 780.110 - Operations included in “cultivation and tillage of the soil.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Operations included in âcultivation and tillage of the soil... FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT General Scope of Agriculture Cultivation and Tillage of the Soil § 780.110 Operations included in “cultivation and tillage of the soil.” “Cultivation and tillage of the soil” includes...

29 CFR 780.110 - Operations included in “cultivation and tillage of the soil.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Operations included in âcultivation and tillage of the soil... FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT General Scope of Agriculture Cultivation and Tillage of the Soil § 780.110 Operations included in “cultivation and tillage of the soil.” “Cultivation and tillage of the soil” includes...

29 CFR 780.110 - Operations included in “cultivation and tillage of the soil.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Operations included in âcultivation and tillage of the soil... FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT General Scope of Agriculture Cultivation and Tillage of the Soil § 780.110 Operations included in “cultivation and tillage of the soil.” “Cultivation and tillage of the soil” includes...

29 CFR 780.110 - Operations included in “cultivation and tillage of the soil.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Operations included in âcultivation and tillage of the soil... FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT General Scope of Agriculture Cultivation and Tillage of the Soil § 780.110 Operations included in “cultivation and tillage of the soil.” “Cultivation and tillage of the soil” includes...

Physical and hydraulic properties of a sandy loam soil under zero, shallow and deep tillage practices

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Over the centuries, tillage has been an important agronomic practice that has been used to mechanically alter soil properties and enhance the soil ecosystem for growth of crops. A 4-yr study investigated the impact of no-tillage (NT), shallow tillage at a 10-cm depth (ST), and deep tillage at a 30-c...

Effects of low-disturbance manure application methods on N2O and NH3 emissions in a silage corn - rye cover crop system

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Incorporation of manure by tillage can conserve manure N by reducing ammonia volatilization losses, but tillage also incorporates crop residue, which may increase erosion potential. This study compared several low-disturbance manure application methods, designed to incorporate manure while maintaini...

Carbon and macronutrient loss during accelerated erosion under different tillage and residue management systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The effects of tillage and crop residue removal on erosion and associated macronutrient fluxes on erodible soils subjected to a high intensity simulated rain event (70 mm/h) were investigated in an experimental watershed in Ohio, USA. A set of plots which constitute two experiments at this site were...

Subsurface Manure Application for Conservation Tillage and Pasture Soils and Their Impact on the Nitrogen Balance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Incorporating manures into soil with conventional tillage is an effective means to reduce ammonia volatilization and conserve manure nitrogen. However, it is not possible in pasture and is not readily compatible with high-residue soil conservation practices for rowcrops. A variety of manure injecto...

Using cover crops to alleviate compaction in organic grain farms: effects on weeds and yields

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Organic producers heavily rely on tillage for mechanical weeding, creating compacted areas ideal for weedy species, and forming a vicious cycle of tillage, compaction and increasing weed populations. In an effort to address the concerns of certified organic farmers from Illinois, we explored the eff...

Impacts of crop sequence and tillage management on soil carbon stocks in south-central North Dakota, USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Increased emphasis has been placed on developing agroecosystems that are robust, highly productive, economically competitive, and environmentally benign. After 18 years of a study to evaluate effects of crop sequence and tillage, we measured soil properties at various depths to 3 feet (91.4 cm) and ...

High Residue Winter Cover Crops Deplete Winter Annual Weed Seed Across a Landscape in a Long-Term Tillage Study

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

High residue conservation agriculture systems have the potential to maximize environmental benefits achieved when practicing reduced tillage. A greenhouse study was conducted in 2006 through 2008 to determine the effects of cover crop residue on weed seed density within the soil seedbank under varyi...

Issues of Spatial and Temporal Scale in Modeling the Effects of Field Operatiions on Soil Properties

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Tillage is an important procedure for modifying the soil environment in order to enhance crop growth and conserve soil and water resources. Process-based models of crop production are widely used in decision support, but few explicitly simulate tillage. The Cropping Systems Model (CSM) was modified ...

Undisturbed soil columns for lysimetry II. Miscible displacement and field evaluation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Concerns about agriculture's effect on water quality and the expanding use of no-tillage, has produced a crucial need for in situ solute transport research of mobile nutrients as affected by tillage system. Eight undisturbed soil columns (41 cm diameter by 100 cm long) were sealed into PVC cylinder...

Conservation tillage, irrigation and variety selection impacts on cotton quality premiums, discounts and profitability: evidence from the gin

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fluctuating market prices, increasing production costs, and shifting mill demand, has made cotton markets more uncertain, making cotton quality a more important aspect of the profitability of cotton. The purpose of this research project is to examine the effect conservation tillage systems and varie...

Net global warming potential and greenhouse gas intensity influenced by irrigation, tillage, crop rotation, and nitrogen fertilization

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Little information exists about sources and sinks of greenhouse gases (GHGs) affected by management practices to account for net emissions from agroecosystems. We evaluated the effects of irrigation, tillage, crop rotation, and N fertilization on net global warming potential (GWP) and greenhouse gas...

Optimizing tillage schedule for maintaining activity of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal population in a rainfed upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) agro-ecosystem.

PubMed

Maiti, D; Variar, M; Singh, R K

2011-04-01

Rainfed uplands in India are predominantly mono-cropped with rice (Oryza sativa L.) in the wet season (June/July to September/October) and grown under aerobic soil conditions. The remaining fallow period (winter followed by summer) of about 8-9 months leads to natural crash in the population of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in the soil. Attempts have been made to minimize this population crash by reducing soil disturbance-induced deleterious effects on native AMF activity of improperly scheduled off-season tillage, an agronomic recommendation for weed and disease (soil-borne) management, practiced by the upland farmers. On-farm (farmers' field) evaluation of effects of all suitable off-season tillage schedule combinations on rice during wet seasons of 2004, 2005, and 2006 revealed that a maximum of two off-season tillage schedules with a minimum gap of 13 weeks between them minimized the population crash of native AMF with a concomitant increase in phosphorus (P) uptake and grain yield of upland rice (variety "Vandana").

Soil Tillage Conservation and its Effect on Soil Properties Bioremediation and Sustained Production of Crops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusu, Teodor; Ioana Moraru, Paula; Muresan, Liliana; Andriuca, Valentina; Cojocaru, Olesea

2017-04-01

Soil Tillage Conservation (STC) is considered major components of agricultural technology for soil conservation strategies and part of Sustainable Agriculture (SA). Human action upon soil by tillage determines important morphological, physical-chemical and biological changes, with different intensities and evaluative directions. Nowadays, internationally is unanimous accepted the fact that global climatic changes are the results of human intervention in the bio-geo-chemical water and material cycle, and the sequestration of carbon in soil is considered an important intervention to limit these changes. STC involves reducing the number of tillage's (minimum tillage) to direct sowing (no-tillage) and plant debris remains at the soil surface in the ratio of at least 30%. Plant debris left on the soil surface or superficial incorporated contributes to increased biological activity and is an important source of carbon sequestration. STC restore soil structure and improve overall soil drainage, allowing more rapid infiltration of water into soil. The result is a soil bioremediation, more productive, better protected against wind and water erosion and requires less fuel for preparing the germinative bed. Carbon sequestration in soil is net advantageous, improving the productivity and sustainability. We present the influence of conventional plough tillage system on soil, water and organic matter conservation in comparison with an alternative minimum tillage (paraplow, chisel plow and rotary harrow) and no-tillage system. The application of STC increased the organic matter content 0.8 to 22.1% and water stabile aggregate content from 1.3 to 13.6%, in the 0-30 cm depth, as compared to the conventional system. For the organic matter content and the wet aggregate stability, the statistical analysis of the data showed, increasing positive significance of STC. While the soil fertility and the wet aggregate stability were initially low, the effect of conservation practices on the soil features resulted in a positive impact on the water permeability of the soil. Availability of soil moisture during the crop growth resulted in better plant water status. Subsequent release of conserved soil water regulated proper plant water status, soil structure, and lowered soil penetrometer resistance. Productions obtained at STC did not have significant differences for the wheat and maize crop but were higher for soybean. The advantages of minimum soil tillage systems for Romanian pedo-climatic conditions can be used to improve methods in low producing soils with reduced structural stability on sloped fields, as well as measures of water and soil conservation on the whole agroecosystem. Presently, it is necessary to make a change concerning the concept of conservation practices and to consider a new approach regarding the good agricultural practice. We need to focus on an upper level concerning conservation by focusing on soil quality. Carbon management is necessary for a complexity of matters including soil, water management, field productivity, biological fuel and climatic change. In conclusion a Sustainable Agriculture includes a range of complementary agricultural practices: (i) minimum soil tillage (through a system of reduced tillage or no-tillage) to preserve the structure, fauna and soil organic matter; (ii) permanent soil cover (cover crops, residues and mulches) to protect the soil and help to remove and control weeds; (iii) various combinations and rotations of the crops which stimulate the micro-organisms in the soil and controls pests, weeds and plant diseases. Acknowledgements: This paper was performed under the frame of the Partnership in priority domains - PNII, developed with the support of MEN-UEFISCDI, project no. PN-II-PT-PCCA-2013-4-0015: Expert System for Risk Monitoring in Agriculture and Adaptation of Conservative Agricultural Technologies to Climate Change, and International Cooperation Program - Sub-3.1. Bilateral AGROCEO c. no. 21BM/2016, PN-III-P3-3.1-PM-RO-MD-2016-0034: The comparative evaluation of conventional and conservative tillage systems regarding carbon sequestration and foundation of sustainable agroecosystems.

[Effects of Tillage on Distribution of Heavy Metals and Organic Matter Within Purple Paddy Soil Aggregates].

PubMed

Shi, Qiong-bin; Zhao, Xiu-lan; Chang, Tong-ju; Lu, Ji-wen

2016-05-15

A long-term experiment was utilized to study the effects of tillage methods on the contents and distribution characteristics of organic matter and heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Fe and Mn) in aggregates with different sizes (including 1-2, 0.25-1, 0.05-0.25 mm and < 0.05 mm) in a purple paddy soil under two tillage methods including flooded paddy field (FPF) and paddy-upland rotation (PR). The relationship between heavy metals and organic matter in soil aggregates was also analyzed. The results showed that the aggregates of two tillage methods were dominated by 0.05-0.25 mm and < 0.05 mm particle size, respectively. The contents of organic matter in each aggregate decreased with the decrease of aggregate sizes, however, compared to PR, FPF could significantly increase the contents of organic matter in soils and aggregates. The tillage methods did not significantly affect the contents of heavy metals in soils, but FPF could enhance the accumulation and distribution of aggregate, organic matter and heavy metals in aggregates with diameters of 1-2 mm and 0.25-1 mm. Correlation analysis found that there was a negative correlation between the contents of heavy metals and organic matter in soil aggregates, but a positive correlation between the amounts of heavy metal and organic matter accumulated in soil aggregates. From the slope of the correlation analysis equations, we could found that the sensitivities of heavy metals to the changes of soil organic matters followed the order of Mn > Zn > Pb > Cu > Fe > Cd under the same tillage. When it came to the same heavy metal, it was more sensitive in PR than in FPF.

Dynamics of Soil Organic Carbon and Microbial Biomass Carbon in Relation to Water Erosion and Tillage Erosion

PubMed Central

Xiaojun, Nie; Jianhui, Zhang; Zhengan, Su

2013-01-01

Dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) are associated with soil erosion, yet there is a shortage of research concerning the relationship between soil erosion, SOC, and especially microbial biomass carbon (MBC). In this paper, we selected two typical slope landscapes including gentle and steep slopes from the Sichuan Basin, China, and used the 137Cs technique to determine the effects of water erosion and tillage erosion on the dynamics of SOC and MBC. Soil samples for the determination of 137Cs, SOC, MBC and soil particle-size fractions were collected on two types of contrasting hillslopes. 137Cs data revealed that soil loss occurred at upper slope positions of the two landscapes and soil accumulation at the lower slope positions. Soil erosion rates as well as distribution patterns of the <0.002-mm clay shows that water erosion is the major process of soil redistribution in the gentle slope landscape, while tillage erosion acts as the dominant process of soil redistribution in the steep slope landscape. In gentle slope landscapes, both SOC and MBC contents increased downslope and these distribution patterns were closely linked to soil redistribution rates. In steep slope landscapes, only SOC contents increased downslope, dependent on soil redistribution. It is noticeable that MBC/SOC ratios were significantly lower in gentle slope landscapes than in steep slope landscapes, implying that water erosion has a negative effect on the microbial biomass compared with tillage erosion. It is suggested that MBC dynamics are closely associated with soil redistribution by water erosion but independent of that by tillage erosion, while SOC dynamics are influenced by soil redistribution by both water erosion and tillage erosion. PMID:23717530

Conservation tillage, optimal water and organic nutrient supply enhance soil microbial activities during wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.) cultivation

PubMed Central

Sharma, Pankaj; Singh, Geeta; Singh, Rana P.

2011-01-01

The field experiments were conducted on sandy loam soil at New Delhi, during 2007 and 2008 to investigate the effect of conservation tillage, irrigation regimes (sub-optimal, optimal and supra-optimal water regimes), and integrated nutrient management (INM) practices on soil biological parameters in wheat cultivation. The conservation tillage soils has shown significant (p<0.05) increase in soil respiration (81.1%), soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) (104%) and soil dehydrogenase (DH) (59.2%) compared to the conventional tillage soil. Optimum water supply (3-irrigations) enhanced soil respiration over sub-optimum and supra-optimum irrigations by 13.32% and 79% respectively. Soil dehydrogenase (DH) activity in optimum water regime has also increased by 23.33% and 8.18% respectively over the other two irrigation regimes. Similarly, SMBC has also increased by 12.14% and 27.17% respectively in soil with optimum water supply compared to that of sub-optimum and supra-optimum water regime fields. The maximum increase in soil microbial activities is found when sole organic source (50% Farm Yard Manure+25% biofertilizer+25% Green Manure) has been used in combination with the conservation tillage and the optimum water supply. Study demonstrated that microbial activity could be regulated by tillage, water and nitrogen management in the soil in a sustainable manner. PMID:24031665

[Effects of short-term deep vertically rotary tillage on topsoil structure of lime concretion black soil and wheat growth in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, China].

PubMed

Zhai, Zhen; Li, Yu Yi; Zhang, Li; Pang, Bo; Pang, Huan Cheng; Wei, Ben Hui; Wang, Qing Wei; Qi, Shao Wei

2017-04-18

Annual rotary tillage can often create a compacted plough pan and shallow arable layer which hampers the high crop yield in Huang-Huai-Hai region. A brand new farming method named Vertically Rotary Tillage was introduced to solve this problem. One short-term field experiment was conducted to explore the effect of deep vertically rotary tillage on soil physical properties and photosynthetic characteristics at flowering stage of winter wheat. Two tillage treatments were designed including subsoiling tillage with 20 cm depth (SS 20 , CK) and deep vertically rotary tillage with 30 cm depth (DVR 30 ). The result showed that compared with SS 20 treatment, DVR 30 treatment could thoroughly break the plow pan and loose the arable layer. The soil bulk density at 10-20 cm and 20-30 cm layers under DVR 30 treatment was decreased by 9.5% and 11.2% respectively than that under SS 20 treatment. Meanwhile, the penetration resistance at 20-30 cm layer under DVR 30 treatment was also decreased by 42.3% than that under SS 20 treatment. Moreover, water infiltration under DVR 30 treatment and the soil water storage in the deep soil layers was then increased. The mass water content of soil increased significantly with the increase of soil depth. There was significant difference of mass water content of 30-40 cm 40-50 cm between SS 20 and DVR 30 . The mass water content 30-40 cm and 40-50 cm layers under DVR 30 treatment was increased by 16.9% and 10.6% compared with SS 20 treatment, respectively. Furthermore, DVR 30 treatment promoted the improvement of the photosynthetic capacity of wheat which could contribute to the dry matter accumulation of winter wheat. The net photosynthesis rate and SPAD at flowering stage of winter wheat leaves under DVR 30 treatment were increased by 1.3% and 15.5% respectively than that under SS 20 treatment, thereby the above and underground dry matter accumulation of winter wheat under DVR 30 was increased significantly. Due to all the superiority of DVR 30 treatment over SS 20 treatment showed above, the winter wheat yield under DVR 30 treatment was increased by 12.4% than that under SS 20 . It was concluded that deep vertically rotary tillage could provide a new and effective way to break up the compacted plough pan, build a reasonable soil structure and increase crop yield.

Ammonia volatilization from surface-applied poultry litter under conservation tillage management practices.

PubMed

Sharpe, R R; Schomberg, H H; Harper, L A; Endale, D M; Jenkins, M B; Franzluebbers, A J

2004-01-01

Land application of poultry litter can provide essential plant nutrients for crop production, but ammonia (NH(3)) volatilization from the litter can be detrimental to the environment. A multiseason study was conducted to quantify NH(3) volatilization rates from surface-applied poultry litter under no-till and paraplowed conservation tillage managements. Litter was applied to supply 90 to 140 kg N ha(-1). Evaluation of NH(3) volatilization was determined using gas concentrations and the flux-gradient gas transport technique using the momentum balance transport coefficient. Ammonia fluxes ranged from 3.3 to 24% of the total N applied during the winter and summer, respectively. Ammonia volatilization was rapid immediately after litter application and stopped within 7 to 8 d. Precipitation of 17 mm essentially halted volatilization, probably by transporting litter N into the soil matrix. Application of poultry to conservation-tilled cropland immediately before rainfall events would reduce N losses to the atmosphere but could also increase NO(3) leaching and runoff to streams and rivers.

[Effects of plastic mulch on soil moisture and temperature and limiting factors to yield increase for dryland spring maize in the North China].

PubMed

Liu, Sheng-Yao; Zhang, Li-Feng; Li, Zhi-Hong; Jia, Jian-Ming; Fan, Feng-Cui; Shi, Yu-Fang

2014-11-01

Four treatments, including ridge tillage with plastic mulch (RP), ridge tillage without mulch (RB), flat tillage with plastic mulch (FP) and flat tillage without mulch (FB), were carried out to examine the tillage type and mulch on the effects of soil moisture and temperature, yield and water use efficiency (WUE) of dry land spring maize in the North China. Results showed that the average soil temperature was increased by 1-3 °C and the accumulated soil temperature was increased by 155.2-280.9 °C from sowing to tasseling by plastic mulch, and the growing duration was extended by 5.9-10.7 d. The water conservation effect of plastic mulch was significant from sowing to the seedling establishment, with WUE being increased by 81.6%-136.4% under mulch as compared with that without mulch. From the seedling to jointing stage, which coincided with the dry period in the region, soil water utilization by the maize under mulch could reach the depth of 80-100 cm, and its WUE was about 17.0%-21.6% lower than the maize without mulch, since the latter was affected by dry stress. With the coming of rainy season around the trumpeting stage, soil water in each treatment was replenished and maintained at relative high level up to harvest. Yield of maize was increased by 9.5% under RP as compared with RB. However, yield was reduced by 5.0% under FP, due to the plastic film under flat tillage prevented the infiltration of rainfall and waterlogging occurred. No significant difference in yield was found between RB and FB. Higher yield of spring maize was limited because of the mismatching in water supply and demand characterized by soil water shortage before the rainy season and abundant soil water storage after the rainy season.

Effects of conventional and no-tillage soil management and compost and sludge amendment on soil CO2 fluxes and microbial activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Gil, Juan Carlos; Haller, Isabel; Soler-Rovira, Pedro; Polo, Alfredo

2010-05-01

Soil management exerts a significant influence on the dynamic of soil organic matter, which is a key issue to enhance soil quality and its ecological functions, but also affects to greenhouse gas emissions and C sequestration processes. The objective of the present research was to determine the influence of soil management (conventional deep-tillage and no-tillage) and the application of two different organic amendment -thermally-dry sewage sludge (TSL) and municipal waste compost (MWC)- on soil CO2 fluxes and microbial activities in a long-term field experiment under semi-arid conditions. Both organic amendments were applied at a rate of 30 t ha-1 prior to sowing a barley crop. The experiment was conducted on an agricultural soil (Calcic Luvisol) from the experimental farm "La Higueruela" (Santa Olalla, Toledo). Unamended soils were used as control in both conventional and no-tillage management. During the course of the experiment, soil CO2 fluxes, microbial biomass C (MBC) and enzyme activities involved in the biogeochemical cycles of C, N and P were monitored during 12 months. The results obtained during the experiment for soil CO2 fluxes showed a great seasonal fluctuation due to semi-arid climate conditions. Overall, conventional deep-tillage soils exhibited higher CO2 fluxes, which was particularly larger during the first hours after deep-tillage was performed, and smaller MBC content and significantly lower dehydrogenase, beta-glucosidase, phosphatase, urease and BAA protease activities than no-tillage soils. Both MWC and TSL amendments provoked a significant increase of CO2 fluxes in both conventional and no-tillage soils, which was larger in TSL amended soils and particularly in no-tillage soils. The application of these organic amendments also enhanced MBC content and the overall enzyme activities in amended soils, which indicate a global revitalization of soil microbial metabolism in response to the fresh input of organic compounds that are energy sources for microbial growing, especially with TSL that is a raw organic material with no stabilization treatment.

Effects of Climatic Conditions and Management Practices on Agricultural Carbon and Water Budgets in the Inland Pacific Northwest USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chi, Jinshu; Waldo, Sarah; Pressley, Shelley N.; Russell, Eric S.; O'Keeffe, Patrick T.; Pan, William L.; Huggins, David R.; Stöckle, Claudio O.; Brooks, Erin S.; Lamb, Brian K.

2017-12-01

Cropland is an important land cover influencing global carbon and water cycles. Variability of agricultural carbon and water fluxes depends on crop species, management practices, soil characteristics, and climatic conditions. In the context of climate change, it is critical to quantify the long-term effects of these environmental drivers and farming activities on carbon and water dynamics. Twenty site-years of carbon and water fluxes covering a large precipitation gradient and a variety of crop species and management practices were measured in the inland Pacific Northwest using the eddy covariance method. The rain-fed fields were net carbon sinks, while the irrigated site was close to carbon neutral during the winter wheat crop years. Sites growing spring crops were either carbon sinks, sources, or neutral, varying with crops, rainfall zones, and tillage practices. Fluxes were more sensitive to variability in precipitation than temperature: annual carbon and water fluxes increased with the increasing precipitation while only respiration increased with temperature in the high-rainfall area. Compared to a nearby rain-fed site, irrigation improved winter wheat production but resulted in large losses of carbon and water to the atmosphere. Compared to conventional tillage, no-till had significantly lower respiration but resulted in slightly lower yields and water use efficiency over 4 years. Under future climate change, it is expected that more carbon fixation by crops and evapotranspiration would occur in a warmer and wetter environment.

Changes in water budgets and sediment yields from a hypothetical agricultural field as a function of landscape and management characteristics--A unit field modeling approach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Roth, Jason L.; Capel, Paul D.

2012-01-01

Crop agriculture occupies 13 percent of the conterminous United States. Agricultural management practices, such as crop and tillage types, affect the hydrologic flow paths through the landscape. Some agricultural practices, such as drainage and irrigation, create entirely new hydrologic flow paths upon the landscapes where they are implemented. These hydrologic changes can affect the magnitude and partitioning of water budgets and sediment erosion. Given the wide degree of variability amongst agricultural settings, changes in the magnitudes of hydrologic flow paths and sediment erosion induced by agricultural management practices commonly are difficult to characterize, quantify, and compare using only field observations. The Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model was used to simulate two landscape characteristics (slope and soil texture) and three agricultural management practices (land cover/crop type, tillage type, and selected agricultural land management practices) to evaluate their effects on the water budgets of and sediment yield from agricultural lands. An array of sixty-eight 60-year simulations were run, each representing a distinct natural or agricultural scenario with various slopes, soil textures, crop or land cover types, tillage types, and select agricultural management practices on an isolated 16.2-hectare field. Simulations were made to represent two common agricultural climate regimes: arid with sprinkler irrigation and humid. These climate regimes were constructed with actual climate and irrigation data. The results of these simulations demonstrate the magnitudes of potential changes in water budgets and sediment yields from lands as a result of landscape characteristics and agricultural practices adopted on them. These simulations showed that variations in landscape characteristics, such as slope and soil type, had appreciable effects on water budgets and sediment yields. As slopes increased, sediment yields increased in both the arid and humid environments. However, runoff did not increase with slope in the arid environment as was observed in the humid environment. In both environments, clayey soils exhibited the greatest amount of runoff and sediment yields while sandy soils had greater recharge and lessor runoff and sediment yield. Scenarios simulating the effects of the timing and type of tillage practice showed that no-till, conservation, and contouring tillages reduced sediment yields and, with the exception of no-till, runoff in both environments. Changes in land cover and crop type simulated the changes between the evapotransporative potential and surface roughness imparted by specific vegetations. Substantial differences in water budgets and sediment yields were observed between most agricultural crops and the natural covers selected for each environment: scrub and prairie grass for the arid environment and forest and prairie grass for the humid environment. Finally, a group of simulations was performed to model selected agricultural management practices. Among the selected practices subsurface drainage and strip cropping exhibited the largest shifts in water budgets and sediment yields. The practice of crop rotation (corn/soybean) and cover cropping (corn/rye) were predicted to increase sediment yields from a field planted as conventional corn.

Biophysical and socioeconomic impacts of soil and water conservation measures. An evaluation of Sustainable Land Management in SE Spain.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Vente, J.; Solé-Benet, A.; López, J.; Boix-Fayos, C.

2012-04-01

In close collaboration with stakeholders promising soil and water conservation measures were selected as part of the EU funded DESIRE project. These measures were monitored for nearly three years at an experimental farm in the upper Guadalentin (SE-Spain). Four Sustainable Land Management (SLM) measures were implemented on rainfed almonds: a) reduced tillage, b) green manure, c) straw mulch, d) traditional water harvesting. A fifth measure (e) reduced tillage of cereals, was compared to conventional mouldboard tillage. Here, we present monitoring results according to biophysical and socioeconomic criteria. SLM measures a, b and e, aim to reduce soil and water loss through runoff. Therefore, for each measure three replica erosion-runoff plots and a control plot were installed to monitor soil and water loss and soil moisture content at two depths. SLM measures c and d aim to increase soil water content by preventing soil evaporation and adding additional water by water harvesting respectively. In these fields, the volume of harvested water was registered and soil water content was monitored. In all experiments, farm operation costs and crop harvest were monitored as well. In the almond fields, green manure and reduced tillage significantly reduced soil and water loss as compared to the control plot with normal tillage operations. Also for the cereal field, results show lower erosion rates under reduced tillage as compared to traditional tillage operation. In two successive years, the highest almond harvest was found in the field with water harvesting (d), followed by the green manure field (b), though no significant differences were found in soil water content with their control plots. Mulching did not show a significant effect on soil water content or harvest. Four of the selected SLM options showed a positive effect on the protection of soil and water resources, and were beneficial for crop yield. Whereas, reduced tillage also results in lower production costs, the other measures (green manure, mulching and water harvesting) require initial and/or maintenance costs. Therefore, even though these measures may lead to a higher farm income, due to the high inter-annual variability of harvest, they face a lower acceptance by most farmers of rainfed agriculture in semiarid SE spain.

Practicing Conservation Agriculture to mitigate and adapt to Climate Change in Jordan.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khresat, Saeb

2016-04-01

Climate change scenarios indicate that Jordan and the Middle East could suffer from reduced agricultural productivity and water availability among other negative impacts. Based on the projection models for the area, average temperature in Jordan is projected to increase between 1.2 and 1.6 °C by 2050. Projections for precipitation trends are projected to decrease by 16% by the year 2050. Evaporation is likely to increase due to higher temperatures. This is likely to increase the incidence of drought potential since precipitation is projected to decrease. The dominant form of agriculture system in Jordan is based on intensive tillage. This form of tillage has resulted in large losses of organic soil carbon, weaker soil structure, and cause compaction. It has negative effects on soil aeration, root development and water infiltration among other factors. There is a need to transform farming practices to conservation agriculture to sequester carbon so that climate change mitigation becomes an inherent property of future farming systems. Conservation Agriculture, a system avoiding or minimizing soil disturbance, combined with soil cover and crop diversification, is considered to be a sustainable production system that can also sequester carbon unlike tillage agriculture. Conservation agriculture promotes minimal disturbance of the soil by tillage (zero tillage), balanced application of chemical inputs and careful management of residues and wastes. This study was conducted to develop a clear understanding of the impacts and benefits of the two most common types of agriculture, traditional tillage agriculture and conservation agriculture with respect to their effects on land productivity and on soil carbon pools. The study results indicated that conservation agriculture contributed to the reduction of the farming systems' greenhouse gas emissions and enhance its role as carbon sinks. Also, it was found that by shifting to conservation agriculture labor cost needed for land preparation through tillage systems decreased by 40-60% as a result of fuel and time-saving in the operations. The mean biological and grain yield by applying conservation agriculture have increased between 14-35% compared to conventional agriculture. It is concluded that there is a correlation between CO2 loss and tillage intensity and that a shift from traditional agriculture to Conservation agriculture can contribute to making agricultural systems more resilient to climate change.

Conversion of Conservation Tillage to Rotational Tillage to Reduce Phosphorus Losses during Snowmelt Runoff in the Canadian Prairies.

PubMed

Liu, Kui; Elliott, Jane A; Lobb, David A; Flaten, Don N; Yarotski, Jim

2014-09-01

In a preceding study, converting conventional tillage (ConvT) to conservation tillage (ConsT) was reported to decrease nitrogen (N) but to increase phosphorus (P) losses during snowmelt runoff. A field-scale study was conducted from 2004 to 2012 to determine if conversion of ConsT to rotational tillage (RotaT), where conservation tillage was interrupted by a fall tillage pass every other year, could effectively reduce P losses compared with ConsT. The RotaT study was conducted on long-term paired watersheds established in 1993. The ConvT field in the pair has remained under ConvT practice since 1993, whereas tillage was minimized on the ConsT field from 1997 until 2007. In fall 2007, RotaT was introduced to the ConsT field, and heavy-duty cultivator passes were conducted in the late fall of years 2007, 2009, and 2011. Runoff volume and nutrient content were monitored at the edge of the two fields, and soil and crop residue samples were taken in each field. Greater soil Olsen P and more P released from crop residue are likely the reasons for the increased P losses in the ConsT treatment (2004-2007) relative to the ConvT treatment (2004-2007). Analysis of covariance indicated that, compared with ConsT (2004-2007), RotaT (2008-2012) increased the concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) by 62%, total dissolved N (TDN) by 190%, and total N (TN) by 272% and increased the loads of DOC by 34%, TDN by 34%, and TN by 60%. However, RotaT (2008-2012) decreased soil test P in surface soil, P released from crop residue, and duration of runoff compared with ConsT (2004-2007) and thus decreased the concentrations of total dissolved P (TDP) by 46% and total P (TP) by 38% and decreased the loads of TDP by 56% and TP by 42%. In the Canadian Prairies, where P is a major environmental concern compared with N, RotaT was demonstrated to be an effective practice to reduce P losses compared with ConsT. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Microbial communities in soil profile are more responsive to legacy effects of wheat-cover crop rotations than tillage systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Declining trends in soil health under continuous monoculture systems of winter wheat are a concern for sustainable production in the Southern Great Plains of the US. This study was conducted to evaluate the long-term implementation of conservation tillage in combination with nitrogen treatments and ...

Long-term tillage and cropping effects on biological properties associated with soil aggregation in semi-arid eastern Montana, USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Long-term tillage and cropping may influence biological attributes responsible for semi-arid soil aggregation in Montana, USA. Aggregate stability, glomalin, basidiomycete fungi, uronic acids, total organic C (TOC) and total N (TN) at 0-5 cm soil depth from 1991 to 2003 were evaluated in different a...

Effect of Tillage System, Row Spacing and Herbicide Technologies on Plant Growth and Lint Yield in Cotton

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A field study was conducted from 2004 through 2006 growing seasons at the E.V. Smith Research Center, Field Crops Unit near Shorter, AL, to compare a conventional variety, a glyphosate tolerant variety, and a glufosinate tolerant variety under both the conventional tillage and the conservation tilla...

Sorghum-sudangrass responses to nitrogen and tillage following polyphenol-containing legumes, alfalfa, reed canarygrass, and kale

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The collective effects of protein-binding polyphenols (PBP), preceding forage type, tillage, and fertilizer N on soil NO3-N production, N uptake, and dry matter yield (DMY) of N-demanding crops such as sorghum-sudangrass [SS, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench x S. sudanese Piper] are poorly understood. Th...

Influence of Tillage, Cropping Management, and Nitrogen Source on Humic, Fulvic, and Water-Extractable Organic Matter Fractions: A Fluorescence Study

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The characterization of organic matter in agroecosystems is important due to its involvement in many soil ecosystem processes. Humic acid, fulvic acid, and water-extractable organic matter from a nine-year agroecosystem study investigating the effects of tillage, cropping system, and N source were c...

Corn and soybean rotation under reduced tillage management: impacts on soil properties, yield, and net return

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A 4-yr field study was conducted from 2007 to 2010 at Stoneville, MS to examine the effects of rotating corn and soybean under reduced tillage conditions on soil properties, yields, and net return. The six rotation systems were continuous corn (CCCC), continuous soybean (SSSS), corn-soybean (CSCS),...

Pesticide movement in soils; a comparison of no-tillage and conventional tillage in the Beaver Creek watershed in West Tennessee

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olsen, Lisa D.

1995-01-01

In 1993, a study of pesticide movement and degradation in soils was intitated in the Beaver Creek watershed, which consists of about 95,000 acres and includes some of the Nation's most highly erodible soils. Resource-management agencies in this locality have recommended conservation tillage or "no-tillage" as a best management practices to control soil erosion. The pesticide aldicarb was selected for this study because it is both highly mobile and extremely toxic. Horizontal movement of aldicarb and its metabolites was negligible. Vertical movement of aldicarb and its metabolites was limited to the top 2.5 feet of soil. Most of the aldicarb residue (over 85 percent) remaining in the soil after 148 days was detected in the top 0.5 foot of soil. No significant differences in the movement or degradation of aldicarb and its metabolites were observed between the no-tilled and conventionally tilled fields. No-till practices did not increase the downward movement of aldicarb in the test areas. No-tillage has proven to be an effective best management practice for soil-loss reduction in many studies throughout the United States.

Effects of No-Till on Yields as Influenced by Crop and Environmental Factors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Toliver, Dustin K.; Larson, James A.; Roberts, Roland K.

Th is research evaluated diff erences in yields and associated downside risk from using no-till and tillage practices. Yields from 442 paired tillage experiments across the United States were evaluated with respect to six crops and environmental factors including geographic location, annual precipitation, soil texture, and time since conversion from tillage to no-till. Results indicated that mean yields for sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) with no-till were greater than with tillage. In addition, no-till tended to produce similar or greater mean yields than tillage for crops grown on loamy soils in the Southern Seaboard andmore » Mississippi Portal regions. A warmer and more humid climate and warmer soils in these regions relative to the Heartland, Basin and Range, and Fruitful Rim regions appear to favor no-till on loamy soils. With the exception of corn (Zea mays L.) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) in the Southern Seaboard region, no-till performed poorly on sandy soils. Crops grown in the Southern Seaboard were less likely to have lower no-till yields than tillage yields on loamy soils and thus had lower downside yield risk than other farm resource regions. Consistent with mean yield results, soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and wheat grown on sandy soils in the Southern Seaboard region using no-till had larger downside yield risks than when produced with no-till on loamy soils. Th e key fi ndings of this study support the hypothesis that soil and climate factors impact no-till yields relative to tillage yields and may be an important factor infl uencing risk and expected return and the adoption of the practice by farmers.« less

Tillage as a tool to manage crop residue: impact on sugar beet production.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hiel, Marie-Pierre; Chélin, Marie; Degrune, Florine; Parvin, Nargish; Bodson, Bernard

2015-04-01

Crop residues and plant cover represent a pool of organic matter that can be used either to restore organic matter in soils, and therefore maintain soil fertility, or that can be valorized outside of the field (e.g. energy production). However, it is crucial that the exportation of residues is not done to the detriment of the system sustainability. Three long term experiments have been settled in the loamy region in Belgium. All of them are designed to study the effect of residues management by several tillage systems (conventional plowing versus reduced tillage) on the whole soil-water-plant system. SOLRESIDUS is a field experiment where we study the impact of crop residue management while in SOLCOUVERT and SOLCOUVERT-BIS, we study the impact of cover crop management. SOLRESIDUS was started in 2008. In this field, four contrasted crop residues managements are tested in order to contrast as much as possible the responses from the soil-water plant system. Two practices characterize the four modalities: soil tillage (ploughing at 25 cm depth or reduce tillage at 10 cm max) and residue management (exportation or restitution). SOLCOUVERT and SOLCOUVERT-BIS were started in 2012 and 2013 respectively. In those fields cover crop management is also diverse: destruction of the cover crop by winter ploughing, spring ploughing, strip tillage (with a chemical destruction if needed) or shallow tillage (with a decompaction before cover crop sowing). Although although the overall project aims at studying the impact of management on the whole soil-water-plant system, here we will only present the results concerning crop production (sugar beet) in SOLCOUVERT experiments. The presented data will include germination rate, crop development (biomass quantification and BBCH stages) weeds population, disease occurrence, pest occurrences, nitrogen uptake by plants, quality and quantity of harvested products.

Effects of nitrogen fertilizer sources and tillage practices on greenhouse gas emissions in paddy fields of central China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Z. S.; Chen, J.; Liu, T. Q.; Cao, C. G.; Li, C. F.

2016-11-01

The effects of nitrogen (N) fertilizer sources and tillage practices on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission have been well elucidated separately. However, it is still remained unclear regarding the combined effects of N fertilization and tillage practices on the global warming potential (GWP) and net ecosystem economic budget (NEEB) in paddy fields. In this paper, a 2-year field experiment was performed to investigate the effects of N fertilizer sources (N0, no N; IF, 100% N from chemical fertilizer; SRIF, 50% N from slow-release fertilizer and 50% N from chemical fertilizer; OF, 100% N from organic fertilizer; OFIF, 50% N from organic fertilizer and 50% N from chemical fertilizer) and tillage practices (CT, conventional intensive tillage; NT, no-tillage) on the emissions of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), GWP, greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI), and NEEB in paddy fields of central China. Compared with N0 treatment, IF, SRIF, OF and OFIF treatments greatly enhanced the cumulative seasonal CH4 emissions (by 54.7%, 41.7%, 51.1% and 66.0%, respectively) and N2O emissions (by 164.5%, 93.4%, 130.2% and 251.3%, respectively). NT treatment significantly decreased the GWP and GHGI compared with CT treatment. On the other hand, NT treatment significantly decreased CH4 emissions by 8.5-13.7%, but did not affect N2O emissions relative to CT treatment. Application of N fertilizers significantly increased GWP and GHGI. It was worth noting that the combined treatment of OFIF and NT resulted in the second-highest GWP and GHGI and the largest NEEB among all treatments. Therefore, our results suggest that OFIF combined with NT is an eco-friendly strategy to optimize the economic and environmental benefits of paddy fields in central China. Although the treatment of SRIF plus NT showed the lowest GWP and GHGI and the highest grain yield among all treatments, it led to the lowest NEEB due to its highest fertilizer cost. These results indicate that the government should provide appropriate ecological compensation for this practice, which has low GHG emissions and high rice yield.

Tillage system affects microbiological properties of soil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delgado, A.; de Santiago, A.; Avilés, M.; Perea, F.

2012-04-01

Soil tillage significantly affects organic carbon accumulation, microbial biomass, and subsequently enzymatic activity in surface soil. Microbial activity in soil is a crucial parameter contributing to soil functioning, and thus a basic quality factor for soil. Since enzymes remain soil after excretion by living or disintegrating cells, shifts in their activities reflect long-term fluctuations in microbial biomass. In order to study the effects of no-till on biochemical and microbiological properties in comparison to conventional tillage in a representative soil from South Spain, an experiment was conducted since 1982 on the experimental farm of the Institute of Agriculture and Fisheries Research of Andalusia (IFAPA) in Carmona, SW Spain (37o24'07''N, 5o35'10''W). The soil at the experimental site was a very fine, montomorillonitic, thermic Chromic Haploxerert (Soil Survey Staff, 2010). A randomized complete block design involving three replications and the following two tillage treatments was performed: (i) Conventional tillage, which involved mouldboard plowing to a depth of 50 cm in the summer (once every three years), followed by field cultivation to a depth of 15 cm before sowing; crop residues being burnt, (ii) No tillage, which involved controlling weeds before sowing by spraying glyphosate and sowing directly into the crop residue from the previous year by using a planter with double-disk openers. For all tillage treatments, the crop rotation (annual crops) consisted of winter wheat, sunflower, and legumes (pea, chickpea, or faba bean, depending on the year), which were grown under rainfed conditions. Enzymatic activities (ß-glucosidase, dehydrogenase, aryl-sulphatase, acid phosphatase, and urease), soil microbial biomass by total viable cells number by acridine orange direct count, the density of cultivable groups of bacteria and fungi by dilution plating on semi-selective media, the physiological profiles of the microbial communities by BiologR, and the Shannon (H') and Gini (1-G) diversity index of microbial communities were determined in soil samples (0-10 cm depth) taken in autumn 2009. All the enzymatic activities and the biomass estimated by viable cell counting were significantly higher under no-till than under conventional tillage. However, only fluorescents pseudomonas population was increased under no-till, meanwhile oligotrophic bacteria and actinomycetes populations were higher with conventional tillage than with no-till. Overall, there was a higher use all the group of carbon sources used in the BiologR test with conventional tillage than with no-till, by except amines and phenols which showed non-significant differences. This reveals different physiological profiles in the microbial communities under both tillage systems. The Gini diversity was significantly lower with no-till than with conventional tillage. It can be concluded that no-till increases microbial biomass in soil and subsequently enzymatic activities likely ascribed to an increased organic matter content. Under low availability of hydrocarbon sources in soil due to conventional tillage, which promotes a decrease in the organic matter content of the soil, populations of oligotrophods and the diversity of microbial communities are increased. Under these conditions, there must not be dominant carbon sources promoting the selection of microorganisms with a given physiological profile. The reduced hydrocarbon availability and the higher diversity contribute to explain the increased use of carbon sources used in Biolog with conventional tillage than with no-till.

Long-term tillage and crop rotation effects on residual nitrate in the crop root zone and nitrate accumulation in the intermediate vadose zone

USGS Publications Warehouse

Katupitiya, A.; Eisenhauer, D.E.; Ferguson, R.B.; Spalding, R.F.; Roeth, F.W.; Bobier, M.W.

1997-01-01

Tillage influences the physical and biological environment of soil. Rotation of crops with a legume affects the soil N status. A furrow irrigated site was investigated for long-term tillage and crop rotation effects on leaching of nitrate from the root zone and accumulation in the intermediate vadose zone (IVZ). The investigated tillage systems were disk-plant (DP), ridge-till (RT) and slot-plant (SP). These tillage treatments have been maintained on the Hastings silt loam (Udic Argiustoll) and Crete silt loam (Pachic Argiustoll) soils since 1976. Continuous corn (CC) and corn soybean (CS) rotations were the subtreatments. Since 1984, soybeans have been grown in CS plots in even calendar years. All tillage treatments received the same N rate. The N rate varied annually depending on the root zone residual N. Soybeans were not fertilized with N-fertilizer. Samples for residual nitrate in the root zone were taken in 8 of the 15 year study while the IVZ was only sampled at the end of the study. In seven of eight years, root zone residual soil nitrate-N levels were greater with DP than RT and SP. Residual nitrate-N amounts were similar in RT and SP in all years. Despite high residual nitrate-N with DP and the same N application rate, crop yields were higher in RT and SP except when DP had an extremely high root zone nitrate level. By applying the same N rates on all tillage treatments, DP may have been fertilized in excess of crop need. Higher residual nitrate-N in DP was most likely due to a combination of increased mineralization with tillage and lower yield compared to RT and SP. Because of higher nitrate availability with DP, the potential for nitrate leaching from the root zone was greater with DP as compared to the RT and SP tillage systems. Spring residual nitrate-N contents of DP were larger than RT and SP in both crop rotations. Ridge till and SP systems had greater nitrate-N with CS than CC rotations. Nitrate accumulation in IVZ at the upstream end of the field was twice as high with DP compared to RT and SP. At the downstream end, it was 2.4 and 1.6 times greater with DP than RT and SP, respectively. Nitrate concentration was greater in the IVZ of DP compared to RT and SP tillage systems. Nitrate accumulations in IVZ of RT and SP were not different. Continuous corn had slightly higher nitrate levels in IVZ than CS. The depth of nitrate penetration at the upstream end was greater than that of the downstream end. Estimated rates of nitrate movement ranged from 0.87 to 0.92 m yr-1 at the upstream end and 0.73 to 0.78 m yr-1 at the downstream end.

Measurements of Soil Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Two Maize Agroecosystems at Harvest under Different Tillage Conditions

PubMed Central

Giacomo, Gerosa; Angelo, Finco; Fabio, Boschetti; Stefano, Brenna; Riccardo, Marzuoli

2014-01-01

In this study a comparison of the soil CO2 fluxes emitted from two maize (Zea mays L.) fields with the same soil type was performed. Each field was treated with a different tillage technique: conventional tillage (30 cm depth ploughing) and no-tillage. Measurements were performed in the Po Valley (Italy) from September to October 2012, covering both pre- and postharvesting conditions, by means of two identical systems based on automatic static soil chambers. Main results show that no-tillage technique caused higher CO2 emissions than conventional tillage (on average 2.78 and 0.79 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1, resp.). This result is likely due to decomposition of the organic litter left on the ground of the no-tillage site and thus to an increased microbial and invertebrate respiration. On the other hand, fuel consumption of conventional tillage technique is greater than no-tillage consumptions. For these reasons this result cannot be taken as general. More investigations are needed to take into account all the emissions related to the field management cycle. PMID:25530990

Bird use of agricultural fields under reduced and conventional tillage in the Texas Panhandle

USGS Publications Warehouse

Flickinger, Edward L.; Pendleton, G.W.

1994-01-01

We conducted bird surveys in reduced-tillage and conventional tillage fields in spring, summer, fall, and winter from 1987 to 1991 in the Texas Panhandle. Eastern meadowlarks, longspurs, and savannah sparrows were more common in reduced-tillage (sorghum and wheat stubble) fields than in conventionally tilled (plowed) fields in at least 1 season. Other species also had patterns suggestive of greater abundance in reduced-tillage fields. Hornedlarks, which prefer habitat with sparse vegetation, were more abundant in plowed fields in all seasons except summer. Bird diversity was greater in reduced-tillage fields than in conventionally tilled fields in summer. Cover density and height were greater in reduced tillage fields in all seasons except spring. Cover density and height rather than cover composition (e.g.,grain stubble or live plants) seemed to be the important factors affecting bird distribution. Patterns of bird abundance between sorghum and wheat stubble fields also were dependent on cover. Herbicide use was not greater in reduced-tillage fields than in conventionally tilled fields. Reduced-tillage agriculture for sorghum and wheat farming should be encouraged in the southern Great Plains as a means of improving the attractiveness of agricultural land to many bird species.

Impact of reduced tillage on greenhouse gas emissions and soil carbon stocks in an organic grass-clover ley - winter wheat cropping sequence.

PubMed

Krauss, Maike; Ruser, Reiner; Müller, Torsten; Hansen, Sissel; Mäder, Paul; Gattinger, Andreas

2017-02-15

Organic reduced tillage aims to combine the environmental benefits of organic farming and conservation tillage to increase sustainability and soil quality. In temperate climates, there is currently no knowledge about its impact on greenhouse gas emissions and only little information about soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in these management systems. We therefore monitored nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and methane (CH 4 ) fluxes besides SOC stocks for two years in a grass-clover ley - winter wheat - cover crop sequence. The monitoring was undertaken in an organically managed long-term tillage trial on a clay rich soil in Switzerland. Reduced tillage (RT) was compared with ploughing (conventional tillage, CT) in interaction with two fertilisation systems, cattle slurry alone (SL) versus cattle manure compost and slurry (MC). Median N 2 O and CH 4 flux rates were 13 μg N 2 O-N m -2  h -1 and -2 μg CH 4 C m -2  h -1 , respectively, with no treatment effects. N 2 O fluxes correlated positively with nitrate contents, soil temperature, water filled pore space and dissolved organic carbon and negatively with ammonium contents in soil. Pulse emissions after tillage operations and slurry application dominated cumulative gas emissions. N 2 O emissions after tillage operations correlated with SOC contents and collinearly to microbial biomass. There was no tillage system impact on cumulative N 2 O emissions in the grass-clover (0.8-0.9 kg N 2 O-N ha -1 , 369 days) and winter wheat (2.1-3.0 kg N 2 O-N ha -1 , 296 days) cropping seasons, with a tendency towards higher emissions in MC than SL in winter wheat. Including a tillage induced peak after wheat harvest, a full two year data set showed increased cumulative N 2 O emissions in RT than CT and in MC than SL. There was no clear treatment influence on cumulative CH 4 uptake. Topsoil SOC accumulation (0-0.1 m) was still ongoing. SOC stocks were more stratified in RT than CT and in MC than SL. Total SOC stocks (0-0.5 m) were higher in RT than CT in SL and similar in MC. Maximum relative SOC stock difference accounted for +8.1 Mg C ha -1 in RT-MC compared to CT-SL after 13 years which dominated over the relative increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Under these site conditions, organic reduced tillage and manure compost application seems to be a viable greenhouse gas mitigation strategy as long as SOC is sequestered.

About the necessity of standardizing no-tillage research

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

No-tillage / zero tillage research has now been performed for more than half a century in many countries around the world but few efforts have been made to standardize research methodology. This has led to a situation where no-tillage research results obtained until now often can not be compared bec...

Effects of tillage and poultry manure application rates on Salmonella and fecal indicator bacteria concentrations in tiles draining Des Moines Lobe soils

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Application of poultry manure (PM) to cropland as fertilizer is a common practice in artificially drained regions of the Upper Midwest. To assess the potential for PM to contribute pathogenic bacteria to downstream waters, information is needed on the impacts of manure management and tillage practi...

Effect of conservation practices on soil carbon and nitrogen accretion and crop yield in a corn production system in the southeastern coastal plain, USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We implemented conservation farming practices (winter cover cropping plus strip tillage) for a non-irrigated corn production system in the southern coastal plain of Georgia, USA that had been previously been managed under a plow and harrow tillage regime. Total soil carbon and nitrogen were measure...

A multiple soil ecosystem services approach to evaluate the sustainability of reduced tillage systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérès, Guénola; Menasseri, Safya; Hallaire, Vincent; Cluzeau, Daniel; Heddadj, Djilali; Cotinet, Patrice; Manceau, Olivier; Pulleman, Mirjam

2017-04-01

In the current context of soil degradation, reduced tillage systems (including reduced soil disturbance, use of cover crops and crop rotation, and improved organic matter management) are expected to be good alternatives to conventional system which have led to a decrease of soil multi-functionality. Many studies worldwide have analysed the impact of tillage systems on different soil functions, but overran integrated view of the impact of these systems is still lacking. The SUSTAIN project (European SNOWMAN programme), performed in France and the Netherlands, proposes an interdisciplinary collaboration. The goals of SUSTAIN are to assess the multi-functionality of soil and to study how reduced-tillage systems impact on multiple ecosystem services such as soil biodiversity regulation (earthworms, nematodes, microorganisms), soil structure maintenance (aggregate stability, compaction, soil erosion), water regulation (run-off, transfer of pesticides) and food production. Moreover, a socio-economic study on farmer networks has been carried out to identify the drivers of adoption of reduced-tillage systems. Data have been collected in long-term experimental fields (5 - 13 years), representing conventional and organic farming strategies, and were complemented with data from farmer networks. The impact of different reduced tillage systems (direct seeding, minimum tillage, non-inverse tillage, superficial ploughing) were analysed and compared to conventional ploughing. Measurements (biological, chemical, physical, agronomical, water and element transfer) have been done at several dates which allow an overview of the evolution of the soil properties according to climate variation and crop rotation. A sociological approach was performed on several farms covering different production types, different courses (engagement in reduced tillage systems) and different geographical locations. Focusing on French trials, this multiple ecosystem services approach clearly showed that reduced tillage systems improved soil ecosystem services such as soil biodiversity, water regulation (quantity, quality), carbon storage and soil stability; however, the effects on crop production were more variable (-10% to +7 % range), strongly depending on crop type and agricultural practices (fertilisation, rotation, cover crop). Sociological approach showed that saving labour time and fuel costs were the main motivations for change. Agronomic and environmental benefits are not the trigger but are increasingly recognized and contribute to the maintenance of the practice. Farmers also expressed a need for stronger networking and technical advice, which plays a crucial role. Scientists and experts raise awareness, support collective learning and provide instrumental. Recommendations were provided for sustainable soil management aiming at ecological intensification of agricultural land.

Responses of greenhouse gas fluxes to experimental warming in wheat season under conventional tillage and no-tillage fields.

PubMed

Tu, Chun; Li, Fadong

2017-04-01

Understanding the effects of warming on greenhouse gas (GHG, such as N 2 O, CH 4 and CO 2 ) feedbacks to climate change represents the major environmental issue. However, little information is available on how warming effects on GHG fluxes in farmland of North China Plain (NCP). An infrared warming simulation experiment was used to assess the responses of N 2 O, CH 4 and CO 2 to warming in wheat season of 2012-2014 from conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT) systems. The results showed that warming increased cumulative N 2 O emission by 7.7% in CT but decreased it by 9.7% in NT fields (p<0.05). Cumulative CH 4 uptake and CO 2 emission were increased by 28.7%-51.7% and 6.3%-15.9% in both two tillage systems, respectively (p<0.05). The stepwise regressions relationship between GHG fluxes and soil temperature and soil moisture indicated that the supply soil moisture due to irrigation and precipitation would enhance the positive warming effects on GHG fluxes in two wheat seasons. However, in 2013, the long-term drought stress due to infrared warming and less precipitation decreased N 2 O and CO 2 emission in warmed treatments. In contrast, warming during this time increased CH 4 emission from deep soil depth. Across two years wheat seasons, warming significantly decreased by 30.3% and 63.9% sustained-flux global warming potential (SGWP) of N 2 O and CH 4 expressed as CO 2 equivalent in CT and NT fields, respectively. However, increase in soil CO 2 emission indicated that future warming projection might provide positive feedback between soil C release and global warming in NCP. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Soil fauna community in the black soil of northeast China under different conservation tillage systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil fauna is an important component in soil ecosystem. Through the soil moisture changes, soil environment is changed under different tillage systems, and then the population of soil fauna also is changed. This study tested whether conservation tillage or conventional tillage (CT) of black soil fie...

In-field experiment of electro-hydraulic tillage depth draft-position mixed control on tractor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Jiangyi; Xia, Changgao; Shang, Gaogao; Gao, Xiang

2017-12-01

The soil condition and condition of the plow affect the tillage resistance and the maximum traction of tractor. In order to improve the adaptability of tractor tillage depth control, a multi-parameter control strategy is proposed that included tillage depth target, draft force aim and draft-position mixed ratio. In the strategy, the resistance coefficient was used to adjust the draft force target. Then, based on a JINMA1204 tractor, the electro-hydraulic hitch prototype is constructed that could set control parameters.. The fuzzy controller of draft-position mixed control is designed. After that, in-field experiments of position control was carried on, and the result of experiment shows the error of tillage depth was less than ±20mm. The experiment of draft-position control shown that the draft force and the tillage depth could be adjust by multi-parameter such as tillage depth, resistance coefficient and draft-position mixed coefficient. So that, the multi-parameter control strategy could improve the adaptability of tillage depth control in various soils and plow condition.

Wind erosion potential of a winter wheat-summer fallow rotation after land application of biosolids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pi, Huawei; Sharratt, Brenton; Schillinger, William F.; Bary, Andrew I.; Cogger, Craig G.

2018-06-01

Conservation tillage is a viable management strategy to control soil wind erosion, but other strategies such as land application of biosolids that enhance soil quality may also reduce wind erosion. No studies have determined the effects of biosolids on wind erosion. Wind erosion potential of a silt loam was assessed using a portable wind tunnel after applying synthetic and biosolids fertilizer to traditional (disk) and conservation (undercutter) tillage practices during the summer fallow phase of a winter wheat-summer fallow (WW-SF) rotation in 2015 and 2016 in east-central Washington. Soil loss ranged from 12 to 61% lower for undercutter than disk tillage, possibly due to retention of more biomass on the soil surface of the undercutter versus disk tillage treatment. In contrast, soil loss was similar to or lower for biosolids as compared with synthetic fertilizer treatment. Our results suggest that biosolids applications to agricultural lands will have minimal impact on wind erosion.

Conservation agriculture among small scale farmers in semi-arid region of Kenya does improve soil biological quality and soil organic carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waweru, Geofrey; Okoba, Barrack; Cornelis, Wim

2016-04-01

The low food production in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has been attributed to declining soil quality. This is due to soil degradation and fertility depletion resulting from unsustainable conventional farming practices such as continuous tillage, crop residue burning and mono cropping. To overcome these challenges, conservation agriculture (CA) is actively promoted. However, little has been done in evaluating the effect of each of the three principles of CA namely: minimum soil disturbance, maximum surface cover and diversified/crop rotation on soil quality in SSA. A study was conducted for three years from 2012 to 2015 in Laikipia East sub county in Kenya to evaluate the effect of tillage, surface cover and intercropping on a wide variety of physical, chemical and biological soil quality indicators, crop parameters and the field-water balance. This abstract reports on soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) and soil organic carbon (SOC). The experimental set up was a split plot design with tillage as main treatment (conventional till (CT), no-till (NT) and no-till with herbicide (NTH)), and intercropping and surface cover as sub treatment (intercropping maize with: beans, MB; beans and leucaena, MBL; beans and maize residues at 1.5 Mg ha-1 MBMu, and dolichos, MD). NT had significantly higher SMBC by 66 and 31% compared with CT and NTH respectively. SOC was significantly higher in NTH than CT and NT by 15 and 4%, respectively. Intercropping and mulching had significant effect on SMBC and SOC. MBMu resulted in higher SMBC by 31, 38 and 43%, and SOC by 9, 20 and 22% as compared with MBL, MD and MB, respectively. SMBC and SOC were significantly affected by the interaction between tillage, intercropping and soil cover with NTMBMu and NTHMBMu having the highest SMBC and SOC, respectively. We conclude that indeed tillage, intercropping and mulching substantially affect SMBC and SOC. On the individual components of CA, tillage and surface cover had the highest effect on SMBC and SOC, respectively, but the highest positive effect was realized when all the three principles were applied consecutively. Therefore, CA has the potential to improve biological soil quality among small scale rainfed farmers and thus promote sustainable production.

Evaluating Soil Carbon Sequestration in Central Iowa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doraiswamy, P. C.; Hunt, E. R.; McCarty, G. W.; Daughtry, C. S.; Izaurralde, C.

2005-12-01

The potential for reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration through landuse and management of agricultural systems is of great interest worldwide. Agricultural soils can be a source of CO2 when not properly managed but can also be a sink for sequestering CO2 through proper soil and crop management. The EPIC-CENTURY biogeochemical model was used to simulate the baseline level of soil carbon from soil survey data and project changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) under different tillage and crop management practices for corn and soybean crops. The study was conducted in central Iowa (50 km x 100 km) to simulate changes in soil carbon over the next 50 years. The simulations were conducted in two phases; initially a 25-year period (1971-1995) was simulated using conventional tillage practices since there was a transition in new management after 1995. In the second 25-year period (1996-2020), four different modeling scenarios were applied namely; conventional tillage, mulch tillage, no-tillage and no-tillage with a rye cover crop over the winter. The model simulation results showed potential gains in soil carbon in the top layers of the soil for conservation tillage. The simulations were made at a spatial resolution of 1.6 km x 1.6 km and mapped for the study area. There was a mean reduction in soil organic carbon of 0.095 T/ha per year over the 25-year period starting with 1996 for the conventional tillage practice. However, for management practices of mulch tillage, no tillage and no tillage with cover crop there was an increase in soil organic carbon of 0.12, 0.202 and 0.263 T/ha respectively over the same 25-year period. These results are in general similar to studies conducted in this region.

Characterization of tillage effects on soil permeability using different measures of macroporosity derived from tension infiltrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodner, G.; Schwen, A.; Scholl, P.; Kammerer, G.; Buchan, G.; Kaul, H.-P.; Loiskandl, W.

2010-05-01

Soil macroporosity is a highly dynamic property influenced by environmental factors, such as raindrop impact, wetting-drying and freezing-thawing cycles, soil biota and plant roots, as well as agricultural management measures. Macroporosity represents an important indicator of soil physical quality, particularly in relation to the site specific water transmission properties, and can be used as a sensitive measure to assess soil structural degradation. Its quantification is also required for the parameterization of dual porosity models that are frequently used in environmental impact studies on erosion and solute (pesticide, nitrate) leaching. The importance of soil macroporosity for the water transport properties of the soil and its complexity due to high spatio-temporal heterogeneity make its quantitative assessment still a challenging task. Tension infiltrometers have been shown to be adequate measurement devices to obtain data in the near-saturated range of water flow where structural (macro)pores are dominating the transport process. Different methods have been used to derive water transmission characteristics from tension infiltrometer measurements. Moret and Arrúe (2007) differentiated between using a minimum equivalent capillary pore radius and a flow weighted mean pore radius to obtain representative macropore flow properties from tension infiltrometer data. Beside direct approaches based on Wooding's equation, also inverse methods have been applied to obtain soil hydraulic properties (Šimůnek et al. 1998). Using a dual porosity model in the inverse procedure allows estimating parameters in the dynamic near-saturated range by numerical optimization to the infiltration measurements, while fixing parameters in the more stable textural range of small pores using e.g. pressure plate data or even pedotransfer functions. The present work presents a comparison of quantitative measures of soil macroporosity derived from tension infiltrometer data by different approaches (direct vs. inverse evaluation, capillary vs. flow weighted pore radius). We will show the influence of the distinct evaluation procedures on the resulting effective macroporosity, as well as on the relationships between macropore radius and hydraulic conductivity (Moret and Arrúe, 2007) and pore fraction respectively (Carey et al., 2007). The infiltration measurements used in this study were obtained in a long-term tillage trial located in the semi-arid region of Eastern Austria. Measurements were taken five times over the vegetation period, starting immediately after tillage until harvest of the winter wheat crop. Three tillage systems were evaluated, being conventional tillage with plough, minimum tillage with chisel and no-tillage. Additional to infiltration measurements, also soil water content was monitored continuously by a capacitance probe in all three replicates of each tillage treatment in 10, 20 and 40 cm soil depth. Water content time series are used to derive flow velocity in the wet range by cross-correlation analysis (Wu et al., 1997). This effective parameter of water transmission will then be compared to the flow behaviour expected from the characterization of soil macroporosity. We will show that mainly in no-tillage systems large macropores contribute essentially to flow and therefore the decision on pore measure and evaluation procedure to be used leads to substantial differences. For a detailed comparison of tillage effects on soil hydraulic properties it is therefore essential to analyse the contribution of different tension infiltrometry based evaluation methods to explain effective water transmission through the complex porous network of the soil. References Carey, S.K., Quinton, W.L., Goeller, N.T. 2007. Field and laboratory estimates of pore size properties and hydraulic characteristics for subarctic organic soils. Hydrol. Process. 21, 2560-2571. Moret, D., Arrúe, J.L. 2007. Characterizing soil water conducting macro- and mesoporosity as influences by tillage using tension infiltrmetry. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 71, 500-506. Šimůnek, J., Wang Dong, Shouse, P. J., van Genuchten, M. T. 1998. Analysis of field tension disc infiltrometer data by parameter estimation. Int. Agrophys. 12. 167-180. Wu, L., Jury, W.A., Chang, A.C. 1997. Time series analysis of field-measured watr content of a sandy soil. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 61. 742-745.

Seedling emergence response of rare arable plants to soil tillage varies by species.

PubMed

Torra, Joel; Recasens, Jordi; Royo-Esnal, Aritz

2018-01-01

Very little information is available on emergence of rare arable plants (RAP) in relation to soil disturbance and seed burial conditions in Europe. This information is essential to design conservation and soil management strategies to prevent the decline of these species in agroecosystems. The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of soil cultivation with burial time on the emergence and seed persistence of RAP. Seeds of 30 RAP species were collected from Spanish arable fields and subjected to two tillage treatments: (a) no soil disturbance, and (b) autumnal soil disturbance down to 10 cm depth every year. The treatments simulated no-till and tilled (disking), respectively. In plots under no-till, RAP seeds were sown at 1-cm depth. In the tilled plots, seeds were sown homogeneously mixed in the top 1-10 cm of soil. The trial was established every two consecutive seasons, and each trial was maintained for two years. Annual cumulative plant emergence was calculated each year; whereas the first trial was monitored for a third year to estimate seed longevity using a persistence index. The response in emergence of the 30 RAP to annual tillage varied among species. With burial time (number of years), higher emergence was observed for seeds sown in tilled soil. This was true across all species, and with strong season effects. The persistence index was correlated with seed weight, species with bigger seeds had low persistence indices while no pattern was observed for small seeded species. Most RAP species, particularly those with high persistence, showed induction of secondary dormancy processes, highlighting the importance of tillage to promote RAP emergence, and hence, seed bank replenishment. Therefore, as time passes the absence of soil tillage may represent a driver of RAP seed bank decline for those species with secondary dormancy processes. In conclusion, it is important to design soil management strategies, such as regular tillage to promote emergence, on a species basis to preserve RAP in Europe.

Effect of different management systems on soil CO2 emission and plant growth in a maize field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dencso, Marton; Gelybó, Györgyi; Kása, Ilona; Pokovai, Klára; Potyó, Imre; Horel, Ágota; Birkás, Márta; Takács, Tünde; Tóth, Eszter

2017-04-01

In this study soil CO2 emission was examined in a long-term tillage experiment along with observations of plant morphological parameters, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) root colonization, soil properties and soil hydrothermal regime on loamy clay soil (Józsefmajor, Hungary) sown with maize. The tillage experiment was set up in 2002 and we focused on measurements performed in 2016. Based on soil disturbance depths, we selected three different tillage types such as ploughing (26-32 cm), shallow cultivation (12-16 cm), and no tillage (0 cm) for the present study. We examined CO2 emissions in rows compared to between rows within the same treatment in order to estimate the CO2 emission pattern in case of the different treatments. The measurements were carried out using the static chamber method in seven spatial replicates per treatment. For investigating plant morphological parameters of the maize we measured height of plants, leaf number and area, girth area of stem...etc. The CO2 data showed that the difference between ploughing and no tillage treatments was higher in the vegetation period of 2016 than during the dormant season. There were higher CO2 emissions in case of chambers inserted in rows than between rows on average, moreover there were significant differences between certain chambers installed in rows and between rows according to statistical data. This phenomenom can be explained by the enhanced root repiration in the rows. Based on plant morphology measurements we observed that plant developement was slower in no tillage treatment than in ploughing. Depending on sampling date, height of plants data showed 1.1 to 1.5 higher values, while leaf area data showed 1.2 to 2.5 times higher areas in case of ploughing compared to no tillage treatment. This can be due to the different soil conditions and textures of the treatments. The AMF root colonization data showed minor differences between ploughing and no tillage treatments, the highest colonization rates were found in case of shallow cultivation.

Effects of tillage practice on soil structure, N2O emissions and economics in cereal production under current socio-economic conditions in central Bosnia and Herzegovina

PubMed Central

Sitaula, Bishal Kumar; Čustović, Hamid; Žurovec, Jasminka; Dörsch, Peter

2017-01-01

Conservation tillage is expected to have a positive effect on soil physical properties, soil Carbon (C) storage, while reducing fuel, labour and machinery costs. However, reduced tillage could increase soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and offset the expected gains from increased C sequestration. To date, conservation tillage is barely practiced or studied in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH). Here, we report a field study on the short-term effects of reduced (RT) and no tillage (NT) on N2O emission dynamics, yield-scaled N2O emissions, soil structure and the economics of cereal production, as compared with conventional tillage (CT). The field experiment was conducted in the Sarajevo region on a clayey loam under typical climatic conditions for humid, continental BH. N2O emissions were monitored in a Maize-Barley rotation over two cropping seasons. Soil structure was studied at the end of the second season. In the much wetter 2014, N2O emission were in the order of CT > RT > NT, while in the drier 2015, the order was RT > CT > NT. The emission factors were within or slightly above the uncertainty range of the IPCC Tier 1 factor, if taking account for the N input from the cover crop (alfalfa) preceding the first experimental year. Saturated soils in spring, formation of soil crusts and occasional droughts adversely affected yields, particularly in the second year (barley). In 2014, yield-scaled N2O emissions ranged from 83.2 to 161.7 g N Mg-1 grain (corn) but were much greater in the second year due to crop failure (barley). RT had the smallest yield-scaled N2O emission in both years. NT resulted in economically inacceptable returns, due to the increased costs of weed control and low yields in both years. The reduced number of operations in RT reduced production costs and generated positive net returns. Therefore, RT could potentially provide agronomic and environmental benefits in crop production in BH. PMID:29117229

Effects of tillage practice on soil structure, N2O emissions and economics in cereal production under current socio-economic conditions in central Bosnia and Herzegovina.

PubMed

Žurovec, Ognjen; Sitaula, Bishal Kumar; Čustović, Hamid; Žurovec, Jasminka; Dörsch, Peter

2017-01-01

Conservation tillage is expected to have a positive effect on soil physical properties, soil Carbon (C) storage, while reducing fuel, labour and machinery costs. However, reduced tillage could increase soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and offset the expected gains from increased C sequestration. To date, conservation tillage is barely practiced or studied in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH). Here, we report a field study on the short-term effects of reduced (RT) and no tillage (NT) on N2O emission dynamics, yield-scaled N2O emissions, soil structure and the economics of cereal production, as compared with conventional tillage (CT). The field experiment was conducted in the Sarajevo region on a clayey loam under typical climatic conditions for humid, continental BH. N2O emissions were monitored in a Maize-Barley rotation over two cropping seasons. Soil structure was studied at the end of the second season. In the much wetter 2014, N2O emission were in the order of CT > RT > NT, while in the drier 2015, the order was RT > CT > NT. The emission factors were within or slightly above the uncertainty range of the IPCC Tier 1 factor, if taking account for the N input from the cover crop (alfalfa) preceding the first experimental year. Saturated soils in spring, formation of soil crusts and occasional droughts adversely affected yields, particularly in the second year (barley). In 2014, yield-scaled N2O emissions ranged from 83.2 to 161.7 g N Mg-1 grain (corn) but were much greater in the second year due to crop failure (barley). RT had the smallest yield-scaled N2O emission in both years. NT resulted in economically inacceptable returns, due to the increased costs of weed control and low yields in both years. The reduced number of operations in RT reduced production costs and generated positive net returns. Therefore, RT could potentially provide agronomic and environmental benefits in crop production in BH.

Comparison of runoff and soil loss in different tillage systems in the Mollisol region of Northeast China

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Longitudinal ridge tillage is the conventional tillage method in the cold, Mollisol region of Northeast China in which furrows are oriented up and down the slope. Soil erosion is a serious problem in this region in part due to the use of this tillage system with long slope lengths. It is unclear wha...

Long-term effects of contrasting tillage on soil organic carbon, nitrous oxide and ammonia emissions in a Mediterranean Vertisol under different crop sequences.

PubMed

Badagliacca, Giuseppe; Benítez, Emilio; Amato, Gaetano; Badalucco, Luigi; Giambalvo, Dario; Laudicina, Vito Armando; Ruisi, Paolo

2018-04-01

This 2-year study aimed to verify whether the continuous application of no tillage (NT) for over 20years, in comparison with conventional tillage (CT), affects nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and ammonia (NH 3 ) emissions from a Vertisol and, if so, whether such an effect varies with crop sequence (continuous wheat, WW and wheat after faba bean, FW). To shed light on the mechanisms involved in determining N-gas emissions, soil bulk density, water filled pore space (WFPS), some carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools, denitrifying enzyme activity (DEA), and nitrous oxide reductase gene abundance (nosZ gene) were also assessed at 0-15 and 15-30cm soil depth. Tillage system had no significant effect on total NH 3 emissions. On average, total N 2 O emissions were higher under NT (2.45kgN 2 O-Nha -1 ) than CT (1.72kgN 2 O-Nha -1 ), being the differences between the two tillage systems greater in FW than WW. The higher N 2 O emissions in NT treatments were ascribed to the increased bulk density, WFPS, and extractable organic C under NT compared to CT, all factors that generally promote the production of N 2 O. Moreover, compared to CT, NT enhanced the potential DEA (114 vs 16μgNkg -1 h -1 ) and nosZ gene abundance (116 vs 69 copy number mg -1 dry soil) in the topsoil. Finally, NT compared to CT led to an average annual increase in C stock of 0.70MgCha -1 year -1 . Though NT can increase the amount os soil organic matter so storing CO 2 into soil, some criticisms related to the increase of N 2 O emission arise, thereby suggesting the need for defining management strategies to mitigate such a negative effect. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Emissions of CH4 and N2O under Different Tillage Systems from Double-Cropped Paddy Fields in Southern China

PubMed Central

Zhang, Hai-Lin; Bai, Xiao-Lin; Xue, Jian-Fu; Chen, Zhong-Du; Tang, Hai-Ming; Chen, Fu

2013-01-01

Understanding greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions is becoming increasingly important with the climate change. Most previous studies have focused on the assessment of soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration potential and GHG emissions from agriculture. However, specific experiments assessing tillage impacts on GHG emission from double-cropped paddy fields in Southern China are relatively scarce. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the effects of tillage systems on methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emission in a double rice (Oryza sativa L.) cropping system. The experiment was established in 2005 in Hunan Province, China. Three tillage treatments were laid out in a randomized complete block design: conventional tillage (CT), rotary tillage (RT) and no-till (NT). Fluxes of CH4 from different tillage treatments followed a similar trend during the two years, with a single peak emission for the early rice season and a double peak emission for the late rice season. Compared with other treatments, NT significantly reduced CH4 emission among the rice growing seasons (P<0.05). However, much higher variations in N2O emission were observed across the rice growing seasons due to the vulnerability of N2O to external influences. The amount of CH4 emission in paddy fields was much higher relative to N2O emission. Conversion of CT to NT significantly reduced the cumulative CH4 emission for both rice seasons compared with other treatments (P<0.05). The mean value of global warming potentials (GWPs) of CH4 and N2O emissions over 100 years was in the order of NT

Quantification of tillage, plant cover, and cumulative rainfall effects on soil surface microrelief by statistical, geostatistical and fractal indices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paz-Ferreiro, J.; Bertol, I.; Vidal Vázquez, E.

2008-07-01

Changes in soil surface microrelief with cumulative rainfall under different tillage systems and crop cover conditions were investigated in southern Brazil. Surface cover was none (fallow) or the crop succession maize followed by oats. Tillage treatments were: 1) conventional tillage on bare soil (BS), 2) conventional tillage (CT), 3) minimum tillage (MT) and 4) no tillage (NT) under maize and oats. Measurements were taken with a manual relief meter on small rectangular grids of 0.234 and 0.156 m2, throughout growing season of maize and oats, respectively. Each data set consisted of 200 point height readings, the size of the smallest cells being 3×5 cm during maize and 2×5 cm during oats growth periods. Random Roughness (RR), Limiting Difference (LD), Limiting Slope (LS) and two fractal parameters, fractal dimension (D) and crossover length (l) were estimated from the measured microtopographic data sets. Indices describing the vertical component of soil roughness such as RR, LD and l generally decreased with cumulative rain in the BS treatment, left fallow, and in the CT and MT treatments under maize and oats canopy. However, these indices were not substantially affected by cumulative rain in the NT treatment, whose surface was protected with previous crop residues. Roughness decay from initial values was larger in the BS treatment than in CT and MT treatments. Moreover, roughness decay generally tended to be faster under maize than under oats. The RR and LD indices decreased quadratically, while the l index decreased exponentially in the tilled, BS, CT and MT treatments. Crossover length was sensitive to differences in soil roughness conditions allowing a description of microrelief decay due to rainfall in the tilled treatments, although better correlations between cumulative rainfall and the most commonly used indices RR and LD were obtained. At the studied scale, parameters l and D have been found to be useful in interpreting the configuration properties of the soil surface microrelief.

Emissions of CH4 and N2O under different tillage systems from double-cropped paddy fields in Southern China.

PubMed

Zhang, Hai-Lin; Bai, Xiao-Lin; Xue, Jian-Fu; Chen, Zhong-Du; Tang, Hai-Ming; Chen, Fu

2013-01-01

Understanding greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions is becoming increasingly important with the climate change. Most previous studies have focused on the assessment of soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration potential and GHG emissions from agriculture. However, specific experiments assessing tillage impacts on GHG emission from double-cropped paddy fields in Southern China are relatively scarce. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the effects of tillage systems on methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emission in a double rice (Oryza sativa L.) cropping system. The experiment was established in 2005 in Hunan Province, China. Three tillage treatments were laid out in a randomized complete block design: conventional tillage (CT), rotary tillage (RT) and no-till (NT). Fluxes of CH4 from different tillage treatments followed a similar trend during the two years, with a single peak emission for the early rice season and a double peak emission for the late rice season. Compared with other treatments, NT significantly reduced CH4 emission among the rice growing seasons (P<0.05). However, much higher variations in N2O emission were observed across the rice growing seasons due to the vulnerability of N2O to external influences. The amount of CH4 emission in paddy fields was much higher relative to N2O emission. Conversion of CT to NT significantly reduced the cumulative CH4 emission for both rice seasons compared with other treatments (P<0.05). The mean value of global warming potentials (GWPs) of CH4 and N2O emissions over 100 years was in the order of NT

Long-term no-tillage application increases soil organic carbon, nitrous oxide emissions and faba bean (Vicia faba L.) yields under rain-fed Mediterranean conditions.

PubMed

Badagliacca, Giuseppe; Benítez, Emilio; Amato, Gaetano; Badalucco, Luigi; Giambalvo, Dario; Laudicina, Vito Armando; Ruisi, Paolo

2018-05-20

The introduction of legumes into crop sequences and the reduction of tillage intensity are both proposed as agronomic practices to mitigate the soil degradation and negative impact of agriculture on the environment. However, the joint effects of these practices on nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and ammonia (NH 3 ) emissions from soil remain unclear, particularly concerning semiarid Mediterranean areas. In the frame of a long-term field experiment (23 years), a 2-year study was performed on the faba bean (Vicia faba L.) to evaluate the effects of the long-term use of no tillage (NT) compared to conventional tillage (CT) on yield and N 2 O and NH 3 emissions from a Vertisol in a semiarid Mediterranean environment. Changes induced by the tillage system in soil bulk density, water filled pore space (WFPS), organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN), denitrifying enzyme activity (DEA), and bacterial gene (16S, amoA, and nosZ) abundance were measured as parameters potentially affecting N gas emissions. No tillage, compared with CT, significantly increased the faba bean grain yield by 23%. The tillage system had no significant effect on soil NH 3 emissions. Total N 2 O emissions, averaged over two cropping seasons, were higher in NT than those in CT plots (2.58 vs 1.71 kg N 2 O-N ha -1 , respectively; P < 0.01). In addition, DEA was higher in NT compared to that in CT (74.6 vs 18.6 μg N 2 O-N kg -1  h -1 ; P < 0.01). The higher N 2 O emissions in NT plots were ascribed to the increase of soil bulk density and WFPS, bacteria (16S abundance was 96% higher in NT than that in CT) and N cycle genes (amoA and nosZ abundances were respectively 154% and 84% higher in NT than that in CT). The total N 2 O emissions in faba bean were similar to those measured in other N-fertilized crops. In conclusion, a full evaluation of NT technique, besides the benefits on soil characteristics (e.g. TOC increase) and crop yield, must take into account some criticisms related to the increase of N 2 O emissions compared to CT. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Response of deep soil moisture to land use and afforestation in the semi-arid Loess Plateau, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Lei; Wei, Wei; Chen, Liding; Mo, Baoru

2012-12-01

SummarySoil moisture is an effective water source for plant growth in the semi-arid Loess Plateau of China. Characterizing the response of deep soil moisture to land use and afforestation is important for the sustainability of vegetation restoration in this region. In this paper, the dynamics of soil moisture were quantified to evaluate the effect of land use on soil moisture at a depth of 2 m. Specifically, the gravimetric soil moisture content was measured in the soil layer between 0 and 8 m for five land use types in the Longtan catchment of the western Loess Plateau. The land use types included traditional farmland, native grassland, and lands converted from traditional farmland (pasture grassland, shrubland and forestland). Results indicate that the deep soil moisture content decreased more than 35% after land use conversion, and a soil moisture deficit appeared in all types of land with introduced vegetation. The introduced vegetation decreased the soil moisture content to levels lower than the reference value representing no human impact in the entire 0-8 m soil profile. No significant differences appeared between different land use types and introduced vegetation covers, especially in deeper soil layers, regardless of which plant species were introduced. High planting density was found to be the main reason for the severe deficit of soil moisture. Landscape management activities such as tillage activities, micro-topography reconstruction, and fallowed farmland affected soil moisture in both shallow and deep soil layers. Tillage and micro-topography reconstruction can be used as effective countermeasures to reduce the soil moisture deficit due to their ability to increase soil moisture content. For sustainable vegetation restoration in a vulnerable semi-arid region, the plant density should be optimized with local soil moisture conditions and appropriate landscape management practices.

Measurement of the fluorescence of crop residues: A tool for controlling soil erosion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daughtry, C. S. T.; Mcmurtrey, J. E., III; Chappelle, E. W.; Hunter, W. J.

1994-01-01

Management of crop residues, the portion of a crop left in the field after harvest, is an important conservation practice for minimizing soil erosion and for improving water quality. Quantification of crop residue cover is required to evaluate the effectiveness of conservation tillage practices. Methods are needed to quantify residue cover that are rapid, accurate, and objective. The fluorescence of crop residue was found to be a broadband phenomenon with emission maxima at 420 to 495 nm for excitations of 350 to 420 nm. Soils had low intensity broadband emissions over the 400 to 690 nm region for excitations of 300 to 600 nm. The range of relative fluorescence intensities for the crop residues was much greater than the fluorescence observed of the soils. As the crop residues decompose their blue fluorescence values approach the fluorescence of the soil. Fluorescence techniques are concluded to be less ambiguous and better suited for discriminating crop residues and soils than reflectance methods. If properly implemented, fluorescence techniques can be used to quantify, not only crop residue cover, but also photosynthetic efficiency in the field.

Impacts of long-term no-tillage and conventional tillage management of spring wheat-lentil cropping systems in dryland Eastern Montana, USA, on fungi associated to soil aggregation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus CV. Indianhead) used to replace fallow in spring-wheat (Triticum aestivum) rotation in the semi-arid Eastern Montana USA, may improve soil quality. We evaluate the 14 years influence of continuous wheat under no-tillage (WNT), fallow-wheat under conventional tillage (F...

Atrazine degradation and enzyme activities in an agricultural soil under two tillage systems.

PubMed

Mahía, Jorge; Martín, Angela; Carballas, Tarsy; Díaz-Raviña, Montserrat

2007-05-25

The content of atrazine and its metabolites (hydroxyatrazine, deethylatrazine and deisopropylatrazine) as well as the activities of two soil enzymes (urease and beta-glucosidase) were evaluated in an acid agricultural soil, located in a temperate humid zone (Galicia, NW Spain), with an annual ryegrass-maize rotation under conventional tillage (CT) and no tillage (NT). Samples were collected during two consecutive years from the arable layer at two depths (0-5 cm and 5-20 cm) and different times after atrazine application. Hydroxyatrazine and deisopropylatrazine were the main metabolites resulting from atrazine degradation in the acid soil studied, the highest levels being detected in the surface layer of the NT treatment. A residual effect of atrazine was observed since hydroxyatrazine was detected in the arable layer (0-5 cm, 5-20 cm) even one year after the herbicide application. Soil enzyme activities in the upper 5 cm layer under NT were consistently higher than those in the same layer under CT. Urease and beta-glucosidase activities decreased with depth in the profile under NT but they did not show any differences between the two depths for the plots under CT. For both tillage systems enzyme activities also reflected temporal changes during the maize cultivation; however, no consistent effect of the herbicide application was observed.

Effect of rainfall timing and tillage on the transport of steroid hormones in runoff from manure amended row crop fields.

PubMed

Biswas, Sagor; Kranz, William L; Shapiro, Charles A; Snow, Daniel D; Bartelt-Hunt, Shannon L; Mamo, Mitiku; Tarkalson, David D; Zhang, Tian C; Shelton, David P; van Donk, Simon J; Mader, Terry L

2017-02-15

Runoff generated from livestock manure amended row crop fields is one of the major pathways of hormone transport to the aquatic environment. The study determined the effects of manure handling, tillage methods, and rainfall timing on the occurrence and transport of steroid hormones in runoff from the row crop field. Stockpiled and composted manure from hormone treated and untreated animals were applied to test plots and subjected to two rainfall simulation events 30days apart. During the two rainfall simulation events, detection of any steroid hormone or metabolites was identified in 8-86% of runoff samples from any tillage and manure treatment. The most commonly detected hormones were 17β-estradiol, estrone, estriol, testosterone, and α-zearalenol at concentrations ranging up to 100-200ngL -1 . Considering the maximum detected concentrations in runoff, no more than 10% of the applied hormone can be transported through the dissolved phase of runoff. Results from the study indicate that hormones can persist in soils receiving livestock manure over an extended period of time and the dissolved phase of hormone in runoff is not the preferred pathway of transport from the manure applied fields irrespective of tillage treatments and timing of rainfall. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The influence of conservation tillage methods on soil water regimes in semi-arid southern Zimbabwe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mupangwa, W.; Twomlow, S.; Walker, S.

Planting basins and ripper tillage practices are major components of the recently introduced conservation agriculture package that is being extensively promoted for smallholder farming in Zimbabwe. Besides preparing land for crop planting, these two technologies also help in collecting and using rainwater more efficiently in semi-arid areas. The basin tillage is being targeted for households with limited or no access to draught animals while ripping is meant for smallholder farmers with some draught animal power. Trials were established at four farms in Gwanda and Insiza in southern Zimbabwe to determine soil water contributions and runoff water losses from plots under four different tillage treatments. The tillage treatments were hand-dug planting basins, ripping, conventional spring and double ploughing using animal-drawn implements. The initial intention was to measure soil water changes and runoff losses from cropped plots under the four tillage practices. However, due to total crop failure, only soil water and runoff were measured from bare plots between December 2006 and April 2007. Runoff losses were highest under conventional ploughing. Planting basins retained most of the rainwater that fell during each rainfall event. The amount of rainfall received at each farm significantly influenced the volume of runoff water measured. Runoff water volume increased with increase in the amount of rainfall received at each farm. Soil water content was consistently higher under basin tillage than the other three tillage treatments. Significant differences in soil water content were observed across the farms according to soil types from sand to loamy sand. The basin tillage method gives a better control of water losses from the farmers’ fields. The planting basin tillage method has a greater potential for providing soil water to crops than ripper, double and single conventional ploughing practices.

[Responses of accumulation-loss patterns for soil organic carbon and its fractions to tillage and water erosion in black soil area].

PubMed

Zhao, Peng Zhi; Chen, Xiang Wei; Wang, En Heng

2017-11-01

Tillage and water erosion have been recognized as the main factors causing degradation in soil organic carbon (SOC) pools of black soil. To further explore the response of SOC and its fractions to different driving forces of erosion (tillage and water), geostatistical methods were used to analyze spatial patterns of SOC and its three fractions at a typical sloping farmland based on tillage and water erosion rates calculated by local models. The results showed that tillage erosion and deposition rates changed according to the slope positions, decreasing in the order: upper-slope > lower-slope > middle-slope > toe-slope and toe-slope > lower-slope > middle-slope > upper-slope, respectively; while the order of water erosion rates decreased in the order: lower-slope > toe-slope > middle-slope > upper-slope. Tillage and water erosion cooperatively triggered intense soil loss in the lower-slope areas with steep slope gradient. Tillage erosion could affect C cycling through the whole slope at different levels, although the rate of tillage erosion (0.02-7.02 t·hm -2 ·a -1 ) was far less than that of water erosion (5.96-101.17 t·hm -2 ·a -1 ) in black soil area. However, water erosion only played a major role in controlling C dynamics in the runoff-concentrated lower slope area. Affected by water erosion and tillage erosion-deposition disturbance, the concentrations of SOC, particulate organic carbon and dissolved organic carbon in depositional areas were higher than in erosional areas, however, microbial biomass carbon showed an opposite trend. Tillage erosion dominated SOC dynamic by depleting particulate organic carbon.

The potential of agricultural practices to increase C storage in cropped soils: an assessment for France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chenu, Claire; Angers, Denis; Métay, Aurélie; Colnenne, Caroline; Klumpp, Katja; Bamière, Laure; Pardon, Lenaic; Pellerin, Sylvain

2014-05-01

Though large progress has been achieved in the last decades, net GHG emissions from the agricultural sector are still more poorly quantified than in other sectors. In this study, we examined i) technical mitigation options likely to store carbon in agricultural soils, ii) their potential of additional C storage per unit surface area and iii) applicable areas in mainland France. We considered only agricultural practices being technically feasible by farmers and involving no major change in either production systems or production levels. Moreover, only currently available techniques with validated efficiencies and presenting no major negative environmental impacts were taken into account. Four measures were expected to store additional C in agricultural soils: - Reducing tillage: either a switch to continuous direct seeding, direct seeding with occasional tillage once every five years, or continuous superficial (<15 cm) tillage. - Introducing cover crops in cropping systems: sown between two cash crops on arable farms, in orchards and vineyards (permanent or temporary cover cropping) . - Expanding agroforestry systems; planting of tree lines in cultivated fields and grasslands, and hedges around the field edges. - Increasing the life time of temporary sown grasslands: increase of life time to 5 years. The recent literature was reviewed in order to determine long term (>20yrs) C storage rates (MgC ha-1 y-1,) of cropping systems with and without the proposed practice. Then we analysed the conditions for potential application, in terms of feasibility, acceptance, limitation of yield losses and of other GHG emissions. According to the literature, additional C storage rates were 0.15 (0-0.3) MgC ha-1 y-1 for continuous direct seeding, 0.10 (0-0.2) MgC ha-1 y-1for occasional tillage one year in five, and 0.0 MgC ha-1 y-1 for superficial tillage. Cover crops were estimated to store 0.24 (0.13-0.37) MgC ha-1 y-1 between cash crops and 0.49 (0.23-0.72) MgC ha-1 y-1 when associated with vineyards. Hedges (i.e 60 m ha-1) stored 0.15 (0.05-0.26) Mg C ha-1 y-1. Very few estimates were available for temperate agroforestry system, and we proposed a value of 1.01 (0.11-1.36) Mg C ha-1 y-1for C stored in soil and in the tree biomass for systems comprising 30-50 trees ha-1. Increasing the life time of temporary sown grassland increased C stocls by 0.11 (0.07-0.22) Mg C ha-1 y-1. In general, practices with increased C inputs to soil through additional plant biomass (agroforestry, hedges and cover crops) resulted in higher additional C storage rates, while the reduction of soil organic matter mineralisation through reduced tillage seemed less effective. When applied to the French agricultural sector, excluding areas with soils with major technical constraints or negative environmental consequences (e.g. poorly aerated soils with high N2O emissions), the measures considered here allowed to increase French soil C stocks by 0 to more than 1 Tg C y-1. However, our estimates are associated with high uncertainties, due to the high variability in soil C storage associated with pedo-climatic conditions and cropping systems, and on the very few studies available for some practices such as agroforestry under temperate conditions.

[Effects of tillage practices on root spatial distribution and yield of spring wheat and pea in the dry land farming areas of central Gansu, China].

PubMed

Zhang, Ming Jun; Li, Ling Ling; Xie, Jun Hong; Peng, Zheng Kai; Ren, Jin Hu

2017-12-01

A field experiment was conducted to explore the mechanism of cultivation measures in affecting crop yield by investigating root distribution in spring wheat-pea rotation based on a long-term conservation tillage practices in a farming region of Gansu. The results showed that with the develo-pment of growth period, the total root length, root surface area of spring wheat and pea showed a consistent trend of increase after initial decrease and reached the maximum at flowering stage. Higher root distribution was found in the 0-10 cm soil layer at seedling and 10-30 cm soil layer at flowering and maturity stages in spring wheat, while in the field pea, higher root distribution was found in the 0-10 cm soil layer at seedling and maturity, and in the 10-30 cm soil layer at flowering stages. No tillage with straw mulching and plastic mulching increased the root length and root surface area. Compared with conventional tillage in spring wheat and field pea, root length increased by 35.9% to 92.6%, and root surface area increased by 43.2% to 162.4%, respectively. No tillage with straw mulching and plastic mulching optimized spring wheat and pea root system distribution, compared with conventional tillage, increased spring wheat and field pea root length and root surface area ratio at 0-10 cm depths at the seedling stage, the root distribution at deeper depths increased significantly at flowering and maturity stages, and no tillage with straw mulching increased root length and root surface area ratio by 3.3% and 9.7% respectively, in 30-80 cm soil layer at the flowering stage. The total root length, root surface area and yield had significantly positive correlation for spring wheat in each growth period, and the total root length and pea yield also had significant positive correlation. No tillage with straw mulching and plastic mulching boosted yield of spring wheat and pea by 23.4%-38.7% compared with the conventional tillage, and the water use efficiency was increased by 13.7%-28.5%. It was concluded that no-till farming and straw mulching (plastic) could increase crop root length and root surface area, optimize the spatial distribution of roots in the soil, enhance crop root layer absorption ability, so as to improve crop yield and water utilization.

Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration by Tillage and Crop Rotation: A Global Data Analysis

DOE Data Explorer

West, Tristram O. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Post, Wilfred M. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2002-01-01

Changes in agricultural management can potentially increase the accumulation rate of soil organic carbon (SOC), thereby sequestering CO2 from the atmosphere. This study was conducted to quantify potential soil carbon (C) sequestration rates for different crops in response to decreasing tillage intensity or enhancing rotation complexity, and to estimate the duration of time over which sequestration may occur. Analyses of C sequestration rates were completed using a global database of 67 long-term agricultural experiments, consisting of 276 paired treatments. Results indicate, on average, that a change from conventional tillage (CT) to no-till (NT) can sequester 57 ± 14 g C m^–2 yr^–1, excluding wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-fallow systems which may not result in SOC accumulation with a change from CT to NT. Enhancing rotation complexity can sequester an average 14 ± 11 g C m^–2 yr^–1, excluding a change from continuous corn (Zea mays L.) to corn-soybean (Glycine max L.) which may not result in a significant accumulation of SOC. Carbon sequestration rates, with a change from CT to NT, can be expected to peak in 5-10 yr with SOC reaching a new equilibrium in 15-20 yr. Following initiation of an enhancement in rotation complexity, SOC may reach a new equilibrium in approximately 40-60 yr. Carbon sequestration rates, estimated for a number of individual crops and crop rotations in this study, can be used in spatial modeling analyses to more accurately predict regional, national, and global C sequestration potentials.

Antibiotic losses in leaching and surface runoff from manure-amended agricultural land.

PubMed

Dolliver, Holly; Gupta, Satish

2008-01-01

A 3-yr field study quantified leaching and runoff losses of antibiotics from land application of liquid hog (chlortetracycline and tylosin) and solid beef (chlortetracycline, monensin, and tylosin) manures under chisel plowing and no-tillage systems. The study was conducted in southwestern Wisconsin, a karst area with steep, shallow, macroporous soils. Relative mass losses of chlortetracycline, monensin, and tylosin were <5% of the total amount applied with manure. Chlortetracycline was only detected in runoff, whereas monensin and tylosin were detected in leachate and runoff. Highest concentrations of monensin and tylosin in the leachate were 40.9 and 1.2 microg L(-1), respectively. Highest chlortetracycline, monensin, and tylosin concentrations in runoff were 0.5, 57.5, and 6.0 microg L(-1), respectively. For all three antibiotics, >90% of detections and 99% of losses occurred during the non-growing season due to fall manure application and slow degradation of antibiotics at cold temperatures. During years of high snowmelt, runoff accounted for nearly 100% of antibiotic losses, whereas during years of minimal snowmelt, runoff accounted for approximately 40% of antibiotic losses. Antibiotic losses were generally higher from the no-tillage compared with chisel plow treatment due to greater water percolation as a result of macroporosity and greater runoff due to lack of surface roughness in the no-tillage plots during the non-growing season. The results from this study suggest that small quantities of dissolved antibiotics could potentially reach surface and ground waters in the Upper Midwestern USA from manure-amended shallow macroporous soils underlain with fractured bedrock.

Soil organic carbon sequestration and tillage systems in Mediterranean environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Francaviglia, Rosa; Di Bene, Claudia; Marchetti, Alessandro; Farina, Roberta

2016-04-01

Soil carbon sequestration is of special interest in Mediterranean areas, where rainfed cropping systems are prevalent, inputs of organic matter to soils are low and mostly rely on crop residues, while losses are high due to climatic and anthropic factors such as intensive and non-conservative farming practices. The adoption of reduced or no tillage systems, characterized by a lower soil disturbance in comparison with conventional tillage, has proved to be positively effective on soil organic carbon (SOC) conservation and other physical and chemical processes, parameters or functions, e.g. erosion, compaction, ion retention and exchange, buffering capacity, water retention and aggregate stability. Moreover, soil biological and biochemical processes are usually improved by the reduction of tillage intensity. The work deals with some results available in the scientific literature, and related to field experiment on arable crops performed in Italy, Greece, Morocco and Spain. Data were organized in a dataset containing the main environmental parameters (altitude, temperature, rainfall), soil tillage system information (conventional, minimum and no-tillage), soil parameters (bulk density, pH, particle size distribution and texture), crop type, rotation, management and length of the experiment in years, initial SOCi and final SOCf stocks. Sampling sites are located between 33° 00' and 43° 32' latitude N, 2-860 m a.s.l., with mean annual temperature and rainfall in the range 10.9-19.6° C and 355-900 mm. SOC data, expressed in t C ha-1, have been evaluated both in terms of Carbon Sequestration Rate, given by [(SOCf-SOCi)/length in years], and as percentage change in comparison with the initial value [(SOCf-SOCi)/SOCi*100]. Data variability due to the different environmental, soil and crop management conditions that influence SOC sequestration and losses will be examined.

How do soil physical conditions for crop growth vary over time under established contrasting tillage regimes?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hallett, Paul; Stobart, Ron; Valentine, Tracy; George, Timothy; Morris, Nathan; Newton, Adrian; McKenzie, Blair

2014-05-01

When plant breeders develop modern cereal varieties for the sustainable intensification of agriculture, insufficient thought is given to the impact of tillage on soil physical conditions for crop production. In earlier work, we demonstrated that barley varieties that perform best in ploughed soil (the approach traditionally used for breeding trials) were not the same as those performing best under shallow non-inversion or zero-tillage. We also found that the Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) associated with improved phosphorus uptake, and hence useful for marker assisted breeding, were not robust between different tillage regimes. The impact of the soil environment had greater impact than the genetics in GxE interactions. It is obvious that soil tillage should be considered when breeding the next generation of crops. Tillage may also have important impacts on carbon storage, but we found that despite greater soil carbon at shallow depths under non-inversion tillage, the carbon stored throughout the soil profile was not affected by tillage. Studies on soil tillage impacts to crop productivity and soil quality are often performed in one season, on single sites that have had insufficient time to develop. Our current research explores multiple sites, on different soils, with temporal measurements of soil physical conditions under contrasting tillage regimes. We use the oldest established contemporary tillage experiments in the United Kingdom, with all sites sharing ploughed and shallow (7cm) non-inversion tillage treatments. In eastern Scotland (Mid Pilmore), the site also has zero tillage and deep ploughing (40 cm) treatments, and was established 11 years ago. In east England there are two sites, both also having a deep non-inversion tillage treatment, and they were established 6 (New Farm Systems) and 8 (STAR) years ago. We measure a range of crop and soil properties at sowing, one month after sowing and post-harvest, including rapid lab based assays that allow high-throughput. Samples are taken over the rooting zone in the topsoil, plough pan and subsoil. The first year's dataset from this comprehensive project will be presented. Early data identified plough pans under shallow non-inversion tillage that will limit root growth at all sites. Aggregate stabilities vary as expected, with plough soils at shallow depth being less stable than non-inversion tillage, but greater stability in plough soils at greater depth due to incorporated organic matter. Very rapidly following cultivation, the seedbeds coalesce, resulting in a more challenging physical environment for crop growth. We are exploring the mechanisms in soil structure temporal dynamics in greater detail, including the resilience of seedbeds to structural degradation through natural weathering and the action of plants. These profound differences in soil conditions will impact the root ideotype of crops for these different conditions. This has implications for the way in which breeding and genotype selection is performed in the future. Ultimately, we aim to identify crop varieties suited to local soil conditions and management, possibly with root traits that boost yields and soil physical quality.

How does tillage intensity affect soil organic carbon? A systematic review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haddaway, Neal Robert; Hedlund, Katarina; E Jackson, Louise; Kätterer, Thomas; Lugato, Emanuele; Thomsen, Ingrid; Bracht Jørgensen, Helene; Isberg, Per-Erik

2017-04-01

Background: The loss of carbon (C) from agricultural soils has been, in part, attributed to tillage, a common agricultural practice that provides a number of benefits to farmers. The promotion of less intensive tillage practices and no tillage (NT) aims to mitigate negative impacts on soil quality and to preserve soil organic carbon (SOC). Several reviews and meta-analyses have shown both beneficial and null effects on SOC due to no tillage relative to conventional tillage, hence there is a need for a comprehensive systematic review of the topic. Methods: We systematically review relevant research in warm temperate and boreal regions using, as a basis, evidence identified within a recently completed systematic map on the impacts of farming on SOC. We performed an update of the original systematic map searches to include studies published since the map search. We screened all evidence for relevance according to predetermined inclusion criteria. Studies were coded and subject to meta-data extraction. Quantitative study findings were then extracted and meta-analyses performed to investigate the impact of reducing tillage (from high (HT) to intermediate intensity (IT), HT to NT, and from IT to NT) for SOC concentration and SOC stock in the upper soil and at lower depths. Results: A total of 351 studies were included in the systematic review: some 18% coming from an update of research published in the 2 years following searches performed for the systematic map. SOC concentration was found to be significantly higher in NT relative to both IT (1.18 g/kg ± 0.34 (SE)) and HT (2.09 g/kg ± 0.34 (SE)) in the upper soil layer (0-15 cm). IT was also found to be significant higher (1.30 g/kg ± 0.22 (SE)) in SOC concentration than HT for the upper soil layer (0-15 cm). At lower depths, only IT SOC compared with HT at 15-30 cm showed a significant difference; being 0.89 g/kg (± 0.20 (SE)) lower in intermediate intensity tillage. For stock data NT had significantly higher SOC stocks down to 30 cm than either HT (4.61 Mg/ha ±1.95 (SE)) or IT (3.85 Mg/ha ±1.64 (SE)). No other comparisons were significant. Conclusion: The transition of tilled croplands to NT and conservation tillage has been credited with substantial potential to mitigate climate change via C storage. Changes in C stock due to management via reduced tillage has been estimated to be around 0.4 Mg/ha per year in the US. However, based on our results, the level of C stock increase under NT compared to HT was in the upper soil around 4.6 Mg/ha (0.78-8.43 Mg/ha, 95% CI) during a minimum of 10 years, while no effect was detected in the full horizon. Our results could provide evidence that NT and IT are potential means to promote SOC in the top soil. However, higher SOC stocks or concentrations in the upper soil layers not only promote a more productive soil but also provide resilience to extreme weather conditions. Our findings can hopefully be used to support further work to find solutions to increase and maintain C stocks in agricultural soils.

Integrated management of bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) in sugarcane

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bermudagrass is a difficult perennial weed to manage in Louisiana sugarcane. Research was conducted to compare interrow tillage practice, postharvest residue management, and herbicide placement on bermudagrass proliferation and sugarcane yield. Tillage frequencies included conventional (four tillage...

Nitrogen gas emissions and nitrate leaching dynamics under different tillage practices based on data synthesis and process-based modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Y.; Ren, W.; Tao, B.; Zhu, X.

2017-12-01

Nitrogen losses from the agroecosystems have been of great concern to global changes due to the effects on global warming and water pollution in the form of nitrogen gas emissions (e.g., N2O) and mineral nitrogen leaching (e.g., NO3-), respectively. Conservation tillage, particularly no-tillage (NT), may enhance soil carbon sequestration, soil aggregation and moisture; therefore it has the potential of promoting N2O emissions and reducing NO3- leaching, comparing with conventional tillage (CT). However, associated processes are significantly affected by various factors, such as soil properties, climate, and crop types. How tillage management practices affect nitrogen transformations and fluxes is still far from clear, with inconsistent even opposite results from previous studies. To fill this knowledge gap, we quantitatively investigated gaseous and leaching nitrogen losses from NT and CT agroecosystems based on data synthesis and an improved process-based agroecosystem model. Our preliminary results suggest that NT management is more efficient in reducing NO3- leaching, and meanwhile it simultaneously increases N2O emissions by approximately 10% compared with CT. The effects of NT on N2O emissions and NO3- leaching are highly influenced by the placement of nitrogen fertilizer and are more pronounced in humid climate conditions. The effect of crop types is a less dominant factor in determining N2O and NO3- losses. Both our data synthesis and process-based modeling suggest that the enhanced carbon sequestration capacity from NT could be largely compromised by relevant NT-induced increases in N2O emissions. This study provides the comprehensive quantitative assessment of NT on the nitrogen emissions and leaching in agroecosystems. It provides scientific information for identifying proper management practices for ensuring food security and minimizing the adverse environmental impacts. The results also underscore the importance of suitable nitrogen management in the NT agroecosystems for climate adaptation and mitigation.

Effect of tillage and crop residue management on nematode densities on corn.

PubMed

McSorley, R; Gallaher, R N

1994-12-01

Effects of winter cover crop management on nematode densities associated with a subsequent corn (Zea mays) crop were examined in five sites in north Florida. Two sites had received winter cover crops of lupine (Lupinus angustifolius), and one site each had rye (Secale cereale), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), and crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum). In each site, five different management regimes were compared: 1) conventional tillage after the cover crop was removed for forage; 2) conventional tillage with the cover crop retained as green manure; 3) no-till with the cover crop mowed and used as a mulch; 4) no-till with the cover crop removed as forage; and 5) fallow. Sites were sampled at corn planting and harvest for estimates of initial (Pi) and final (Pf) nematode population densities, respectively. Whether the cover crop was removed as forage or retained as green manure or mulch had no effect (P > 0.10) on population densities of any plant-parasitic nematode before or after corn at any site. Differences between conventional-till and no-till treatments were significant (P

Soil Tillage as a Factor of Soil Conservation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sherer, D. V.; Chumanova, N. N.

2017-05-01

The work describes the question of the soil treatment system influence on agro-physical and microbiological properties of gray forest soils, and yield of barley in Western Siberia. Research works were carried out in 2013-2014 in Yaya region of the Kemerovo region. Tillage affects soil structure. The water stability in zero tillage conditions was poor (15.7%). Soil density corresponding to the optimum rate for barley is formed by the zonal processing system, while at the zero tillage soil remains solid. The best indicators of phosphataze, catalysis and amylase activity are formed with minimum processing system. In the experiment the highest yield of barley was obtained with minimum tillage - 12.1 c/ha.

The Role of Government Policies in the Adoption of Conservation Tillage in China: A Theoretical Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Ya

2018-01-01

In recent years, many areas of China have been facing increasing problems of soil erosion and land degradation. Conservation tillage, with both economic and ecological benefits, provides a good avenue for Chinese farmers to conserve land as well as secure food production. However, the adoption rate of conservation tillage systems is very low in China. In this paper, the author constructs a theoretical model to explain a farmer’s adoption decision of conservation tillage. The goal is to investigate potential reasons behind the low adoption rate and explores alternative policy tools that can help improve a farmer’s incentive to adopt conservation tillage in China.

Effects of different mechanized soil fertilization methods on corn nutrient accumulation and yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Qingwen; Bai, Chunming; Wang, Huixin; Wu, Di; Song, Qiaobo; Dong, Zengqi; Gao, Depeng; Dong, Qiping; Cheng, Xin; Zhang, Yahao; Mu, Jiahui; Chen, Qinghong; Liao, Wenqing; Qu, Tianru; Zhang, Chunling; Zhang, Xinyu; Liu, Yifei; Han, Xiaori

2017-05-01

Aim: Experiments for mechanized corn soil fertilization were conducted in Faku demonstration zone. On this basis, we studied effects on corn nutrient accumulation and yield traits at brown soil regions due to different mechanized soil fertilization measures. We also evaluated and optimized the regulation effects of mechanized soil fertilization for the purpose of crop yield increase and production efficiency improvement. Method: Based on the survey of soil background value in the demonstration zone, we collected plant samples during different corn growth periods to determine and make statistical analysis. Conclusions: Decomposed cow dung, when under mechanical broadcasting, was able to remarkably increase nitrogen and potassium accumulation content of corns at their ripe stage. Crushed stalk returning combined with deep tillage would remarkably increase phosphorus accumulation content of corn plants. When compared with top application, crushed stalk returning combined with deep tillage would remarkably increase corn thousand kernel weight (TKW). Mechanized broadcasting of granular organic fertilizer and crushed stalk returning combined with deep tillage, when compared with surface application, were able to boost corn yield in the in the demonstration zone.

Fall rice straw management and winter flooding treatment effects on a subsequent soybean crop

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anders, M.M.; Windham, T.E.; McNew, R.W.; Reinecke, K.J.

2005-01-01

The effects of fall rice (Oryza sativa L.) straw management and winter flooding on the yield and profitability of subsequent irrigated and dryland soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] crops were studied for 3 years. Rice straw treatments consisted of disking, rolling, or standing stubble. Winter flooding treatments consisted of maintaining a minimum water depth of 10 cm by pumping water when necessary, impounding available rainfall, and draining fields to prevent flooding. The following soybean crop was managed as a conventional-tillage system or no-till system. Tillage system treatments were further divided into irrigated or dryland. Results indicated that there were no significant effects from either fall rice straw management or winter flooding treatments on soybean seed yields. Soybean seed yields for, the conventional tillage system were significantly greater than those for the no-till system for the first 2 yrs and not different in the third year. Irrigated soybean seed yields were significantly greater than those from dryland plots for all years. Net economic returns averaged over the 3 yrs were greatest ($390.00 ha-1) from the irrigated no-till system.

Chemical, green and organic manure effects on chemical properties on a savannah oxisol and on corn under conventional tillage and no-tillage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mannigel, Anny R.; Alves, Marlene C.; Valério Filho, Walter V.

2015-04-01

Modern agriculture, in general, has always been based on the concept that natural resources are endless; however, this concept is changing. Concern for the environment is increasingly becoming part of farming practices, either by the awareness of society, or because the high cost of fertilizers or even the exhaustion of soils. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of the green manure and mineral fertilizer and/or organic manure and, on the chemical properties of an Oxisol, on "Savannah" (cerrado) area in Mato Grosso do Sul-Brazil, cultivated with corn (Zea mays L.) on the following management conditions: no-tillage and conventional tillage, on area previously under pasture (Brachiaria decumbens). The experimental design was a randomized blocks and the tested treatments were: control (without organic manure or chemical fertilizer); chemical fertilizer, as recommended for the culture and based on the chemical soil analysis; organic manure (cow manure); organic manure + half of the mineral fertilizer recommended rate; and the green manure Crotalaria juncea and Pennisetum americanum. The chemical analyses were the soil chemical analysis to the intent of soil fertility. Corn yield was evaluated. The collect of soil samples were realized in depths of 0.00-0.05 m and 0.05-0.10 m and 0.10-0.20 m. The organic manure and the organic manure + half of the mineral recommended rate increased P, Ca, Mg, K and Organic Matter in the first depth (0.00 - 0.05 m). These treatments also increased K and Mg at the second depth analyzed (0.05 - 0.10 m) and K in the depth from 0.10 - 0.20 m. Under conventional tillage management presents better crop results with an average grain yield of 3649 kg ha-1 versus 2374 kg ha-1 obtained under no-tillage. The use of chemical fertilizer, organic manure + half of the mineral recommended rate, Crotalaria juncea, organic manure and Pennisetum americanum increased corn yield by 84, 79, 58, 44 and 41 %, respectively.

Conservation tillage

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Conservation tillage, especially the no-tillage type of it, represents the most dramatic change in soil management for crop production in the history of agriculture. Historically, farmers prepared their entire field as a seedbed, but seeds in most cases were placed only in small areas in the field. ...

Potato Response to Tillage and Nitrogen Management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Potato responses to different rates of pre-plant and in-season N management are evaluated under reduced and conventional tillage under center pivot irrigation. Tuber yield, tuber size distribution, and tuber specific gravity were largely similar across different tillage and N management practices. P...

Temporal variability of CO2 and N2O emissions in an agricultural long-term field trial regarding effects of different management practices and extreme weather effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koal, Philipp; Schilling, Rolf; Gerl, Georg; Pritsch, Karin; Munch, Jean Charles

2016-04-01

In order to achieve a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, modern agronomic management practices need to be established. Therefore, to assess the effect of different farming practices on greenhouse gas emissions, reliable data are required. The experiment covers and compares main aspects of agricultural management for a better implementation of sustainable land use. The focus lies on the determination and interpretation of greenhouse gas emissions, where the effects of diverse tillage systems and fertilisation practices of an integrated farming system as well as the impacts of extreme weather conditions are observed. In addition, with analysis of the alterable biological, physical and chemical soil properties a link between the impact of different management systems on greenhouse gas emissions and the observed cycle of matter in the soil, especially the nitrogen and carbon cycle, is enabled. Measurements have been carried out on long-term field trials at the Research Farm Scheyern located in a Tertiary hilly landscape approximately 40 km north of Munich (South Germany). The long-term integrated farming system trial was started in 1992. Since then parcels of land (each around 0.2-0.4 ha) with a particular interior plot set-up have been conducted with the same crop rotation, tillage and fertilisation practice referring to integrated farming management. Thus, the management impacts on the soil of more than 20 years have been examined. Fluxes of CH4, N2O and CO2 have been monitored since 2007 for the integrated farming system trial using an automated system which consists of chambers (0.4 m2 area) with a motor-driven lid, an automated gas sampling unit, an on-line gas chromatographic analysis system, and a control and data logging unit. Precipitation and temperature data have been observed for the experimental field to include weather effects. The main outcomes are the analysis of temporal and spatial dynamics of greenhouse gas emissions influenced by management practice events (i.a. fertilisation, crop incorporation and tillage) and weather effects (drying-rewetting, freezing-thawing, intense rainfall and dry periods) and the creation of impact studies comparing the management practices (minimum tillage vs conventional tillage; high vs low fertilisation). Physical, chemical and biological soil properties (i.a. texture, mineral nitrogen, soil organic carbon and microbial biomass) have been examined in short time intervals to aggregate the parameters and processes influencing the greenhouse gas emissions and to build a linkage between soil organic matter and greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, with the collected soil and agronomic data (harvest, tillage and fertilisation practices) the study contributes to a process quantification supporting modelling approaches.

Optimal Draft requirement for vibratory tillage equipment using Genetic Algorithm Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, Gowripathi; Chaudhary, Himanshu; Singh, Prem

2018-03-01

Agriculture is an important sector of Indian economy. Primary and secondary tillage operations are required for any land preparation process. Conventionally different tractor-drawn implements such as mouldboard plough, disc plough, subsoiler, cultivator and disc harrow, etc. are used for primary and secondary manipulations of soils. Among them, oscillatory tillage equipment is one such type which uses vibratory motion for tillage purpose. Several investigators have reported that the requirement for draft consumption in primary tillage implements is more as compared to oscillating one because they are always in contact with soil. Therefore in this paper, an attempt is made to find out the optimal parameters from the experimental data available in the literature to obtain minimum draft consumption through genetic algorithm technique.

Contributions of long-term tillage systems on crop production and soil properties in the semi-arid Loess Plateau of China.

PubMed

Niu, Yining; Zhang, Renzhi; Luo, Zhuzhu; Li, Lingling; Cai, Liqun; Li, Guang; Xie, Junhong

2016-06-01

This study determined the long-term effect of tillage systems on soil properties and crop yields in a semi-arid environment. Field pea (Pisum sativum L.) and spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were alternately grown in six tillage systems at Dingxi (35° 28' N, 104° 44' E), north-west China starting in 2001. After the first 6 years of experiments, conventional tillage with stubble incorporating (TS) and no-till with stubble cover (NTS) increased soil organic matter by 9.9% and 13.0%, respectively, compared to the conventional tillage with stubble removed (T); both TS and NTS also increased soil microbial counts, available K and P, and total N. No-till with stubble removed (NT), NTS and NTP (no-till with plastic mulching) had 20.7%, 62.6% and 43.7% greater alkaline phosphatase activity compared to the T treatment. Soil catalase, urease and invertase activities were all greater in the no-till treatments than in the T treatment. Averaged across 6 years, both wheat and pea achieved highest grain yields under NTS treatment. No-till with stubble retention is the most promising system for improving soil physical, biological and chemical properties, and increasing crop yields, and thus, this system can be adopted in areas with conditions similar to the semi-arid north-west China. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Microbial Community Structure and Enzyme Activities in Semiarid Agricultural Soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acosta-Martinez, V. A.; Zobeck, T. M.; Gill, T. E.; Kennedy, A. C.

2002-12-01

The effect of agricultural management practices on the microbial community structure and enzyme activities of semiarid soils of different textures in the Southern High Plains of Texas were investigated. The soils (sandy clay loam, fine sandy loam and loam) were under continuous cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) or in rotations with peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) or wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and had different water management (irrigated or dryland) and tillage (conservation or conventional). Microbial community structure was investigated using fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis by gas chromatography and enzyme activities, involved in C, N, P and S cycling of soils, were measured (mg product released per kg soil per h). The activities of b-glucosidase, b-glucosaminidase, alkaline phosphatase, and arylsulfatase were significantly (P<0.05) increased in soils under cotton rotated with sorghum or wheat, and due to conservation tillage in comparison to continuous cotton under conventional tillage. Principal component analysis showed FAME profiles of these soils separated distinctly along PC1 (20 %) and PC2 (13 %) due to their differences in soil texture and management. No significant differences were detected in FAME profiles due to management practices for the same soils in this sampling period. Enzyme activities provide early indications of the benefits in microbial populations and activities and soil organic matter under crop rotations and conservation tillage in comparison to the typical practices in semiarid regions of continuous cotton and conventional tillage.

Field Trial Assessment of Biological, Chemical, and Physical Responses of Soil to Tillage Intensity, Fertilization, and Grazing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vargas Gil, Silvina; Becker, Analia; Oddino, Claudio; Zuza, Mónica; Marinelli, Adriana; March, Guillermo

2009-08-01

Soil microbial populations can fluctuate in response to environmental changes and, therefore, are often used as biological indicators of soil quality. Soil chemical and physical parameters can also be used as indicators because they can vary in response to different management strategies. A long-term field trial was conducted to study the effects of different tillage systems (NT: no tillage, DH: disc harrow, and MP: moldboard plough), P fertilization (diammonium phosphate), and cattle grazing (in terms of crop residue consumption) in maize ( Zea mays L.), sunflower ( Heliantus annuus L.), and soybean ( Glycine max L.) on soil biological, chemical, and physical parameters. The field trial was conducted for four crop years (2000/2001, 2001/2002, 2002/2003, and 2003/2004). Soil populations of Actinomycetes, Trichoderma spp., and Gliocladium spp. were 49% higher under conservation tillage systems, in soil amended with diammonium phosphate (DAP) and not previously grazed. Management practices also influenced soil chemical parameters, especially organic matter content and total N, which were 10% and 55% higher under NT than under MP. Aggregate stability was 61% higher in NT than in MP, 15% higher in P-fertilized soil, and also 9% higher in not grazed strips, bulk density being 12% lower in NT systems compared with MP. DAP application and the absence of grazing also reduced bulk density (3%). Using conservation tillage systems, fertilizing crops with DAP, and avoiding grazing contribute to soil health preservation and enhanced crop production.

Tillage and Irrigation Management of Cotton in a Corn/Cotton Rotation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A research study was undertaken to evaluate the yield of cotton in a corn-cotton rotation under two tillage treatments, conventional and minimum/conservation, and two irrigation treatments, irrigated and non-irrigated. Crops were grown under four treatments, irrigated-conventional tillage, irrigate...

Eight years of Conservation Agriculture-based cropping systems research in Eastern Africa to conserve soil and water and mitigate effects of climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Araya, Tesfay; Nyssen, Jan; Govaerts, Bram; Lanckriet, Sil; Baudron, Frédéric; Deckers, Jozef; Cornelis, Wim

2014-05-01

In Ethiopia, repeated plowing, complete removal of crop residues at harvest, aftermath grazing of crop fields and occurrence of repeated droughts have reduced the biomass return to the soil and aggravated cropland degradation. Conservation Agriculture (CA)-based resource conserving cropping systems may reduce runoff and soil erosion, and improve soil quality, thereby increasing crop productivity. Thus, a long-term tillage experiment has been carried out (2005 to 2012) on a Vertisol to quantify - among others - changes in runoff and soil loss for two local tillage practices, modified to integrate CA principles in semi-arid northern Ethiopia. The experimental layout was a randomized complete block design with three replications on permanent plots of 5 m by 19 m. The tillage treatments were (i) derdero+ (DER+) with a furrow and permanent raised bed planting system, ploughed only once at planting by refreshing the furrow from 2005 to 2012 and 30% standing crop residue retention, (ii) terwah+ (TER+) with furrows made at 1.5 m interval, plowed once at planting, 30% standing crop residue retention and fresh broad beds, and (iii) conventional tillage (CT) with a minimum of three plain tillage operations and complete removal of crop residues. All the plowing and reshaping of the furrows was done using the local ard plough mahresha and wheat, teff, barley and grass pea were grown. Glyphosate was sprayed starting from the third year onwards (2007) at 2 l ha-1 before planting to control pre-emergent weeds in CA plots. Runoff and soil loss were measured daily. Soil water content was monitored every 6 days. Significantly different (p<0.05) runoff coefficients averaged over 8 years were 14, 20 and 27% for DER+, TER+ and CT, respectively. Mean soil losses were 4 t ha-1 y-1 in DER+, 13 in TER+ and 18 in CT. Soil water storage during the growing season was constantly higher in CA-based systems compared with CT. A period of at least three years of cropping was required before improvements in crop yield became significant. Further, modeling of the sediment budgets shows that total soil loss due to sheet and rill erosion in cropland, when CA would be practiced at large scale in a 180 ha catchment, would reduce to 581 t y-1, instead of 1109 t y-1 under the current farmer practice. Using NASA/GISS Model II precipitation projections of IPCC scenario A1FI, CA is estimated to reduce soil loss and runoff and mitigate the effect of increased rainfall due to climate change. For smallholder farmers in semi-arid agro-ecosystems, CA-based systems constitute a field rainwater and soil conservation improvement strategy that enhances crop and economic productivity and reduces siltation of reservoirs, especially under changing climate. The reduction in draught power requirement would enable a reduction in oxen density and crop residue demand for livestock feed, which would encourage smallholder farmers to increase biomass return to the soil. Adoption of CA-based systems in the study area requires further work to improve smallholder farmers' awareness on benefits, to guarantee high standards during implementation and to design appropriate weed management strategies.

Seasonal dynamics of CO2 efflux in soils amended with composted and thermally-dried sludge as affected by soil tillage systems in a semi-arid agroecosystem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Gil, Juan Carlos; Soler-Rovira, Pedro; López-de-Sa, Esther G.; Polo, Alfredo

2014-05-01

In semi-arid agricultural soils, seasonal dynamic of soil CO2 efflux (SCE) is highly variable. Based on soil respiration measurements the effects of different management systems (moldboard plowing, chisel and no-tillage) and the application of composted sludge (CS) and thermally-dried sewage sludge (TSS) was investigated in a long-term field experiment (28 years) conducted on a sandy-loam soil at the experimental station 'La Higueruela' (40o 03'N, 4o 24'W). Both organic amendments were applied at a rate of 30 Mg ha-1 prior to tillage practices. Unamended soils were used as control for each tillage system. SCE was moderate in late spring (2.2-11.8 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1) when amendments were applied and tillage was performed, markedly decreased in summer (0.4-3.2 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1), following a moderate increase in autumn (3.4-14.1 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1), rising sharply in October (5.6-39.8 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1 ). In winter, SCE was low (0.6-6.5 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1). In general, SCE was greater in chisel and moldboard tilled soils, and in CS and particularly TSS-amended soils, due to the addition of labile C with these amendments, meanwhile no-tillage soils exhibited smaller increases in C efflux throughout the seasons. Soil temperature controlled the seasonal variations of SCE. In summer, when drought occurs, a general decrease of SCE was observed due to a deficit in soil water content. After drought period SCE jumped to high values in response to rain events ('Birch effect') that changed soil moisture conditions. Soil drying in summer and rewetting in autumn may promotes some changes on the structure of soil microbial community, affecting associated metabolic processes, and enhancing a rapid mineralization of water-soluble organic C compounds and/or dead microbial biomass that acts as an energy source for soil microorganisms. To assess the effects of tillage and amendments on SCE, Q10 values were calculated. Data were grouped into three groups according to soil moisture (0.03-0.10 m3m-3, 0-11-0.21 m3m-3, 0.22-0.30 m3m-3). In general, Q10 values were lower at elevated temperatures when soil moisture contents decreased, confirming that SCE is less sensitive to soil temperature during drought periods. Q10 values were higher in moldboard and chisel tilled soils, possibly due to the incorporation of residues into soil and the increase of soil C substrate, meanwhile in no-tillage part of the organic C pools are likely protected from microorganisms by physico-chemical mechanisms. TSS-amended soils exhibited higher Q10 values than CS, pointing that the biochemical lability of the organic C added with amendments exerts an influence on SCE. Acknowledgements: this research was supported by the Spanish CICYT, Project no. CTM2011-25557.

Economic assessment of conventional and conservation tillage practices in different wheat-based cropping systems of Punjab, Pakistan.

PubMed

Shahzad, Muhammad; Hussain, Mubshar; Farooq, Muhammad; Farooq, Shahid; Jabran, Khawar; Nawaz, Ahmad

2017-11-01

Wheat productivity and profitability is low under conventional tillage systems as they increase the production cost, soil compaction, and the weed infestation. Conservation tillage could be a pragmatic option to sustain the wheat productivity and enhance the profitability on long term basis. This study was aimed to evaluate the economics of different wheat-based cropping systems viz. fallow-wheat, rice-wheat, cotton-wheat, mung bean-wheat, and sorghum-wheat, with zero tillage, conventional tillage, deep tillage, bed sowing (60/30 cm beds and four rows), and bed sowing (90/45 cm beds and six rows). Results indicated that the bed sown wheat had the maximum production cost than other tillage systems. Although both bed sowing treatments incurred the highest production cost, they generated the highest net benefits and benefit: cost ratio (BCR). Rice-wheat cropping system with bed sown wheat (90/45 cm beds with six rows) had the highest net income (4129.7 US$ ha -1 ), BCR (2.87), and marginal rate of return compared with rest of the cropping systems. In contrast, fallow-wheat cropping system incurred the lowest input cost, but had the least economic return. In crux, rice-wheat cropping system with bed sown wheat (90/45 cm beds with six rows) was the best option for getting the higher economic returns. Moreover, double cropping systems within a year are more profitable than sole planting of wheat under all tillage practices.

[Dynamics of aquic brown soil enzyme activities under no-tillage].

PubMed

Liu, Xiumei; Li, Qi; Liang, Wenju; Jiang, Yong; Wen, Dazhong

2006-12-01

This paper studied the effects of no-tillage on the dynamics of invertase, urease and acid phosphatase activities in an aquic brown soil during maize growing season. The results showed that in 0 - 10 cm soil layer, the invertase activity at jointing, trumpet-shaped and ripening stages, urease activity at jointing and booting stages, and acid phosphatase activity at booting and ripening stages were significantly higher under no-tillage (NT) than under conventional tillage (CT). In 10 - 20 cm soil layer, the invertase activity at seedling, jointing and trumpet-shaped stages was significantly different between NT and CT, and the urease activity during whole growing season except at booting stage was significantly higher under NT than under CT. In 20 - 30 cm soil layer, the invertase activity during maize growing season was significantly lower under NT than under CT, and urease activity at seedling stage and acid phosphate activity at ripening stage were significantly different between these two treatments. Under NT, there was a decreasing trend of soil enzyme activities with increasing soil depth; while under CT, soil invertase and acid phosphatase activities increased, but urease activity decreased with increasing soil depth.

Long-term no-till and stover retention each decrease the global warming potential of irrigated continuous corn.

PubMed

Jin, Virginia L; Schmer, Marty R; Stewart, Catherine E; Sindelar, Aaron J; Varvel, Gary E; Wienhold, Brian J

2017-07-01

Over the last 50 years, the most increase in cultivated land area globally has been due to a doubling of irrigated land. Long-term agronomic management impacts on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and global warming potential (GWP) in irrigated systems, however, remain relatively unknown. Here, residue and tillage management effects were quantified by measuring soil nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and methane (CH 4 ) fluxes and SOC changes (ΔSOC) at a long-term, irrigated continuous corn (Zea mays L.) system in eastern Nebraska, United States. Management treatments began in 2002, and measured treatments included no or high stover removal (0 or 6.8 Mg DM ha -1  yr -1 , respectively) under no-till (NT) or conventional disk tillage (CT) with full irrigation (n = 4). Soil N 2 O and CH 4 fluxes were measured for five crop-years (2011-2015), and ΔSOC was determined on an equivalent mass basis to ~30 cm soil depth. Both area- and yield-scaled soil N 2 O emissions were greater with stover retention compared to removal and for CT compared to NT, with no interaction between stover and tillage practices. Methane comprised <1% of total emissions, with NT being CH 4 neutral and CT a CH 4 source. Surface SOC decreased with stover removal and with CT after 14 years of management. When ΔSOC, soil GHG emissions, and agronomic energy usage were used to calculate system GWP, all management systems were net GHG sources. Conservation practices (NT, stover retention) each decreased system GWP compared to conventional practices (CT, stover removal), but pairing conservation practices conferred no additional mitigation benefit. Although cropping system, management equipment/timing/history, soil type, location, weather, and the depth to which ΔSOC is measured affect the GWP outcomes of irrigated systems at large, this long-term irrigated study provides valuable empirical evidence of how management decisions can impact soil GHG emissions and surface SOC stocks. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Agricultural management options for climate variability and change: conservation tillage

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Adapting to climate variability and change can be achieved through a broad range of management alternatives and technological advances. This publication is focused on the use of conservation tillage in crop production systems. The publication outlines ways that conservation tillage can reduce risk r...

Comparison of five tillage systems in coastal plain soils for cotton production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil compaction management in the southeastern USA typically relies heavily on the practice of annual deep tillage. Strip tillage systems have shown considerable promise for reducing energy and labor requirements, equipment costs, soil erosion, and cotton plant damage from blowing sand. Replicated f...

Herbicide and cover crop residue integration in conservation tillage tomato

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The increased adoption of conservation tillage in vegetable production requires more information on the role of various cover crops in weed control, tomato quality, and yield. Three conservation-tillage systems utilizing crimson clover, turnip, and cereal rye as winter cover crops were compared to a...

Can reducing tillage and increasing crop diversity benefit grain and forage production?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Benefits of reduced tillage and diverse rotation cropping systems include reversing soil C loss, mitigating greenhouse gas production, and improving soil health. However, adoption of these strategies is lagging, particularly in the upper Midwest, due to a perception that reduced tillage reduces cro...

Impact of glyphosate-resistant corn, glyphosate applications and tillage on soil nutrient ratios, exoenzyme activities and nutrient acquisition ratios.

PubMed

Jenkins, Michael B; Locke, Martin A; Reddy, Krishna N; McChesney, Daniel S; Steinriede, R Wade

2017-01-01

We report results of the last two years of a 7 year field experiment designed to test the null hypothesis: applications of glyphosate on glyphosate-resistant (GR) and non-resistant (non-GR) corn (Zea mays L.) under conventional tillage and no-till would have no effect on soil exoenzymes and microbial activity. Bulk soil (BS) and rhizosphere soil (RS) macronutrient ratios were not affected by either GR or non-GR corn, or glyphosate applications. Differences observed between exoenzyme activities were associated with tillage rather than glyphosate applications. In 2013, nutrient acquisition ratios for bulk and rhizosphere soils indicated P limitations, but sufficient assimilable N. In 2014, P limitations were observed for bulk and rhizosphere soils, in contrast to balanced C and N acquisition ratios in rhizosphere soils. Stoichiometric relationships indicated few differences between glyphosate and non-glyphosate treatments. Negative correlations between C:P and N:P nutrient ratios and nutrient acquisition ratios underscored the inverse relation between soil nutrient status and microbial community exoenzyme activities. Inconsistent relationships between microbial community metabolic activity and exoenzyme activity indicated an ephemeral effect of glyphosate on BS exoenzyme activity. Except for ephemeral effects, glyphosate applications appeared not to affect the function of the BS and RS exoenzymes under conventional tillage or no-till. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Why do we need to standardize no-tillage research?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

No-tillage / conservation agricultural systems research has now been performed for more than half a century in many countries around the world, but few efforts have been made to standardize research methodology. This has led to a situation where no-tillage research results have often not been direct...

Nutrient source and tillage influences on nitrogen availability in a Southern Piedmont corn cropping system

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Combinations of conservation tillage and poultry litter (PL) can increase crop production in southeastern USA soils compared to conventional tillage (CT) and chemical fertilizer (CF). The reason for the beneficial response is usually attributed to improved water and nutrient availability. We evaluat...

Quantification and fragment analysis of soil and cotton root-associated fungal and bacterial populations under different tillage managements

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background: Conservation tillage is a common management practice utilized in the hopes of reducing soil erosion and increasing soil carbon. Evidence suggests that conservation tillage may lead to habitat improvement for soil microorganisms, in particular rhizospheric bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhi...

Herbicide-resistant weeds threaten soil conservation gains: finding a balance for soil and farm sustainability

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Tillage has been an integral part of agriculture since the dawn of civilization. Growers and scientists have long recognized both beneficial and detrimental aspects to tillage. There is no question that most tillage promotes soil loss, adversely affects surface water quality and negatively impacts...

Impact of erosion and tillage on the productivity and quality of selected semiarid soils of Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehdizade, B.; Asadi, H.; Shabanpour, M.; Ghadiri, H.

2013-09-01

This greenhouse research was carried out to study the effects of water and tillage erosion on agricultural productivity and soil quality in soil samples from a semiarid region of Iran. A factorial experiment of complete randomized block design was used to compare the effects of soil erosion (eroded and non-eroded soils), slope position, water stress and fertilizer (N-P-K) on yield and yield components of wheat as soil productivity index. The results showed that erosion ie water and tillage erosion has a significant effect (p<0.01) in decreasing soil productivity due to its negative impact on soil organic matter, nutrients (N and K) and hydraulic conductivity. Complete N-P-K fertilization and water stress had significant effects on increasing and decreasing of wheat yield, respectively. The effect of water stress in particular was so high that it could eclipse the erosion impact on yield reduction. Wheat dry matter and grain mass on foot and mid slopes were significantly higher than that on upslope positions where total N and available K were the lowest and equivalent calcium carbonate the highest. Saturated hydraulic conductivity and total nitrogen were found to be the most important soil properties as far as their correlations to wheat yield are concerned.

Stratification and Storage of Soil Organic Carbon and Nitrogen as Affected by Tillage Practices in the North China Plain

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xiang-Qian; Kong, Fan-Lei; Chen, Fu; Lal, Rattan; Zhang, Hai-Lin

2015-01-01

Tillage practices can redistribute the soil profiles, and thus affects soil organic carbon (SOC), and its storage. The stratification ratio (SR) can be an indicator of soil quality. This study was conducted to determine tillage effects on the profile distribution of certain soil properties in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and summer maize (Zea mays L.) systems in the North China Plain (NCP). Three tillage treatments, including no till (NT), rotary tillage (RT), and plow tillage (PT), were established in 2001 in Luancheng County, Hebei Province. The concentration, storage, and SR of SOC and soil total nitrogen (TN) were assessed in both the wheat and maize seasons. Compared with RT and PT, the mean SRs for all depth ratios of SOC under NT increased by 7.85% and 30.61% during the maize season, and by 14.67% and 30.91% during the wheat season, respectively. The SR of TN for 0–5:30–50 cm increased by 140%, 161%, and 161% in the maize season, and 266%, 154%, and 122% in the wheat season compared to the SR for 0–5:5–10 cm under NT, RT and PT, respectively. The data indicated that SOC and TN were both concentrated in the surface-soil layers (0–10 cm) under NT but were distributed relatively evenly through the soil profile under PT. Meanwhile, the storage of SOC and TN was higher under NT for the surface soil (0–10 cm) but was higher under PT for the deeper soil (30–50 cm). Furthermore, the storage of SOC and TN was significantly related to SR of SOC and TN along the whole soil profile (P<0.0001). Therefore, SR could be used to explain and indicate the changes in the storage of SOC and TN. Further, NT stratifies SOC and TN, enhances the topsoil SOC storage, and helps to improve SOC sequestration and soil quality. PMID:26075391

Soil nitrogen dynamics and leaching under conservation tillage in the Atlantic Coastal Plain, Georgia, USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Conservation tillage (CsT) involves management that reduces soil erosion by maintaining crop residue cover on farm fields. Typically, both infiltration and soil organic matter increase over time with CsT practices. We compared the impact of a commonly used CsT practice, strip tillage (ST), to conven...

Simulated soil organic carbon response to tillage, yield, and climate change in the southeastern Coastal Plains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Intensive tillage, low-residue crops, and a warm, humid climate have contributed to soil organic carbon (SOC) loss in the southeastern Coastal Plains region. Conservation (CnT) tillage and winter cover cropping are current management practices to rebuild SOC; however, there is sparse long-term field...

No tillage effect on water retention characteristics of soil aggregates in rainfed semiarid conditions.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanco-Moure, Nuria; López, M. Victoria; Moret, David

2010-05-01

The evaluation of changes in soil moisture retention characteristics associated to alterations in soil structure is of great interest in tillage studies. Most of these studies have evaluated soil properties in samples of total soil but not in individual aggregates. However, soil behavior at a macroscale level depends on the aggregate properties. A better knowledge of aggregate characteristics, as the water retention properties, will help to explain, for example, the response of soil to tillage, compaction and crop growth, and hence, to plan adequate soil management practices. In this study we determine the water retention curve of soil aggregates of different sizes from a soil under two tillage systems (conventional and no tillage). The study was carried out in a silty clay loam soil of semiarid Aragon (NE Spain). Two tillage systems were compared: no tillage (NT) and conventional tillage with mouldboard plough (CT). Water retention curves (WRC) were determined for soil surface aggregates (0-5 cm) of three different sizes (8-4, 4-2 and 2-1 mm in diameter) by using the TDR-pressure cell (Moret et al. 2008. Soil Till. Res, 100, 114-119). The TDR-pressure cell is a non-destructive method which permits determining WRC with the only one and same soil sample. Thus, the pressure cell was filled with aggregates up to 4 cm height, weighted and wetted to saturation from the bottom. Pressure steps were sequentially applied at -0.5, -1.5, -3, -5, -10, -33, -100, -300 kPa, and water content of each aggregate sample was measured gravimetrically and by TDR 24 h after starting each pressure head step. The volume of the sample within the cell was also determined at this moment in order to obtain the bulk density and thus calculate the volumetric water content. A good relationship was obtained between the volumetric water content calculated from the gravimetric water content and the corresponding values measured by TDR (r2=0.907; p≤0.05). Within the same tillage treatment, no significant differences in WRC were found among soil aggregate sizes. Soil aggregates under CT retained more water at lower pressure heads in all aggregate sizes; in contrast the retention was more effective in those from NT at high pressure level. The extensive structural degradation of the CT aggregates observed during wetting with the consequent decrease in the soil volume within the transparent cell, can help to explain the different behaviour of both soils. The CT aggregates were probably disintegrated by slaking, causing a reduction in water drainage and, therefore, an increase in soil water content at low pressure heads. This idea was also confirmed with the application of the double exponential function proposed by Dexter et al. (2008. Geoderma 173, 243-253). The WRC curves measured by TDR were successfully fitted to the theoretical model proposed by Dexter (r2=0.986; p≤0.05). Thus, the model estimated that the large porosity between aggregates retain slightly more water under CT (0.36-0.39 m3 m-3) than under NT (0.31-0.35 m3 m-3). On the contrary, pores inside the aggregates tend to storage more water in NT (0.16-0.20 m3 m-3vs. 0.13-0.17 m3 m-3 in CT). These results show the suitability of NT to reduce the risk of soil crusting and compaction in agricultural lands of Aragón.

[Leaf water potential of spring wheat and field pea under different tillage patterns and its relationships with environmental factors].

PubMed

Zhang, Ming; Zhang, Ren-Zhi; Cai, Li-Qun

2008-07-01

Based on a long-term experiment, the leaf water potential of spring wheat and field pea, its relationships with environmental factors, and the diurnal variations of leaf relative water content and water saturation deficient under different tillage patterns were studied. The results showed that during whole growth period, field pea had an obviously higher leaf water potential than spring wheat, but the two crops had similar diurnal variation trend of their leaf water potential, i.e., the highest in early morning, followed by a descent, and a gradual ascent after the descent. For spring wheat, the maximum leaf water potential appeared at its jointing and heading stages, followed by at booting and flowering stages, and the minimum appeared at filling stage. For field pea, the maximum leaf water potential achieved at squaring stage, followed by at branching and flowering stages, and the minimum was at podding stage. The leaf relative water content of spring wheat was the highest at heading stage, followed by at jointing and flowering stages, and achieved the minimum at filling stage; while the water saturation deficient was just in adverse. With the growth of field pea, its leaf relative water content decreased, but leaf water saturation deficient increased. The leaf water potential of both spring wheat and field pea had significant correlations with environmental factors, including soil water content, air temperature, solar radiation, relative air humidity, and air water potential. Path analysis showed that the meteorological factor which had the strongest effect on the diurnal variation of spring wheat' s and field pea' s leaf water potential was air water potential and air temperature, respectively. Compared with conventional tillage, the protective tillage patterns no-till, no-till plus straw mulching, and conventional tillage plus straw returning increased the leaf water potential and relative water content of test crops, and the effect of no-till plus straw mulching was most significant.

Reduced soil cultivation and organic fertilization on organic farms: effects on crop yield and soil physical traits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Surböck, Andreas; Gollner, Gabriele; Klik, Andreas; Freyer, Bernhard; Friedel, Jürgen K.

2017-04-01

A continuous investment in soil fertility is necessary to achieve sustainable yields in organic arable farming. Crucial factors here besides the crop rotation are organic fertilization and the soil tillage system. On this topic, an operational group (Project BIOBO*) was established in the frame of an European Innovation Partnership in 2016 consisting of organic farmers, consultants and scientists in the farming region of eastern Austria. The aim of this group is the development and testing of innovative, reduced soil cultivation, green manure and organic fertilization systems under on-farm and on-station conditions to facilitate the sharing and transfer of experience and knowledge within and outside the group. Possibilities for optimization of the farm-specific reduced soil tillage system in combination with green manuring are being studied in field trials on six organic farms. The aim is to determine, how these measures contribute to an increase in soil organic matter contents, yields and income, to an improved nitrogen and nutrient supply to the crops, as well as support soil fertility in general. Within a long-term monitoring project (MUBIL), the effects of different organic fertilization systems on plant and soil traits have been investigated since 2003, when the farm was converted to organic management. The examined organic fertilization systems, i.e. four treatments representing stockless and livestock keeping systems, differ in lucerne management and the supply of organic manure (communal compost, farmyard manure, digestate from a biogas plant). Previous results of this on-station experiment have shown an improvement of some soil properties, especially soil physical properties, since 2003 in all fertilization systems and without differences between them. The infiltration rate of rainwater has increased because of higher hydraulic conductivity. The aggregate stability has shown also positive trends, which reduces the susceptibility to soil erosion by wind and water. The improvements are attributed to the crop rotation with two-year lucerne and other crops with a dense root system. In autumn 2015, the soil tillage in the trial was converted from an intensive use of the plough to a reduced tillage system with a chisel. With this change, further improvements in soil properties, especially in connection with organic fertilizers, are expected and are further examined. Plots in which the previous tillage with the plough is continued, allow a comparison of the effects of the different soil tillage systems. * The project BIOBO is supported by the Austrian Federal Government, Austrian Federal Provinces and the European Union.

Effect of Tillage and Non-tillage Agricultural Practice on Nitrogen Losses as NO and N2O in Tropical Corn Fields at Guarico State, Venezuela.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marquina, S.; Rojas, A.; Donoso, L.; Rasse, R.; Giuliante, A.; Corona, O.; Perez, T.

2007-12-01

We evaluated the effect of agricultural practices on NO and N2O emissions from corn fields at Northern Guárico, one of Venezuelan largest cereal production regions. Historically, the most common agricultural practice in these regions has been mono cropping. Tillage (T) and non-tillage (NT) of soils represent approximately 30 and 70% of the planted area, respectively. Comparative studies of the nitrogen losses associated with these agricultural practices are not available for these regions. This study was conducted at the farm "Tierra Nueva", Guárico State (9° 23' 33'' N, 66° 38' 30'' W) in two corn fields under tillage and non-tillage agricultural practice during the growing season (June-August 2006). A dry tropical forest, the primary ecosystem of the region, was evaluated for the same period of time. The corn and the forest fields were adjacent; therefore, they were exposed to the same meteorological conditions. The mean annual precipitation of the area is 622±97.3 mm (last 5 years). The soils are Vertisols (Typic Haplusterts). Nutrient soil concentrations (as nitrate and ammonium), water soil content and pH soil were measured in the fields for the same period of time. Soils were fertilized and planted simultaneously by a planting machine provided with a furrow opener where the fertilizer and seeds are incorporated between 0-10 cm depths. Tillage soils were fertilized on June 1st 2006 with 65 kgN/ha of NPK (13:18:16/3MgO, 3S; N as NH4Cl), whereas non-tillage soils were fertilized the next day with 56 kgN/ha of NPK (12:25:12/3MgO, 3S; N as NH4Cl). Second fertilization of both fields was done thirty-seven days later by broadcast adding 58 kgN/ha approximately, using nitrophosphate as fertilizer (NP 33-3: 33% N total; 16.7% N- NO3- and 16.6% N- NH4+). In general, NO and N2O soil emissions from both corn fields increased after fertilization events, and depend on water soil content and nutrient soil concentration. N2O soil emissions were 11 and 9 times larger in comparison to the forest values for the 60-day evaluation period for NT and T, respectively. On the other hand, NO soil emissions were 1.5 and 5 times larger in NT and T fields, respectively, in comparison to forest values. The fertilizer-induced emissions factors (FEI) for NO and N2O show that the nitrogen gaseous losses are mostly in the form of N2O for NT (NO-FEI = 0.2% and N2O-FEI=3.6%) and T (NO-FEI=1.7% and N2O- FEI=2.8%) practices. However, NO losses are higher in T than NT soils, probably due to the higher porosity in the former that promotes NO production under aerobic conditions. These results imply that tillage agricultural practice leads to a higher stimulation of these nitrogen gaseous emissions than non-tillage agricultural practice. Our N2O-FEI values for direct emissions are higher than the proposed by the IPPC national guidelines 2006 (FEI = 1%, Volume 4, Chapter 11). This implies that tropical agroecosystems are more susceptible to increase emissions after fertilization than temperate regions. Our results will be used to produce better estimates of direct N2O emissions from tropical agriculture and improve the current Venezuelan national greenhouse gas inventory.

Impact of biosolids and tillage on soil organic matter fractions: Implications of carbon saturation for conservation management in the Virginia Coastal Plain

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Long-term soil conservation management decreases soil bulk density, increases water infiltration and water holding capacity. In the Virginia Coastal Plain, growers have been practicing rotational no-tillage and continuous no-tillage with and without biosolid application over 20 years to improve soi...

Relationship between tillage intensity and initial growth of loblolly pine seedlings

Treesearch

M. Chad Lincoln; Rodney E. Will; Emily A. Carter; John R. Britt; Lawrence A. Morris

2006-01-01

To determine the relationship between changes in soil attributes associated with differing tillage intensities and growth of loblolly pine seedlings, we measured soil moisture, nitrogen (N) availability, and soil strength across a range of tillage treatments on an Orangeburg soil series near Cuthbert, GA (four replications). We then correlated these measurements to the...

No-tillage and fertilization management on crop yields and nitrate leaching in North China Plain

PubMed Central

Huang, Manxiang; Liang, Tao; Wang, Lingqing; Zhou, Chenghu

2015-01-01

A field experiment was performed from 2003 to 2008 to evaluate the effects of tillage system and nitrogen management regimes on crop yields and nitrate leaching from the fluvo-aquic soil with a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)–maize (Zea mays L.) double-cropping system. The tillage systems consisted of conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT). Three nitrogen management regimes were included: 270 kg N ha−1 of urea for wheat and 225 kg N ha−1 of urea for maize (U), 180 kg N ha−1 of urea and 90 kg N ha−1 of straw for wheat and 180 kg N of urea and 45 kg N ha−1 of straw for maize (S), 180 kg N ha−1 of urea and 90 kg N ha−1 of manure for wheat and 180 kg N ha−1 of urea and 45 kg N ha−1 of manure for maize (M). An array of tension-free pan lysimeters (50 cm × 75 cm) were installed (1.2 m deep) to measure water flow and -N movement. No significant effect of the N management regime on yields of winter wheat and maize grain was found in the 5-year rotation. Tillage systems had significant influences on -N leaching from the second year and thereafter interacted with N management regimes on -N loads during all maize seasons. The average yield-scaled -N leaching losses were in order of CTS < NTS< CTU < NTU

Dust-associated microbiomes from dryland wheat fields differ with tillage practice and biosolids application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlatter, Daniel C.; Schillinger, William F.; Bary, Andy I.; Sharratt, Brenton; Paulitz, Timothy C.

2018-07-01

Wind erosion is a significant threat to the productivity and sustainability of agricultural soils. In the dryland winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-fallow region of Inland Pacific Northwest of the USA (PNW), farmers increasingly use conservation tillage practices to control wind erosion. In addition, some farmers in this dry region apply municipal biosolids to soils as fertilizer and a source of stable organic matter. The impacts of soil management practices on emissions of dust microbiota to the atmosphere are understudied. We used high-throughput DNA sequencing to examine the impacts of conservation tillage and biosolids amendments on the transport of dust-associated fungal and bacterial communities during simulated high-wind events over two years at Lind, WA. The fungal and bacterial communities contained in windblown dust differed significantly with tillage (conservation vs. conventional) and fertilizer (synthetic vs. biosolids) treatments. However, the richness and diversity of fungal and bacterial communities of dust did not vary significantly with tillage or fertilizer treatments. Taxa enriched in dust from fields under conservation tillage represented many plant-associated taxa that likely grow on residue left on the soil surface, whereas taxa that were more abundant with conventional tillage were those that likely grow on buried plant residue. Dust from biosolids-amended fields harbored greater abundances of taxa that likely feed on introduced carbon. Most human-associated taxa that may pose a health risk were not present in dust after biosolids amendment, although members of Clostridiaceae were enriched with this treatment. Results show that tillage and fertilizer management practices impact the composition of bioaerosols emitted during high-wind events and have potential implications for plant and human health.

Effect of different agronomic practises on greenhouse gas emissions, especially N2O and nutrient cycling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koal, Philipp; Schilling, Rolf; Gerl, Georg; Pritsch, Karin; Munch, Jean Charles

2014-05-01

In order to achieve a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, management practises need to be adapted by implementing sustainable land use. At first, reliable field data are required to assess the effect of different farming practises on greenhouse gas budgets. The conducted field experiment covers and compares two main aspects of agricultural management, namely an organic farming system and an integrated farming system, implementing additionally the effects of diverse tillage systems and fertilisation practises. Furthermore, the analysis of the alterable biological, physical and chemical soil properties enables a link between the impact of different management systems on greenhouse gas emissions and the monitored cycle of matter, especially the nitrogen cycle. Measurements were carried out on long-term field trials at the Research Farm Scheyern located in a Tertiary hilly landscape approximately 40 km north of Munich (South Germany). The long-term field trials of the organic and integrated farming system were started in 1992. Since then, parcels in a field (each around 0,2-0,4 ha) with a particular interior plot set-up have been conducted. So the 20 years impacts of different tillage and fertilisation practises on soil properties including trace gases were examined. Fluxes of CH4, N2O and CO2 are monitored since 2007 for the integrated farming system trial and since 2012 for the organic farming system trial using an automated system which consists of chambers (per point: 4 chambers, each covering 0,4 m2 area) with a motor-driven lid, an automated gas sampling unit, an on-line gas chromatographic analysis system, and a control and data logging unit (Flessa et al. 2002). Each chamber is sampled 3-4 times in 24 hours. The main outcomes are the analysis of temporal and spatial dynamics of greenhouse gas fluxes as influenced by management practice events (fertilisation and tillage) and weather effects (drying-rewetting, freezing-thawing, intense rainfall and dry periods) in both established systems and the creation of an impact study comparing the minimum tillage system with the conventional tillage system. Physical, chemical and biological soil properties (i.a. texture, mineral nitrogen and soil organic carbon) were monitored to aggregate the parameters and processes influencing the greenhouse gas fluxes. Moreover, to understand processes leading the greenhouse gas emissions, additional experiments under laboratory conditions (e.g. soil potential for trace gas formation) are included. Furthermore, with the comparison of the similar long-term field experiments (organic vs. integrated) more relevant data are ascertained to assess and calculate the global warming potential of different management and tillage systems.

Short-term soil loss by eolian erosion in response to different rain-fed agricultural practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanner, Smadar; Katra, Itzhak; Zaady, Eli

2016-04-01

Eolian (wind) erosion is a widespread process and a major form of soil degradation in arid and semi-arid regions. The present study examined changes in soil properties and eolian soil loss at a field scale in response to different soil treatments in two rain-fed agricultural practices. Field experiments with a boundary-layer wind tunnel and soil analysis were used to obtain the data. Two practices with different soil treatments (after harvest), mechanical tillage and stubble grazing intensities, were applied in the fallow phase of the rotation (dry season). The mechanical tillage and the stubble grazing had an immediate and direct effects on soil aggregation but not on the soil texture, and the contents of soil water, organic matter, and CaCO3. Higher erosion rates, that was measured as fluxes of total eolian sediment and particulate matter <10 μm (PM10), were recorded under mechanical tillage and grazing intensities compared with the undisturbed topsoil of the control plots. The erosion rates were higher in grazing plots than in tillage plots. The calculated soil fluxes in this study indicate potentially rapid soil degradation due to loss of fine particles by wind. The finding may have implications for long-term management of agricultural soils in semi-arid areas.

[Comparative study of N, P output and eutrophication risk in runoff water in cross ridge and longitudinal ridge].

PubMed

Yu, Xing-Xiu; Ma, Qian; Liu, Qian-Jin; Lü, Guo-An

2011-02-01

Field in-situ rainfall simulation tests with two rainfall intensities (40 mm x h(-1) and 70 mm x h(-1)), which were conducted at typical sloping cropland in Yimeng mountainous area, were designed to analyze the output characteristics of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, Inorganic-N (NO3(-)-N, NH4(+) -N) and dissolved phosphorus (DP) in runoff water, as well as to compare the eutrophication risk in this water by calculating three ratios of Inorganic-N/DP, NO3(-) -N/DP, and NH4(+)-N/DP, respectively, in cross ridge and longitudinal ridge tillage methods. Results showed that, under the same rainfall intensity, the DP level in runoff water was higher in cross ridge than longitudinal ridge, while the change of different Inorganic-N level between the two tillage methods were not consistent. Cross ridge could effectively reduce runoff and the output rate of Inorganic-N and DP when compared to the longitudinal ridge tillage, which would be more outstanding with the increases of rainfall intensities. The losses of Inorganic-N and DP in runoff water were 43% and 5% less, respectively, in cross ridge than longitudinal ridge at the 40 mm x h(-1) rainfall intensity, and were 68% and 55%, respectively, at 70 mm x h(-1). The higher Inorganic-N/DP and NO3(-) -N/DP ratios suggest that runoff water from either cross ridge or longitudinal ridge tillage have a certain eutrophication risk, which present an increasing trend during the precipitation-runoff process. Compared with longitudinal ridge, cross ridge can not only hinder the increasing trend of eutrophication risk, but also can significantly lower it, and thus effectively reduce the effect of sloping cropland runoff on the eutrophication processes of receiving waters.

The natural abundance of 13C with different agricultural management by NIRS with fibre optic probe technology.

PubMed

Fuentes, Mariela; González-Martín, Inmaculada; Hernández-Hierro, Jose Miguel; Hidalgo, Claudia; Govaerts, Bram; Etchevers, Jorge; Sayre, Ken D; Dendooven, Luc

2009-06-30

In the present study the natural abundance of (13)C is quantified in agricultural soils in Mexico which have been submitted to different agronomic practices, zero and conventional tillage, retention of crop residues (with and without) and rotation of crops (wheat and maize) for 17 years, which have influenced the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the soil. The natural abundance of C13 is quantified by near infrared spectra (NIRS) with a remote reflectance fibre optic probe, applying the probe directly to the soil samples. Discriminate partial least squares analysis of the near infrared spectra allowed to classify soils with and without residues, regardless of the type of tillage or rotation systems used with a prediction rate of 90% in the internal validation and 94% in the external validation. The NIRS calibration model using a modified partial least squares regression allowed to determine the delta(13)C in soils with or without residues, with multiple correlation coefficients 0.81 and standard error prediction 0.5 per thousand in soils with residues and 0.92 and 0.2 per thousand in soils without residues. The ratio performance deviation for the quantification of delta(13)C in soil was 2.5 in soil with residues and 3.8 without residues. This indicated that the model was adequate to determine the delta(13)C of unknown soils in the -16.2 per thousand to -20.4 per thousand range. The development of the NIR calibration permits analytic determinations of the values of delta(13)C in unknown agricultural soils in less time, employing a non-destructive method, by the application of the fibre optic probe of remote reflectance to the soil sample.

Assessing agricultural management effects on structure related soil hydraulic properties by tension infiltrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodner, G.; Loiskandl, W.; Kaul, H.-P.

2009-04-01

Soil structure is a dynamic property subject to numerous natural and human influences. It is recognized as fundamental for sustainable functioning of soil. Therefore knowledge of management impacts on the sensitive structural states of soil is decisive in order to avoid soil degradation. The stabilization of the soil's (macro)pore system and eventually the improvement of its infiltrability are essential to avoid runoff and soil erosion, particularly in view of an increasing probability of intense rainfall events. However structure-related soil properties generally have a high natural spatiotemporal variability that interacts with the potential influence of agricultural land use. This complicates a clear determination of management vs. environmental effects and requires adequate measurement methods, allowing a sufficient spatiotemporal resolution to estimate the impact of the targeted management factors within the natural dynamics of soil structure. A common method to assess structure-related soil hydraulic properties is tension infiltrometry. A major advantage of tension infiltrometer measurements is that no or only minimum soil disturbance is necessary and several structure-controlled water transmission properties can readily be derived. The method is more time- and cost-efficient compared to laboratory measurements of soil hydraulic properties, thus enabling more replications. Furthermore in situ measurements of hydraulic properties generally allow a more accurate reproduction of field soil water dynamics. The present study analyses the impact of two common agricultural management options on structure related hydraulic properties based on tension infiltrometer measurements. Its focus is the identification of the role of management within the natural spatiotemporal variability, particularly in respect to seasonal temporal dynamics. Two management approaches are analysed, (i) cover cropping as a "plant-based" agro-environmental measure, and (ii) tillage with different intensities including conventional tillage with a mouldboard plough, reduced tillage with a chisel plough and no-tillage. The results showed that the plant-based management measure of cover cropping had only minor influence on near-saturated hydraulic conductivity (kh) and flow weighted mean pore radius (λm). Substantial over-winter changes were found with a significant increase in kh and a reduction in the pore radius. A spatial trend in soil texture along the cover cropped slope resulted in a higher kh at lower pressure heads at the summit with higher fractions of coarse particles, while kh tended to be highest at the toeslope towards saturation. Cover crop management accounted for a maximum of 9.7% of the total variability in kh, with a decreasing impact towards the unsaturated range. A substantial difference to bare soil in the cover cropped treatments could be identified in relation to a stabilization of macro-pores over winter. The different tillage treatments had a substantial impact on near-saturated kh and pore radius. Although conventional tillage showed the highest values in kh and λm, settling of the soil after the ploughing event tended to reduce differences over time compared to the other tillage methods. The long-term no-tillage (10 years) however had the lowest values of kh at all measurement dates. The high contents of silt and fine sand probably resulted in soil densification that was not counterbalanced sufficiently by biological structure forming agents. The study could show that soil structure related hydraulic properties are subject to a substantial seasonal variability. A comprehensive assessment of agricultural measures such as tillage or cover cropping requires an estimate of these temporal dynamics and their interaction with the management strategies. Particularly for plant-based management measures such as cover cropping, which represent a less intense intervention in the structural states of the soil compared to tillage, this was evident, as the main mechanism revealed for this measure was structure stabilization over time. While spatial variability is mostly controlled in designed experiments, the role of temporal variability is often underestimated. From our study we concluded that (i) a proper understanding of processes involved in management effects on soil structure must take into consideration the dynamic nature of the respective soil properties, (ii) experimental planning for studies regarding management impacts on soil structure should allow an estimation of temporal variability, and (iii) for this purpose tension infiltrometry provides an efficient measurement tool to assess structure related soil hydraulic properties.

Quantification and mapping of surface residue cover and tillage practices for maize and soybean fields in south central Nebraska-USA using Landsat imagery

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The area cultivated under conservation tillage practices such as no-till and minimal tillage has recently increased in south central Nebraska (NE). Consequently, changes in some of the impacts of cropping systems on soil such as enhancing soil and water quality, improving soil structures and infiltr...

Bacterial and archaeal ammonia oxidizers respond differently to long-term tillage and fertilizer management at a continuous maize site

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fertilizer use and tillage affect both the general soil microbial community and speci'c N-utilizing microbial groups, but likely to varying degrees. To assess these impacts, soil was collected on three key dates from a long-term (26+ years), rainfed, continuous maize site where tillage (no-till and ...

Organic weed conrol and cover crop residue integration impacts on weed control, quality, and yield and economics in conservation tillage tomato - A case study

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The increased use of conservation tillage in vegetable production requires more information be developed on the role of cover crops in weed control, tomato quality and yield. Three conservation-tillage systems utilizing crimson clover, brassica and cereal rye as winter cover crops were compared to ...

Runoff and soil loss under different land management practices in vineyards: grass cover treatments and traditional tillage. Results from simulated rainfall.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruiz-Colmenero, Marta; Bienes, Ramon; Marques, Maria-Jose

2010-05-01

Land degradation control is crucial in croplands located in semiarid lands, due to its low soil formation rate, above all in slope fields. This study is located in the South East of Madrid (Spain), in a vineyard at 800 masl under Mediterranean semiarid climatic conditions, with an average slope of 14%. We studied the impact of traditional tillage measuring runoff and soil loss in plots in two critical moments of the vineyard crop: summer with dry soil, and fall when tillage is done in order to facilitate the infiltration of winter rainfalĺs water. Three treatments were tested in nine erosion plots (4m x 0,5m): traditional tillage ("till"); Brachypodium distachyon (L.) ("bra") allowing self-sowing; Secale cereale ("sec"), mown in early spring. Short (15 minutes) but intense (2,16 mm/min) simulated rainfalls were carried out at each plot: The simulated rainfalls made in summer over the vineyard tilled in spring ("till") produced little runoff (41 ml min-1; erosion rate of 0.24 g m-2) and it lasted 6 min from the start of the shower, it was due to the roughness and because the soil was near its wilting point. The low erosion rate is attributable to the sealing of soil after the rains occurred in spring. In treatments with plant cover runoff began earlier, at the 3rd minute. The average runoff was 516 and 730 ml min-1 and erosion rates were 3.04 g m-2 and 1.41 g m-2 in "bra" and "sec" respectively. There were significant differences (F = 31.6, P <0.001) in runoff coefficient between the three treatments with the highest ratio shown in "sec". The average runoff coefficients obtained were 16% in "sec", 13% in "bra" and 1.4% in "till". Moreover two simulated rainfalls were carried out in autumn in order to test the effect of the autumnal traditional tillage. The plant cover treatments were efficient controlling the erosion (sediment yield were in "till"; "sec" and "bra" respectively 2.66, 0. 29, 0. 11 g m-2 in the first simulation, and 11.67, 0.66, 0.14 g m-2 in the second simulation). Before tillage the average runoff coefficient in "till" was 19% (six times higher than in plant cover treatments) probably because of its sealing and compaction due to the lack of plants. After tillage, in spite of the increase of roughness, and on the contrary to obtained in summer, the runoff increases. It is explained by the soil moisture: In the first simulated rainfall, the soil was 72% of its water holding capacity at 10 cm, and 44% at 35 cm soil depth. However, in the second simulated rainfall the surface was completely wet, and at 35 cm it reached the 85% of water holding capacity. Comparing the runoff and erosion behavior in each treatment for both seasons, it is shown that in summer a shallow tillage increases the infiltration significantly. However in autumn, when the soil is wetter, the tillage increases runoff and erosion significantly. This has to be taken into account in order to change traditional uses in steep crops. Keywords: erosion, runoff, simulated rainfall, vineyard, tillage, vegetable cover Aknowledgements: Projects FP06-DR3 IMIDRA and RTA2007-0086 INIA. Predoctoral grant from INIA. Bodegas and Viñedos Gosálbez-Ortí.

Effect of different agronomic management practices on greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient cycling in a long-term field trial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koal, Philipp; Schilling, Rolf; Gerl, Georg; Pritsch, Karin; Munch, Jean Charles

2015-04-01

In order to achieve a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, modern agronomic management practices need to be established. Therefore, to assess the effect of different farming practices on greenhouse gas emissions, reliable data are required. The experiment covers and compares two main aspects of agricultural management for a better implementation of sustainable land use. The focus lies on the determination and interpretation of greenhouse gas emissions, however, regarding in each case a different agricultural management system, namely an organic farming system and an integrated farming system where the effect of diverse tillage systems and fertilisation practices are observed. In addition, with analysis of the alterable biological, physical and chemical soil properties a link between the impact of different management systems on greenhouse gas emissions and the observed cycle of matter in the soil, especially the nitrogen and carbon cycle, will be enabled. Measurements have been carried out on long-term field trials at the Research Farm Scheyern located in a Tertiary hilly landscape approximately 40 km north of Munich (South Germany). The long-term field trials of the organic and integrated farming system were started in 1992. Since then parcels of land (each around 0.2-0.4 ha) with a particular interior plot set-up have been conducted with the same crop rotation, tillage and fertilisation practice referring to organic and integrated farming management. Thus, the management impacts on the soil of more than 20 years are being examined. Fluxes of CH4, N2O and CO2 have been monitored since 2007 for the integrated farming system trial and since 2012 for the organic farming system trial using an automated system which consists of chambers (0.4 m2 area) with a motor-driven lid, an automated gas sampling unit, an on-line gas chromatographic analysis system, and a control and data logging unit. Precipitation and temperature data have been observed for each experimental field to include weather effects. The main outcomes are the analysis of temporal and spatial dynamics of greenhouse gas emissions influenced by management practice events (i.a. fertilisation, crop incorporation and tillage) and weather effects (drying-rewetting, freezing-thawing, intense rainfall and dry periods) and the creation of impact studies comparing the farming systems (organic vs integrated) and the management practices (minimum tillage vs conventional tillage; high vs low fertilisation). Physical, chemical and biological soil properties (i.a. texture, mineral nitrogen, soil organic carbon and microbial biomass) have been examined in short time intervals to aggregate the parameters and processes influencing the greenhouse gas emissions and to build a linkage between soil organic matter and greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, with the comparison of the investigated similar long-term field experiments and the collected agronomic data (harvest, tillage and fertilisation practices) the study could contribute to a contemporary set of "best management practices" and could provide a help to create decision tools for stakeholders such as farmers.

Influence of fertilizer placement on gaseous loss (CO2, CH4, N2O, and NH4) under different tillage management practices in a corn cropping system

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Tillage and fertilizer application methods could alter plant yield and quality of corn production. Thus, a field experiment was conducted at the Sand Mountain Research Station located in the Appalachian Plateau region of Northeast Alabama on a Hartsells fine sandy loam to evaluate tillage (conventi...

Soil physical and X-ray computed tomographic measurements to investigate small-scale structural differences under strip tillage compared to mulch till and no-till

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pöhlitz, Julia; Rücknagel, Jan; Schlüter, Steffen; Vogel, Hans-Jörg

2017-04-01

In recent years there has been an increasing application of conservation tillage techniques where the soil is no longer turned, but only loosened or left completely untilled. Dead plant material remains on the soil surface, which provides environmental and economic benefits such as the conservation of water, preventing soil erosion and saving time during seedbed preparation. There is a variety of conservation tillage systems, e.g. mulch till, no-till and strip tillage, which is a special feature. In strip tillage, the seed bed is divided into a seed zone (strip-till within the seed row: STWS) and a soil management zone (strip-till between the seed row: STBS). However, each tillage application affects physical soil properties and processes. Here, the combined application of classical soil mechanical and computed tomographic methods is used on a Chernozem (texture 0-30 cm: silt loam) to show small-scale structural differences under strip tillage (STWS, STBS) compared to no-till (NT) and mulch till (MT). In addition to the classical soil physical parameters dry bulk density and saturated conductivity (years: 2012, 2014, 2015) at soil depths 2-8 and 12-18 cm, stress-strain tests were carried out to map mechanical behavior. The stress-strain tests were performed for a load range from 5-550 kPa at 12-18 cm depth (year 2015). Mechanical precompression stress was determined on the stress-dry bulk density curves. Further, CT image cross sections and computed tomographic examinations (average pore size, porosity, connectivity, and anisotropy) were used from the same soil samples. For STBS and NT, a significant increase in dry bulk density was observed over the course of time compared to STWS and MT, which was more pronounced at 2-8 cm than at 12-18 cm depth. Despite higher dry bulk density, STBS displayed higher saturated conductivity in contrast to STWS, which can be attributed to higher earthworm abundance. In strip tillage, structural differences were identified. Mechanical precompression stress was significantly higher for STBS (141 kPa) than STWS (38 kPa). In addition, the CT image cross sections and the computed tomographic parameters confirmed the mechanically more stable soil structure observed under STBS with a higher initial average pore size but lower porosity and connectivity values compared to STWS. The reason for this is the lack of tillage. On the other hand, tillage at STWS created a loosened, porous and connective substrate. For all variants, the increasing load application led to progressive homogenization processes of the soil structure. At the same time, as stress application increased in all variants, the increase in dry bulk density led to a decrease in average pore size, porosity, and connectivity, while anisotropy increased. It was possible to confirm that strip tillage combines the advantages of no-till and a deeper conservation primary tillage, since on the one hand MT and STWS and on the other hand STBS and NT showed very similar soil structures. The computed tomographic parameters therefore provide valuable information about the impact of tillage on microscopic pore space attributes that improve our understanding about soil functional behavior at much larger scales.

Soil change and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) seedling growth following site preparation tillage in the Upper Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States

Treesearch

Chad M. Lincoln; Rodney E. Will; Lawrence A. Morris; Emily A. Carter; Daniel Markewtiz; John R. Britt; Ben Cazell; Vic Ford

2007-01-01

To determine the relationship between changes in soil physical properties due to tillage and growth of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedlings, we measured soil moisture and penetration resistance for a range of tillage treatments on two Upper Coastal Plain sites in Georgia and correlated these measurements to the growth of individual seedlings. The...

Can conservation tillage reduce N2O emissions on cropland transitioning to organic vegetable production?

PubMed

Chen, Guihua; Kolb, Lauren; Cavigelli, Michel A; Weil, Ray R; Hooks, Cerruti R R

2018-03-15

Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) is an important greenhouse gas and a catalyst of stratospheric ozone decay. Agricultural soils are the source of 75% of anthropogenic N 2 O emissions globally. Recently, significant attention has been directed at examining effects of conservation tillage on carbon sequestration in agricultural systems. However, limited knowledge is available regarding how these practices impact N 2 O emissions, especially for organic vegetable production systems. In this context, a three-year study was conducted in a well-drained sandy loam field transitioning to organic vegetable production in the Mid-Atlantic coastal plain of USA to investigate impacts of conservation tillage [strip till (ST) and no-till (NT)] and conventional tillage (CT) [with black plastic mulch (CT-BP) and bare-ground (CT-BG)] on N 2 O emissions. Each year, a winter cover crop mixture (forage radish: Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus, crimson clover: Trifolium incarnatum L., and rye: Secale cereale L.) was grown and flail-mowed in the spring. Nearly 80% of annual N 2 O-nitrogen (N) emissions occurred during the vegetable growing season for all treatments. Annual N 2 O-N emissions were greater in CT-BP than in ST and NT, and greater in CT-BG than in NT, but not different between CT-BG and CT-BP, ST and NT, or CT-BG and ST. Conventional tillage promoted N mineralization and plastic mulch increased soil temperature, which contributed to greater N 2 O-N fluxes. Though water filled porosity in NT was higher and correlated well with N 2 O-N fluxes, annual N 2 O-N emissions were lowest in NT suggesting a lack of substrates for nitrification and denitrification processes. Crop yield was lowest in NT in Year 1 and CT-BP in Year 3 but yield-scaled N 2 O-N emissions were consistently greatest in CT-BP and lowest in NT each year. Our results suggest that for coarse-textured soils in the coastal plain with winter cover crops, conservation tillage practices may reduce N 2 O emissions in organic vegetable production systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of Soil Tillage Systems on Soil Respiration and Production on Wheat, Maize and Soybean Crop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moraru, P. I.; Rusu, T.

2012-04-01

Soil respiration leads to CO2 emissions from soil to the atmosphere, in significant amounts for the global carbon cycle. Soil capacity to produce CO2 varies depending on soil, season, intensity and quality of agrotechnical tillage, soil water, cultivated plant, fertilizer etc. The data presented in this paper were obtained on argic-stagnic Faeoziom (SRTS, 2003). These areas were was our research, presents a medium multiannual temperature of 8.20C, medium of multiannual rain drowns: 613 mm. The experimental variants chosen were: A. Conventional system (CS): V1-reversible plough (22-25 cm)+rotary grape (8-10 cm); B. Minimum tillage system (MT): V2 - paraplow (18-22 cm) + rotary grape (8-10 cm); V3 - chisel (18-22 cm) + rotary grape (8-10 cm);V4 - rotary grape (10-12 cm); C. No-Tillage systems (NT): V5 - direct sowing. The experimental design was a split-plot design with three replications. In one variant the area of a plot was 300 m2. The experimental variants were studied in the 3 years crop rotation: maize - soy-bean - autumn wheat. To soil respiration under different tillage practices, determinations were made for each crop in four vegetative stages (spring, 5-6 leaves, bean forming, harvest) using ACE Automated Soil CO2 Exchange System. Soil respiration varies throughout the year for all three crops of rotation, with a maximum in late spring (1383 to 2480 mmoli m-2s-1) and another in fall (2141 to 2350 mmoli m-2s-1). The determinations confirm the effect of soil tillage system on soil respiration, the daily average is lower at NT (315-1914 mmoli m-2s-1), followed by MT (318-2395 mmoli m-2s-1) and is higher in the CS (321-2480 mmol m-2s-1). Productions obtained at MT and NT don't have significant differences at wheat and are higher at soybean. The differences in crop yields are recorded at maize and can be a direct consequence of loosening, mineralization and intensive mobilization of soil fertility. Acknowledgments: This work was supported by CNCSIS-UEFISCSU, project number PN II-RU 273/2010.

Influence on wine biogenic amine composition of modifications to soil N availability and grapevine N by cover crops.

PubMed

Pérez-Álvarez, Eva P; Garde-Cerdán, Teresa; Cabrita, Maria João; García-Escudero, Enrique; Peregrina, Fernando

2017-11-01

Vineyard soil management can modify the nitrogen soil availability and, therefore, grape amino acid content. These compounds are precursors of biogenic amines, which have negative effects on wine quality and human health. The objective was to study whether the effect of conventional tillage and two cover crops (barley and clover) on grapevine nitrogen status could be related to wine biogenic amines. Over 4 years, soil NO 3 - -N, nitrogen content in leaf and wine biogenic amine concentration were determined. Barley reduced soil NO 3 - -N availability and clover increased it. In 2011, at bloom, nitrogen content decreased with barley treatment in both blade and petiole. In 2012, nitrogen content in both leaf tissues at bloom was greater with clover than with tillage and barley treatments. Also, total biogenic amines decreased in barley with respect to tillage and clover treatments. There were correlations between some individual and total biogenic amine concentrations with respect to nitrogen content in leaf tissues. Wine biogenic amine concentration can be affected by the grapevine nitrogen status, provoked by changes in the soil NO 3 - -N availability with both cover crop treatments. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Carbon dioxide efflux from soil with poultry litter applications in conventional and conservation tillage systems in northern Alabama.

PubMed

Roberson, T; Reddy, K C; Reddy, S S; Nyakatawa, E Z; Raper, R L; Reeves, D W; Lemunyon, J

2008-01-01

Increased CO2 release from soils resulting from agricultural practices such as tillage has generated concerns about contributions to global warming. Maintaining current levels of soil C and/or sequestering additional C in soils are important mechanisms to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere through production agriculture. We conducted a study in northern Alabama from 2003 to 2006 to measure CO2 efflux and C storage in long-term tilled and non-tilled cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) plots receiving poultry litter or ammonium nitrate (AN). Treatments were established in 1996 on a Decatur silt loam (clayey, kaolinitic thermic, Typic Paleudults) and consisted of conventional-tillage (CT), mulch-tillage (MT), and no-tillage (NT) systems with winter rye [Secale cereale (L.)] cover cropping and AN and poultry litter (PL) as nitrogen sources. Cotton was planted in 2003, 2004, and 2006. Corn was planted in 2005 as a rotation crop using a no-till planter in all plots, and no fertilizer was applied. Poultry litter application resulted in higher CO2 emission from soil compared with AN application regardless of tillage system. In 2003 and 2006, CT (4.39 and 3.40 micromol m(-2) s(-1), respectively) and MT (4.17 and 3.39 micromol m(-2) s(-1), respectively) with PL at 100 kg N ha(-1) (100 PLN) recorded significantly higher CO2 efflux compared with NT with 100 PLN (2.84 and 2.47 micromol m(-2) s(-1), respectively). Total soil C at 0- to 15-cm depth was not affected by tillage but significantly increased with PL application and winter rye cover cropping. In general, cotton produced with NT conservation tillage in conjunction with PL and winter rye cover cropping reduced CO2 emissions and sequestered more soil C compared with control treatments.

Short-Term Effects of Tillage Practices on Soil Organic Carbon Turnover Assessed by δ 13C Abundance in Particle-Size Fractions of Black Soils from Northeast China

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xiaoping; Chen, Xuewen

2014-01-01

The combination of isotope trace technique and SOC fractionation allows a better understanding of SOC dynamics. A five-year tillage experiment consisting of no-tillage (NT) and mouldboard plough (MP) was used to study the changes in particle-size SOC fractions and corresponding δ 13C natural abundance to assess SOC turnover in the 0–20 cm layer of black soils under tillage practices. Compared to the initial level, total SOC tended to be stratified but showed a slight increase in the entire plough layer under short-term NT. MP had no significant impacts on SOC at any depth. Because of significant increases in coarse particulate organic carbon (POC) and decreases in fine POC, total POC did not remarkably decrease under NT and MP. A distinct increase in silt plus clay OC occurred in NT plots, but not in MP plots. However, the δ 13C abundances of both coarse and fine POC increased, while those of silt plus clay OC remained almost the same under NT. The C derived from C3 plants was mainly associated with fine particles and much less with coarse particles. These results suggested that short-term NT and MP preferentially enhanced the turnover of POC, which was considerably faster than that of silt plus clay OC. PMID:25162052

Bacterial contamination of tile drainage water and shallow groundwater under different application methods of liquid swine manure.

PubMed

Samarajeewa, A D; Glasauer, S M; Lauzon, J D; O'Halloran, I P; Parkin, Gary W; Dunfield, K E

2012-05-01

A 2 year field experiment evaluated liquid manure application methods on the movement of manure-borne pathogens (Salmonella sp.) and indicator bacteria (Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens) to subsurface water. A combination of application methods including surface application, pre-application tillage, and post-application incorporation were applied in a randomized complete block design on an instrumented field site in spring 2007 and 2008. Tile and shallow groundwater were sampled immediately after manure application and after rainfall events. Bacterial enumeration from water samples showed that the surface-applied manure resulted in the highest concentration of E. coli in tile drainage water. Pre-tillage significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the movement of manure-based E. coli and C. perfringens to tile water and to shallow groundwater within 3 days after manure application (DAM) in 2008 and within 10 DAM in 2007. Pre-tillage also decreased the occurrence of Salmonella sp. in tile water samples. Indicator bacteria and pathogens reached nondetectable levels within 50 DAM. The results suggest that tillage before application of liquid swine manure can minimize the movement of bacteria to tile and groundwater, but is effective only for the drainage events immediately after manure application or initial rainfall-associated drainage flows. Furthermore, the study highlights the strong association between bacterial concentrations in subsurface waters and rainfall timing and volume after manure application.

Soil ecology and agricultural technology; An integrated approach towards improved soil management for sustainable farming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pulleman, Mirjam; Pérès, Guénola; Crittenden, Stephen; Heddadj, Djilali; Sukkel, Wijnand

2014-05-01

Intensive arable food production systems are in need of smart solutions that combine ecological knowledge and farm technology to maximize yields while protecting natural resources. The huge diversity of soil organisms and their interactions is of crucial importance for soil functions and ecosystem services, such as organic matter incorporation and break down, nutrient mineralization, soil structure formation, water regulation and disease and pest control. Soil management decisions that take into account the soil biodiversity and associated functions are thus essential to (i) maintain soil productivity in the long term, (ii) reduce the dependency on external inputs and non-renewables such as fossil fuels, and (iii) make agroecosystems more resilient against biotic and abiotic stresses. Organic farming systems and reduced tillage systems are two approaches that aim to increase soil biodiversity and general soil quality, through improved management of organic matter but differ in their emphasis on the use of chemical inputs for crop protection or soil disturbance, respectively. In North-western Europe experience with and knowledge of reduced tillage systems is still scarce, both in conventional and organic farming. Our study targeted both conventional and organic farming and aimed at 1) documenting reduced tillage practices within different agroecological contexts in NW Europe; 2) evaluating the effects of reduced tillage systems on soil biodiversity and soil ecosystem services; 3) increase understanding of agroecological factors that determine trade-offs between different ecosystem services. Earthworm species and nematode taxa were selected as indicator organisms to be studied for their known response to soil management and effects on soil functions. Additionally, soil organic matter, physical soil parameters and processes, and crop yields have been measured across multiple sites. Data have been collected over several cropping seasons in long term field experiments and farmers field sites in France (Brittanny) and the Netherlands (Flevopolder, Hoeksche Waard). The observed diversity in earthworm communities in terms of species, abundance, and trait diversity could be related to soil quality and soil functioning. Data integration across sites allows for the evaluation of the impact of reduced tillage systems on the provision of ecosystem services via proxies such as crop yields, soil organic matter content, aggregate stability and water infiltration. We will present results of this collaborative work to shed light on some of the benefits and trade-offs associated with reduced tillage systems in NW Europe, and in particular on the role of soil organism groups for soil functioning and crop performance. Finally, scope for improvement of soil management based on novel farm technologies and farming system designs will be discussed.

Agricultural practices that store organic carbon in soils: is it only a matter of inputs ?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chenu, Claire; Cardinael, Rémi; Autret, Bénédicte; Chevallier, Tiphaine; Girardin, Cyril; Mary, Bruno

2016-04-01

Increasing the world soils carbon stocks by a factor of 4 per mil annually would compensate the annual net increase of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. This statement is the core of an initiative launched by the French government at the recent COP21, followed by many countries and international bodies, which attracts political attention to the storage potential of C in soils. Compared to forest and pasture soils, agricultural soils have a higher C storage potential, because they are often characterized by low C contents, and increasing their C content is associated with benefits in terms of soil properties and ecosystem services. Here we quantified, under temperate conditions, the additional C storage related to the implementation of two set of practices that are recognized to be in the framework of agroecology: conservation tillage on the one hand and agroforestry on the other hand. These studies were based on long-term experiments, a 16-years comparison on cropping systems on luvisols in the Paris area and a 18-year-old silvoarable agroforestry trial, on fluvisols in southern France, the main crops being cereals in both cases. C stocks were measured on an equivalent soil mass basis. Both systems allowed for a net storage of C in soils, which are, for the equivalent of the 0-30 cm tilled layer, of 0.55 ± 0.16 t ha- 1 yr- 1 for conservation agriculture (i.e. no tillage with permanent soil coverage with an associated plant, fescue or alfalfa) and of 0.25 ± 0.03 t ha-1 yr-1 for the agroforestry system. These results are in line with estimates proposed in a recent French national assessment concerning the potential of agricultural practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Compared to recent literature, they further show that practices that increase C inputs to soil through additional biomass production would be more effective to store C in soil (tree rows, cover crops in conservation agriculture) than practices, such as no-tillage, that are assumed to reduce soil organic matter mineralisation rates. This questions our understanding of the stabilization processes of organic matter in soils and especially that of physical protection. The conditions and scale, both spatial and temporal, of physical protection of organic matter are discussed in light of recent literature.

Bioeconomic analysis of selected conservation practices on soil erosion and freshwater fisheries

USGS Publications Warehouse

Westra, J.V.; Zimmerman, J.K.H.; Vondracek, B.

2005-01-01

Farmers can generate environmental benefits (improved water quality and fisheries and wildlife habitat), but they may not be able to quantify them. Furthermore, farmers may reduce their incomes from managing lands to produce these positive externalities but receive little monetary compensation in return. This study simulated the relationship between agricultural practices, water quality, fish responses to suspended sediment and farm income within two small watersheds, one of a cool water stream and one of a warm water stream. Using the Agricultural Drainage and Pesticide Transport (ADAPT) model, this study related best management practices (BMPs) to calculated instream suspended sediment concentrations by estimating sediment delivery, runoff, base flow, and streambank erosion to quantify the effects of suspended sediment exposure on fish communities. By implementing selected BMPs in each watershed, annual net farm income declined $18,000 to $28,000 (1 to 3 percent) from previous levels. "Lethal" fish events from suspended sediments in the cool water watershed decreased by 60 percent as conservation tillage and riparian buffers increased. Despite reducing suspended sediments by 25 percent, BMPs in the warm water watershed did not reduce the negative response of the fisheries. Differences in responses (physical and biological) between watersheds highlight potential gains in economic efficiency by targeting BMPs or by offering performance based "green payments." (JAWRA) (Copyright ?? 2005).

No-tillage effects on grain yield, N use efficiency, and nutrient runoff losses in paddy fields.

PubMed

Liang, Xinqiang; Zhang, Huifang; He, Miaomiao; Yuan, Junli; Xu, Lixian; Tian, Guangming

2016-11-01

The effect of no-tillage (NT) on rice yield and nitrogen (N) behavior often varies considerably from individual studies. A meta-analysis was performed to assess quantitatively the effect of NT on rice yield and N uptake by rice, N use efficiency (NUE, i.e., fertilizer N recovery efficiency), and nutrient runoff losses. We obtained data from 74 rice-field experiments reported during the last three decades (1983-2013). Results showed the NT system brought a reduction of 3.8 % in the rice yield compared with conventional tillage (CT). Soil pH of 6.5-7.5 was favorable for the improvement of rice yield with the NT system, while a significant negative NT effect on rice yield was observed in sandy soils (p < 0.05). N rate, ranging from 120 to 180 kg N ha -1 , for at least 3 years was necessary for NT to enable rice yield comparable with that of CT. Furthermore, the observations indicated NT reduced N uptake and NUE of the rice by 5.4 and 16.9 %, while increased the N and P exports via runoff by 15.4 and 40.1 % compared with CT, respectively. Seedling cast transplantation, N rate within the range 120-180 kg N ha -1 , and employing NT for longer than 3 years should be encouraged to compromise between productivity and environmental effects of NT implementation in rice fields.

Tillage practices and straw-returning methods affect topsoil bacterial community and organic C under a rice-wheat cropping system in central China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Lijin; Zheng, Shixue; Cao, Cougui; Li, Chengfang

2016-09-01

The objective of this study was to investigate how the relationships between bacterial communities and organic C (SOC) in topsoil (0-5 cm) are affected by tillage practices [conventional intensive tillage (CT) or no-tillage (NT)] and straw-returning methods [crop straw returning (S) or removal (NS)] under a rice-wheat rotation in central China. Soil bacterial communities were determined by high-throughput sequencing technology. After two cycles of annual rice-wheat rotation, compared with CT treatments, NT treatments generally had significantly more bacterial genera and monounsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids (MUFA/STFA), but a decreased gram-positive bacteria/gram-negative bacteria ratio (G+/G-). S treatments had significantly more bacterial genera and MUFA/STFA, but had decreased G+/G- compared with NS treatments. Multivariate analysis revealed that Gemmatimonas, Rudaea, Spingomonas, Pseudomonas, Dyella, Burkholderia, Clostridium, Pseudolabrys, Arcicella and Bacillus were correlated with SOC, and cellulolytic bacteria (Burkholderia, Pseudomonas, Clostridium, Rudaea and Bacillus) and Gemmationas explained 55.3% and 12.4% of the variance in SOC, respectively. Structural equation modeling further indicated that tillage and residue managements affected SOC directly and indirectly through these cellulolytic bacteria and Gemmationas. Our results suggest that Burkholderia, Pseudomonas, Clostridium, Rudaea, Bacillus and Gemmationas help to regulate SOC sequestration in topsoil under tillage and residue systems.

Near infrared index to assess the effect of soil tillage and fertilizer on soil water content.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soltani, Ines; Fouad, Youssef; Michot, Didier; Breger, Pascale; Dubois, Remy; Pichelin, Pascal; Cudennec, Christophe

2017-04-01

Characterization of soil hydraulic properties is important for assessing soil water regime in agricultural fields. In the laboratory, measurements of soil hydrodynamic properties are costly and time consuming. Numerous studies recently demonstrated that reflectance spectroscopy can give a rapid estimation of several soil properties including those related with soil water content. The main objective of this research study was to show that near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a useful tool to study the combined effect of soil tillage and fertilizer input on soil hydrodynamic properties. The study was carried out on soil samples collected from an experimental station located in Brittany, France. In 2000, the field was designed in a split-plot combining three tillage practices and four sources of fertilizers (mineral and organic). Undisturbed soil blocks were sampled in 2012 from three different depths of topsoil (0-7 cm, 7-15 cm and 15-20 cm) at each treatment. From each soil block, four aggregates with 3-4 cm diameter by 5-6 cm height were collected. Soil aggregates were first saturated and were then drained through 10 matric potential, from saturation up to permanent wilting point (pF=4.2), by successively using a suction table and a pressure chamber. Once the desired water pressure head was reached, soil samples were scanned to acquire reflectance spectra between 400-2500 nm using a handheld spectroradiometer equipped with a contact probe. Each spectrum was transformed into continuum removal, and an index based on the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the absorption feature around 1920 nm was calculated. This index showed a linear relationship (R2>0.9) with volumetric water content. Moreover our results showed that the slope of the line was well correlated with the range of treatment. Overall, our findings indicate that the absorption feature of continuum removal spectra around 1900 nm can be useful to study the effect, particularly, of tillage on hydrodynamic properties of soils.

Evaluation of compost/mulch as highway embankment erosion control in Louisiana at the plot-scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakr, Noura; Weindorf, David C.; Zhu, Yuanda; Arceneaux, Allen E.; Selim, H. M.

2012-10-01

SummaryTotal suspended solids (TSS) and associated turbidity in runoff water are considered the most problematic nonpoint source pollutant of Louisiana surface waters. With high precipitation in Louisiana, attention should be given to controlling highway right-of-way erosion. The use of compost/mulch for erosion control enhances soil conservation and substantially reduces erosion. The main objective of this study was to assess the effect of compost/mulch placement on runoff water quality on roadsides. Our hypothesis was that the use of compost/mulch would significantly reduce TSS and turbidity in runoff from highway right-of-ways in Louisiana. Two locations constituting four sites and eight individual plots were chosen; one in an active highway construction area and another in an established area plagued by continual rill and sheet erosion. Thicknesses of compost/mulch (5 and 10 cm), slope inclination (10-34%), and tillage practices (till vs. no-till) were evaluated. Runoff, triggered by storm water events, was collected using ISCO auto-samplers from June 2010 to August 2011 and the samples were analyzed for TSS, turbidity, biochemical oxygen demand, electrical conductivity, and pH. The results of factor analysis showed that the compost/mulch thickness was the most influential variable affecting water quality. Two samples t-test results indicated that TSS and turbidity were significantly different across all comparative variables; construction activities, compost/mulch applications, and tillage practices. The results confirmed the effectiveness of compost/mulch cover as a successful best management practice. Specifically decreases in TSS of 70% and 74% were achieved for the 5 cm and 10 cm compost/mulch application when compared to no compost/mulch, respectively. Light tillage application increased TSS as much as 67%. Therefore, light tillage is not recommended since it decreased the effectiveness of compost/mulch in reducing runoff and sediment losses.

Effects of tropical ecosystem engineers on soil quality and crop performance under different tillage and residue management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pulleman, Mirjam; Paul, Birthe; Fredrick, Ayuke; Hoogmoed, Marianne; Hurisso, Tunsisa; Ndabamenye, Telesphore; Saidou, Koala; Terano, Yusuke; Six, Johan; Vanlauwe, Bernard

2014-05-01

Feeding a future global population of 9 billion will require a 70-100% increase in food production, resulting in unprecedented challenges for agriculture and natural resources, especially in Sub-saharan Africa (SSA). Agricultural practices that contribute to sustainable intensification build on beneficial biological interactions and ecosystem services. Termites are the dominant soil ecosystem engineers in arid to sub-humid tropical agro-ecosystems. Various studies have demonstrated the potential benefits of termites for rehabilitation of degraded and crusted soils and plant growth in semi-arid and arid natural ecosystems. However, the contribution of termites to agricultural productivity has hardly been experimentally investigated, and their role in Conservation Agriculture (CA) systems remains especially unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to quantify the effects of termites and ants on soil physical quality and crop productivity under different tillage and residue management systems in the medium term. A randomized block trial was set up in sub-humid Western Kenya in 2003. Treatments included a factorial combination of residue retention and removal (+R/-R) and conventional and reduced tillage (+T/-T) under a maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glyxine max. L.) rotation. A macrofauna exclusion experiment was superimposed in 2005 as a split-plot factor (exclusion +ins; inclusion -ins) by regular applications of pesticides (Dursban and Endosulfan) in half of the plots. Macrofauna abundance and diversity, soil aggregate fractions, soil carbon contents and crop yields were measured between 2005 and 2012 at 0-15 cm and 15-30 cm soil depths. Termites were the most important macrofauna species, constituting between 48-63% of all soil biota, while ants were 13-34%, whereas earthworms were present in very low numbers. Insecticide application was effective in reducing termites (85-56% exclusion efficacy) and earthworms (87%), and less so ants (49-81%) at 0-15 cm soil depth. Termite diversity was low - Pseudacanthotermes sp. (33%), Microtermes sp. (24%) and Pseudacanthotermes militaris (22%) were dominant. All three species belong to the family of Macrotermitianae who are feeding on litter, grass and wood from the soil surface. Macrofauna exclusion did not have a significant effect on soil aggregate stability or soil C at any soil depth which might be attributed to the low residue retention and the high spatial variability in termite foraging activity. Maize and soybean yields strongly increased with macrofauna exclusion (P<0.001). This may be explained by the fact that all three identified termite species are major crop pests which cause lodging of maize plans as observed in this experiment. This study underlines the importance of termite functional group for the effect on soil quality and crop productivity in agro-ecosystems. Future research should contribute to develop sustainable termite management strategies that control detrimental species while conserving beneficial soil ecosystem engineers based on ecological knowledge of termite traits.

Effects of organic carbon sequestration strategies on soil enzymatic activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puglisi, E.; Suciu, N.; Botteri, L.; Ferrari, T.; Coppolecchia, D.; Trevisan, M.; Piccolo, A.

2009-04-01

Greenhouse gases emissions can be counterbalanced with proper agronomical strategies aimed at sequestering carbon in soils. These strategies must be tested not only for their ability in reducing carbon dioxide emissions, but also for their impact on soil quality: enzymatic activities are related to main soil ecological quality, and can be used as early and sensitive indicators of alteration events. Three different strategies for soil carbon sequestration were studied: minimum tillage, protection of biodegradable organic fraction by compost amendment and oxidative polimerization of soil organic matter catalyzed by biometic porfirins. All strategies were compared with a traditional agricultural management based on tillage and mineral fertilization. Experiments were carried out in three Italian soils from different pedo-climatic regions located respectively in Piacenza, Turin and Naples and cultivated with maize or wheat. Soil samples were taken for three consecutive years after harvest and analyzed for their content in phosphates, ß-glucosidase, urease and invertase. An alteration index based on these enzymatic activities levels was applied as well. The biomimetic porfirin application didn't cause changes in enzymatic activities compared to the control at any treatment or location. Enzymatic activities were generally higher in the minimum tillage and compost treatment, while differences between location and date of samplings were limited. Application of the soil alteration index based on enzymatic activities showed that soils treated with compost or subjected to minimum tillage generally have a higher biological quality. The work confirms the environmental sustainability of the carbon sequestering agronomical practices studied.

Long-term no-till: A major driver of fungal communities in dryland wheat cropping systems.

PubMed

Sharma-Poudyal, Dipak; Schlatter, Daniel; Yin, Chuntao; Hulbert, Scot; Paulitz, Timothy

2017-01-01

In the dryland Pacific Northwest wheat cropping systems, no-till is becoming more prevalent as a way to reduce soil erosion and fuel inputs. Tillage can have a profound effect on microbial communities and soilborne fungal pathogens, such as Rhizoctonia. We compared the fungal communities in long-term no-till (NT) plots adjacent to conventionally tilled (CT) plots, over three years at two locations in Washington state and one location in Idaho, US. We used pyrosequencing of the fungal ITS gene and identified 422 OTUs after rarefication. Fungal richness was higher in NT compared to CT, in two of the locations. Humicola nigrescens, Cryptococcus terreus, Cadophora spp. Hydnodontaceae spp., and Exophiala spp. were more abundant in NT, while species of Glarea, Coniochaetales, Mycosphaerella tassiana, Cryptococcus bhutanensis, Chaetomium perlucidum, and Ulocladium chartarum were more abundant in CT in most locations. Other abundant groups that did not show any trends were Fusarium, Mortierella, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Macroventuria. Plant pathogens such as Rhizoctonia (Ceratobasidiaceae) were not abundant enough to see tillage differences, but Microdochium bolleyi, a weak root pathogen, was more abundant in NT. Our results suggest that NT fungi are better adapted at utilizing intact, decaying roots as a food source and may exist as root endophytes. CT fungi can utilize mature plant residues that are turned into the soil with tillage as pioneer colonizers, and then produce large numbers of conidia. But a larger proportion of the fungal community is not affected by tillage and may be niche generalists.

Short-term turnover of soil organic matter after tillage proven by Pyrolysis-field ionization MS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiedler, Sebastian; Jurasinski, Gerald; Leinweber, Peter; Glatzel, Stephan

2015-04-01

Knowledge about the composition and the turnover dynamics of soil organic matter (SOM) is crucial to the fertility of agricultural soils. Even short-term changes of SOM are of fundamental importance. Tillage changes the decomposition and the mineralisation of SOM. By disrupting macroaggregates, tillage induces an increased turnover and hampers the aggregation of SOM. As a consequence, mineralisation of SOM is stimulated which may imply an additional efflux of CO2 and N2O from soil. Pyrolysis-field ionization mass spectrometry (Py-FIMS) has been developed as a key method for SOM research. This powerful analytical tool allows a rapid, global and objective determination of the majority of chemical compound classes and is an appropriate method for the analysis of even small differences of biogeochemical matters. Hence, Py-FIMS may allow for a precise detection of the turnover of SOM and the involved compounds that are affected by tillage in the short-term. Py-FIMS measurements along with the determination of the CO2 and N2O effluxes from soil after tillage at the same site may give new insights into the compounds of SOM which are mineralised and consequently contribute to fundamental processes such as respiration, nitrification and denitrification. We applied Py-FIMS to soil samples from a stagnic Luvisol taken before and after tillage from a harvested maize field in Northern Germany. The samples were taken from two treatments amended with mineral fertiliser (MF) and biogas residues (BR), respectively, and also from an unfertilised control (UC). Tillage was conducted by disc harrowing, followed by mouldboard ploughing up to 30 cm. Simultaneously the soil efflux of CO2 and N2O was measured with a dynamic chamber technique. Before tillage, the mass spectra showed distinct differences in the relative ion intensities: the BR treatment showed much more volatilised matter during pyrolysis indicating an increased amount of SOM. Furthermore, in this treatment, the proportions of carbohydrates, peptides and N-heterocycles were smaller and those of lipids and sterols had larger values than in the other treatments, most likely attributable to the cattle manure used for the biogas feedstock and to relative enrichments during anaerobic fermentation. Only a few days after tillage significant changes in SOM composition were observed, especially in the BR treatment: the proportions of volatilised matter and the relative signal intensities of carbohydrates, phenols + lignin monomers, N-heterocycles and peptides increased, whereas those of lignin dimers, lipids and sterols decreased. In the MF treatment only an increase of lipid proportions at the expense of carbohydrates was observed. The decrease and the increase of carbohydrates in MF and BR, respectively, were reciprocally correlated with the cumulated CO2 efflux. The N2O efflux increased in MF and BR after tillage, but not in UC. Thus, we were able to show significant changes in the quality of SOM due to tillage confirming the sensitivity of Py-FIMS to detected even short-term changes in SOM composition that could be related to the release of gases from soil.

Organic farming and cover crops as an alternative to mineral fertilizers to improve soil physical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez de Cima, Diego; Luik, Anne; Reintam, Endla

2015-10-01

For testing how cover crops and different fertilization managements affect the soil physical properties in a plough based tillage system, a five-year crop rotation experiment (field pea, white potato, common barley undersown with red clover, red clover, and winter wheat) was set. The rotation was managed under four different farming systems: two conventional: with and without mineral fertilizers and two organic, both with winter cover crops (later ploughed and used as green manure) and one where cattle manure was added yearly. The measurements conducted were penetration resistance, soil water content, porosity, water permeability, and organic carbon. Yearly variations were linked to the number of tillage operations, and a cumulative effect of soil organic carbon in the soil as a result of the different fertilization amendments, organic or mineral. All the systems showed similar tendencies along the three years of study and differences were only found between the control and the other systems. Mineral fertilizers enhanced the overall physical soil conditions due to the higher yield in the system. In the organic systems, cover crops and cattle manure did not have a significant effect on soil physical properties in comparison with the conventional ones, which were kept bare during the winter period. The extra organic matter boosted the positive effect of crop rotation, but the higher number of tillage operations in both organic systems counteracted this effect to a greater or lesser extent.

Midwest Climate and Agriculture - Monitoring Tillage Practices with NASA Remote Sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makar, N. I.; Archer, S.; Rooks, K.; Sparks, K.; Trigg, C.; Lourie, J.; Wilkins, K.

2011-12-01

Concerns about climate change have driven efforts to reduce or offset greenhouse gas emissions. Agricultural activity has drawn considerable attention because it accounts for nearly twelve percent of total anthropogenic emissions. Depending on the type of tillage method utilized, farm land can be either a source or a sink of carbon. Conventional tillage disturbs the soil and can release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Conservational tillage practices have been advocated for their ability to sequester carbon, reduce soil erosion, maintain soil moisture, and increase long-term productivity. If carbon credit trading systems are implemented, a cost-effective, efficient tillage monitoring system is needed to enforce offset standards. Remote sensing technology can expedite the process and has shown promising results in distinguishing crop residue from soil. Agricultural indices such as the CAI, SINDRI, and LCA illuminate the unique reflectance spectra of crop residue and are thus able to classify fields based on percent crop cover. The CAI requires hyperspectral data, as it relies on narrow bands within the shortwave infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Although limited in availability, hyperspectral data has been shown to produce the most accurate results for detecting crop residue on the soil. A new approach to using the CAI was the focus of this study. Previously acquired field data was located in a region covered by a Hyperion swath and is thus the primary study area. In previous studies, ground-based data were needed for each satellite swath to correctly calibrate the linear relationship between the index values and the fraction of residue cover. We hypothesized that there should be a standard method which is able to convert index values into residue classifications without ground data analysis. To do this, end index values for a particular data set were assumed to be associated with end values of residue cover percentages. This method may prove to be more practical for end-users such as the USDA to quickly assess residue cover in a given region.

Soil microbial properties after long-term swine slurry application to conventional and no-tillage systems in Brazil.

PubMed

Balota, Elcio L; Machineski, Oswaldo; Hamid, Karima I A; Yada, Ines F U; Barbosa, Graziela M C; Nakatani, Andre S; Coyne, Mark S

2014-08-15

Swine waste can be used as an agricultural fertilizer, but large amounts may accumulate excess nutrients in soil or contaminate the surrounding environment. This study evaluated long-term soil amendment (15 years) with different levels of swine slurry to conventional (plow) tillage (CT) and no tillage (NT) soils. Long-term swine slurry application did not affect soil organic carbon. Some chemical properties, such as calcium, base saturation, and aluminum saturation were significantly different within and between tillages for various application rates. Available P and microbial parameters were significantly affected by slurry addition. Depending on tillage, soil microbial biomass and enzyme activity increased up to 120 m(3) ha(-1) year(-1) in all application rates. The NT system had higher microbial biomass and activity than CT at all application levels. There was an inverse relationship between the metabolic quotient (qCO2) and MBC, and the qCO2 was 53% lower in NT than CT. Swine slurry increased overall acid phosphatase activity, but the phosphatase produced per unit of microbial biomass decreased. A comparison of data obtained in the 3rd and 15th years of swine slurry application indicated that despite slurry application the CT system degraded with time while the NT system had improved values of soil quality indicators. For these Brazilian oxisols, swine slurry amendment was insufficient to maintain soil quality parameters in annual crop production without additional changes in tillage management. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of intercropping period management on runoff and erosion in a maize cropping system.

PubMed

Laloy, Eric; Bielders, C L

2010-01-01

The management of winter cover crops is likely to influence their performance in reducing runoff and erosion during the intercropping period that precedes spring crops but also during the subsequent spring crop. This study investigated the impact of two dates of destruction and burial of a rye (Secale cereale L.) and ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) cover crop on runoff and erosion, focusing on a continuous silage maize (Zea mays L.) cropping system. Thirty erosion plots with various intercrop management options were monitored for 3 yr at two sites. During the intercropping period, cover crops reduced runoff and erosion by more than 94% compared with untilled, post-maize harvest plots. Rough tillage after maize harvest proved equally effective as a late sown cover crop. There was no effect of cover crop destruction and burial dates on runoff and erosion during the intercropping period, probably because rough tillage for cover crop burial compensates for the lack of soil cover. During two of the monitored maize seasons, it was observed that plots that had been covered during the previous intercropping period lost 40 to 90% less soil compared with maize plots that had been left bare during the intercropping period. The burial of an aboveground cover crop biomass in excess of 1.5 t ha(-1) was a necessary, yet not always sufficient, condition to induce a residual effect. Because of the possible beneficial residual effect of cover crop burial on erosion reduction, the sowing of a cover crop should be preferred over rough tillage after maize harvest.

Effect of Nutrient Management Planning on Crop Yield, Nitrate Leaching and Sediment Loading in Thomas Brook Watershed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amon-Armah, Frederick; Yiridoe, Emmanuel K.; Ahmad, Nafees H. M.; Hebb, Dale; Jamieson, Rob; Burton, David; Madani, Ali

2013-11-01

Government priorities on provincial Nutrient Management Planning (NMP) programs include improving the program effectiveness for environmental quality protection, and promoting more widespread adoption. Understanding the effect of NMP on both crop yield and key water-quality parameters in agricultural watersheds requires a comprehensive evaluation that takes into consideration important NMP attributes and location-specific farming conditions. This study applied the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to investigate the effects of crop and rotation sequence, tillage type, and nutrient N application rate on crop yield and the associated groundwater leaching and sediment loss. The SWAT model was applied to the Thomas Brook Watershed, located in the most intensively managed agricultural region of Nova Scotia, Canada. Cropping systems evaluated included seven fertilizer application rates and two tillage systems (i.e., conventional tillage and no-till). The analysis reflected cropping systems commonly managed by farmers in the Annapolis Valley region, including grain corn-based and potato-based cropping systems, and a vegetable-horticulture system. ANOVA models were developed and used to assess the effects of crop management choices on crop yield and two water-quality parameters (i.e., leaching and sediment loading). Results suggest that existing recommended N-fertilizer rate can be reduced by 10-25 %, for grain crop production, to significantly lower leaching ( P > 0.05) while optimizing the crop yield. The analysis identified the nutrient N rates in combination with specific crops and rotation systems that can be used to manage leaching while balancing impacts on crop yields within the watershed.

Conservation Tillage on the Loess Plateau, China: Food security, Yes; Carbon sequestration, No?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuhn, Nikolaus; Hu, Yaxian; Xiao, Liangang; Greenwood, Phil; Bloemertz, Lena

2015-04-01

Climate change is expected to affect food security globally and increase the variability in food supply. At the same time, agricultural practices offer a great potential for mitigating and adapting to climate change. In China, food security has increased in the last decades with the number of undernourished people declining from 21% in 1990 to 12% today. However, the limited relative amount of arable land and scarce water supplies will remain a challenge. The Loess Plateau of China, located in the mid-upper reaches of the Yellow River and has an area of some 630000 km2 with a high agricultural potential. However, due to heavy summer rainstorms, steep slopes, low vegetation cover, and highly erodible soils, the Loess Plateau has become one of the most severely eroded areas in the world. Up to 70% of arable land is affected by an annual soil loss of 20-25 ton ha-1, far exceeding the threshold for sustainable use (10 ton ha-1). Rainfed farming systems are dominant on the Loess Plateau, and the farmers in this area have been exposed to a steadily increasing temperature as well as an erratic, but slightly decreasing rainfall since 1970. Therefore, adaptation of the regional agriculture is required to adapt to climate change and may be even engaged in mitigation. This study analyzed the potential contribution of conservation tillage to adaptation and mitigation of climate change on the Loess Plateau. In total, 15 papers published in English were reviewed, comparing two tillage practices, conventional tillage (CT) and conservation tillage typically represented by no-tillage (NT). Soil organic carbon (SOC) stock across soil depths as well yields and the inter-annual variations with regards to and their annual rainfall precipitation were compared for NT and CT. Our results show that: 1) The benefit of NT compared to CT in terms of increasing total SOC stocks diminishes with soil depth, questioning the use of average SOC stocks observed in topsoil to estimate the potential of NT in increasing SOC stocks to reduce net CO2 emissions. 2) In each soil layer, the total SOC stocks also declined over time. Such a decreasing trend suggests that the SOC sink was approaching its maximum capacity. This implies that the overall potential of NT in improving SOC stocks is apt to be over-estimated, if annual increases derived from short-term observation are linearly extrapolated to a long-term estimation. 3) Yields of NT increased evidently by 11.07% compared to CT. In particular, during years with precipitation <500 mm, NT yields are 18% higher than for conventional tillage. Such greater yields reduce the probability of food production falling below minimum thresholds to meet subsistence requirements, thereby increasing resilience to famine. Overall, conservation tillage (no-till) has great potential in stabilizing crop yield and thus ensuring local subsistence requirements on the China Loess Plateau. However, the potential of NT to sequestrate SOC is limited than often reported and has maximum capacity, and thus cannot be linearly extrapolated to estimate its effects on mitigating climate change.

Dissolved organic C and N pools in soils amended with composted and thermally-dried sludge as affected by soil tillage systems and sampling depth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Gil, Juan Carlos; Soler-Rovira, Pedro Angel; García López de Sa, Esther; Polo, Alfredo

2013-04-01

Soil tillage practices exert a significant influence on the dynamic of soluble organic C and N pools, affecting nutrient cycling in agricultural systems by enhancing its mineralization through microbial activities or stabilization in soil microaggregates, which contribute to mitigate greenhouse gases emissions. The objective of the present research was to determine the influence of three different soil management systems (moldboard plowing, chisel and no-tillage) and the application of composted sludge (CS) and thermally-dried sewage sludge (TSS) obtained from wastewater treatment processes on dissolved organic C (water-soluble organic C -WSOC-, carbohydrates, phenolic compounds) and soluble N (total-N, NH4+, NO3-) pools in a long-term field experiment (27 years) conducted on a sandy-loam soil at the experimental station "La Higueruela" (40° 03'N, 4° 24'W) under semi-arid conditions. Both organic amendments were applied at a rate of 30 tonnes per hectare prior to tillage practices. Unamended soils were used as control for each tillage system. Soil sampling was performed two months after tillage practices at the following depths for each treatment: 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm and 20-30 cm. Results obtained for unamended soils showed that no-tillage management increased total-N, NH4+ and NO3- contents at the 0-10 cm depth samples, meanwhile WSC and carbohydrates contents were larger at 20-30 cm depth samples in both moldboard and no-tillage plots. CS and TSS-amended soils presented a general increase in soluble C and N compounds, being significantly higher in TSS-amended soils, as TSS contains a great amount of labile organic C and N substrates due to the lack of stabilization treatment. TSS-amended soils under no-tillage and chisel plowing showed larger N, NH4+ and NO3- content at the 0-10 cm samples, meanwhile moldboard management exhibited larger NH4+ and NO3- content at 10-20 and 20-30 cm samples, possibly due to the incorporation of TSS at deeper depths (20-40 cm). CS and TSS-amended soils in no-tillage system showed the largest content of organic C pools at 0-10 cm depth samples due to less soil disturbance and the input of organic substrates with CS and TSS on soil surface. CS and TSS-amended soils under chisel plowing exhibited similar contents of soluble organic C pools at 10-20 and 20-30 cm depth samples and only TSS-amended soils increased significantly WSOC content at 0-10 cm samples. Similarly, contents of WSOC and carbohydrates in moldboard plowing were distributed more uniformly throughout the soil profile due to the turnover of soil and CS and TSS amendments into the plow layer. Acknowledgements: this research was supported by the Spanish CICYT, Project no. CTM2011-25557.

Describing soil surface microrelief by crossover length and fractal dimension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vidal Vázquez, E.; Miranda, J. G. V.; Paz González, A.

2007-05-01

Accurate description of soil surface topography is essential because different tillage tools produce different soil surface roughness conditions, which in turn affects many processes across the soil surface boundary. Advantages of fractal analysis in soil microrelief assessment have been recognised but the use of fractal indices in practice remains challenging. There is also little information on how soil surface roughness decays under natural rainfall conditions. The objectives of this work were to investigate the decay of initial surface roughness induced by natural rainfall under different soil tillage systems and to compare the performances of a classical statistical index and fractal microrelief indices. Field experiments were performed on an Oxisol at Campinas, São Paulo State (Brazil). Six tillage treatments, namely, disc harrow, disc plow, chisel plow, disc harrow + disc level, disc plow + disc level and chisel plow + disc level were tested. Measurements were made four times, firstly just after tillage and subsequently with increasing amounts of natural rainfall. Duplicated measurements were taken per treatment and date, yielding a total of 48 experimental surfaces. The sampling scheme was a square grid with 25×25 mm point spacing and the plot size was 1350×1350 mm, so that each data set consisted of 3025 individual elevation points. Statistical and fractal indices were calculated both for oriented and random roughness conditions, i.e. after height reading have been corrected for slope and for slope and tillage tool marks. The main drawback of the standard statistical index random roughness, RR, lies in its no spatial nature. The fractal approach requires two indices, fractal dimension, D, which describes how roughness changes with scale, and crossover length, l, specifying the variance of surface microrelief at a reference scale. Fractal parameters D and l, were estimated by two independent self-affine models, semivariogram (SMV) and local root mean square (RMS). Both algorithms, SMV and RMS, gave equivalent results for D and l indices, irrespective of trend removal procedure, even if some bias was present which is in accordance with previous work. Treatments with two tillage operations had the greatest D values, irrespective of evolution stage under rainfall and trend removal procedure. Primary tillage had the greatest initial values of RR and l. Differences in D values between treatments with primary tillage and those with two successive tillage operations were significant for oriented but not for random conditions. The statistical index RR and the fractal indices l and D decreased with increasing cumulative rainfall following different patterns. The l and D decay from initial value was very sharp after the first 24.4 mm cumulative rainfall. For five out of six tillage treatments a significant relationship between D and l was found for the random microrelief conditions allowing a covariance analysis. It was concluded that using RR or l together with D best allow joint description of vertical and horizontal soil roughness variations.

Impact of anthropomorphic soil genesis on hydraulic properties: the case of cranberry production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Periard, Yann; José Gumiere, Silvio; Rousseau, Alain N.; Caron, Jean; Hallema, Dennis W.

2014-05-01

The construction of a cranberry field requires the installation of a drainage system which causes anthropic layering of the natural sequence of soil strata. Over the years, the soil hydraulic properties may change under the influence of irrigation and water table control. In fact, natural consolidation (drainage and recharge cycles), filtration and clogging soil pores by colloidal particle accelerated by water management will alter the hydrodynamic behavior of the soil (Gaillard et al., 2007; Wildenschild and Sheppard, 2013; Bodner et al., 2013). Today, advances in the field of tomography imagery allows the study a number of physicals processes of soils (Wildenschilds and Sheppard, 2013) especially for the transport of colloidal particles (Gaillard et al., 2007) and consolidation (Reed et al, 2006; Pires et al, 2007). Therefore, the main objective of this work is to analyze the temporal evolution of hydrodynamic properties of a sandy soil during repeated drainage and recharge cycles using a medical CT-scan. A soil columns laboratory experiment was setup in fall 2013, pressure head, input and output flow, tracer monitoring (KBr and ZrO2) and tomographic analyses have been used to quantify the temporal variation of the soil hydrodynamic properties of these soil columns. The results showed that the water management (irrigation and drainage) has strong effect on soil genesis and causes significant alteration of soil hydraulic properties, which may reduce soil drainage capacity. Knowledge about the mechanisms responsible of anthropic cranberry soil genesis will allow us to predict soil evolution according to several conditions (soil type, drainage system design, water management) to better anticipate and control their future negative effects on cranberry production. References: Bodner, G., P. Scholl and H.P. Kaul. 2013. Field quantification of wetting-drying cycles to predict temporal changes of soil pore size distribution. Soil and Tillage Research 133: 1-9. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2013.05.006. Gaillard, J.-F., C. Chen, S.H. Stonedahl, B.L.T. Lau, D.T. Keane and A.I. Packman. 2007. Imaging of colloidal deposits in granular porous media by X-ray difference micro-tomography. Geophysical Research Letters 34: L18404. doi:10.1029/2007GL030514. Pires, L.F., O.O.S. Bacchi and K. Reichardt. 2007. Assessment of soil structure repair due to wetting and drying cycles through 2D tomographic image analysis. Soil and Tillage Research 94: 537-545. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2006.10.008. Reed, A. H., Thompson, K. E., Zhang, W., Willson, C. S., & Briggs, K. B. (2006). Quantifying consolidation and reordering in natural granular media from computed tomography images. Advances in X-ray Tomography for Geomaterials, 263-268. Wildenschild, D. and A.P. Sheppard. 2013. X-ray imaging and analysis techniques for quantifying pore-scale structure and processes in subsurface porous medium systems. Advances in Water Resources 51: 217-246. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2012.07.018.

Fungal Genetics and Functional Diversity of Microbial Communities in the Soil under Long-Term Monoculture of Maize Using Different Cultivation Techniques

PubMed Central

Gałązka, Anna; Grządziel, Jarosław

2018-01-01

Fungal diversity in the soil may be limited under natural conditions by inappropriate environmental factors such as: nutrient resources, biotic and abiotic factors, tillage system and microbial interactions that prevent the occurrence or survival of the species in the environment. The aim of this paper was to determine fungal genetic diversity and community level physiological profiling of microbial communities in the soil under long-term maize monoculture. The experimental scheme involved four cultivation techniques: direct sowing (DS), reduced tillage (RT), full tillage (FT), and crop rotation (CR). Soil samples were taken in two stages: before sowing of maize (DSBS-direct sowing, RTBS-reduced tillage, FTBS-full tillage, CRBS-crop rotation) and the flowering stage of maize growth (DSF-direct sowing, RTF-reduced tillage, FTF-full tillage, CRF-crop rotation). The following plants were used in the crop rotation: spring barley, winter wheat and maize. The study included fungal genetic diversity assessment by ITS-1 next generation sequencing (NGS) analyses as well as the characterization of the catabolic potential of microbial communities (Biolog EcoPlates) in the soil under long-term monoculture of maize using different cultivation techniques. The results obtained from the ITS-1 NGS technique enabled to classify and correlate the fungi species or genus to the soil metabolome. The research methods used in this paper have contributed to a better understanding of genetic diversity and composition of the population of fungi in the soil under the influence of the changes that have occurred in the soil under long-term maize cultivation. In all cultivation techniques, the season had a great influence on the fungal genetic structure in the soil. Significant differences were found on the family level (P = 0.032, F = 3.895), genus level (P = 0.026, F = 3.313) and on the species level (P = 0.033, F = 2.718). This study has shown that: (1) fungal diversity was changed under the influence different cultivation techniques; (2) techniques of maize cultivation and season were an important factors that can influence the biochemical activity of soil. Maize cultivated in direct sowing did not cause negative changes in the fungal structure, even making it more stable during seasonal changes; (3) full tillage and crop rotation may change fungal community and soil function. PMID:29441054

Long-term no-till: A major driver of fungal communities in dryland wheat cropping systems

PubMed Central

Sharma-Poudyal, Dipak; Schlatter, Daniel; Yin, Chuntao; Hulbert, Scot

2017-01-01

In the dryland Pacific Northwest wheat cropping systems, no-till is becoming more prevalent as a way to reduce soil erosion and fuel inputs. Tillage can have a profound effect on microbial communities and soilborne fungal pathogens, such as Rhizoctonia. We compared the fungal communities in long-term no-till (NT) plots adjacent to conventionally tilled (CT) plots, over three years at two locations in Washington state and one location in Idaho, US. We used pyrosequencing of the fungal ITS gene and identified 422 OTUs after rarefication. Fungal richness was higher in NT compared to CT, in two of the locations. Humicola nigrescens, Cryptococcus terreus, Cadophora spp. Hydnodontaceae spp., and Exophiala spp. were more abundant in NT, while species of Glarea, Coniochaetales, Mycosphaerella tassiana, Cryptococcus bhutanensis, Chaetomium perlucidum, and Ulocladium chartarum were more abundant in CT in most locations. Other abundant groups that did not show any trends were Fusarium, Mortierella, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Macroventuria. Plant pathogens such as Rhizoctonia (Ceratobasidiaceae) were not abundant enough to see tillage differences, but Microdochium bolleyi, a weak root pathogen, was more abundant in NT. Our results suggest that NT fungi are better adapted at utilizing intact, decaying roots as a food source and may exist as root endophytes. CT fungi can utilize mature plant residues that are turned into the soil with tillage as pioneer colonizers, and then produce large numbers of conidia. But a larger proportion of the fungal community is not affected by tillage and may be niche generalists. PMID:28898288

Effects of land clearing techniques and tillage systems on runoff and soil erosion in a tropical rain forest in Nigeria.

PubMed

Ehigiator, O A; Anyata, B U

2011-11-01

This work reports runoff and soil loss from each of 14 sub-watersheds in a secondary rain forest in south-western Nigeria. The impact of methods of land clearing and post-clearing management on runoff and soil erosion under the secondary forest is evaluated. These data were acquired eighteen years after the deforestation of primary vegetation during the ' West bank' project of the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA). These data are presented separately for each season; however, statistical analyses for replicates were not conducted due to differences in their past management. Soil erosion was affected by land clearing and tillage methods. The maximum soil erosion was observed on sub-watersheds that were mechanically cleared with tree-pusher/root-rake attachments and tilled conventionally. A high rate of erosion was observed even when graded-channel terraces were constructed to minimize soil erosion. In general there was much less soil erosion on manually cleared than on mechanically cleared sub-watersheds (2.5 t ha(-1) yr(-1) versus 13.8 t ha(-1) yr(-1)) and from the application of no-tillage methods than from conventionally plowed areas (6.5 t ha(-1) yr(-1) versus 12.1 t ha(-1) yr(-1)). The data indicate that tillage methods and appropriate management of soils and crops play an important role in soil and water conservation and in decreasing the rate of decline of soil quality. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simulating Sustainable P Management Practices in Tile-Drained Landscapes of Central Ohio Using the Agricultural Policy Environmental Extender (APEX)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ford, W. I., III; King, K.; Williams, M.

2014-12-01

Despite extensive application of conservation practices to minimize sediment P delivery to streams, hypoxic conditions and harmful algal blooms persist in receiving water bodies. Tile-drainage networks are a focal point for reducing soluble P in the food-producing Midwestern United States in that they promote higher connectivity between upland soils and stream channels which decreases soil contact time, and biogeochemical alterations. A critical next step to reduce the environmental impact and maintain sustainable agriculture is to implement best management practices (BMPs) under a holistic framework that considers adverse effects to water resources and crop production, while maintaining economic feasibility. The objective of this study was to apply a robust numerical model, the Agricultural Policy Environmental Extender (APEX), in a tile-drained landscape in Central Ohio in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a suite of BMPs on soluble and particulate P delivery to stream channels. The model was applied and evaluated at two adjacent edge-of-field sites with similar soil, topographic and management characteristics (except for tillage and tile installation on the south field in 2012, preceded by more than 20 years of no-till operations). Three years of daily discharge, total suspended solids, soluble P, soluble N (NO3 and NH4), total P, total N, and crop yields were utilized to verify the model performance. Prevalent BMPs simulated within the modeling framework included drainage water management, tillage and crop rotations, the 4Rs framework (right fertilizer source, rate, time, and placement), and bioreactors. Results of the study quantify the ability of the numerical model to simulate hydrology and P transport for surface runoff and subsurface tile drainage and highlight modifications that improve model performance. Further, results highlight BMPs that effectively reduce P loads to streams while maintaining crop yields, which can later be used to inform BMPs implemented at edge-of-field sites in Ohio. While beyond the scope of this study, future work aims to investigate the sustainability of BMPs under dynamic climate conditions and across watershed gradients.

Glyphosate resistant weeds - a threat to conservation agriculture

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Glyphosate-resistant weeds are now present throughout the Southeast. Hundreds of thousands of conservation tillage cotton acres, some currently under USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) conservation program contracts, are at risk of being converted to higher-intensity tillage systems....

Artificial neural network approach for mapping contrasting tillage practices

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Tillage information is crucial for environmental modeling as it directly affects evapotranspiration, infiltration, runoff, carbon sequestration, and soil losses due to wind and water erosion from agricultural fields. However, collecting this information can be time consuming and costly. Remote sensi...

Evaluation of Alternatives to an Organophosphate Insecticide with Selected Cultural Practices: Effects on Thrips, Frankliniella fusca, and Incidence of Spotted Wilt in Peanut Farmscapes.

PubMed

Marasigan, K; Toews, M; Kemerait, R; Abney, M R; Culbreath, A; Srinivasan, R

2018-05-28

Peanut growers use a combination of tactics to manage spotted wilt disease caused by thrips-transmitted Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV). They include planting TSWV-resistant cultivars, application of insecticides, and various cultural practices. Two commonly used insecticides against thrips are aldicarb and phorate. Both insecticides exhibit broad-spectrum toxicity. Recent research has led to the identification of potential alternatives to aldicarb and phorate. In this study, along with reduced-risk, alternative insecticides, we evaluated the effect of conventional versus strip tillage; single versus twin row seeding pattern; and 13 seed/m versus 20 seed/m on thips density, feeding injury, and spotted wilt incidence. Three field trials were conducted in Georgia in 2012 and 2013. Thrips counts, thrips feeding injuriy, and incidence of spotted wilt were less under strip tillage than under conventional tillage. Reduced feeding injury from thrips was observed on twin-row plots compared with single-row plots. Thrips counts, thrips feeding injury, and incidence of spotted wilt did not vary by seeding rate. Yield from twin-row plots was greater than yield from single-row plots only in 2012. Yield was not affected by other cultural practices. Alternative insecticides, including imidacloprid and spinetoram, were as effective as phorate in suppressing thrips and reducing incidence of spotted wilt in conjunction with cultural practices. Results suggest that cultural practices and reduced-risk insecticides (alternatives to aldicarb and phorate) can effectively suppress thrips and incidence of spotted wilt in peanut.

7 CFR 301.89-1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

..., and triticale used for propagation. Soil. The loose surface material of the earth in which plants grow, in most cases consisting of disintegrated rock with an admixture of organic material. Soil-moving... harvesting equipment. Mechanized equipment used for soil tillage, including tillage attachments for farm...

7 CFR 301.89-1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., and triticale used for propagation. Soil. The loose surface material of the earth in which plants grow, in most cases consisting of disintegrated rock with an admixture of organic material. Soil-moving... harvesting equipment. Mechanized equipment used for soil tillage, including tillage attachments for farm...

7 CFR 301.89-1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

..., and triticale used for propagation. Soil. The loose surface material of the earth in which plants grow, in most cases consisting of disintegrated rock with an admixture of organic material. Soil-moving... harvesting equipment. Mechanized equipment used for soil tillage, including tillage attachments for farm...

7 CFR 301.89-1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

..., and triticale used for propagation. Soil. The loose surface material of the earth in which plants grow, in most cases consisting of disintegrated rock with an admixture of organic material. Soil-moving... harvesting equipment. Mechanized equipment used for soil tillage, including tillage attachments for farm...

7 CFR 301.89-1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

..., and triticale used for propagation. Soil. The loose surface material of the earth in which plants grow, in most cases consisting of disintegrated rock with an admixture of organic material. Soil-moving... harvesting equipment. Mechanized equipment used for soil tillage, including tillage attachments for farm...

Spatial Dependence of Physical Attributes and Mechanical Properties of Ultisol in a Sugarcane Field.

PubMed

Tavares, Uilka Elisa; Rolim, Mário Monteiro; de Oliveira, Veronildo Souza; Pedrosa, Elvira Maria Regis; Siqueira, Glécio Machado; Magalhães, Adriana Guedes

2015-01-01

This study investigates the effect of conventional tillage and application of the monoculture of sugar cane on soil health. Variables like density, moisture, texture, consistency limits, and preconsolidation stress were taken as indicators of soil quality. The measurements were made at a 120 × 120 m field cropped with sugar cane under conventional tillage. The objective of this work was to characterize the soil and to study the spatial dependence of the physical and mechanical attributes. Then, undisturbed soil samples were collected to measure bulk density, moisture content and preconsolidation stress and disturbed soil samples for classification of soil texture, and consistency limits. The soil texture indicated that soil can be characterized as sandy clay soil and a sandy clay loam soil, and the consistency limits indicated that the soil presents an inorganic low plasticity clay. The preconsolidation tests tillage in soil moisture content around 19% should be avoided or should be chosen a management of soil with lighter vehicles in this moisture content, to avoid risk of compaction. Using geostatistical techniques mapping was possible to identify areas of greatest conservation soil and greater disturbance of the ground.

Spatial Dependence of Physical Attributes and Mechanical Properties of Ultisol in a Sugarcane Field

PubMed Central

Tavares, Uilka Elisa; Monteiro Rolim, Mário; Souza de Oliveira, Veronildo; Maria Regis Pedrosa, Elvira; Siqueira, Glécio Machado; Guedes Magalhães, Adriana

2015-01-01

This study investigates the effect of conventional tillage and application of the monoculture of sugar cane on soil health. Variables like density, moisture, texture, consistency limits, and preconsolidation stress were taken as indicators of soil quality. The measurements were made at a 120 × 120 m field cropped with sugar cane under conventional tillage. The objective of this work was to characterize the soil and to study the spatial dependence of the physical and mechanical attributes. Then, undisturbed soil samples were collected to measure bulk density, moisture content and preconsolidation stress and disturbed soil samples for classification of soil texture, and consistency limits. The soil texture indicated that soil can be characterized as sandy clay soil and a sandy clay loam soil, and the consistency limits indicated that the soil presents an inorganic low plasticity clay. The preconsolidation tests tillage in soil moisture content around 19% should be avoided or should be chosen a management of soil with lighter vehicles in this moisture content, to avoid risk of compaction. Using geostatistical techniques mapping was possible to identify areas of greatest conservation soil and greater disturbance of the ground. PMID:26167528

Transformation of soil organic matter in leached chernozems under minimized treatment in the forest-steppe of West Siberia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharkov, I. N.; Samokhvalova, L. M.; Mishina, P. V.

2016-07-01

Changes in the contents of total organic carbon and the carbon of easily mineralizable fractions of organic matter (labile humus, detritus, and mortmass) in the layers of 0-10, 10-25, and 0-25 cm were studied in leached chernozems ((Luvic Chernozems (Loamic, Aric)) subjected to deep plowing and surface tillage for nine years. In the layer of 0-25 cm, the content of Corg did not show significant difference between these two treatments and comprised 3.68-3.92% in the case of deep plowing and 3.63-4.08% in the case of surface tillage. Tillage practices greatly affected the distribution of easily mineralizable fractions of organic matter in the layers of 0-10 and 10-25 cm, though the difference between two treatments for the entire layer (0-25 cm) was insignificant. Surface tillage resulted in the increase in the contents of mortmass (by 59%), detritus (by 32%), and labile humus (by 8%) in the layer of 0-10 cm in comparison with deep plowing. At the same time, the contents of these fractions in the layer of 10-25 cm in the surface tillage treatment decreased by 67, 46, and 3%, respectively. The estimate of the nitrogen-mineralizing capacity made according to the data on the uptake of soil nitrogen by oat plants in a special greenhouse experiment confirmed the observed regularities of the redistribution of easily mineralizable organic matter fractions by the soil layers. In case of surface tillage, it increased by 23% in the layer of 0-10 cm; for the layer of 0-25 cm, no significant differences in the uptake of nitrogen by oat plants were found for the two studied treatments.

Status and trends in suspended-sediment discharges, soil erosion, and conservation tillage in the Maumee River basin--Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Myers, Donna N.; Metzker, Kevin D.; Davis, Steven

2000-01-01

The relation of suspended-sediment discharges to conservation-tillage practices and soil loss were analyzed for the Maumee River Basin in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana as part of the U.S. Geological Survey?s National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Cropland in the basin is the largest contributor to soil erosion and suspended-sediment discharge to the Maumee River and the river is the largest source of suspended sediments to Lake Erie. Retrospective and recently-collected data from 1970-98 were used to demonstrate that increases in conservation tillage and decreases in soil loss can be related to decreases in suspended-sediment discharge from streams. Average annual water and suspended-sediment budgets computed for the Maumee River Basin and its principal tributaries indicate that soil drainage and runoff potential, stream slope, and agricultural land use are the major human and natural factors related to suspended-sediment discharge. The Tiffin and St. Joseph Rivers drain areas of moderately to somewhat poorly drained soils with moderate runoff potential. Expressed as a percentage of the total for the Maumee River Basin, the St. Joseph and Tiffin Rivers represent 29.0 percent of the basin area, 30.7 percent of the average-annual streamflow, and 9.31 percent of the average annual suspended-sediment discharge. The Auglaize and St. Marys Rivers drain areas of poorly to very poorly drained soils with high runoff potential. Expressed as a percentage of the total for the Maumee River Basin, the Auglaize and St. Marys Rivers represent 48.7 percent of the total basin area, 53.5 percent of the average annual streamflow, and 46.5 percent of the average annual suspended-sediment discharge. Areas of poorly drained soils with high runoff potential appear to be the major source areas of suspended sediment discharge in the Maumee River Basin. Although conservation tillage differed in the degree of use throughout the basin, on aver-age, it was used on 55.4 percent of all crop fields in the Maumee River Basin from 1993-98. Conservation tillage was used at relatively higher rates in areas draining to the lower main stem from Defiance to Waterville, Ohio and at relatively lower rates in the St. Marys and Auglaize River Basins, and in areas draining to the main stem between New Haven, Ind. and Defiance, Ohio. The areas that were identified as the most important sediment-source areas in the basin were characterized by some of the lowest rates of conservation tillage. The increased use of conservation tillage was found to correspond to decreases in suspended-sediment discharge over time at two locations in the Maumee River Basin. A 49.8 percent decrease in suspended-sediment discharge was detected when data from 1970-74 were compared to data from 1996-98 for the Auglaize River near Ft. Jennings, Ohio. A decrease in suspended-sediment discharge of 11.2 percent was detected from 1970?98 for the Maumee River at Waterville, Ohio. No trends in streamflow at either site were detected over the period 1970-98. The lower rate of decline in suspended-sediment discharge for the Maumee River at Waterville, Ohio compared to the Auglaize River near Ft. Jennings, may be due to resuspension and export of stored sediments from drainage ditches, stream channels, and flood plains in the large drainage basin upstream from Waterville. Similar findings by other investigators about the capacity of drainage networks to store sediment are supported by this investigation. These findings go undetected when soil loss estimates are used alone to evaluate the effectiveness of conservation tillage. Water-quality data in combination with soil-loss estimates were needed to draw these conclusions. These findings provide information to farmers and soil conservation agents about the ability of conservation tillage to reduce soil erosion and suspended-sediment discharge from the Maumee River Basin.

Joint Multifractal Analysis of penetration resistance variability in an olive orchard.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez-Herrera, Juan; Herrero-Tejedor, Tomas; Saa-Requejo, Antonio; Villeta, Maria; Tarquis, Ana M.

2016-04-01

Spatial variability of soil properties is relevant for identifying those zones with physical degradation. We used descriptive statistics and multifractal analysis for characterizing the spatial patterns of soil penetrometer resistance (PR) distributions and compare them at different soil depths and soil water content to investigate the tillage effect in soil compactation. The study was conducted on an Inceptisol dedicated to olive orchard for the last 70 years. Two parallel transects of 64 m were selected as different soil management plots, conventional tillage (CT) and no tillage (NT). Penetrometer resistance readings were carried out at 50 cm intervals within the first 20 cm of soil depth (López de Herrera et al., 2015a). Two way ANOVA highlighted that tillage system, soil depth and their interaction are statistically significant to explain the variance of PR data. The comparison of CT and NT results at different depths showed that there are significant differences deeper than 10 cm but not in the first two soil layers. The scaling properties of each PR profile was characterized by τ(q) function, calculated in the range of moment orders (q) between -5 and +5 taken at 0.5 lag increments. Several parameters were calculated from this to establish different comparisons (López de Herrera et al., 2015b). While the multifractal analysis characterizes the distribution of a single variable along its spatial support, the joint multifractal analysis can be used to characterize the joint distribution of two or more variables along a common spatial support (Kravchenko et al., 2000; Zeleke and Si, 2004). This type of analysis was performed to study the scaling properties of the joint distribution of PR at different depths. The results showed that this type of analysis added valuable information to describe the spatial arrangement of depth-dependent penetrometer data sets in all the soil layers. References Kravchenko AN, Bullock DG, Boast CW (2000) Joint multifractal analysis of crop yield and terrain slope. Agro. j. 92: 1279-1290. López de Herrera, J., Tomas Herrero Tejedor, Antonio Saa-Requejo and Ana M. Tarquis (2015a) Influence of tillage in soil penetration resistance variability in an olive orchard. Geophysical Research Abstracts, 17, EGU2015-15425. López de Herrera, J., Tomás Herrero Tejedor, Antonio Saa-Requejo, A.M. Tarquis. Influence of tillage in soil penetration resistance variability in an olive orchard. Soil Research, accepted, 2015b. doi: SR15046 Zeleke TB, Si BC (2004) Scaling properties of topographic indices and crop yield: Multifractal and joint multifractal approaches. Agro. j. 96: 1082-1090.

Low-disturbance manure application methods in a corn silage-rye cover crop system

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Incorporation of manure by tillage can conserve manure N by reducing ammonia volatilization losses, but tillage also incorporates crop residue, which increases erosion potential. This study compared several low-disturbance manure application methods, designed to incorporate manure while still mainta...

Plant Mulches Can Help Weed Management in Ukraine

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Producers in the United States are interested in restoring the health of their soils to improve crop production. Decades of tillage have severely damaged soil structure and functioning. Eliminating tillage from production systems has repaired some of this damage to soil. Producers and scientists ...

Tillage impact on herbicide loss by surface runoff and lateral subsurface flow

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

There is worldwide interest in conservation tillage practices because they can reduce surface runoff, agrichemical, and sediment loss from farm fields. Since these practices typically increase infiltration, their use may increase subsurface transport of water-soluble contaminants. Thus, to assess lo...

Fall conservation deep tillage stabilizes maize residues into soil organic matter

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Efforts for increasing soil organic matter (SOM) content under agricultural systems have primarily focused on management practices that reduce exposure of SOM to decomposition via minimum tillage. We assess an alternative approach, termed ‘fall conservation deep tillage’ (FCDT), to SOM stabilization...

7 CFR 301.85-1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... destination of regulated articles for scientific purposes. Soil. That part of the upper layer of earth in... equipment used for soil tillage, including tillage attachments for farm tractors, e.g., tractors, disks...., combines, potato conveyors, and harvesters and hay balers. Mechanized soil-moving equipment. Equipment used...

7 CFR 301.85-1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... destination of regulated articles for scientific purposes. Soil. That part of the upper layer of earth in... equipment used for soil tillage, including tillage attachments for farm tractors, e.g., tractors, disks...., combines, potato conveyors, and harvesters and hay balers. Mechanized soil-moving equipment. Equipment used...

7 CFR 301.85-1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... destination of regulated articles for scientific purposes. Soil. That part of the upper layer of earth in... equipment used for soil tillage, including tillage attachments for farm tractors, e.g., tractors, disks...., combines, potato conveyors, and harvesters and hay balers. Mechanized soil-moving equipment. Equipment used...

7 CFR 301.85-1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... destination of regulated articles for scientific purposes. Soil. That part of the upper layer of earth in... equipment used for soil tillage, including tillage attachments for farm tractors, e.g., tractors, disks...., combines, potato conveyors, and harvesters and hay balers. Mechanized soil-moving equipment. Equipment used...

7 CFR 301.85-1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... destination of regulated articles for scientific purposes. Soil. That part of the upper layer of earth in... equipment used for soil tillage, including tillage attachments for farm tractors, e.g., tractors, disks...., combines, potato conveyors, and harvesters and hay balers. Mechanized soil-moving equipment. Equipment used...

Carbon sequestration in dryland soils and plant residue as influenced by tillage and crop rotation.

PubMed

Sainju, Upendra M; Lenssen, Andrew; Caesar-Thonthat, Thecan; Waddell, Jed

2006-01-01

Long-term use of conventional tillage and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-fallow systems in the northern Great Plains have resulted in low soil organic carbon (SOC) levels. We examined the effects of two tillage practices [conventional till (CT) and no-till (NT)], five crop rotations [continuous spring wheat (CW), spring wheat-fallow (W-F), spring wheat-lentil (Lens culinaris Medic.) (W-L), spring wheat-spring wheat-fallow (W-W-F), and spring wheat-pea (Pisum sativum L.)-fallow (W-P-F)], and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) planting on plant C input, SOC, and particulate organic carbon (POC). A field experiment was conducted in a mixture of Scobey clay loam (fine-loamy, mixed, Aridic Argiborolls) and Kevin clay loam (fine, montmorillonitic, Aridic Argiborolls) from 1998 to 2003 in Havre, MT. Total plant biomass returned to the soil from 1998 to 2003 was greater in CW (15.5 Mg ha(-1)) than in other rotations. Residue cover, amount, and C content in 2004 were 33 to 86% greater in NT than in CT and greater in CRP than in crop rotations. Residue amount (2.47 Mg ha(-1)) and C content (0.96 Mg ha(-1)) were greater in NT with CW than in other treatments, except in CT with CRP and W-F and in NT with CRP and W-W-F. The SOC at the 0- to 5-cm depth was 23% greater in NT (6.4 Mg ha(-1)) than in CT. The POC was not influenced by tillage and crop rotation, but POC to SOC ratio at the 0- to 20-cm depth was greater in NT with W-L (369 g kg(-1) SOC) than in CT with CW, W-F, and W-L. From 1998 to 2003, SOC at the 0- to 20-cm depth decreased by 4% in CT but increased by 3% in NT. Carbon can be sequestered in dryland soils and plant residue in areas previously under CRP using reduced tillage and increased cropping intensity, such as NT with CW, compared with traditional practice, such as CT with W-F system, and the content can be similar to that in CRP planting.

Impact of tillage on soil magnetic properties: results over thirty years different cultivation plots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thiesson, Julien; Kessouri, Pauline; Buvat, Solène; Tabbagh, Alain

2010-05-01

Cultivation may favour or not different processes such as air and water circulation, organic matter and fertilizers supplies..., consequently it can a priori induce significant changes in local oxido-reduction conditions which determine the magnetic properties of soils: the soil magnetic signal. If laboratory measurements on soil samples can be slow and irreversible, it is also possible to perform in field measurements by using electromagnetic devices that allow quick and easy measuring over the relevant soil thicknesses both in time (TDEM) and frequency (FDEM) domains. The object of this study is to compare the variation of two magnetic properties (magnetic susceptibility, measured by FDEM apparatus and magnetic viscosity measured by TDEM apparatus) and there ratio along depth for three different types of tillage (no tillage, ploughing, and simplified tillage). An experimental plot of 80 m by 50 m total area, on which these three types of tillage have been conducted for more than thirty years, was surveyed. The plot is divided in five strips of 16 m by 50 m area, each of which being cultivated by one type of tillage only. Each strip is divided in two parts, one half with nitrogen-fixing crop during intercultivation winter period and the other half with bare soil during this period. On each part, the variation along depth of both magnetic properties was assessed by surveying with different devices corresponding to three different volumes of investigation. For the magnetic susceptibility measurements the devices used were the MS2 of Bartington Ltd with the MS2D probe and the CS60 a slingram prototype use in VCP and HCP configurations. For the magnetic viscosity, the devices used were the DECCO from Littlemore ltd. And the VC100, a slingram prototype, used at two heights. Eleven values of the two magnetic properties have been recorded using each device and their medians calculated. The data were inverted to define the median magnetic profiles of each half-strip. Magnetic properties profiles corresponding to different tillage vary significantly. A small difference is also observed between the nitrogen-fixing crop covered half-strips and the bare ones.

Quantification of mitigation potentials of agricultural practices for Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lesschen, J. P.; Kuikman, P. J.; Smith, P.; Schils, R. L.; Oudendag, D.

2009-04-01

Agriculture has a significant impact on climate, with a commonly estimated contribution of 9% of total greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. Besides, agriculture is the main source of nitrous oxide and methane emissions to the atmosphere. On the other hand, there is a large potential for climate change mitigation in agriculture through carbon sequestration into soils. Within the framework of the PICCMAT project (Policy Incentives for Climate Change Mitigation Agricultural Techniques) we quantified the mitigation potential of 11 agricultural practices at regional level for the EU. The focus was on smaller-scale measures towards optimised land management that can be widely applied at individual farm level and which can have a positive climate change mitigating effect and be beneficial to soil conditions, e.g. cover crops and reduced tillage. The mitigation potentials were assessed with the MITERRA-Europe model, a deterministic and static N cycling model which calculates N emissions on an annual basis, using N emission factors and N leaching fractions. For the PICCMAT project the model was extended with a soil carbon module, to assess changes in soil organic carbon according to the IPCC Tier1 approach. The amount of soil organic carbon (SOC) is calculated by multiplying the soil reference carbon content, which depends on soil type and climate, by coefficients for land use, land management and input of organic matter. By adapting these coefficients changes in SOC as result of the measures were simulated. We considered both the extent of agricultural area across Europe on which a measure could realistically be applied (potential level of implementation), and the current level of implementation that has already been achieved . The results showed that zero tillage has the highest mitigation potential, followed by adding legumes, reduced tillage, residue management, rotation species, and catch crops. Optimising fertiliser application and fertiliser type are the measures with the largest positive effect on N2O emissions. Overall the results showed that the additional mitigation potential of each individual measure is limited, but taken together they have a significant mitigation potential of about 10 percent of the current GHG emissions from agriculture. Besides, most of the measures with high mitigation potentials are associated with no or low implementation costs. Although CH4 and N2O are the most important GHG emitted from agricultural activities, it is more difficult to mitigate these emissions than increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and thus compensate them through carbon sequestration. However, the effect on carbon is only temporary and sequestered SOC stocks can easily be lost again, while for N2O the emission reduction is permanent and non-saturating. Another important implication that follows from our results is the large regional difference with regard to mitigation potential and feasibility of implementation. Policy measures to support agricultural mitigation should therefore be adjusted to regional conditions.

Management practices effects on soil carbon dioxide emission and carbon storage

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Management practices can influence soil CO2 emission and C content in cropland, which can effect global warming. We examined the effects of combinations of irrigation, tillage, cropping systems, and N fertilization on soil CO2 flux, temperature, water, and C content at the 0 to 20 cm depth from May ...

Site Preparation For Intensively Cultured Hybrid Poplar Plantations

Treesearch

Edward Hansen; Daniel Netzer; W.J. Rietveld

1984-01-01

Five site preparation treatments consisting of combinations of tillage, contact herbicide (glyphosate), and pre-emergent herbicide (linuron) were tested for their effects on tree survival and growth. Treatments had little effect on tree survival, but effects on second-year-tree height were significant and additive -- i.e., tree height increased as the number of types...

Effects of different mechanized soil fertilization methods on corn soil fertility under continuous cropping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Qingwen; Wang, Huixin; Bai, Chunming; Wu, Di; Song, Qiaobo; Gao, Depeng; Dong, Zengqi; Cheng, Xin; Dong, Qiping; Zhang, Yahao; Mu, Jiahui; Chen, Qinghong; Liao, Wenqing; Qu, Tianru; Zhang, Chunling; Zhang, Xinyu; Liu, Yifei; Han, Xiaori

2017-05-01

Experiments for mechanized soil fertilization for corns were conducted in Faku demonstration zone. On this basis, we studied effects on corn soil fertility under continuous cropping due to different mechanized soil fertilization methods. Our study would serve as a theoretical basis further for mechanized soil fertilization improvement and soil quality improvement in brown soil area. Based on the survey of soil physical characteristics during different corn growth periods, we collected soil samples from different corn growth periods to determine and make statistical analysis accordingly. Stalk returning to field with deep tillage proved to be the most effective on available nutrient improvement for arable soil in the demonstration zone. Different mechanized soil fertilization methods were remarkably effective on total phosphorus improvement for arable soil in the demonstration zone, while less effective on total nitrogen or total potassium, and not so effective on C/N ratio in soil. Stalk returning with deep tillage was more favorable to improve content of organic matter in soil, when compared with surface application, and organic granular fertilizer more favorable when compared with decomposed cow dung for such a purpose, too.

Responses of reniform nematode and browntop millet to tillage, cover crop, and herbicides in cotton

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cropping practices that reduce competition from reniform nematode (Rotylenchulus reniformis) and browntop millet (Urochlora ramosum) may help minimize losses in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). The impacts of tillage, rye cover crop, and preemergence and postemergence herbicides on cotton yields, renifo...

Incremental soil sampling root water uptake, or be great through others

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Ray Allmaras pursued several research topics in relation to residue and tillage research. He looked for new tools to help explain soil responses to tillage, including disk permeameters and image analysis. The incremental sampler developed by Pikul and Allmaras allowed small-depth increment, volumetr...

Particulate emissions calculations from fall tillage operations using point and remote sensors

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Preparation of soil for agricultural crops produces aerosols that may significantly contribute to seasonal atmospheric loadings of particulate matter (PM). Efforts to reduce PM emissions from tillage operations through a variety of conservation management practices (CMP) have been made but the reduc...

Soil translocation estimates calibrated for moldboard plow depth

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Over the past century, one of the biggest culprits of tillage-induced soil erosion and translocation has been the moldboard plow. The distance soil will move by moldboard plow tillage has been shown to be correlated with slope gradient. Lindstrom et al. (1992) developed regression equations describi...

Influence of sugarbeet tillage Systems on the rhizoctonia-bacterial root rot complex

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Rhizoctonia-bacterial root rot complex in sugarbeet caused by Rhizoctonia solani and Leuconostoc mesenteroides can cause significant yield losses. To investigate the impact of different tillage systems on this complex, field studies were conducted from 2009 to 2011. Split blocks with conventio...

Influence of sugarbeet tillage systems on rhizoctonia-bacterial root rot complex

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Rhizoctonia-bacterial root rot complex on sugarbeet caused by Rhizoctonia solani and Leuconostoc mesenteroides can cause significant yield losses. To investigate the impact of different tillage systems on this complex, field studies were conducted from 2009 to 2011. Split blocks with conventio...

Cotton production as affected by irrigation level and transitioning tillage systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Identifying management practices that conserve and protect water resources are very important to a wide variety of stakeholders within semi-arid environments. The objective of this research was to develop conservation tillage and water management strategies that enhance lint yields in subsurface dri...

Pre-Breeding for root rot resistance using root morphology traits

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Root rot caused by the fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani can be a major yield-limiting disease in minimal tillage or direct-seeded cereal production systems. Reduced tillage greatly influences the plant residue retained on the soil surfaces. This retained residue (green bridge) provides increased d...

Statistical learning algorithms for identifying contrasting tillage practices with landsat thematic mapper data

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Tillage management practices have direct impact on water holding capacity, evaporation, carbon sequestration, and water quality. This study examines the feasibility of two statistical learning algorithms, such as Least Square Support Vector Machine (LSSVM) and Relevance Vector Machine (RVM), for cla...

Sweat, Brain-Power, Horsepower, and Time - The Keys to Controlling Weeds

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Weed control in organic crop production is difficult and costly. Early studies on organic weed control in conservation tillage systems were disappointing. Research shifted to organic weed control in conventional tillage systems. Intense cultivation with a tine weeder was the most consistent metho...

Conservation agriculture improves yield and reduces weeding activity in sandy soils of Cambodia

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Intensive tillage in many less-developed countries, including Cambodia have caused significant decline in agriculture’s natural resources and sustainability. With limited available data, long-term conventional tillage system (CT) and conservation agriculture system (CA) can affect changes in soil pr...

Integration of Andrographis paniculata as Potential Medicinal Plant in Chir Pine (Pinus roxburghii Sarg.) Plantation of North-Western Himalaya

PubMed Central

Sanwal, Chandra Shekher; Bhardwaj, S. D.

2016-01-01

The integration of Andrographis paniculata under Pinus roxburghii (Chir pine) plantation has been studied to evaluate the growth and yield for its economic viability and conservation. It was grown on three topographical aspects, namely, northern, north-western, and western, at a spacing of 30 cm × 30 cm, followed by three tillage depths, namely, minimum (0 cm), medium (up to 10 cm), and deep (up to 15 cm) tillage. The growth parameters, namely, plant height and number of branches per plant, were recorded as significantly higher on western aspect and lowest on northern aspect except for leaf area index which was found nonsignificant. However under all tillage practices all the growth parameters in both understorey and open conditions were found to be nonsignificant except for plant height which was found to be significantly highest under deep tillage and lowest under minimum tillage. The study of net returns for Andrographis paniculata revealed that it had positive average annual returns even in understorey conditions which indicate its possible economic viability under integration of Chir pine plantations. Hence net returns can be enhanced by integrating Andrographis paniculata and this silvimedicinal system can be suggested which will help utilizing an unutilized part of land and increase total productivity from such lands besides conservation of the A. paniculata in situ. PMID:27563482

Spatially resolved data on sediment transport: 1) field application examining fluorescent soil particle movement from tillage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quinton, John; Hardy, Robert; Pates, Jacqueline; James, Michael

2017-04-01

Understanding where sediment originates from and where it travels to, in what quantities and at which rate is at the heart of many questions surrounding sediment transport. Progress towards unravelling these questions and deepening our understanding has come from a wide range of approaches, including laboratory and field experiments conducted at a variety of scales. In seeking to understand the connectivity of sources and sinks of sediment scientists have spent considerable energy in developing tracing technologies. These have included numerous studies that have relied on the chemical properties of the soil and sediment to establish source-sink connectivity, and the use of 137Ceasium, from radioactive fall-out, to map sediment redistribution. More recently there has been an upsurge in interest in the use of artificially applied soil tracers, including rare earth element oxides and magnetic minerals. However all these tracing methods have a significant drawback: they rely on the collection of samples to assess their concentration. This means that their spatial distribution cannot easily be established in situ and that the environment that is being studied is damaged by the sampling process; nor can data be collected in real time which allows a dynamic understanding of erosion and transport processes to be developed. Here we report on the field application of a fluorescent sand sized tracer at the hillslope scale during a tillage erosion experiment. Here we trialled both intensity based and particle counting methodologies for tracer enumeration. After simulating seven years of tillage on a hillslope we were able to precisely determine the distribution of the fluorescent tracer and also its incorporation and distribution within the soil profile. Single grains of tracer could be found over 35 m from the insertion point. In a second abstract we report on an application that combines novel fluorescent videography techniques with custom image processing to trace the motion of the fluorescent soil particles under rainfall. We demonstrate the tracking of multiple sub-millimetre particles simultaneously, establishing their position 50 times a second with submillimetre precision. From this we are able to visualise and quantify parameters such as distance and direction of travel.

Interpretation of the impact of different managements and the rainfall variability on the soil erosion in a Mediterranean olive orchard microcatchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taguas, E. V.; Burguet, M.; Pérez, R.; Ayuso, J. L.; Gómez, J. A.

2012-04-01

The microcatchment is a spatial scale which allows to evaluate and to quantify the erosive processes under conditions close to those perceived by farmers. In this work, soil erosion and runoff over six hydrological years (2005 and 2011) were monitored in an olive orchard microcatchment of 6.4 ha, where different management types were applied. The aim was to evaluate the impact of the management and the rainfall regime variability. Non-tillage was applied during the years 2005-2007, tillage operations were carried in April in the period 2007-2010 while in the year 2010-2011, the tillage was applied in January and mulches (olives leaves and branches) were established for reducing the soil losses, mainly generated from rills. At the annual scale, the variation ranges of the cumulative rainfall depth and of the erosivity were between 600 and 1000 mm and between 600 and 1500 MJ mm ha-1 h-1, respectively. Although there are some gaps in the data series, the annual runoff coefficients calculated were smaller than 5% and the total sediment load range was between less than 1 t ha-1 year-1and more than 20 t ha-1 year-1. During these years olive yield also showed a high degree of variability, between 5000 kg ha-1 year-1and 10000 kg ha-1 year-1, typical of the alternate bearing of this crop, without correlation with annual rainfall. The annual rainfall depth explained significantly the sediment load and the runoff in spite of the different managements applied. At the event scale, rainfall depth was correlated with runoff, however, sediment load was very sensible to management. The high variability of the hydrological regime (inter and intra-annual) and the importance of the precedent hydrological years determine complex interpretations of the impact of the management on the soil losses and the olive yield by the farmers, so the continuity of the data analysis is essential for supporting the suitable taking decisions about the overall farm management.

The efficacy of winter cover crops to stabilize soil inorganic nitrogen after fall-applied anhydrous ammonia.

PubMed

Lacey, Corey; Armstrong, Shalamar

2015-03-01

There is a dearth of knowledge on the ability of cover crops to increase the effectiveness of fall-applied nitrogen (N). The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of two cover crop species to stabilize inorganic soil N after a fall application of N. Fall N was applied at a rate of 200 kg N ha into living stands of cereal rye, tillage radish, and a control (no cover crop) at the Illinois State University Research and Teaching Farm in Lexington, Illinois. Cover crops were sampled to determine N uptake, and soil samples were collected in the spring at four depths to 80 cm to determine the distribution of inorganic N within the soil profile. Tillage radish (131.9-226.8 kg ha) and cereal rye (188.1-249.9 kg ha N) demonstrated the capacity to absorb a minimum of 60 to 80% of the equivalent rate of fall-applied N, respectively. Fall applying N without cover crops resulted in a greater percentage of soil NO-N (40%) in the 50- to 80-cm depth, compared with only 31 and 27% when tillage radish and cereal rye were present at N application. At planting, tillage radish stabilized an average of 91% of the equivalent rate of fall-applied N within the 0- to 20-cm, depth compared with 66 and 57% for the cereal rye and control treatments, respectively. This study has demonstrated that fall applying N into a living cover crop stand has the potential to reduce the vulnerability of soil nitrate and to stabilize a greater concentration of inorganic N within the agronomic depths of soil. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Impact of reduced tillage and organic inputs on aggregate stability and earthworm community in a Breton context in France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paillat, Louise; Menasseri, Safya; Busnot, Sylvain; Roucaute, Marc; Benard, Yannick; Morvan, Thierry; Pérès, Guénola

2017-04-01

Soil aggregate stability, which refers to the ability of soil aggregates to resist breakdown when disruptive forces are applied (water, wind), is a good indicator of the sensitivity of soil to crusting and erosion and is a relevant indicator for soil stability. Within soil parameters which affect soil stability, organic matter is one of the main important by functioning as bonding agent between mineral soil particles, but soil organisms such as microorganisms and earthworms are also recognized as efficient agents. However the relationship between earthworms, fungal hyphae and aggregation is still unclear. In order to assess the influence of these biological agents on aggregate dynamics, we have combined a field study and a laboratory experiment. On a long term experiment trial in Brittany, SOERE PRO-EFELE, we have studied the effect of reduced tillage (vs. conventional tillage) combined to organic inputs (vs. mineral inputs) on earthworm community and soil stability. Aggregate stability was measured at different perturbations intensities: fast wetting (FW), slow wetting (SW) and mechanical breakdown (MB). This study showed that after 4 years of experiments, reduced tillage and organic inputs enhanced aggregate stability. Earthworms modulated aggregation process: endogeics reduced FW stability (mechanical binding by hyphae) and anecics increased SW stability (aggregate interparticular cohesion and hydrophobicity). Some precisions were provided by the laboratory experiment, using microcosms, which compared casts of the endogeic Aporectodea c. caliginosa (NCCT) and the anecic Lumbricus terrestris (LT). The presumed hyphae fragmentation by endogeics could not be highlight in NCCT casts. Nevertheless, hyphae were more abundant and C content and aggregate stability were higher in LT casts corroborating the positive contribution of anecics to aggregate stability.

Soil carbon fractions under maize-wheat system: effect of tillage and nutrient management.

PubMed

Sandeep, S; Manjaiah, K M; Pal, Sharmistha; Singh, A K

2016-01-01

Soil organic carbon plays a major role in sustaining agroecosystems and maintaining environmental quality as it acts as a major source and sink of atmospheric carbon. The present study aims to assess the impact of agricultural management practices on soil organic carbon pools in a maize-wheat cropping system of Indo-Gangetic Plains, India. Soil samples from a split plot design with two tillage systems (bed planting and conventional tillage) and six nutrient treatments (T1 = control, T2 = 120 kg urea-N ha(-1), T3 = T2 (25 % N substituted by FYM), T4 = T2 (25 % N substituted by sewage sludge), T5 = T2 + crop residue, T6 = 100 % organic source (50 % FYM + 25 % biofertilizer + 25 % crop residue) were used for determining the organic carbon pools. Results show that there was a significant improvement in Walkley and Black carbon in soil under integrated and organic nutrient management treatments. KMnO4-oxidizable carbon content of soil varied from 0.63 to 1.50 g kg(-1) in soils and was found to be a better indicator for monitoring the impact of agricultural management practices on quality of soil organic carbon than microbial biomass carbon. Tillage and its interaction were found to significantly influence only those soil organic carbon fractions closely associated with aggregate stability viz, labile polysaccharides and glomalin. The highest amount of C4-derived carbon was found to be in plots receiving recommended doses of N as urea (29 %) followed by control plots (25 %). The carbon management index ranged between 82 to 195 and was better in integrated nutrient sources than ones receiving recommended doses of nutrients through mineral fertilizers alone.

Soil phosphorus loss in tile drainage water from long-term conventional- and non-tillage soils of Ontario with and without compost addition.

PubMed

Zhang, T Q; Tan, C S; Wang, Y T; Ma, B L; Welacky, T

2017-02-15

Recent ascertainment of tile drainage a predominant pathway of soil phosphorus (P) loss, along with the rise in concentration of soluble P in the Lake Erie, has led to a need to re-examine the impacts of agricultural practices. A three-year on-farm study was conducted to assess P loss in tile drainage water under long-term conventional- (CT) and non-tillage (NT) as influenced by yard waste leaf compost (LC) application in a Brookston clay loam soil. The effects of LC addition on soil P loss in tile drainage water varied depending on P forms and tillage systems. Under CT, dissolved reactive P (DRP) loss with LC addition over the study period was 765g P ha -1 , 2.9 times higher than CT without LC application, due to both a 50% increase in tile drainage flow volume and a 165% increase in DRP concentration. Under NT, DRP loss in tile drainage water with LC addition was 1447gPha -1 , 5.3 times greater than that for NT without LC application; this was solely caused by a 564% increase in DRP concentration. However, particulate P loads in tile drainage water with LC application remained unchanged, relative to non-LC application, regardless of tillage systems. Consequently, LC addition led to an increase in total P loads in tile drainage water by 57 and 69% under CT and NT, respectively. The results indicate that LC application may become an environmental concern due to increased DRP loss, particularly under NT. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of tillage system and cumulative rainfall on multifractal parameters of soil surface microrelief

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vidal Vázquez, E.; Miranda, J. G. V.; Mirás-Avalos, J. M.; Díaz, M. C.; Paz-Ferreiro, J.

2009-04-01

Mathematical description of the spatial characteristics of soil surface microrelief still remains a challenge. Soil surface roughness parameters are required for modelling overland flow and erosion. The objective of this work was to evaluate the potential of multifractal for analyzing the decay of initial surface roughness induced by natural rainfall under different soil tillage systems. Field experiments were performed on an Oxisol at Campinas, São Paulo State (Brazil). Six tillage treatments, namely, disc harrow, disc plow, chisel plow, disc harrow + disc level, disc plow + disc level and chisel plow + disc level were tested. In each plot soil surface microrelief was measured for times, with increasing amounts of natural rainfall using a pinmeter. The sampling scheme was a square grid with 25 x 25 mm point spacing and the plot size was 1350 x 1350 mm, so that each data set consisted of 3025 individual elevation points. Duplicated measurements were taken per treatment and date, yielding a total of 48 experimental data sets. All the investigated microrelief data sets exhibited, in general, scale properties, and the degree of multifractality showed wide differences between them. Multifractal analysis distinguishes two different patterns of soil surface microrelief, the first one has features close to monofractal spectra and the second clearly indicates multifractal behavior. Both, singularity spectra and generalized dimension spectra allow differentiating between soil tillage systems. In general, changes in values of multifractal parameters under simulated rainfall showed no or little correspondence with the evolution of the vertical microrelief component described by indices such as the standard deviation of the point height measurements. Multifractal parameters provided valuable information for chararacterizing the spatial features of soil surface microrelief as they were able to discriminate data sets with similar values for the vertical component of roughness.

Predicting Tillage Patterns in the Tiffin River Watershed Using Remote Sensing Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brooks, C.; McCarty, J. L.; Dean, D. B.; Mann, B. F.

2012-12-01

Previous research in tillage mapping has focused primarily on utilizing low to no-cost, moderate (30 m to 15 m) resolution satellite data. Successful data processing techniques published in the scientific literature have focused on extracting and/or classifying tillage patterns through manipulation of spectral bands. For instance, Daughtry et al. (2005) evaluated several spectral indices for crop residue cover using satellite multispectral and hyperspectral data and to categorize soil tillage intensity in agricultural fields. A weak to moderate relationship between Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) indices and crop residue cover was found; similar results were reported in Minnesota. Building on the findings from the scientific literature and previous work done by MTRI in the heavily agricultural Tiffin watershed of northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan, a decision tree classifier approach (also referred to as a classification tree) was used, linking several satellite data to on-the-ground tillage information in order to boost classification results. This approach included five tillage indices and derived products. A decision tree methodology enabled the development of statistically optimized (i.e., minimizing misclassification rates) classification algorithms at various desired time steps: monthly, seasonally, and annual over the 2006-2010 time period. Due to their flexibility, processing speed, and availability within all major remote sensing and statistical software packages, decision trees can ingest several data inputs from multiple sensors and satellite products, selecting only the bands, band ratios, indices, and products that further reduce misclassification errors. The project team created crop-specific tillage pattern classification trees whereby a training data set (~ 50% of available ground data) was created for production of the actual decision tree and a validation data set was set aside (~ 50% of available ground data) in order to assess the accuracy of the classification. A seasonal time step was used, optimizing a decision tree based on seasonal ground data for tillage patterns and satellite data and products for years 2006 through 2010. Annual crop type maps derived by the project team and the USDA Cropland Data Layer project was used an input to understand locations of corn, soybeans, wheat, etc. on a yearly basis. As previously stated, the robustness of the decision tree approach is the ability to implement various satellite data and products across temporal, spectral, and spatial resolutions, thereby improving the resulting classification and providing a reliable method that is not sensor-dependent. Tillage pattern classification from satellite imagery is not a simple task and has proven a challenge to previous researchers investigating this remote sensing topic. The team's decision tree method produced a practical, usable output within a focused project time period. Daughtry, C.S.T., Hunt Jr., E.R., Doraiswamy, P.C., McMurtrey III, J.E. 2005. Remote sensing the spatial distribution of crop residues. Agron. J. 97, 864-871.

Tillage and residue burning affects weed populations and seed banks.

PubMed

Narwal, S; Sindel, B M; Jessop, R S

2006-01-01

An integrated weed management approach requires alternative management practices to herbicide use such as tillage, crop rotations and cultural controls to reduce soil weed seed banks. The objective of this study was to examine the value of different tillage practices and stubble burning to exhaust the seed bank of common weeds from the northern grain region of Australia. Five tillage and burning treatments were incorporated in a field experiment, at Armidale (30 degrees 30'S, 151 degrees 40'E), New South Wales, Australia in July 2004 in a randomized block design replicated four times. The trial was continued and treatments repeated in July 2005 with all the mature plants from the first year being allowed to shed seed in their respective treatment plots. The treatments were (i) no tillage (NT), (ii) chisel ploughing (CP), (iii) mould board ploughing (MBP), (iv) wheat straw burning with no tillage (SBNT) and (v) wheat straw burning with chisel ploughing (SBC). Soil samples were collected before applying treatments and before the weeds flowered to establish the seed bank status of the various weeds in the soil. Wheat was sown after the tillage treatments. Burning treatments were only initiated in the second year, one month prior to tillage treatments. The major weeds present in the seed bank before initiating the trial were Polygonum aviculare, Sonchus oleraceus and Avena fatua. Tillage promoted the germination of other weeds like Hibiscus trionum, Medicago sativa, Vicia sp. and Phalaris paradoxa later in the season in 2004 and Convolvulus erubescens emerged as a new weed in 2005. The MBP treatment in 2004 reduced the weed biomass to a significantly lower level of 55 g/m2 than the other treatments of CP (118 g/m2) and NT plots (196 g/m2) (P < 0.05). However, in 2005 SBC and MBP treatments were similar in reducing the weed biomass. In 2004, the grain yield trend of wheat was significantly different between CP and NT, and MBP and NT (P < 0.05) with maximum yield of 5898 kg/ha in CP and 5731 kg/ha in MBP. Rainfall before the start of the second trial season promoted the germination of a large numbers of weeds. SBC and MBP treatments reduced the numbers of most of the individual weed species compared with CP, SBNT and NT. SBC was able to destroy a large proportion of seeds most likely through burning and burying some in the soil and was found to be the best treatment in exhausting the seed bank followed closely by MBP which probably buried large number of seeds deep in the soil and promoted others to germinate. CP might have buried some of the seeds in the top 5-10 cm but also promoted parts of the seed bank to germinate. SBNT and NT provided an ideal medium for weeds to germinate and resulted in heavy infestations of weeds.

Lasting effect of soil warming on organic matter decomposition depends on tillage practices

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Global warming affects various parts of carbon (C) cycle including acceleration of soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition with strong feedback to atmospheric CO2 concentration. Despite many soil warming studies showed changes of microbial community structure, very few were focused on the effect of ...

A simple approach to distinguish land-use and climate-change effects on watershed hydrology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tomer, M.D.; Schilling, K.E.

2009-01-01

Impacts of climate change on watershed hydrology are subtle compared to cycles of drought and surplus precipitation (PPT), and difficult to separate from effects of land-use change. In the US Midwest, increasing baseflow has been more attributed to increased annual cropping than climate change. The agricultural changes have led to increased fertilizer use and nutrient losses, contributing to Gulf of Mexico hypoxia. In a 25-yr, small-watershed experiment in Iowa, when annual hydrologic budgets were accrued between droughts, a coupled water-energy budget (ecohydrologic) analysis showed effects of tillage and climate on hydrology could be distinguished. The fraction of PPT discharged increased with conservation tillage and time. However, unsatisfied evaporative demand (PET - Hargreaves method) increased under conservation tillage, but decreased with time. A conceptual model was developed and a similar analysis conducted on long-term (>1920s) records from four large, agricultural Midwest watersheds underlain by fine-grained tills. At least three of four watersheds showed decreases in PET, and increases in PPT, discharge, baseflow and PPT:PET ratios (p < 0.10). An analysis of covariance showed the fraction of precipitation discharged increased, while unsatisfied evaporative demand decreased with time among the four watersheds (p < 0.001). Within watersheds, agricultural changes were associated with ecohydrologic shifts that affected timing and significance, but not direction, of these trends. Thus, an ecohydrologic concept derived from small-watershed research, when regionally applied, suggests climate change has increased discharge from Midwest watersheds, especially since the 1970s. By inference, climate change has increased susceptibility of nutrients to water transport, exacerbating Gulf of Mexico hypoxia.

Nitrogen and tillage management affect corn cellulosic yield, composition, and ethanol potential

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Corn (Zea mays L.) stover and cobs remaining after grain harvest can serve as a feedstock for cellulosic ethanol production. Field trials were conducted at two locations in Minnesota over three years to determine how corn cellulosic yield composition and ethanol yield are influenced by tillage syste...

Influence of tillage systems on Rhizoctonia-bacterial root rot complex in sugar beet

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Rhizoctonia-bacterial root rot complex on sugarbeet caused by Rhizoctonia solani and Leuconostoc mesenteroides can cause significant yield losses. To investigate the impact of different tillage systems on this complex, field studies were conducted from 2009 to 2011. Split blocks with conventio...

Residue Management: A Computer Program About Conservation Tillage Decisions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thien, Steve J.

1986-01-01

Describes a computer program, Residue Management, which is designed to supplement discussions on the Universal Soil Loss Equation and the impact of tillage on soil properties for introductory soil courses. The program advances the user through three stages of residue management. Information on obtaining the program is also included. (ML)

Dust-associated Microbiomes from Dryland Wheat Fields Differ with Tillage Practice and Biosolids Application

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wind erosion is a significant threat to the productivity and sustainability of agricultural soils. In the dryland winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-fallow region of Inland Pacific Northwest of the USA (PNW), farmers increasingly use conservation tillage practices to control wind erosion. In addit...

Integrating sheep grazing into wheat-fallow systems: Crop yield and soil properties

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The two predominant systems for weed management in summer fallow are tillage with a field cultivator or multiple applications of broad spectrum herbicides with zero tillage. Both systems are based on substantial use of off farm resources. Strategic grazing of sheep may allow grain growers to more ...

Vertical tillage impacts on water quality derived from rainfall simulations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Increasing soluble phosphorus (P) loads to Lake Erie occurring around the same time that the implementation of no-tillage in the watershed has led to speculation that this important conservation practice is a primary cause of the soluble P loading. Thus, conservationists are interesting in finding f...

Reducing CO2 flux by decreasing tillage in Ohio: overcoming conjecture with data

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil could become an important sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) as global agricultural greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow, but data to support this conjecture are few. Sequestering soil carbon (C) depends upon many factors including soil type, climate, crop, tillage, nitrogen fertili...

Standing crop residues and wind erosion

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wind erosion and blinding dust storms in the Central Great Plains region still occasionally erupt. Eliminating all tillage remains the best remedy. However, farmers in the region somehow fail to remember the lessons learned in the “dirty 30’s”. They forget how devastating tillage is in disrupting t...

Stratification of soil chemical and microbial properties under no-till management after lime amendment

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Adoption of no-till (NT) technology in the dryland cropping region of the inland Pacific Northwest (iPNW) has dramatically reduced soil erosion compared to conventional tillage. Soils under continuous NT, however, often produce stratified soil acidification compared with conventional tillage due to ...

Reduced-tillage organic corn production in a hairy vetch cover crop

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

There is much interest in developing no-tillage systems for organic farming, however, potential limitations include the inability to control weeds and to provide sufficient crop available N. A three-year field experiment was conducted on organically-certified land to explore the use of roller-crimp...

Glyphosate applications,glyphosate resistant corn, and tillage on nitrification rates and distribution of nitrifying microbial communities

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Conservation tillage practices have combined genetically modified glyphosate resistant corn crops along with applications of the herbicide glyphosate. We tested the null hypothesis that the soil process of nitrification and the distribution of archaeal and bacterial nitrifying communities would not ...

Impact of tillage and fertilizer application method on gas emissions in a corn cropping system

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Tillage and fertilization practices used in row crop production are thought to alter greenhouse gas emissions from soil. This study was conducted to determine the impact of fertilizer sources, land management practices, and fertilizer placement methods on greenhouse gas emissions. A new prototype i...

Grey water footprint reduction in irrigated crop production: effect of nitrogen application rate, nitrogen form, tillage practice and irrigation strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chukalla, Abebe D.; Krol, Maarten S.; Hoekstra, Arjen Y.

2018-06-01

Grey water footprint (WF) reduction is essential given the increasing water pollution associated with food production and the limited assimilation capacity of fresh water. Fertilizer application can contribute significantly to the grey WF as a result of nutrient leaching to groundwater and runoff to streams. The objective of this study is to explore the effect of the nitrogen application rate (from 25 to 300 kg N ha-1), nitrogen form (inorganic N or manure N), tillage practice (conventional or no-tillage) and irrigation strategy (full or deficit irrigation) on the nitrogen load to groundwater and surface water, crop yield and the N-related grey water footprint of crop production by a systematic model-based assessment. As a case study, we consider irrigated maize grown in Spain on loam soil in a semi-arid environment, whereby we simulate the 20-year period 1993-2012. The water and nitrogen balances of the soil and plant growth at the field scale were simulated with the Agricultural Policy Environmental eXtender (APEX) model. As a reference management package, we assume the use of inorganic N (nitrate), conventional tillage and full irrigation. For this reference, the grey WF at a usual N application rate of 300 kg N ha-1 (with crop yield of 11.1 t ha-1) is 1100 m3 t-1, which can be reduced by 91 % towards 95 m3 t-1 when the N application rate is reduced to 50 kg N ha-1 (with a yield of 3.7 t ha-1). The grey WF can be further reduced to 75 m3 t-1 by shifting the management package to manure N and deficit irrigation (with crop yield of 3.5 t ha-1). Although water pollution can thus be reduced dramatically, this comes together with a great yield reduction, and a much lower water productivity (larger green plus blue WF) as well. The overall (green, blue and grey) WF per tonne is found to be minimal at an N application rate of 150 kg N ha-1, with manure, no-tillage and deficit irrigation (with crop yield of 9.3 t ha-1). The paper shows that there is a trade-off between grey WF and crop yield, as well as a trade-off between reducing water pollution (grey WF) and water consumption (green and blue WF). Applying manure instead of inorganic N and deficit instead of full irrigation are measures that reduce both water pollution and water consumption with a 16 % loss in yield.

Single season effects of mixed-species cover crops on tomato health (cultivar Celebrity) in multi-state field trials

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cover crop use can help mitigate the deleterious effects of common cropping practices (e.g., tillage) and is, therefore, an important component of soil health maintenance. While known to be beneficial in the long term, the short-term effects of cover crops, specifically mixed-species cover crops in ...

The impact of tillage on Pinto bean cultivar response to drought induced by deficit irrigation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Drought stress is a major factor limiting yield of dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and drought tolerant cultivars are being developed. Reducing tillage in row crops has advantages of conserving moisture and increasing water infiltration, and may alter the response of dry bean cultivars to drought stre...

Soil and water conservation in the Pacific Northwest through no-tillage and intensified crop rotations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) summer fallow rotation typically practiced in the intermediate precipitation zone [300-450 mm (12-18 in)] of the inland Pacific Northwest has proven to be economically stable for producers in this region. However multiple tillage operations are used to control...

Influence of FGD gypsum on the properties of a highly erodible soil under conservation tillage

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The performance of conservation tillage practices imposed on highly erodible soils may be improved by the use of amendments with a high solubility rate, and whose dissolution products are translocated at depth in the soil profile faster than normally used agricultural lime and fertilizer products. T...

Accounting for green vegetation and soil spectral properties to improve remote sensing of crop residue cover

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Conservation tillage methods are beneficial as they disturb soil less and leaves increased crop residue cover (CRC) after planting on the soil surface. CRC helps reduce soil erosion, evaporation, and the need for tillage operations in fields. Greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to due to less fos...

Simulated soil organic carbon responses to crop rotation, tillage, and climate change in North Dakota

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Understanding how agricultural management and climate change affect soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks is particularly important for dryland agriculture regions that have been losing SOC over time due to fallow and tillage practices, and it can lead to development of agricultural practice(s) that redu...

Dynamics of soil carbon, nitrogen and soil respiration in farmer’s field with conservation agriculture Siem Reap, Cambodia

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The years of intensive tillage in many countries, including Cambodia, have caused significant decline in agriculture’s natural resources that could threaten the future of agricultural production and sustainability worldwide. Long-term tillage system and site-specific crop management can affect chang...

Continuum of risk analysis methods to assess tillage system sustainability at the experimental plot level

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of stochastic dominance and stochastic efficiency with respect to a function (SERF) methodology for ranking conventional and conservation tillage systems using 14 years (1990-2003) of economic budget data collected from 36 plots at the Iowa...

Evapotranspiration in winter wheat under different grazing and tillage practices in the southern Great Plains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Precipitation in the Southern Great Plains (SGP) is highly variable both spatially and temporally with recurring periods of severe drought. Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) – summer fallow system with conventional tillage is the principal dryland cropping system in this region for both grazing an...

Soil aggregates and their associated carbon and nitrogen content in winter annual pastures using different tillage management options

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Traditionally, winter annual pastures are established on grazing areas that are steeply sloping and not regarded as suitable for row-crop production. Using conventional (CT) tillage methods to prepare these fragile lands for winter annual pastures leads to increased erosion and rapid soil degradatio...

Dissolved nitrogen, chloride, and potassium loss from fields in conventional and conservation tillage

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Losses of soluble nutrients from cropland and their transport to surface and groundwater are a continuing water quality concern. In this study we evaluated tillage impact on dissolved losses of ammonium (NH4-N) and nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N), chloride (Cl), and potassium (K) during rotational cotton ...

Sediment and PM10 flux from no-tillage cropping systems in the Pacific Northwest

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wind erosion is a concern in the Inland Pacific Northwest (PNW) United States where the emission of fine particulates from winter wheat – summer fallow (WW/SF) dryland cropping systems during high winds degrade air quality. Although no-tillage cropping systems are not yet economically viable, these ...

Characterizing and mapping resistance in synthetic-derived wheat to Rhizoctonia root rot in a green bridge environment

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Root rot caused by Rhizoctonia species is an economically important soilborne disease of spring planted wheat in growing regions of the Pacific Northwest (PNW). The main method of controlling the disease currently is through tillage, which deters farmers from adopting the benefits of minimal tillage...

Relationships between Fungal Biomass and Nitrous Oxide Emission in Upland Rice Soils under No Tillage and Cover Cropping Systems.

PubMed

Zhaorigetu; Komatsuzaki, Masakazu; Sato, Yoshinori; Ohta, Hiroyuki

2008-01-01

The relationships between soil microbial properties and nitrous oxide emission were examined in upland soil under different tillage systems [no tillage (NT), rotary and plow tillage] and cover crop systems (fallow, cereal rye, and hairy vetch) in 2004 and 2005. Microbiological analyses included the determination of soil ergosterol as an indicator of fungal biomass, bacterial plate counting, and MPN estimations of ammonia oxidizers and denitrifiers. The combined practice of NT with rye-cover crop treatment increased fungal biomass but not bacterial populations in 0-10 cm deep soils. Such increase in fungal biomass was not found in 10-20 cm and 20-30 cm deep cover-cropped NT soil. The combined practice of NT with rye-cover cropping resulted in higher in situ N(2)O emission rates compared with rotary- and plow-till treatments. N(2)O flux was positively correlated with soil ergosterol content but not with denitrifier MPN and other soil chemical properties. These results suggested a significant contribution of fungi to N(2)O emission in cover-cropped NT soils.

Cover crops in vegetable production systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Current vegetable production systems require an intensive amount Current vegetable production systems require an intensive amount of work and inputs, and if not properly managed could have detrimental effects on soil and the environment. Practices such as intensive tillage, increased herbicide use, ...

Assessing the impacts of tillage and fertilization management on nitrous oxide emissions in a cornfield using the DNDC model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Qi; Hui, Dafeng; Wang, Junming; Yu, Chih-Li; Li, Changsheng; Reddy, K. Chandra; Dennis, Sam

2016-02-01

Quantification and prediction of N2O emissions from croplands under different agricultural management practices are vital for sustainable agriculture and climate change mitigation. We simulated N2O emissions under tillage and no-tillage,and different nitrogen (N) fertilizer types and application methods (i.e., nitrification inhibitor, chicken manure, and split applications) in a cornfield using the DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) model. The model was parameterized with field experimental data collected in Nashville, Tennessee, under various agricultural management treatments and run for a short term (3 years) and a long term (100 years). Results showed that the DNDC model could adequately simulate N2O emissions as well as soil properties under different agricultural management practices. The modeled emissions of N2O significantly increased by 35% with tillage, and decreased by 24% with the use of nitrification inhibitor, compared with no-tillage and normal N fertilization. Chicken manure amendment and split applications of N fertilizer had minor impact on N2O emission in a short term, but over a long term (100 years) the treatments significantly altered N2O emission (+35%, -10%, respectively). Sensitivity analysis showed that N2O emission was sensitive to mean annual precipitation, mean annual temperature, soil organic carbon, and the amount of total N fertilizer application. Our model results provide valuable information for determining agricultural best management practice to maintain highly productive corn yield while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Tillage and cover cropping effects on soil properties and crop production in Illinois

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cover crops (CCs) have been heralded for their potential to improve soil properties, retain nutrients in the field, and increase subsequent crop yields yet support for these claims within the state of Illinois remains limited. We assessed the effects of integrating five sets of CCs into a corn-soybe...

Tillage system and time post-liquid dairy manure: Effects on runoff, sediment and nutrients losses

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Liquid manure applied in agricultural lands improves soil quality. However, incorrect management of manure may cause environmental problems due to sediments and nutrients losses associated to runoff. The aims of this work were to: (i) evaluate the time effect of post-liquid dairy manure (LDM) applic...

Effects of long-term soil management on the mutual interaction among soil organic matter, microbial activity and aggregates in vineyard

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Vineyard management practices to enhance soil conservation principally focus on increasing carbon (C) input, whereas mitigating impacts of disturbance through reduced tillage has been rarely considered. Furthermore, information is lacking on the effects of soil management practices adopted in the un...

Cover crops and tillage in a mature Merlot vineyard affect yields and cluster weight but not nutrition

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Permanent cover crops are commonly used in vineyard floor management because of their beneficial effects to soil and vine health, but studies evaluating their competitive effects on vines have been conducted primarily in non-irrigated vineyards. Future air quality regulations could mandate the use o...

Surface effects on water storage under dryland summer fallow, a lysimeter study

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Small changes in short and long term soil water storage can have large effects on crop productivity in semi-arid climates. To optimize tillage and residue management, we need to measure evaporation from a range of treatments on contrasting soil types. Sixty low-cost, low-maintenance lysimeters were ...

Soil Management Effects on Gas Fluxes from an Organic Soil Agricultural System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jennewein, S. P.; Bhadha, J. H.; Lang, T. A.; Singh, M.; Daroub, S. H.; McCray, M.

2015-12-01

The role of soil management on gas flux isn't well understood for Histosols of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) of southern Florida. The region is responsible for roughly half of sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) production in the USA along with supplying winter vegetable crops to the eastern USA. Future productivity in the EAA is jeopardized by soil subsidence resulting from oxidation of organic matter. Establishing the role of tillage, water-table depth, nitrogen fertilizer, and soil depth on gas flux will help determine how effective various managements are on conserving soil. Ongoing lysimeter and field studies examined effects of management practices (water-table, tillage, and nitrogen fertilizer), and soil depth on, gas emission and microbial biomass. The trials were set in Belle Glade, FL, on Lauderhill muck (Lithic Haplosaprists). Results to be presented include soil microbial biomass and soil gas (CO2, CH4, and N2O) flux. This study provides insight into management effectiveness and agriculture sustainability on shallow muck soils of the EAA and will help farmers mitigate problems associated with soil subsidence and seasonally high water-tables.

Winter cover crops as a best management practice for reducing nitrogen leaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritter, W. F.; Scarborough, R. W.; Chirnside, A. E. M.

1998-10-01

The role of rye as a winter cover crop to reduce nitrate leaching was investigated over a three-year period on a loamy sand soil. A cover crop was planted after corn in the early fall and killed in late March or early April the following spring. No-tillage and conventional tillage systems were compared on large plots with irrigated corn. A replicated randomized block design experiment was conducted on small plots to evaluate a rye cover crop under no-tillage and conventional tillage and with commercial fertilizer, poultry manure and composted poultry manure as nitrogen fertilizer sources. Nitrogen uptake by the cover crop along with nitrate concentrations in groundwater and the soil profile (0-150 cm) were measured on the large plots. Soil nitrate concentrations and nitrogen uptake by the cover crop were measured on the small plots. There was no significant difference in nitrate concentrations in the groundwater or soil profile with and without a cover crop in either no-tillage or conventional tillage. Annual amounts of nitrate-N leached to the water-table varied from 136.0 to 190.1 kg/ha in 1989 and from 82.4 to 116.2 kg/ha in 1991. Nitrate leaching rates were somewhat lower with a cover crop in 1989, but not in 1990. There was no statistically significant difference in corn grain yields between the cover crop and non-cover crop treatments. The planting date and adequate rainfall are very important in maximizing nitrogen uptake in the fall with a rye cover crop. On the Delmarva Peninsula, the cover crop should probably be planted by October 1 to maximize nitrogen uptake rates in the fall. On loamy sand soils, rye winter cover crops cannot be counted on as a best management practice for reducing nitrate leaching in the Mid-Atlantic states.

Soil management practice in Croatian vineyard affect CO2 fluxes and soil degradation in trafficking zones. First results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogunovic, Igor; Bilandzija, Darija; Andabaka, Zeljko; Stupic, Domagoj; Cacic, Marija; Brezinscak, Luka; Maletic, Edi; Pereira, Paulo; Kisic, Ivica

2017-04-01

Vineyards represent one of the most degradation prone types of intensively managed land on Earth. Steep slopes encourage grape producers to adopt environmental friendly soil management like mulching or continuous no-tillage. In this context, producers have concerns about efficient fertilisation practices and water competitions between vine and grasses in continuous no-tillage inter rows. Vineyards in semi-humid areas like Continental Croatia mostly not suffer from water deficit during growth. Nevertheless, lack of research of different soil management practices open dilemma about soil compaction concerns in intensively trafficked soils in vineyard of semi-humid areas. Soil compaction, determined by bulk density (BD), soil water content (SWC) and CO2 fluxes from trafficked inter row positions were recorded in 2016 in an experiment in which four different soil management systems were compared in a vineyard raised on a silty clay loam soil, near Zagreb, Croatia: No-tillage (NT) system, continuous tillage (CT) and yearly inversed grass covered (INV-GC) and tillage managed (INV-T) inter rows are subjected to intensive traffic. Grape yield and must quality of grape variety Chardonnay was also monitored. Tractor traffic increased the soil BD at 0-10 and 10-20 cm, but especially at the 0-10 cm depth. CT treatment record lowest compaction at 0-10 cm because of tillage. Soil water content showed better conservation possibilities of INV-GC in drier period. In wet period SWC possibilities are similar between treatments. The results of soil compaction under different management indicate that vineyard soil differently response to traffic intensity and impact on microfauna activity and CO2 emissions. INV-GC and NT managed soils record lower CO2 fluxes from vineyard soil compared to CT and INV-T treatments. Management treatments did not statistically influenced on grape yields. Several years of investigation is needed to confirm the overall impact of different management treatments on the proportion of degradation process and their response to proportion of tractor circulation impacts.

[Soil respiration and carbon balance in wheat field under conservation tillage].

PubMed

Zhang, Sai; Wang, Long-Chang; Huang, Zhao-Cun; Jia, Hui-Juan; Ran, Chun-Yan

2014-06-01

In order to study the characteristics of carbon sources and sinks in the winter wheat farmland ecosystem in southwest hilly region of China, the LI6400-09 respiratory chamber was adopted in the experiment conducted in the experimental field in Southwest University in Chongqing. The soil respiration and plant growth dynamics were analyzed during the growth period of wheat in the triple intercropping system of wheat-maize-soybean. Four treatments including T (traditional tillage), R (ridge tillage), TS (traditional tillage + straw mulching), and RS (ridge tillage + straw mulching) were designed. Root biomass regression (RR) and root exclusion (RE) were used to compare the contribution of root respiration to total soil respiration. The results showed that the average soil respiration rate was 1.71 micromol x (m2 x s)(-1) with a variation of 0.62-2.91 micromol x (m2 x s)(-1). Significant differences in soil respiration rate were detected among different treatments. The average soil respiration rate of T, R, TS and RS were 1.29, 1.59, 1.99 and 1.96 micromol x (m2 x s)(-1), respectively. R treatment did not increase the soil respiration rate significantly until the jointing stage. Straw mulching treatment significantly increased soil respiration, with a steadily high rate during the whole growth period. During the 169 days of growth, the total soil respiration was 2 266.82, 2799.52, 3 483.73 and 3 443.89 kg x hm(-2) while the cumulative aboveground biomasses were 51 800.84, 59 563.20, 66 015.37 and 7 1331.63 kg x hm(-2). Compared with the control, the yield of R, TS and RS increased by 14.99%, 27.44% and 37.70%, respectively. The contribution of root respiration to total soil respiration was 47.05% by RBR, while it was 53.97% by RE. In the early growth period, the carbon source was weak. The capacity of carbon sink started to increase at the jointing stage and reached the maximum during the filling stage. The carbon budget of wheat field was 5 924.512, 6743.807, 8350.741, 8 876.115 kg x hm(-2), respectively. The results indicated that ridge tillage and straw mulching conservation tillage significantly improved the carbon sink in the wheat farmland ecosystem.

The influence of biopreparations on the reduction of energy consumption and CO2 emissions in shallow and deep soil tillage.

PubMed

Naujokienė, Vilma; Šarauskis, Egidijus; Lekavičienė, Kristina; Adamavičienė, Aida; Buragienė, Sidona; Kriaučiūnienė, Zita

2018-06-01

The application of innovation in agriculture technologies is very important for increasing the efficiency of agricultural production, ensuring the high productivity of plants, production quality, farm profitability, the positive balance of used energy, and the requirements of environmental protection. Therefore, it is a scientific problem that solid and soil surfaces covered with plant residue have a negative impact on the work, traction resistance, energy consumption, and environmental pollution of tillage machines. The objective of this work was to determine the dependence of the reduction of energy consumption and CO 2 gas emissions on different biopreparations. Experimental research was carried out in a control (SC1) and seven different biopreparations using scenarios (SC2-SC8) using bacterial and non-bacterial biopreparations in different consistencies (with essential and mineral oils, extracts of various grasses and sea algae, phosphorus, potassium, humic and gibberellic acids, copper, zinc, manganese, iron, and calcium), estimating discing and plowing as the energy consumption parameters of shallow and deep soil tillage machines, respectively. CO 2 emissions were determined by evaluating soil characteristics (such as hardness, total porosity and density). Meteorological conditions such average daily temperatures (2015-20.3 °C; 2016-16.90 °C) and precipitations (2015-6.9 mm; 2016-114.9 mm) during the month strongly influenced different results in 2015 and 2016. Substantial differences between the averages of energy consumption identified in approximately 62% of biological preparation combinations created usage scenarios. Experimental research established that crop field treatments with biological preparations at the beginning of vegetation could reduce the energy consumption of shallow tillage machines by up to approximately 23%, whereas the energy consumption of deep tillage could be reduced by up to approximately 19.2% compared with the control treatment. The experimental research results reveal the reduction of CO 2 emissions in shallow tillage to approximately 20.14% (and that in deep tillage to approximately 19.16%) when works were performed by different biological preparation usage scenarios. This experimental research demonstrates the efficient use of the special adaptation of a new biotechnological method for the reduction of the energy consumption and CO 2 gas emissions of agricultural machinery. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cotton Production Practices Change Soil Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blaise, D.; Singh, J. V.

2012-04-01

Historically, indigenous Asiatic cottons (Gossypium arboreum) were cultivated with minimal inputs in India. The introduction of the Upland cottons (G. hirsutum) and later the hybrid (H-4) triggered a whole set of intensified agronomic management with reliance on high doses of fertilisers and pesticide usage. In 2002, the transgenic Bt cotton hybrids were introduced and released for commercial cultivation. Presently, more than 95% of the nearly 12.2 million hectares of cotton area is under the Bt transgenic hybrids. These hybrids are not only high yielding but have reduced the dependence on pesticide because of an effective control of the lepidopteran pests. Thus, a change in the management practices is evident over the years. In this paper, we discuss the impact of two major agronomic management practices namely, nutrient management and tillage besides organic cotton cultivation in the rainfed cotton growing regions of central India characterized by sub-humid to semi-arid climate and dominated by Vertisols. Long-term studies at Nagpur, Maharashtra indicated the importance of integrated nutrient management (INM) wherein a part of the nutrient needs through fertiliser was substituted with organic manures such as farmyard manure (FYM). With the application of mineral fertilisers alone, soils became deficient in micronutrients. This was not observed with the FYM amended plots. Further, the manure amended plots had a better soil physical properties and the water holding capacity of the soil improved due to improvements in soil organic matter (SOM). Similarly, in a separate experiment, an improvement in SOM was observed in the organically managed fields because of continuous addition of organic residues. Further, it resulted in greater biological activity compared to the conventionally managed fields. Conservation tillage systems such as reduced tillage (RT) are a means to improve soil health and crop productivity. Long-term studies on tillage practices such as conventional tillage {CT}, RT with two inter-row cultivations {RT1} and RT with no inter-row cultivation {RT2} were conducted for 11 years. At the end of the study, an improvement in the soil physical properties such as water stable aggregates and mean weight diameter were observed in the RT system and the plots amended with green manure (GM) cover crop compared to those without. Further, available soil moisture content was greater in the GM mulched plots up to 0.60 m depth compared to the without GM treatment. The RT systems, too, had a higher SOM content than the CT probably due to less soil disturbance and greater retention of crop residues. INM and conservation tillage are strategies to sequester C and reduce emissions. It can also mitigate green house gas emissions because less of fertiliser would be used in the INM treatments. Studies conducted, thus far, have not indicated any adverse effect of Bt cotton cultivation. However, there could be a possibility, of nutrient depletion with the cultivation of Bt transgenic hybrids because of higher biomass and nutrient removal increasing the nutrient demand. Studies on these aspects are needed to understand how long-term cultivation of Bt cotton hybrids will alter the soil properties.

Novel/non-conventional manure application practices to minimize environmental impacts

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Livestock manure can supply essential crop nutrients and contribute to improved soil quality. However, conventional surface broadcast application can result in adverse environmental effects from NH3 volatilization, odor, and runoff losses of nutrients and pathogens. Incorporation of manure by tillag...

Hyperspectral imagery for mapping crop yield for precision agriculture

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Crop yield is perhaps the most important piece of information for crop management in precision agriculture. It integrates the effects of various spatial variables such as soil properties, topographic attributes, tillage, plant population, fertilization, irrigation, and pest infestations. A yield map...

Fertilizer effects on a winter cereal cover crop

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Benefits associated with conservation tillage in the Southeast are improved by using a winter cereal cover crop. In general, cover crop benefits increase as biomass production is increased, but the infertile soils typically require additional N (inorganic or organic). Currently, limited informatio...

Simulating soil organic carbon responses to cropping intensity, tillage, and climate change in Pacific Northwest dryland

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Managing dryland cropping systems to increase soil organic C (SOC) under changing climate is challenging after decades of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-fallow and moldboard plow tillage (W-F/MP). The objective was to use CQESTR, a process-based C model, and SOC data collected in 2004, 2008, an...

Soil structural stability assessment with the fluidized bed, aggregate stability, and rainfall simulation on long-term tillage and crop rotation systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The formation of stable soil aggregates is an important indicator of soil susceptibility to erosion and a factor defining soil health. On cropland, tillage practices and crop rotations have shown to control soil biophysical properties with potential consequences on erosion susceptibility. Thus, the ...

Longevity of shallow subsurface drip irrigation tubing under three tillage practices

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Shallow Sub-Surface drip irrigation (S3DI) has drip tubing buried about 2-in below the soil surface. It is unknown how long drip tubing would be viable at this shallow soil depth using strip- or no-tillage systems. The objectives were to determine drip tube longevity, resultant crop yield, and parti...

Dryland pea production and water use in responses to tillage, crop rotation, and weed management practice

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pea has been used to replace fallow and sustain dryland crop yields in arid and semiarid regions, but information to optimize its management is required. We evaluated pea growth, yield, and water use in response to tillage, crop rotation, and weed management practice from 2005 to 2010 in the norther...

Sediment-bound total organic carbon and total organic nitrogen losses from conventional and strip tillage cropping systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil erosion and sediment loss with runoff are closely linked to global carbon and nitrogen cycles. Reducing tillage has been shown to reduce erosion and runoff sediment-bound carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) losses. However, published studies represent only a few soil types and regions and rarely direct...

Manure and residue inputs maintained SOC in conservation production systems in the Upper Midwest

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Conservation production systems are needed in the upper Midwest to slow down soil and nutrient loss through tillage-induced erosion. However, due to the cool, wet climate, producers are reluctant to adapt no-till strategies. With focus on strip-tillage (ST) and a diverse four-year crop rotation (4y...

Conservation tillage issues: cover crop-based organic rotational no-till grain production in the mid-atlantic region

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Organic producers in the mid-Atlantic region are interested in reducing tillage, labor, and time requirements for grain production. Cover crop-based organic rotational no-till grain production is one approach to accomplishing these goals. Advancements in a system for planting crops into a mat of cov...

Resurrection of glyphosate resistant palmer amaranth control in conservation tillage dicamba tolerant cotton; soil health salvation using herbicide technology

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Conservation agriculture hecterage in the mid-south and southeastern US has decreased because of herbicide resistant and other hard to control weeds. Producers have increasingly utilized tillage, the majority either using a moldboard plow to deeply bury weed seed and decrease emergence, or ‘vertica...

Soil water in small drainages farmed with no-tillage and inversion tillage in northeastern Oregon

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Crop productivity in the semi-arid inland Pacific Northwest (IPNW), USA is dependent on the capture and storage of precipitation as soil water. To maximize soil water in this region, the conventional crop strategy is a two year crop – fallow system in which winter wheat (W, Triticum aestivum L.) is ...

Inversion tillage, high residue covers, and different herbicide regimes for palmer amaranth control in liberty link systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth is adversely affecting cotton production in the Southeast US. A field experiment was established in fall 2008 at the E.V. Smith Research Center, Field Crops Unit near Shorter, AL, to investigate the role of inversion tillage, high residue cover crops, and differ...

Short term effect of conventional tillage and cover crops in physical and chemical properties in two olive orchards of southern Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzmán, Gema; Giráldez, Juan Vicente; Gómez, José Alfonso

2014-05-01

Numerous studies have attempted to assess the differences in soil properties caused by different management systems in olive cropped farms. Nevertheless the influence of the most frequent management systems on the hydraulic properties of these soils has not been evaluated. Contrarily, there are very few studies that have tried to correlate these results with soil losses due to water erosion. There are complementary approaches to traditional degradation indices, as the S index based on the form of the soil retention curve (Dexter 2004a,b,c). The objectives of this study were (i) to evaluate the methods based on the S index to assess the physical quality of soil in olive orchards, (ii) to assess the short-term changes (2 years) in soil physical and chemical properties in two olive orchards under different managements systems, namely conventional tillage and cover crop, and (iii) to formulate strategies for assessing the quality of soil in olive orchards. For the studied soils, degradation processes (associated to conventional tillage) and the improvement of their properties (linked to cover crops) showed a fast response. Chemical changes were quickly observed. However physical changes are slower than chemical changes for both soils. Water retention curves allowed the evaluation of soil porosity based on depth in the profile and the management practices. The S index was computed for every soil using the conventional soil water retention equations fitted to the experimental data. For the olive cropped soils, higher S index values were obtained in the less degradated areas, in most of the cases. Therefore, the S index could be used as a soil quality indicator although further research should be required to study its evolution at a larger temporal scale. References: Dexter, A. R. 2004. a.- Soil physical quality. PartI. Theory, effects of soil texture, density, and organic matter, and effects on root growth. Geoderma 120 (2004) 201-214. Dexter, A. R. 2004. b.- Soil physical quality. Part II. Friability, tillage, tilth and hardsetting. Geoderma 120 (2004) 215-225. Dexter, A. R. 2004. c.- Soil physical quality. Part III: Unsaturated hydraulic conductivity and general conclusions about S-theory. Geoderma 120 (2004) 227-239.

Using 13C labeled glucose to determine soil microbial and physical controls of new C incorporation under drying-rewetting cycles and conservation agricultural management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, L.; Schaeffer, S. M.

2017-12-01

Drying-rewetting cycles can induce carbon (C) depletion in soil, while conservation agricultural management aims at soil C sequestration. Understanding the combined effect of drying-rewetting cycles and conservation management is critical for sustaining agricultural soil under climate change. Soil organic C can be stored in a relatively rapidly cycling active pool, or a more slowly cycling passive pool. We conducted a 24-days mesocosm incubation using an agricultural soil from western Tennessee under 35-years of conservation management. Different lengths of drought period before rewetting of 0, 3, 6, and 24 days were applied on the mesocosms. To trace the fate of newly added C, 13C labeled glucose was added to the mesocosms at the beginning of the incubation. After 24 days, dissolvable organic C, microbial biomass C, accumulative microbial respiration, and extracellular enzyme activity were analyzed to evaluate the active C pool; hydrogen peroxide oxidation and aggregate size fractionation were used to examine the passive C pool. The highest cumulative microbial respiration was found in the 6-days treatment combining a N-fixing cover crop with no-tillage, and the lowest in the 24-day treatment with a wheat cover crop combined with conventional-tillage (1000.0±20.5 and 106.8±17.5 µg C-CO2 g-1 dry soil, respectively). The 6-days treatment induced 0.5-4.3 times higher cumulative C-CO2 emission than the 3-days treatment. The proportion of macroaggregates in bulk soil varied between 97.2% and 76.7%, and it was negatively correlated with drying-rewetting frequency. The proportion of microaggregates in bulk soil varied between 21.9% and 2.1%, and it was positively correlated with drying-rewetting frequency. 13C recovery rate in bulk soil varied between 11-53%. The vetch-cover-crop-with-no-tillage treatment facilitated 13C accumulation the most. Our results show that the N fixing cover crops combined with no-tillage treatment induced the highest C accumulation in bulk soil, while the no cover crop combined with conventional tillage induced the lowest C concentration. Our results show that frequent drying-rewetting cycles disrupt macroaggregates and release the microaggregates within macroaggregates, and favor greater C loss combined with greater C storage in less stable aggregate fractions.

Soil tillage conservation and its effect on erosion control, water management and carbon sequestration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusu, Dr.; Gus, Dr.; Bogdan, Dr.; Moraru, Dr.; Pop, Dr.; Clapa, Dr.; Pop, Drd.

2009-04-01

The energetic function of the soil expressed through the potential energy accumulated through humus, the biogeochemical function (the circuit of the nutrient elements) are significantly influenced by its hydrophysical function and especially by the state of the bedding- consolidation, soil capacity of retaining an optimal quantity of water, and then its gradual disponibility for plant consumption. The understanding of soil functions and management including nutrient production, stocking, filtering and transforming minerals, water , organic matter , gas circuit and furnishing breeding material, all make the basis of human activity, Earth's past, present and especially future. The minimum tillage soil systems - paraplow, chisel or rotary grape - are polyvalent alternatives for basic preparation, germination bed preparation and sowing, for fields and crops with moderate loose requirements being optimized technologies for: soil natural fertility activation and rationalization, reduction of erosion, increasing the accumulation capacity for water and realization of sowing in the optimal period. By continuously applying for 10 years the minimum tillage system in a crop rotation: corn - soy-bean - wheat - potato / rape, an improvement in physical, hydro-physical and biological properties of soil was observed, together with the rebuilt of structure and increase of water permeability of soil. The minimum tillage systems ensure an adequate aerial-hydrical regime for the biological activity intensity and for the nutrients solubility equilibrium. The vegetal material remaining at the soil surface or superficially incorporated has its contribution to intensifying the biological activity, being an important resource of organic matter. The minimum tillage systems rebuild the soil structure, improving the global drainage of soil which allows a rapid infiltration of water in soil. The result is a more productive soil, better protected against wind and water erosion and needing less fuel for preparing the germination bed. Presently it is necessary a change concerning the concept of conservation practices and a new approach regarding the control of erosion. The real conservation of soil must be expanded beyond the traditional understanding of soil erosion. The real soil conservation is represented by carbon management. We need to focus to another level concerning conservation by focusing on of soil quality. Carbon management is necessary for a complex of matters including soil, water management, field productivity, biological fuel and climatic change. Profound research is necessary in order to establish the carbon sequestration practices and their implementation impact.

Soil tillage conservation and its effect on erosion control, water management and carbon sequestration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusu, T.; Gus, P.; Bogdan, I.; Moraru, P.; Pop, A.; Clapa, D.; Pop, L.

2009-04-01

The energetic function of the soil expressed through the potential energy accumulated through humus, the biogeochemical function (the circuit of the nutrient elements) are significantly influenced by its hydrophysical function and especially by the state of the bedding- consolidation, soil capacity of retaining an optimal quantity of water, and then its gradual disponibility for plant consumption. The understanding of soil functions and management including nutrient production, stocking, filtering and transforming minerals, water , organic matter, gas circuit and furnishing breeding material, all make the basis of human activity, Earth's past, present and especially future. The minimum tillage soil systems - paraplow, chisel or rotary grape - are polyvalent alternatives for basic preparation, germination bed preparation and sowing, for fields and crops with moderate loose requirements being optimized technologies for: soil natural fertility activation and rationalization, reduction of erosion, increasing the accumulation capacity for water and realization of sowing in the optimal period. By continuously applying for 10 years the minimum tillage system in a crop rotation: corn - soy-bean - wheat - potato / rape, an improvement in physical, hydro-physical and biological properties of soil was observed, together with the rebuilt of structure and increase of water permeability of soil. The minimum tillage systems ensure an adequate aerial-hydrical regime for the biological activity intensity and for the nutrients solubility equilibrium. The vegetal material remaining at the soil surface or superficially incorporated has its contribution to intensifying the biological activity, being an important resource of organic matter. The minimum tillage systems rebuild the soil structure, improving the global drainage of soil which allows a rapid infiltration of water in soil. The result is a more productive soil, better protected against wind and water erosion and needing less fuel for preparing the germination bed. Presently it is necessary a change concerning the concept of conservation practices and a new approach regarding the control of erosion. The real conservation of soil must be expanded beyond the traditional understanding of soil erosion. The real soil conservation is represented by carbon management. We need to focus to another level concerning conservation by focusing on of soil quality. Carbon management is necessary for a complex of matters including soil, water management, field productivity, biological fuel and climatic change.

Long-term effects of potato cropping system strategies on soilborne diseases and soil microbial communities

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cropping systems incorporating soil health management practices, such as longer rotations, disease-suppressive crops, reduced tillage, and/or organic amendments can substantially affect soil microbial communities, and potentially reduce soilborne potato diseases and increase productivity, but long-t...

Interaction of Land Management Intensity and Micro-topography Controls on Geochemistry of Raindrop-Liberated/Mobilized Soil Particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, T.; Filley, T. R.; Berry, T.; Singh, S.; Hughes, M.; Tong, Y.; Papanicolaou, T.; Wacha, K.; Wilson, C. G.; Chaubey, I.

2017-12-01

The dynamics of raindrop-induced breakdown of soil aggregates, a critical factor in the initial process of surface erosion and lateral redistribution of soil, are strongly tied to land use intensity. What is unclear however is the relative control of rain and mechanical disturbance on the development of landscape-level heterogeneity in surface soil geochemistry. We used artificial rainfall simulated experiments including an aggregate stability test and time course rainfall-erosional test to evaluate the role of management intensity and micro-topography on the geochemistry of raindrop-liberated/mobilized particles from landscapes in southeastern Iowa. Comparing restored prairie, conservation tillage, and conventional tillage sites we found, and with a trend toward increasing tillage intensity, a decrease in aggregate stability and raindrop-liberated particles that were lower in organic carbon, nitrogen, and plant-derived biopolymers, while containing higher proportions of microbially-processed nitrogen than the raindrop stable aggregates. Time evolution of the geochemistry (e.g. elemental, stable isotope, and biopolymer composition) of transported soil particles exhibited distinct patterns based upon both position of the hillslope and oriented soil roughness. Additionally, in the restored prairie, raindrop liberated particles had identical geochemical composition to the raindrop stable aggregates. Our results demonstrate that agricultural sites under intensive tillage have not only a greater potential to liberate and mobilize soil particles during storms, but the mobilized particles will have a distinct chemical character based on tillage intensity, hillslope position and oriented roughness thus lead to a greater potential for landscape level heterogeneity in surface and buried soil chemistry upon mobilization and burial.

Effects of tillage and application rate on atrazine transport to subsurface drainage: Evaluation of RZWQM using a six-year field study

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Well-tested agricultural system models can improve our understanding of the water quality effects of management practices under different conditions. The Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM) has been tested under a variety of conditions. However, the current model’s ability to simulate pesticide tr...

Changes in soil surface chemistry after fifty years of tillage and nitrogen fertilization

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Knowledge gained on the long-term effects of crop management practices on soil fertility is critical in developing nutrient management strategies to optimize crop yields. This study examined the long-term effects of nitrogen (N) fertilizer application (N rates of 0, 22, 45 and 67 kg N ha-1) and till...

Tillage and residue management effects on soil carbon and nitrogen under irrigated continuous corn

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Demand for corn (Zea mays L.) stover as forage or as a cellulosic biofuel has increased the importance of determining the effects of residue removal on biomass production and the soil resource. Objectives were to evaluate grain yield, soil organic carbon (SOC), and total soil N (0 to 150 cm) in a t...

The Effects of Different Tillage Systems on Soil Hydrology and Erosion in Southeastern Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertolino, A. V. F. A.; Fernandes, N. F.; Souza, A. P.; Miranda, J. P.; Rocha, M. L.

2009-04-01

Conventional tillage usually imposes a variety of modifications on soil properties that can lead to important changes in the type and magnitude of the hydrological processes that take place at the upper portion of the soil profile. Plough pan formation, for example, is considered to be an important consequence of conventional tillage practices in southeastern Brazil, decreasing infiltration rates and contributing to soil erosion, especially in steep slopes. In order to characterize the changes in soil properties and soil hydrology due to the plough pan formation we carried out detailed investigations in two experimental plots in Paty do Alferes region, located in the hilly landscape of Serra do Mar in southeastern Brazil, close to Rio de Janeiro city. Farming activities are very important in this area, in particular the ones related to the tomato production. The local hilly topography with short and steep hillslopes, as well as an average annual rainfall of almost 2000 mm, favor surface runoff and the evolution of rill and gully erosion. The two runoff plots are 22m long by 4m wide and were installed side by side along a representative hillslope, both in terms of soil (Oxisol) and steepness. At the lower portion of each plot there is a collecting trough connected by a PVC pipe to a 500 and 1000 liters sediment storage boxes. Soil tillage treatments used in the two plots were: Conventional Tillage (CT), with one plowing using disc-type plow (about 18 cm depth) and one downhill tractor leveling, in addition to burning residues from previous planting; and Minimum Tillage (MT), which did not allow burning residues from previous planting and preserved a vegetative cover between plantation lines. Runoff and soil erosion measurements were carried out in both plots immediately after each rainfall event. In order to characterize soil water movements under the two tillage systems (CT and MT), 06 nests of tensiometers and 04 nests of Watermark sensors were installed in each plot. Based on previous studies in this area, suggesting that the plough pan develop at about 20cm depth, the soil water potential (SWP) sensors were installed, in each nest, at 15, 30 and 80 cm depths. Continuously readings in the 30 SWP sensors were made both at a daily and event basis (during some rainfall events) for 25 months. Rainfall was continuously measured in the area by an automatic rain-gauge (tipping bucket) installed close to the plots. In order to characterize changes is soil porosity, both total pore space and pore inter-connections, undisturbed soil blocks were collected for micromorphological analyses (0-10cm, 12-22cm and 25-35cm depths) at small trenches located at the upper parts of each plot. The results attested that soil under CT developed a plough pan layer at about 20 cm depth, showing a 44% decrease in total pore space from 0-10cm to 12-22cm depths, with a predominant network of isolated pores. In the MT plot, soil porosity is more homogeneous with depth, with a predominant network of larger and better connected pores. The results related to soil hydrology show that in many moments, both CT and MT, stay very close to saturation, both at 15 and 30 cm depth. Above the plough pan under CT, soils tend to saturate faster and to have a slower drainage rate than the ones under MT. Detailed SWP analyses made during rain events suggest that CT may favors lateral flows while soils under MT are draining. Soil erosion rates measured for individual events at CT are about four times greater than the ones observed at MT. The results observed in this study attest that conventional tillage (CT) in this area imposed important changes in soil structure, pore-size distribution and connectivity, as well as in soil infiltration, drainage and erosion.

Impact of glyphosate resistant corn, glyphosate applications, and tillage on soil nutrient ratios, exoenzyme activities, and nutrient acquisition ratios

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We report results of the last two years of a 7-year (2008-2014) field experiment designed to test the null hypothesis that applications of glyphosate on glyphosate resistant corn (Zea mays L.) as a routine weed control practice under both conventional and reduced tillage practices would have no effe...

Weed management and cotton yield under two row spacings, conventional and conservation tillage systems utilizing conventional, glufosinate-, and glyphosate-based weed management systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A field experiment was conducted in 2005 and 2006, to evaluate weed control in conventional, Liberty Link® (LL), and Roundup Ready® (RR) herbicide systems under standard [102 cm (40 inch)] and narrow [38 cm (15 inch)] row-spacings utilizing conventional and high-residue conservation tillage systems....

Evaluation of Four Herbicides and Tillage for Weed Control on 1-0 Planted Tree Seedlings

Treesearch

John R. Seifert; Keith Woeste

2002-01-01

Azafenidin, sulfometuron, pendimethalin, and simazine were applied alone and in combination to 1-0 seedlings of nine hardwood and one conifer species. Percent bare ground at 30, 60, and 90 days, diameter and height growth of the seedlings were determined for 16 herbicide treatments, tillage and a control. Azafenidin applications alone and in combination with...

Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) mitigation in seedling cotton using strip tillage and winter cover crops.

PubMed

Toews, Michael D; Tubbs, R Scott; Wann, Dylan Q; Sullivan, Dana

2010-10-01

Thrips are the most consistent insect pests of seedling cotton in the southeastern United States, where symptoms can range from leaf curling to stand loss. In a 2 year study, thrips adults and immatures were sampled at 14, 21 and 28 days after planting on cotton planted with a thiamethoxam seed treatment in concert with crimson clover, wheat or rye winter cover crops and conventional or strip tillage to investigate potential differences in thrips infestations. Densities of adult thrips, primarily Frankliniella fusca (Hinds), peaked on the first sampling date, whereas immature densities peaked on the second sampling date. Regardless of winter cover crop, plots that received strip tillage experienced significantly fewer thrips at each sampling interval. In addition, assessment of percentage ground cover 42 days after planting showed that there was more than twice as much ground cover in the strip-tilled plots compared with conventionally tilled plots. Correlation analyses showed that increased ground cover was inversely related to thrips densities that occurred on all three sampling dates in 2008 and the final sampling date in 2009. Growers who utilize strip tillage and a winter cover crop can utilize seed treatments for mitigation of early-season thrips infestation.

Toward optimal soil organic carbon sequestration with effects of agricultural management practices and climate change in Tai-Lake paddy soils of China

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Liming; Zhuang, Qianlai; He, Yujie

Understanding the impacts of climate change and agricultural management practices on soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics is critical for implementing optimal farming practices and maintaining agricultural productivity. This study examines the influence of climate and agricultural management on carbon sequestration potentials in Tai-Lake Paddy soils of China using the DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) model, with a high-resolution soil database (1:50,000). Model simulations considered the effects of no tillage, increasing manure application, increasing/decreasing of N-fertilizer application and crop residues, water management, and climatic shifts in temperature and precipitation. We found that the carbon sequestration potential for the 2.32 Mha paddy soils of themore » Tai-Lake region varied from 4.71 to 44.31 Tg C during the period 2001-2019, with an annual average SOC changes ranged from 107 to 1005 kg C ha -1 yr -1. The sequestration potential significantly increased with increasing application of N-fertilizer, manure, conservation tillage, and crop residues. To increase soil C sequestration in this region, no-tillage and increasing of crop residue return to soils and manure application are recommended. Our analysis of climate impacts on SOC sequestration suggests that the rice paddies in this region will continue to be a carbon sink under future warming conditions. In addition, because the region’s annual precipitation (>1200 mm) is high, we also recommend reducing irrigation water use for these rice paddies to conserve freshwater in the Tai-Lake region.« less

Influences of historical and projected changes in climate and land management practices on nutrient fluxes in the Mississippi River Basin, 1948-2100

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spak, S.; Ward, A. S.; Li, Y.; Dalrymple, K. E.

2016-12-01

Nitrogen fertilization is central to contemporary row crop production in the U.S., but resultant nitrate transport leads to eutrophication, hypoxia, and algal blooms throughout the Mississippi River Basin and in coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Effective basin-scale nutrient management requires a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of nitrate transport in this large river catchment and the roles of individual management practices, that must then be operationalized to optimize management for both local geophysical and agricultural conditions and in response to decadal and inter-annual variations in local and regional climate. Here, we apply ensemble simulations with Agro-IBIS and THMB using spatially and temporally specific land cover, soil, agricultural, topographic, and climate data to simulate the individual and combined effects of land management and climate on historical (1948-2007) nitrate concentrations and transport in the Mississippi River Basin. We further identify sensitivities of in-stream nitrate dynamics to local and regional applications of Best Management Practices. The ensemble resolves the effects of techniques recommended in the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, including crop rotations, fertilizer management, tillage and residue management, and cover crops. Analysis of the nitrate transport response surfaces identifies non-linear effects of combined nutrient management tactics, and quantifies the stationarity of the relative and absolute influences of land management and climate during the 60-year study period.

Estimating European soil organic carbon mitigation potential in a global integrated land use model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frank, Stefan; Böttcher, Hannes; Schneider, Uwe; Schmid, Erwin; Havlík, Petr

2013-04-01

Several studies have shown the dynamic interaction between soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration rates, soil management decisions and SOC levels. Management practices such as reduced and no-tillage, improved residue management and crop rotations as well as the conversion of marginal cropland to native vegetation or conversion of cultivated land to permanent grassland offer the potential to increase SOC content. Even though dynamic interactions are widely acknowledged in literature, they have not been implemented in most existing land use decision models. A major obstacle is the high data and computing requirements for an explicit representation of alternative land use sequences since a model has to be able to track all different management decision paths. To our knowledge no study accounted so far for SOC dynamics explicitly in a global integrated land use model. To overcome these conceptual difficulties described above we apply an approach capable of accounting for SOC dynamics in GLOBIOM (Global Biosphere Management Model), a global recursive dynamic partial equilibrium bottom-up model integrating the agricultural, bioenergy and forestry sectors. GLOBIOM represents all major land based sectors and therefore is able to account for direct and indirect effects of land use change as well as leakage effects (e.g. through trade) implicitly. Together with the detailed representation of technologies (e.g. tillage and fertilizer management systems), these characteristics make the model a highly valuable tool for assessing European SOC emissions and mitigation potential. Demand and international trade are represented in this version of the model at the level of 27 EU member states and 23 aggregated world regions outside Europe. Changes in the demand on the one side, and profitability of the different land based activities on the other side, are the major determinants of land use change in GLOBIOM. In this paper we estimate SOC emissions from cropland for the EU until 2050 explicitly considering SOC dynamics due to land use and land management in a global integrated land use model. Moreover, we calculate the EU SOC mitigation potential taking into account leakage effects outside Europe as well as related feed backs from other sectors. In sensitivity analysis, we disaggregate the SOC mitigation potential i.e. we quantify the impact of different management systems and crop rotations to identify most promising mitigation strategies.

Effects of tillage and application rate on atrazine transport to subsurface drainage: Evaluation of RZWQM using a six-year field study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Malone, Robert W.; Nolan, Bernard T.; Ma, Liwang; Kanwar, Rameshwar S.; Pederson, Carl H.; Heilman, Philip

2014-01-01

Well tested agricultural system models can improve our understanding of the water quality effects of management practices under different conditions. The Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM) has been tested under a variety of conditions. However, the current model's ability to simulate pesticide transport to subsurface drain flow over a long term period under different tillage systems and application rates is not clear. Therefore, we calibrated and tested RZWQM using six years of data from Nashua, Iowa. In this experiment, atrazine was spring applied at 2.8 (1990–1992) and 0.6 kg/ha/yr (1993–1995) to two 0.4 ha plots with different tillage (till and no-till). The observed and simulated average annual flow weighted atrazine concentrations (FWAC) in subsurface drain flow from the no-till plot were 3.7 and 3.2 μg/L, respectively for the period with high atrazine application rates, and 0.8 and 0.9 μg/L, respectively for the period with low application rates. The 1990–1992 observed average annual FWAC difference between the no-till and tilled plot was 2.4 μg/L while the simulated difference was 2.1 μg/L. These observed and simulated differences for 1993–1995 were 0.1 and 0.1 μg/L, respectively. The Nash–Sutcliffe model performance statistic (EF) for cumulative atrazine flux to subsurface drain flow was 0.93 for the no-till plot testing years (1993–1995), which is comparable to other recent model tests. The value of EF is 1.0 when simulated data perfectly match observed data. The order of selected parameter sensitivity for RZWQM simulated FWAC was atrazine partition coefficient > number of macropores > atrazine half life in soil > soil hydraulic conductivity. Simulations from 1990 to 1995 with four different atrazine application rates applied at a constant rate throughout the simulation period showed concentrations in drain flow for the no-till plot to be twice those of the tilled plot. The differences were more pronounced in the early simulation period (1990–1992), partly because of the characteristics of macropore flow during large storms. The results suggest that RZWQM is a promising tool to study pesticide transport to subsurface drain flow under different tillage systems and application rates over several years, the concentrations of atrazine in drain flow can be higher with no-till than tilled soil over a range of atrazine application rates, and atrazine concentrations in drain flow are sensitive to the macropore flow characteristics under different tillage systems and rainfall timing and intensity.

Soil Tillage Management Affects Maize Grain Yield by Regulating Spatial Distribution Coordination of Roots, Soil Moisture and Nitrogen Status.

PubMed

Wang, Xinbing; Zhou, Baoyuan; Sun, Xuefang; Yue, Yang; Ma, Wei; Zhao, Ming

2015-01-01

The spatial distribution of the root system through the soil profile has an impact on moisture and nutrient uptake by plants, affecting growth and productivity. The spatial distribution of the roots, soil moisture, and fertility are affected by tillage practices. The combination of high soil density and the presence of a soil plow pan typically impede the growth of maize (Zea mays L.).We investigated the spatial distribution coordination of the root system, soil moisture, and N status in response to different soil tillage treatments (NT: no-tillage, RT: rotary-tillage, SS: subsoiling) and the subsequent impact on maize yield, and identify yield-increasing mechanisms and optimal soil tillage management practices. Field experiments were conducted on the Huang-Huai-Hai plain in China during 2011 and 2012. The SS and RT treatments significantly reduced soil bulk density in the top 0-20 cm layer of the soil profile, while SS significantly decreased soil bulk density in the 20-30 cm layer. Soil moisture in the 20-50 cm profile layer was significantly higher for the SS treatment compared to the RT and NT treatment. In the 0-20 cm topsoil layer, the NT treatment had higher soil moisture than the SS and RT treatments. Root length density of the SS treatment was significantly greater than density of the RT and NT treatments, as soil depth increased. Soil moisture was reduced in the soil profile where root concentration was high. SS had greater soil moisture depletion and a more concentration root system than RT and NT in deep soil. Our results suggest that the SS treatment improved the spatial distribution of root density, soil moisture and N states, thereby promoting the absorption of soil moisture and reducing N leaching via the root system in the 20-50 cm layer of the profile. Within the context of the SS treatment, a root architecture densely distributed deep into the soil profile, played a pivotal role in plants' ability to access nutrients and water. An optimal combination of deeper deployment of roots and resource (water and N) availability was realized where the soil was prone to leaching. The correlation between the depletion of resources and distribution of patchy roots endorsed the SS tillage practice. It resulted in significantly greater post-silking biomass and grain yield compared to the RT and NT treatments, for summer maize on the Huang-Huai-Hai plain.

Soil Tillage Management Affects Maize Grain Yield by Regulating Spatial Distribution Coordination of Roots, Soil Moisture and Nitrogen Status

PubMed Central

Wang, Xinbing; Zhou, Baoyuan; Sun, Xuefang; Yue, Yang; Ma, Wei; Zhao, Ming

2015-01-01

The spatial distribution of the root system through the soil profile has an impact on moisture and nutrient uptake by plants, affecting growth and productivity. The spatial distribution of the roots, soil moisture, and fertility are affected by tillage practices. The combination of high soil density and the presence of a soil plow pan typically impede the growth of maize (Zea mays L.).We investigated the spatial distribution coordination of the root system, soil moisture, and N status in response to different soil tillage treatments (NT: no-tillage, RT: rotary-tillage, SS: subsoiling) and the subsequent impact on maize yield, and identify yield-increasing mechanisms and optimal soil tillage management practices. Field experiments were conducted on the Huang-Huai-Hai plain in China during 2011 and 2012. The SS and RT treatments significantly reduced soil bulk density in the top 0–20 cm layer of the soil profile, while SS significantly decreased soil bulk density in the 20–30 cm layer. Soil moisture in the 20–50 cm profile layer was significantly higher for the SS treatment compared to the RT and NT treatment. In the 0-20 cm topsoil layer, the NT treatment had higher soil moisture than the SS and RT treatments. Root length density of the SS treatment was significantly greater than density of the RT and NT treatments, as soil depth increased. Soil moisture was reduced in the soil profile where root concentration was high. SS had greater soil moisture depletion and a more concentration root system than RT and NT in deep soil. Our results suggest that the SS treatment improved the spatial distribution of root density, soil moisture and N states, thereby promoting the absorption of soil moisture and reducing N leaching via the root system in the 20–50 cm layer of the profile. Within the context of the SS treatment, a root architecture densely distributed deep into the soil profile, played a pivotal role in plants’ ability to access nutrients and water. An optimal combination of deeper deployment of roots and resource (water and N) availability was realized where the soil was prone to leaching. The correlation between the depletion of resources and distribution of patchy roots endorsed the SS tillage practice. It resulted in significantly greater post-silking biomass and grain yield compared to the RT and NT treatments, for summer maize on the Huang-Huai-Hai plain. PMID:26098548

Nutrient Runoff Losses from Liquid Dairy Manure Applied with Low-Disturbance Methods.

PubMed

Jokela, William; Sherman, Jessica; Cavadini, Jason

2016-09-01

Manure applied to cropland is a source of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) in surface runoff and can contribute to impairment of surface waters. Tillage immediately after application incorporates manure into the soil, which may reduce nutrient loss in runoff as well as N loss via NH volatilization. However, tillage also incorporates crop residue, which reduces surface cover and may increase erosion potential. We applied liquid dairy manure in a silage corn ( L.)-cereal rye ( L.) cover crop system in late October using methods designed to incorporate manure with minimal soil and residue disturbance. These include strip-till injection and tine aerator-band manure application, which were compared with standard broadcast application, either incorporated with a disk or left on the surface. Runoff was generated with a portable rainfall simulator (42 mm h for 30 min) three separate times: (i) 2 to 5 d after the October manure application, (ii) in early spring, and (iii) after tillage and planting. In the postmanure application runoff, the highest losses of total P and dissolved reactive P were from surface-applied manure. Dissolved P loss was reduced 98% by strip-till injection; this result was not statistically different from the no-manure control. Reductions from the aerator band method and disk incorporation were 53 and 80%, respectively. Total P losses followed a similar pattern, with 87% reduction from injected manure. Runoff losses of N had generally similar patterns to those of P. Losses of P and N were, in most cases, lower in the spring rain simulations with fewer significant treatment effects. Overall, results show that low-disturbance manure application methods can significantly reduce nutrient runoff losses compared with surface application while maintaining residue cover better than incorporation by tillage. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

A meta-analysis of pesticide loss in runoff under conventional tillage and no-till management.

PubMed

Elias, Daniel; Wang, Lixin; Jacinthe, Pierre-Andre

2018-01-12

Global agricultural intensification has led to increased pesticide use (37-fold from 1960 to 2005) and soil erosion (14% since 2000). Conservation tillage, including no-till (NT), has been proposed as an alternative to conventional plow till (PT) to mitigate soil erosion, but past studies have reported mixed results on the effect of conservation tillage on pesticide loss. To explore the underlying factors of these differences, a meta-analysis was conducted using published data on pesticide concentration and load in agricultural runoff from NT and PT fields. Peer-reviewed articles (1985-2016) were compiled to build a database for analysis. Contrary to expectations, results showed greater concentration of atrazine, cyanazine, dicamba, and simazine in runoff from NT than PT fields. Further, we observed greater load of dicamba and metribuzin, but reduced load of alachlor from NT fields. Overall, the concentration and the load of pesticides were greater in runoff from NT fields, especially pesticides with high solubility and low affinity for solids. Thus, NT farming affects soil properties that control pesticide retention and interactions with soils, and ultimately their mobility in the environment. Future research is needed for a more complete understanding of pesticide-soil interactions in NT systems. This research could inform the selection of pesticides by farmers and improve the predictive power of pesticide transport models.

Honey Creek Watershed Project. Tillage Documentation Results - 1980.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-01-01

planting to harvest, economic data and soil erosion information are reported. This publication Is a compilation of data and information gathered...farm operation rather than less. Reduced tillage and no-till farming especially can improve water qua- lity by reducing soil loss through erosion...control. Soil retained in your fields means that expensive fertilizers, particularly phosphorus, and herbi- cides stay in place, too. Time and fuel savings

Temporal variation in earthworm abundance and diversity along hedgerow-to-field transects in contrasting agricultural land uses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prendergast-Miller, Miranda T.; Jones, David; Hodson, Mark E.

2017-04-01

Earthworms are regarded as ecosystem engineers, integral to soil processes such as aggregation, nutrient cycling, water infiltration, plant growth and microbial function. Earthworm surveys were conducted for one year on hedge-to-field transects in arable and pasture fields (Yorkshire, UK). The transects incorporated hedgerow and field margin habitats and extended 60 m into the arable or pasture field. At defined distances, earthworm abundance and biomass were recorded, and earthworms were identified to species and ecological group. Soil density, moisture and temperature were also measured. Additional transects were surveyed on experimental plots with arable-to-ley conversions in the arable fields (wheat crop to grass-clover ley), and tilled plots in the pasture fields (grass-clover ley to wheat crop). The conversion plots were established to determine the benefit of grass-clover leys on soil function; and the tilled pasture plots were established to compare the impact of conventional or minimum tillage practices on earthworm abundance and diversity. A baseline survey was conducted before establishment of the experimental ley and tillage plots. The results showed differences in earthworm abundance, with greater earthworm numbers in the pasture soils compared to arable soils. In both soils, abundance of ecological group was endogeic > epigeic > anecic, and each group was dominated by the same species: Allolobophora chlorotica, Lumbricus castaneus and Apporectodea longa. After one year of treatment, there was some indication of increased earthworm abundance in the arable-to-ley conversion strips. Conversely, tillage in the pasture plots tended to reduce earthworm abundance, and conventional tillage tended to have the greater impact. However, within these major changes, there was also evidence of spatial (distance along transect; field location) and temporal (seasonal) variation on earthworm abundance. Although conversion to ley or tillage did not alter the pattern of ecological grouping, there were changes in species diversity which will also be discussed. This earthworm study is part of a larger project which aims to (1) link soil biodiversity (microbes, soil fauna) with soil function (productivity, water infiltration, drought resilience), and (2) demonstrate the benefits of grass-clover leys and minimum tillage in boosting soil biodiversity, soil function, and hence, sustainable agricultural productivity.

Soil Carbon Changes in Transitional Grain Crop Production Systems in South Dakota

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woodard, H. J.

2004-12-01

Corn-C (Zea Mays L.), soybean-S (Glycine max L.) and spring wheat-W (Triticum aestivum L.) crops were seeded as a component of either a C-S, S-W, or C-S-W crop rotation on silt-loam textured soils ranging from 3.0-5.0% organic matter. Conservation tillage(chisel plow-field cultivator) was applied to half of the plots. The other plots were direct seeded as a no-till (zero-tillage) treatment. Grain yield and surface crop residues were weighed from each treatment plot. Crop residue (stover and straw) was removed from half of the plots. After four years, soil samples were removed at various increments of depth and soil organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) was measured. The ranking of crop residue weights occurred by the order corn>>soybean>wheat. Surface residue accumulation was also greatest with residue treatments that were returned to the plots, those rotations in which maize was a component, and those without tillage. Mean soil organic carbon levels in the 0-7.5cm depth decreased from 3.41% to 3.19% (- 0.22%) with conventional tillage (chisel plow/field cultivator) as compared to a decrease from 3.19% to 3.05% (-0.14%) in plots without tillage over a four year period. Organic carbon in the 0-7.5cm depth decreased from 3.21% to 3.01% (- 0.20%) after residue removed as compared to a decrease from 3.39% to 3.23% (-0.17%) in plots without tillage applied after four years. The soil C:N ratio (0-7.5cm) decreased from 10.63 to 10.37 (-0.26 (unitless)) in the tilled plots over a four-year period. Soil C:N ratio at the 0-7.5cm depth decreased from 10.72 to 10.04 (-0.68) in the no-till plots over a four year period. Differences in the soil C:N ratio comparing residue removed and residue returned were similar (-0.51 vs. -0.43 respectively). These soils are highly buffered for organic carbon changes. Many cropping cycles are required to determine how soil carbon storage is significantly impacted by production systems.

Biomass removal, soil compaction, and vegetation control effects on five-year growth of Douglas-fir in coastal Washington.

Treesearch

A. Ares; T. Terry; C. Harrington; W. Devine; D. Peter; J. Bailey

2007-01-01

Sustainable forest production requires an understanding of the effects of site disturbance on tree growth and the consequences of soil amelioration and vegetation control practices. We assessed the impacts of biomass removals at harvest, soil compaction and tillage, and vegetation control on early growth of Douglas-fir in coastal Washington. Harvest treatments included...

Assessment of benefits of conservation agriculture on soil functions in arable production systems in Europe

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Conventional tillage (CT), with reduced alternatives in crop rotation (monocropping), is the norm in European farming. CT may cause adverse effects on some of the five major soil functions, viz. primary productivity, carbon sequestration and regulation, nutrient cycling and provision, water regulati...

Multiple microbial activity-based measures reflect effects of cover cropping and tillage on soils

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Agricultural producers, conservation professionals, and policy makers are eager to learn of soil analytical techniques and data that document improvement in soil health by agricultural practices such as no-till and incorporation of cover crops. However, there is considerable uncertainty within the r...

Evaluating the effect of tillage on soil structural properties using the pedostructure concept

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The pedostructure (PS) concept is a physically-based method of soil characterization that defines a soil based on its structure and the relationship between structure and soil water behavior. There are fifteen unique pedostructure parameters that define the macropore and micropore soil water behavio...

Effects of tillage and N fertilizer on cotton growth, yield, and fiber quality

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Increasing restrictions on ammonium nitrate have spurred interest in alternative sources of N fertilizer, including urea-ammonium sulfate (UAS). However, UAS has not been widely tested, particularly in row crop agriculture. A cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) field study was conducted in Central Alabam...

Soil organic carbon loss and selective transportation under field simulated rainfall events.

PubMed

Nie, Xiaodong; Li, Zhongwu; Huang, Jinquan; Huang, Bin; Zhang, Yan; Ma, Wenming; Hu, Yanbiao; Zeng, Guangming

2014-01-01

The study on the lateral movement of soil organic carbon (SOC) during soil erosion can improve the understanding of global carbon budget. Simulated rainfall experiments on small field plots were conducted to investigate the SOC lateral movement under different rainfall intensities and tillage practices. Two rainfall intensities (High intensity (HI) and Low intensity (LI)) and two tillage practices (No tillage (NT) and Conventional tillage (CT)) were maintained on three plots (2 m width × 5 m length): HI-NT, LI-NT and LI-CT. The rainfall lasted 60 minutes after the runoff generated, the sediment yield and runoff volume were measured and sampled at 6-min intervals. SOC concentration of sediment and runoff as well as the sediment particle size distribution were measured. The results showed that most of the eroded organic carbon (OC) was lost in form of sediment-bound organic carbon in all events. The amount of lost SOC in LI-NT event was 12.76 times greater than that in LI-CT event, whereas this measure in HI-NT event was 3.25 times greater than that in LI-NT event. These results suggest that conventional tillage as well as lower rainfall intensity can reduce the amount of lost SOC during short-term soil erosion. Meanwhile, the eroded sediment in all events was enriched in OC, and higher enrichment ratio of OC (ERoc) in sediment was observed in LI events than that in HI event, whereas similar ERoc curves were found in LI-CT and LI-NT events. Furthermore, significant correlations between ERoc and different size sediment particles were only observed in HI-NT event. This indicates that the enrichment of OC is dependent on the erosion process, and the specific enrichment mechanisms with respect to different erosion processes should be studied in future.

Soil Organic Carbon Loss and Selective Transportation under Field Simulated Rainfall Events

PubMed Central

Nie, Xiaodong; Li, Zhongwu; Huang, Jinquan; Huang, Bin; Zhang, Yan; Ma, Wenming; Hu, Yanbiao; Zeng, Guangming

2014-01-01

The study on the lateral movement of soil organic carbon (SOC) during soil erosion can improve the understanding of global carbon budget. Simulated rainfall experiments on small field plots were conducted to investigate the SOC lateral movement under different rainfall intensities and tillage practices. Two rainfall intensities (High intensity (HI) and Low intensity (LI)) and two tillage practices (No tillage (NT) and Conventional tillage (CT)) were maintained on three plots (2 m width × 5 m length): HI-NT, LI-NT and LI-CT. The rainfall lasted 60 minutes after the runoff generated, the sediment yield and runoff volume were measured and sampled at 6-min intervals. SOC concentration of sediment and runoff as well as the sediment particle size distribution were measured. The results showed that most of the eroded organic carbon (OC) was lost in form of sediment-bound organic carbon in all events. The amount of lost SOC in LI-NT event was 12.76 times greater than that in LI-CT event, whereas this measure in HI-NT event was 3.25 times greater than that in LI-NT event. These results suggest that conventional tillage as well as lower rainfall intensity can reduce the amount of lost SOC during short-term soil erosion. Meanwhile, the eroded sediment in all events was enriched in OC, and higher enrichment ratio of OC (ERoc) in sediment was observed in LI events than that in HI event, whereas similar ERoc curves were found in LI-CT and LI-NT events. Furthermore, significant correlations between ERoc and different size sediment particles were only observed in HI-NT event. This indicates that the enrichment of OC is dependent on the erosion process, and the specific enrichment mechanisms with respect to different erosion processes should be studied in future. PMID:25166015

The influences of changing weather patterns and land management on runoff biogeochemistry in a snowmelt dominated agricultural region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, H. F.; Elliott, J. A.; Glenn, A. J.

2017-12-01

Runoff generation and the associated export of nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic carbon on the Northern Great Plains have historically been dominated by snowmelt runoff. In this region the transport of elements primarily occurs in dissolved rather than particulate forms, so cropland management practices designed to reduce particulate losses tend to be ineffective in reducing nutrient runoff. Over the last decade a higher frequency of high volume and intensity rainfall has been observed, leading to rainfall runoff and downstream flooding. To evaluate interactions between tillage, crop residue management, fertilization practices, weather, and runoff biogeochemistry a network of 18 single field scale watersheds (2-6 ha.) has been established in Manitoba, Canada over a range of fertilization (no input to high input) and tillage (zero tillage to frequent tillage). Soils in this network are typical of cropland in the region with clay or clay loam textures, but soil phosphorus differs greatly depending on input practices (3 to 25 mg kg-1 sodium bicarbonate extractable P). Monitoring of runoff chemistry and hydrology at these sites was initiated in 2013 and over the course of 5 years high volume snowmelt runoff from deep snowpack (125mm snow water equivalent), low volume snowmelt from shallow snowpack (25mm snow water equivalent) and extreme rainfall runoff events in spring have all been observed. Event based analyses of the drivers of runoff chemistry indicate that spring fertilization practices (depth, amount, and timing) influence concentrations of N and P in runoff during large rainfall runoff events, but for snowmelt runoff the near surface soil chemistry, tillage, and crop residue management are of greater importance. Management recommendations that might be suggested to reduce nutrient export and downstream eutrophication in the region differ for snowmelt and rainfall, but are not mutually exclusive.

Laboratory Study of Methane Flux from Acid Sulphate Soil in South Kalimantan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Annisa, W.; Cahyana, D.; Syahbuddin, H.; Rachman, A.

2017-06-01

Addition of organic matter in waterlogged conditions will enhance methanogenesis process that produces greenhouse gases. Fresh organic material is considered reactive because it contains carbons that is subject to decompose, therefore, when it exposed to acid sulphate soil, both in natural condition (aeration required) and intensive (aeration not required) will lower the value of redox potential. This experiment aimed to determine the flux of methane (CH4) from various locally available organic materials applied to acid sulphate soil. The experiment was arranged in factorial design with two factors. The first factor was the source of organic matter, i.e. fresh rice straw, fresh purun, fresh cattle manure, composted rice straw, composted purun and composted cattle manure, and control. The second factor was the management of organic matter i.e. placed on the soil surface with no tillage and mixed with soil during tillage. The results showed that application of fresh organic matter into inundated acid sulphate soil increased CH4 fluxes up to 23.78 µg CH4 g1 d1 which was higher than from composted organic matter (4.327 µg CH4.g1.d1). Methane flux due to organic matter management was significantly negatively (p=0.001) correlated with soil redox potential (Eh) with R2 of - 0.76. Organic matter placed on the soil surface with no tillage produced methane flux ranged from 0.33 to 20.78 g CH4 g1 d1, which was lower than methane flux produced from organic matter mixed with soil during tillage (0.38 to 27.27 g CH4 g1 d1). Composting organic matter before application and mixing them with the soil through tillage are highly recommended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cultivated acid sulphate soils.

Fate and efficacy of metolachlor granular and emulsifiable concentrate formulations in a conservation tillage system.

PubMed

Potter, Thomas L; Gerstl, Zev; White, Paul W; Cutts, George S; Webster, Theodore M; Truman, Clint C; Strickland, Timothy C; Bosch, David D

2010-10-13

Use of genetically modified cultivars resistant to the herbicide glyphosate (N-phosphonomethylglycine) is strongly associated with conservation-tillage (CsT) management for maize ( Zea mays L.), soybean ( Glycine max L.), and cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivation. Due to the emergence of glyphosate-resistant weed biotypes, alternate weed management practices are needed to sustain CsT use. This work focused on metolachlor use (2-chloro-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl)acetamide) in a CsT system. The fate and efficacy of granular and emulsifiable concentrate (EC) formulations or an EC surrogate were compared for CsT cotton production in the Atlantic Coastal Plain region of southern Georgia (USA). The granular formulation, a clay-alginate polymer, was produced in the authors' laboratory; EC was a commercial product. In field and laboratory dissipations the granular metolachlor exhibited 8-fold greater soil persistence. Rainfall simulation runoff assessments indicated that use of the granular formulation in a common CsT system, strip-tillage (ST), may reduce metolachlor runoff loss when compared to conventional tillage (CT) management or when EC formulations are used in the ST system. Metolachlor leaching assessments using field-deployed lysimeters showed some tillage (ST > CT) and formulation (EC > granular) differences. Overall leaching was generally small when compared to runoff loss. Finally, greenhouse bioassays showed control of two weed species with the granular was greater than or equal to that of the EC formulation; however, the granular formulation suppressed cotton growth to a greater extent. In sum, this metolachlor granular formulation has advantages for CsT cotton production; however, additional research is needed to assess impacts on crop injury.

Comparisons of weed community, soil health and economic performance between wheat-maize and garlic-soybean rotation systems under different weed managements

PubMed Central

Muminov, Mahmud A.; Guo, Liyue; Song, Yanjie; Gu, Xian; Cen, Yu; Meng, Jie

2018-01-01

This study compared the impacts of different weed managements on weed community, soil health and economic performance between the wheat–maize (WM) and garlic–soybean (GS) rotations. A total of four treatments (H0T, tillage without herbicide; H0T0, without both herbicide and tillage; HT, both herbicide and tillage; HT0, herbicide without tillage) were designed for both rotations. A total of 16 weed species were recorded in the WM rotation, with life forms of 62% for annuals, 12% for annual + perennial and 20% for perennials. While in the GS rotation, there were 17 weed species, with 71% being annuals. When crop rotation changed from WM to GS, the topsoil layer seed bank (0–5 cm) decreased by 137%. GS rotation always had higher earthworm densities than that of WM under the same condition. Organic weed control (H0T, H0T0) from both WM and GS added more soil organic matters than the chemical methods (HT and HT0). Economically, up to 69% higher net profit had been achieved in the GS than WM for their organic products. This study provides an ecological basis to guide organic farming practices, especially for weed management in the future. PMID:29868258

Improvements of the Profil Cultural Method for a better Low-tech Field Assessment of Soil Structure under no-till

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roger-Estrade, Jean; Boizard, Hubert; Peigné, Josephine; Sasal, Maria Carolina; Guimaraes, Rachel; Piron, Denis; Tomis, Vincent; Vian, Jean-François; Cadoux, Stephane; Ralisch, Ricardo; Filho, Tavares; Heddadj, Djilali; de Battista, Juan; Duparque, Annie

2016-04-01

In France, agronomists have studied the effects of cropping systems on soil structure, using a field method based on a visual description of soil structure. The "profil cultural" method (Manichon and Gautronneau, 1987) has been designed to perform a field diagnostic of the effects of tillage and compaction on soil structure dynamics. This method is of great use to agronomists improving crop management for a better preservation of soil structure. However, this method was developed and mainly used in conventional tillage systems, with ploughing. As several forms of reduced, minimum and no tillage systems are expanding in many parts of the world, it is necessary to re-evaluate the ability of this method to describe and interpret soil macrostructure in unploughed situations. In unploughed fields, soil structure dynamics of untilled layers is mainly driven by compaction and regeneration by natural agents (climatic conditions, root growth and macrofauna) and it is of major importance to evaluate the importance of these natural processes on soil structure regeneration. These concerns have led us to adapt the standard method and to propose amendments based on a series of field observations and experimental work in different situations of cropping systems, soil types and climatic conditions. We improved the description of crack type and we introduced an index of biological activity, based on the visual examination of clods. To test the improved method, a comparison with the reference method was carried out and the ability of the "profil cultural" method to make a diagnosis was tested on five experiments in France, Brazil and Argentina. Using the improved method, the impact of cropping systems on soil functioning was better assessed when natural processes were integrated into the description.

Slow reaction of soil structure to conservation agriculture practices in Veneto silty soils (North-Easter Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piccoli, Ilaria; Camarotto, Carlo; Lazzaro, Barbara; Furlan, Lorenzo; Morari, Francesco

2017-04-01

Soil structure plays a pivotal role in soil functioning and can inform of the degradation of the soil ecosystem. Intensive and repeated tillage operations have been known to negatively affect the soil structure characteristics while conservation agriculture (CA) practices were demonstrated to improve soil structure and related ecosystem services. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of conservation agriculture practices on total porosity, pore size distribution, pore architecture and morphology on silty soils of Veneto low-lying plain (North-Eastern Italy). Experimental design was established in 2010 on 4 farms in North-Eastern Italy to compare conventional intensive tillage system "IT" versus conservation agriculture "CA" (no-tillage, cover-crop and residue retention). 96 samples were collected in 2015 at four depths down to 50 cm depth, and investigated for porosity from micro to macro by coupling mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) (0.0074-100 µm) and x-ray computed microtomography (µCT) (>26 µm). Pore morphology and architecture were studied from 3D images analysis and MIP pore size curve. Ultramicroporosity class (0.1-5 μm) positively responded to CA after 5-yr of practices adoption while no significant effects were observed in the x-ray µCT domain (> 26 µm). Silty soils of Veneto plain showed a slow reaction to conservation agriculture because of the low soil organic carbon content and poor aggregate stability. Nevertheless the positive influence of CA on ultramicroporosity, which is strictly linked to soil organic carbon (SOC) stabilization, indicated that a virtuous cycle was initiated between SOC and porosity, hopefully leading to well-developed macropore systems and, in turn, enhanced soil functions and ecosystem services.

Soil redistribution model for undisturbed and cultivated sites based on Chernobyl-derived cesium-137 fallout.

PubMed

Hrachowitz, Markus; Maringer, Franz-Josef; Steineder, Christian; Gerzabek, Martin H

2005-01-01

Measurements of 137Cs fallout have been used in combination with a range of conversion models for the investigation of soil relocation mechanisms and sediment budgets in many countries for more than 20 yr. The objective of this paper is to develop a conversion model for quantifying soil redistribution, based on Chernobyl-derived 137Cs. The model is applicable on uncultivated as well as on cultivated sites, taking into account temporal changes in the 137Cs depth distribution pattern as well as tillage-induced 137Cs dilution effects. The main idea of the new model is the combination of a modified exponential model describing uncultivated soil with a Chapman distribution based model describing cultivated soil. The compound model subsequently allows a dynamic description of the Chernobyl derived 137Cs situation in the soil and its change, specifically migration and soil transport processes over the course of time. Using the suggested model at the sampling site in Pettenbach, in the Austrian province of Oberösterreich 137Cs depth distributions were simulated with a correlation coefficient of 0.97 compared with the measured 137Cs depth profile. The simulated rates of soil distribution at different positions at the sampling site were found to be between 27 and 60 Mg ha(-1) yr(-1). It was shown that the model can be used to describe the temporal changes of 137Cs depth distributions in cultivated as well as uncultivated soils. Additionally, the model allows to quantify soil redistribution in good correspondence with already existing models.

Mixed cropping regimes promote the soil fungal community under zero tillage.

PubMed

Silvestro, L B; Biganzoli, F; Stenglein, S A; Forjan, H; Manso, L; Moreno, M V

2018-07-01

Fungi of yield soils represent a significant portion of the microbial biomass and reflect sensitivity to changes in the ecosystem. Our hypothesis was that crops included in cropping regimes under the zero tillage system modify the structure of the soil fungi community. Conventional and molecular techniques provide complementary information for the analysis of diversity of fungal species and successful information to accept our hypothesis. The composition of the fungal community varied according to different crops included in the cropping regimes. However, we detected other factors as sources of variation among them, season and sampling depth. The mixed cropping regimes including perennial pastures and one crop per year promote fungal diversity and species with potential benefit to soil and crop. The winter season and 0-5 cm depth gave the largest evenness and fungal diversity. Trichoderma aureoviride and Rhizopus stolonifer could be used for monitoring changes in soil under zero tillage.

Influence of soil management on water erosion and hydrological responses in semiarid agrosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Alba, Saturnino; Alcazar, María; Ivón Cermeño, F.

2014-05-01

In Europe, in the Mediterranean area, water erosion is very severe, moderately to seriously affecting 50% to 70% of the agricultural land. However, it is remarkable the lack of field data of water erosion rates for agricultural areas of semiarid Mediterranean climate. Moreover, this lack of field data is even more severe regarding the hydrological and erosive responses of soils managed with organic farming compared to those with conventional managements or others under conservation agriculture. This paper describes an experimental field station (La Higueruela Station) for the continuous monitoring of water erosion that was set up in 1992 in Central Spain (Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha). In the study area, the annual precipitation is around 450 mm with a very irregular inter-annual and seasonal distribution, which includes a strong drought in summer. The geology is characterised by non-consolidated Miocene materials, mostly arcosics. The area presents a low relief and gentle slopes, generally less than 15%. At the experimental field, the soil is a Typic Haploxeralf (USDA, 1990). The land-uses are rainfed crops mainly herbaceous crops, vineyard and olive trees. The hydrological response and soil losses by water erosion under natural rainfall conditions are monitored in a total of 28 experimental plots of the USLE type. The plots have a total area of 33.7 m2, (22.5 m long downslope and 3 m wide) and presented a slope gradient of 9%. Detailed descriptions of the experimental field facilities and the automatic station for monitoring runoff and sediment productions, as well as of the meteorological station, are presented. The land uses and treatments applied on the experimental plots are for different soil management systems for cereals crops (barley): 1) Organic farming, 2) Minimum tillage of moderate tillage intensity, 3) No-tillage, and 4) Conventional tillage; five alternatives of fallow: 1) Traditional fallow (white fallow) with conventional tillage, 2) Traditional fallow (white fallow) with minimum tillage, 3) Organic fallow (Green fallow), 4) Delayed fallow, and 5) Chemical fallow with a no-tillage management. Additionally, there is an experimental plot presenting a simulation of abandonment and natural re-vegetation. This paper presents the main results, for a data series of 20 years (1993-2013) with special attention to the organic farming management results, regarding to the following research objectives: 1) Monitoring the hydrological and erosive responses of the different management systems; 2) Study of the role of key factors in soil erodibility affected by the management as soil physics and chemistry, surface cover and roughness, and soil and surface initial conditions (soil water content, surface roughness…); and, 3) Characterizing the seasonal variability of the rainfall erosivity.

Effects of seeding rate and poultry litter on weed suppression from a rolled cereal rye cover crop

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Growing enough cover crop biomass to adequately suppress weeds is one of the primary challenges in reduced-tillage systems that rely on mulch-based weed suppression. We investigated two approaches to increasing cereal rye biomass for improved weed suppression: (1) increasing soil fertility and (2) i...

Effects of tillage and broiler litter on crop productions in an eroded soil

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soils in the southeastern United States, where the climate is subtropical, are severely eroded from intense row crop agriculture many years ago. This study was initiated in 2005 at the Plant Material Center, NRCS, in Coffeeville MS, on an Loring silt loam (fine-silty, mixed, thermic, Glossic Fragiud...

In Field Monitoring of Potential Detrimental Effects of Biofuels Production on Soil Quality

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil organic carbon (SOC) content is recognized as a soil quality indicator that is susceptible to degradation with tillage and with biomass removal from the soil surface. In addition to reported benefits of leaving crop residue on the soil surface in preventing soil erosion, providing plant nutrien...

Effects of Tillage, Cultivar and Fungicide on Phomopsis Longicolla and Cercospora Kukuchii in Soybean

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

It has become a standard practice for farmers to use a no-till production system where crop residue are left on the soil surface rather than incorporated into the soil. This practice helps reduce soil erosion, conserve energy, increase soil moisture, and reduce erosion. However, many plant pathogens...

Effect of tillage, cultivar and fungicide on Phomopsis longicolla and Cercospora kukuchii in soybean

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

It has become a standard practice for farmers to use a no-till production system where crop residue are left on the soil surface rather than incorporated into the soil. This practice helps reduce soil erosion, conserve energy, increase soil moisture, and reduce erosion. However, many plant pathogens...

Grazing and tillage effects on soil properties, rain infiltration and sediment transport during fallow

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

On the semiarid Southern Great Plains, precipitation and soil water stored during fallow determine dryland production of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] grown in the wheat-sorghum-fallow (WSF) rotation. In this three-year rotation, soil water storage is t...

Evaluation of tillage, cover crop, & herbicide effects on weed control, yield and grade in peanut?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Peanut production continues to play a large role in agriculture in the Southeastern United States and weed challenges persist. Therefore, it is important to reduce weed competition in peanut to protect yield and grade. With traditional use of herbicides for weed control in peanut and rotational crop...

Evaluation of tillage, cover crop, and herbicide effects on weed control, yield, and grade in peanut

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Peanut production plays a large role in agriculture in the Southeastern United States. Weeds are detrimental to their production because of the competition that they create; weeds will compete with crops for resources such as nutrients and sunlight, among others. Therefore, it is important to reduce...

Crop, tillage, and landscape effects on near-surface soil quality indices in Indiana

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil quality is considered a link between land management and the quality of adjacent water bodies. We conducted a soil quality assessment within the Cedar Creek Watershed, a part of the larger St. Joseph River Watershed that drains into the Western Lake Erie Basin in northwestern Indiana. The Soil ...

Can conservation tillage reduce N20 emissions on cropland transitioning to organic vegetable production?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Conservation soil management practices such as no-till (NT) and strip-till (ST) are effective ways to sequester carbon and increase soil organic matter in agricultural lands. However, the impact of these practices on other greenhouse gases (GHG) such as nitrous oxide (N2O) varies depending on soil ...

Nitrogen fertilizer sources and tillage effects on cotton growth, yield, and fiber quality

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Interest in urea-ammonium sulfate (UAS) as a N fertilizer is increasing due, in part, to increased restriction on ammonium nitrate. This has resulted in UAS being marketed as an alternative fertilizer source; however, UAS has not been widely tested. A cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) field study was c...

Response of Second-Rotation Southern Pines to Fertilizer and Planting on Old Beds--Fifteenth-Year Results

Treesearch

James D. Haywood; Allan E. Tiarks

2002-01-01

Two replicated site preparation studies were used to examine the effects of management on loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and slash pine (P. elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii) growth-and-yield in a second rotation on silt loam soils. Treatments included no tillage, flat disking, bedding, and fertilization....

Can novel management practice improve soil and environmental quality and sustain crop yield simultaneously?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Little is known about management practices that can simultaneously improve soil and environmental quality and sustain crop yields. The effect of a combination of tillage, crop rotation, and N fertilization on soil C and N, global warming potential (GWP), greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI), and malt bar...

Long-term No-Till: A Major Driver of Fungal Communities in Dryland Wheat Cropping Systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In the dryland Pacific Northwest wheat cropping systems, no-till is becoming more prevalent as a way to reduce soil erosion and fuel inputs. Tillage can have a profound effect on microbial communities and soilborne fungal pathogens, such as Rhizoctonia. We compared the fungal communities in long-ter...

Planter closing wheel effects on cotton emergence in a conservation tillage system

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Closing wheels on a row crop planter help provide good seed-soil contact during planting and can influence emergence and crop stand. Various types of closing wheels are available to producers for use on planters. Seven closing wheel types were used on a row crop planter planting cotton in a conser...

Effects of integrated polyethylene and cover crop mulch, conservation tillage, and herbicide application on weed control, yield, and economic returns in watermelon

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The lack of conservation adoption in watermelon production reflects the lack of field practice recommendations addressing the challenges associated with producing vegetables in minimally disturbed cover crop residues. A three year watermelon experiment was established in fall 2013 to evaluate integr...

Wind erosion potential after land application of biosolids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

PI, H.; Sharratt, B. S.; Schillinger, W. F.; Bary, A.; Cogger, C.

2017-12-01

The world population is currently 7.6 billion and, along with continued population growth, comes the challenge of disposing of wastewater and sewage sludge (biosolids). Applying biosolids to agricultural land to replace synthetic fertilizers represents a relatively safe method to recycle or sustainably use biosolids. While land application of biosolids is recognized as a sustainable management practice for enhancing soil health, no studies have determined the effects of biosolids on soil wind erosion. Wind erosion potential of a silt loam was assessed using a portable wind tunnel after applying synthetic and biosolid fertilizer to conventional and conservation tillage practices during the summer fallow phase of a winter wheat-summer fallow rotation in 2015 and 2016 in east-central Washington. Little difference in soil loss was observed between biosolid and synthetic fertilizer treatments, but this result appeared to be dependent on susceptibility of the soil to erosion. Regression analysis between soil loss from fertilizer or tillage treatments indicated that soil loss was lower from biosolid versus synthetic fertilizer and conservation versus conventional tillage at high erosion rates. This suggests that biosolids may reduce wind erosion under highly erodible conditions. Meanwhile, heavy metal concentrations in the windblown sediment were similar for the biosolid and synthetic fertilizer treatments whereas metal loss in windblown sediment was 10% lower from biosolid than synthetic fertilizer. Our results indicate that land application of biosolids did not accelerate the loss of metals or nutrients from soils during high winds. KeywordsLand application of biosolids; wind erosion; wind tunnel; sustainable agriculture

Uncertainty functions of modelled soil organic carbon changes in response to crop management derived from a French long term experiments dataset

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dimassi, Bassem; Guenet, Bertrand; Mary, Bruno; Trochard, Robert; Bouthier, Alain; Duparque, Annie; Sagot, Stéphanie; Houot, Sabine; Morel, Christian; Martin, Manuel

2016-04-01

The land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) activities and crop management (CM) in Europe could be an important carbon sink through soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. Recently, the (EU decision 529/2013) requires European Union's member states to assess modalities to include greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals resulting from activities relating to LULUCF and CM into the Union's (GHG) emissions reduction commitment and their national inventories reports (NIR). Tier 1, the commonly used method to estimate emissions for NIR, provides a framework for measuring SOC stocks changes. However, estimations have high uncertainty, especially in response to crop management at regional and specific national contexts. Understanding and quantifying this uncertainty with accurate confidence interval is crucial for reliably reporting and support decision-making and policies that aims to mitigate greenhouse gases through soil C storage. Here, we used the Tier 3 method, consisting of process-based modelling, to address the issue of uncertainty quantification at national scale in France. Specifically, we used 20 Long-term croplands experiments (LTE) in France with more than 100 treatments taking into account different agricultural practices such as tillage, organic amendment, inorganic fertilization, cover crops, etc. These LTE were carefully selected because they are well characterized with periodic SOC stocks monitoring overtime and covered a wide range of pedo-climatic conditions. We applied linear mixed effect model to statistically model, as a function of soil, climate and cropping system characteristics, the uncertainty resulting from applying this Tier 3 approach. The model was fitted on the dataset yielded by comparing the simulated (with the Century model V 4.5) to the observed SOC changes on the LTE at hand. This mixed effect model will then be used to derive uncertainty related to the simulation of SOC stocks changes of the French Soil Monitoring Network (FSMN) where only one measurement is done in 16 Km regular grid. These simulations on the grid will be in turn used for NIR. Preliminary results suggest that the model do not adequately simulate SOC stocks levels but succeeds at capturing SOC changes due to management, despite the fact that the model does not explicitly simulate some management such as tillage. This is probably due to inappropriate model parametrization especially for crops and thus Cinput in the French context and/or model initialization.