Conservation tillage and depth stratification of porosity and soil organic matter

Pores and organic matter take a multitude of forms in soil and their characteristics change in space and time following a change in tillage practices as a new “steady state” is approached. Information on the variation with depth (stratification) in the characteristics of pores and organic matter and the rates of change in these characteristics is vital to interpreting the short- and long-term impacts of a reduction of tillage on the productivity and hydrology of agricultural soils. This information is also of value in estimating the effect of a reduction in tillage on the sequestration of carbon in agricultural soils. Recent literature comparing conventional tillage (CT) with no-till (NT) in temperate agroecosystems with varying soil textures and climates was reviewed for the purpose of assessing rates of change in the magnitude and stratigraphy of bulk density, porosity, pore size classes, organic matter content and organic matter fractions. The influence of tillage on bulk density, macroporosity and organic matter content was found to be documented more extensively than the effects on pore size distribution, soil organic matter fractions and their interactions at different soil depths. Many of the reports documenting tillage-induced changes in soil porosity and organic matter were based on measurements at a specific time after initiating the tillage trial. Results obtained by different investigators were found to be most consistent when measurements were made ≥15 years after initiating the tillage trial. Data from different studies were used to generalize trends in pore and organic matter characteristics with depth and time. However, few studies provided measurements that permitted accurate prediction of either the rates of change or the maximum change that will occur following a change from CT to NT. Future research must enhance our ability to make these predictions if we wish to garner a better understanding of the effects of NT on the quality and productivity of agricultural soils and their ability to sequester carbon.     

免耕秸秆还田和传统耕作方式下东北黑土氨基糖态碳的积累特征

以吉林德惠市中层黑土进行7年田间定位试验的小区土壤为研究对象,对免耕(NT)和传统耕作下(CT)耕层(0～20 cm)氨基糖态碳含量的变化特征进行了分析。结果表明,与传统耕作相比,实施免耕7年后整个耕层土壤中氨基糖态碳含量显著增加(p<0.05),以表层(0～5 cm)增加幅度最大,高达94.7%。说明在研究地区,免耕措施有利于微生物代谢物如细胞壁物质等作为潜在的碳源逐渐积累在土壤中。免耕土壤中不同微生物来源氨基糖态碳的含量均较传统耕作有显著增加,但是变化特征有所不同,其中免耕条件下真菌来源的氨基葡萄糖的积累量较传统耕作高出1倍多,而且氨基葡萄糖与细菌来源的胞壁酸的比值(6.9～7.3)显著高于传统耕作(4.7～5.4),暗示实施免耕秸秆还田7年后土壤中真菌已逐渐转为优势群体,而真菌占优势的农田生态系统具有更大的固碳潜力。     

No-till soil management increases microbial biomass and alters community profiles in soil aggregates

Aggregation is important for soil functioning, providing physical protection of organic matter and microbial inhabitants. Tillage disrupts aggregates, increases wind and water erosion of soils and exposes formerly protected organic matter to decomposition and losses. Microbial biomass and community dynamics in dry-sieved aggregate-size classes from long-term no-till (NT) and conventionally tilled (CT) soils were examined using phospholipid fatty acid analysis (PLFA). Bacterial, fungal, and total biomass were up to 32% greater in NT compared to CT aggregates. Aggregate size also affected microbial biomass, which was highest in the 1–2 mm size class. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) were particularly affected by tillage disturbance with increases of 40–60% among aggregate-size classes in NT vs. CT, but glomalin related soil protein concentration was not different between tillage treatments or among aggregate-size classes. Bacterial stress biomarkers were higher in CT than NT aggregates but were not significantly correlated with total C, total N or C:N ratio, indicating that the physiological status of bacteria within aggregates was not simply governed by the quantity of available resources. Ordination analysis of PLFA profiles demonstrated a shift in microbial community structure between NT and CT aggregates, correlated with AMF abundance in NT aggregates and increased bacterial stress biomarkers in CT aggregates. Our results demonstrated greater microbial biomass and altered microbial community structure in NT vs. CT aggregates. This work demonstrates that tillage management influences microbial community structure within aggregates and may provide a potential explanation for differences in process rates observed in NT vs. CT soils. Further research into the processes that govern community structure in aggregates from NT and tilled soils is needed to better understand how the interaction of microorganisms with their physical environment affects nutrient turnover and availability.     

Effects of different management practices on the soil–water balance and crop yield for improved dryland farming in the Chinese Loess Plateau

Field experiments were carried out to study the effects of different soil management practices on the water balance, precipitation use efficiency (PUE), and crop yield (i.e. winter wheat and peanut) on a loess soil near Luoyang (east edge of the Chinese Loess Plateau, Henan Province, China). Field plots were set up in 1999 including following soil management practices: subsoiling with mulch (SS), no-till with mulch (NT), reduced tillage (RT), two crops per year (i.e. winter wheat and peanut, TC), and a conventional tillage control (CT). The field plots were equipped to monitor all components of the soil–water balance except evapotranspiration, which was computed by solving the water balance equation. The results showed that although soil management had smaller influence on the magnitude of the water balance components than did precipitation variations, small influences of the applied soil management practices on water conservation during the fallow period can greatly affect winter wheat yield. SS increased consistently precipitation storage efficiency (PSE) and PUE over the 5 years compared to CT except during the wettest year. NT also had a noticeable effect on postharvest water storage during the fallow period; however, the influence on yield of NT depended on the amount of precipitation. TC lowered the winter wheat yield mainly due to the unfavorable soil moisture conditions after growing peanut in summer; however, the harvested peanut gained an extra profit for the local farmer. No matter which kind of soil management practices was adapted, PSE never exceeded 41.6%, which was primarily attributed to high evapotranspiration. From data of five consecutive agricultural years between 2000 and 2005, it could be concluded that SS resulted in the highest PSE, PUE and crop yield. TC also showed promising results considering the economic value of the second crop. NT performed slightly less as SS. CT gave intermediate results, whereas RT was the worst alternative.     

Total, particulate organic matter and structural stability of a Calcixeroll soil under different wheat rotations and tillage systems in a semiarid area of Morocco

Wheat production in Morocco is constrained by both scarce climate and degraded soil quality. There is an urgent need to revert production decline while restoring country’s soils. Among conservation tillage systems known for their improvement in yield, no-till technology was found to influence soil quality as well. Soil quality indices are also affected by wheat rotations at medium and long-terms. This paper discusses changes in selected properties of a Calcixeroll soil, including total and particulate soil organic matter (SOM), pH, total N and aggregation, subjected, for 11 consecutive years, to various conservation and conventional agricultural systems. Tillage systems included no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT). Crop rotations were continuous wheat, fallow–wheat, fallow–wheat–corn, fallow–wheat–forage and fallow–wheat–lentils. Higher aggregation, carbon sequestration, pH decline and particulate organic matter (POM) buildup are major changes associated with shift from conventional- to NT system. Better stability of aggregates was demonstrated by a significantly greater mean weight diameter under NT (3.8 mm) than CT system (3.2 mm) at the soil surface. There was 13.6% SOC increase in (0–200 mm) over the 11-year period under NT, while CT did not affect much this soil quality indicator. Another valuable funding is the stratification of SOC and total nitrogen in NT surface horizon (0–25 mm) without their depletion at deeper horizon compared to tillage treatments. Fallow–wheat system resulted in reduction of SOC compared to WW, but 3-year wheat rotation tended to improve overall soil quality. Benefits from crop rotation in terms of organic carbon varied between 2.6 and 11.7%, with fallow–wheat–forage exhibiting the maximum. Combined use of NT and 3-year fallow rotation helped to improve soil quality in this experiment.     

Effects of incorporated corn residues on glyphosate mineralization and sorption in soil

In modern agricultural systems employing conservation tillage practices, glyphosate is widely used as a preplant burndown herbicide in a wide range of crops. Conservation tillage systems are characterized by a significant presence of crop residues at the soil surface so that glyphosate is applied to a soil matrix rich in poorly decomposed crop residues. Incorporation of corn residues in the range from 0.5 to 4% caused different effects on mineralization and sorption of [14C]glyphosate in sandy and sandy loam soils. More specifically, low levels of incorporated corn residues did not affect or slightly stimulated herbicide mineralization in the sandy and sandy loam soils, respectively. In the sandy soil, incorporation of the highest level of corn residues (4%) caused a decrease in [14C]glyphosate mineralization. [14C]Glyphosate sorption on both soil types was reduced in samples receiving high amounts of incorporated corn residues.     

Least limiting water range for different soil management practices in dryland farming in Iran

Integrated evaluation of soil physical properties using the least limiting water range (LLWR) approach may allow a better knowledge of soil water availability. We determined the LLWR for four tillage practices consisted of conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT), no-tillage (NT) and fallow no-tillage (NT_f). In addition, LLWR was determined for abandoned soils (i.e. control), compacted soils, ploughed compacted soils and abandoned soils with super absorbent polymers (SAPs) application. Soil water retention, penetration resistance (PR), air-filled porosity and bulk density were determined for the 0–5 and 0–25-cm depths. Mean LLWR (0.07–0.08 cm³ cm^?3) was lower in compacted soils than the soils under CT, NT, NT_f, RT, tilled, abandoned and SAP practices but it was not different among tillage practices. The values of LLWR were 0.12 cm³ cm^?3 for NT and CT. LLWR for tilled plots (0.12 cm³ cm^?3) became greater than compacted soils by 1.3 times. Analysis of the lower and upper limits of the LLWR further indicated that PR was the only limiting factor for soil water content, but aeration was not a limiting factor. The LLWR was more dependent on soil water content at permanent wilting point and at PR.     

Short-term organic matter mineralisation following different types of tillage on a Swedish clay soil

Reduced tillage is proposed as a method of C sequestration in agricultural soils. However, tillage effects on organic matter turnover are often contradictory and data are lacking on how tillage practices affect soil respiration in northern Europe. This field study (1) quantified the short-term effects of different tillage methods and timing on soil respiration and N mineralisation and (2) examined changes in aggregate size distribution due to different tillage operations and how these relate to soil respiration. The study was conducted on Swedish clay soil (Eutric Cambisol) and compared no-tillage with three forms of tillage applied in early or late autumn 2010: mouldboard ploughing to 20–22 cm and chisel ploughing to 12 or 5 cm depth. Soil respiration, soil temperature, gravimetric water content, mineral N and aggregate size distribution were measured. The results showed that respiration was significantly higher (P?<?0.001) in no-till than in tilled plots during the 2 weeks following tillage in early September. Later tillage gave a similar trend but treatments did not differ significantly. Soil tillage and temperature explained 56 % of the variation in respiration. In the early tillage treatment, soil respiration decreased with tillage depth. Mineral N status was not affected by tillage treatment or timing. Soil water content did not differ significantly between tillage practices and therefore did not explain differences in respiration. The results indicate that conventional tillage in early autumn may reduce short-term soil respiration compared with chisel ploughing and no-till in clay soils in northern Europe.     

耕作方式对华北农田土壤固碳效应的影响

研究不同耕作方式对华北农田土壤固碳及碳库管理指数的影响,可为探寻有利于农田固碳的耕作方式提供科学依据。该研究在中国农业大学吴桥实验站进行,试验于2008年设置了免耕秸秆不还田(NT0)、翻耕秸秆不还田(CT0)、免耕秸秆还田(NT)、翻耕秸秆还田(CT)和旋耕秸秆还田(RT)5个处理。研究测定分析了土壤容重、有机碳、易氧化有机碳含量及不同耕作方式下的碳库管理指数。通过对不同耕作方式下0～110cm土壤的分析,结果表明,随着土层的加深,土壤有机碳含量不断下降,NT显著增加了表层(0～10cm)土壤有机碳含量,而>10～50cm有机碳含量较其他处理(NT0除外)有所下降,深层(>50～110cm)处理间差异不明显;土壤容重与有机碳含量呈显著的负相关关系(P<0.01);0～30cm土层有机碳储量以NT最高,CT与其无明显差异,二者较CT0分别高出13.1%和11.0%,而至0～50cm土层,CT的碳储量最高,但与NT无显著差异(P<0.05);与CT0相比,NT0降低了各层土壤易氧化有机碳含量,而NT则在0～10cm土层表现为增加;RT、CT分别显著增加了0～10、>10～30cm土层的碳库管理指数。结果表明,秸秆还田可改善土壤质量,提高农田碳库管理指数,同时碳库管理指数受耕作方式的影响也较大,尤其是CT和RT;NT通过减少土壤扰动、增加有机质的输入,可提高上层土壤有机碳的储量。     

Impacts of periodic tillage on soil C stocks: A synthesis

Long-term loss of soil C stocks under conventional tillage and accrual of soil C following adoption of no-tillage have been well documented. No-tillage use is spreading, but it is common to occasionally till within a no-till regime or to regularly alternate between till and no-till practices within a rotation of different crops. Short-term studies indicate that substantial amounts of C can be lost from the soil immediately following a tillage event, but there are few field studies that have investigated the impact of infrequent tillage on soil C stocks. How much of the C sequestered under no-tillage is likely to be lost if the soil is tilled? What are the longer-term impacts of continued infrequent no-tillage? If producers are to be compensated for sequestering C in soil following adoption of conservation tillage practices, the impacts of infrequent tillage need to be quantified. A few studies have examined the short-term impacts of tillage on soil C and several have investigated the impacts of adoption of continuous no-tillage. We present: (1) results from a modeling study carried out to address these questions more broadly than the published literature allows, (2) a review of the literature examining the short-term impacts of tillage on soil C, (3) a review of published studies on the physical impacts of tillage and (4) a synthesis of these components to assess how infrequent tillage impacts soil C stocks and how changes in tillage frequency could impact soil C stocks and C sequestration. Results indicate that soil C declines significantly following even one tillage event (1–11% of soil C lost). Longer-term losses increase as frequency of tillage increases. Model analyses indicate that cultivating and ripping are less disruptive than moldboard plowing, and soil C for those treatments average just 6% less than continuous NT compared to 27% less for CT. Most (80%) of the soil C gains of NT can be realized with NT coupled with biannual cultivating or ripping.     

Soil fertility and bacterial community composition in a semiarid Mediterranean agricultural soil under long-term tillage management

This research attempted to investigate a part of the United Nations sustainable development goal 15, dealing with preventing land degradation and halting the loss of microorganisms’ diversity. Since soil deterioration and biodiversity loss in the Mediterranean area are occurring because of intensive management, we evaluated some biochemical and microbiological parameters and bacterial biodiversity under long-term conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT) practices, in Basilicata, a typical Region of Southern Italy, characterized by a semiarid ecosystem. The highest biological fertility index (BFI) (composed of soil organic matter, microbial biomass C, cumulative microbial respiration during 25 days of incubation, basal respiration, metabolic quotient and mineralization quotient) was determined for the 0–20 cm of NT soil (class V, high biological fertility level). The analysis of the taxonomic composition at the phylum level revealed the higher relative abundance of copiotrophic bacteria such as Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes in the NT soil samples as compared to the CT soil. These copiotrophic phyla, more important decomposers of soil organic matter (SOM) than oligotrophic phyla, are responsible of a higher microbial C use efficiency (CUE) in tilled soil, being microbial community composition, C substrates content and CUE closely linked. The higher Chao1 and Shannon indices, under the NT management, also supported the hypothesis that the bacterial diversity and richness increased in the no-till soils. In conclusion, we can assume that the long-term no-tillage can preserve an agricultural soil in a semiarid ecosystem, enhancing soil biological fertility level and bacterial diversity.     

Effect of tillage and crop management on runoff,soil erosion and organic carbon loss

Proper management of soil organic matter is an important issue in the context of sustainable agriculture. The intensification of production and the loss of organic carbon associated with agriculture reduce the efficiency of production and the quality of the environment, especially in relation to areas exposed to erosion. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of specific tillage systems and plant cover on the organic carbon losses, as well as on runoff and soil losses, over a 6-year study period following the introduction of no-till. The first factor in the experiment was the tillage system: conventional tillage (CT) and no-till (NT). The second factor was plant cover: horse bean, spring wheat and winter oilseed rape. The results showed that runoff was 4.3 ± 0.6% higher under NT than under CT, while soil loss was 66.8 ± 2.7% lower under NT than under CT. Compared to CT, NT limited the total organic carbon losses by an average of 46.0 ± 2.9% and organic carbon bound with sediment losses by 53.2 ± 0.7%, whereas for dissolved organic carbon, there were no significant differences for the tillage systems. The anti-erosion effectiveness of NT was lower in the first year, but it increased in subsequent years after the introduction of this tillage system. Plant cover also had a significant impact on organic carbon losses and soil protection. The crops were ranked according to runoff, soil losses and organic carbon losses in the following order from lower to higher losses: winter oilseed rape > spring wheat > horse bean.     

No-till and conservation agriculture in the United States: An example from the David Brandt farm,Carroll, Ohio

No-till (NT) farming (conservation agriculture) began in the US in the 1960s. The state of Ohio has a university research location that began no-till research in 1962. A few innovative Ohio farmers, including NT pioneers David Brandt and Bill Richards, were early adopters of the new conservation practice. Initially, no-till was most successful on sloping, well drained soils, then with improvements to the system, including cover crops, it became more widely adopted on all soil types. David Brandt was an enthusiastic learner and teacher of no-till practices, working with chemical company representatives and Cooperative Extension Specialists to demonstrate the system.David Brandt's cooperation with Ohio State University researchers continues to provide a valuable site for studying the long term changes in soil health and ecosystem services. Results showed that total microbial biomass as one of the soil biological health indicators significantly increased with an associated decrease in carbon (C) loss under NT compared with conventional tilled soil (CT). Under NT, there was significantly higher total C and total N compared to CT. Active C, as a composite measure of soil health, significantly increased with NT. When cover crops, especially cover crop cocktail mixes, were used, NT substantially improved soil health. Long-term NT with cover crop cocktail mixes significantly increased the soil aggregate stability, compared with CT. The overall rate of C sequestration by NT suggested that the soils on the Brandt farm act as a consistent sink of atmospheric CO2 although this tends to level off after about 20 years. The Brandt farm showed that crop yields are increased under long-term NT with cover crops mixes. Results suggested that starting with a cover crop when switching from CT to NT, is more likely to ensure success and to maintain economic crop yields.Another early adopter, Bill Richards, from Circleville, Ohio, also became a national leader and promoter of no-till farming. He served as head of the United States Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service in the early 1990s and instituted a program that led to rapid expansion of no-till. He advises that farmers who follow conservation agriculture principles need to be more proactive, from local level to national levels, to influence policy decisions that can lead to robust improvement in soil health.     

长期保护性耕作对黄绵土总有机碳和易氧化有机碳动态的影响

长期定位试验研究了黄土高原西部旱农区不同耕作措施(传统耕作T、免耕+秸秆覆盖NTS、免耕NT、传统耕作+秸秆翻埋TS、传统耕作+地膜覆盖TP和免耕+地膜覆盖NTP)对黄绵土土壤总有机碳和易氧化有机碳的影响。结果表明, 土壤有机碳含量随土壤深度的增加而降低, 10~30 cm土层土壤有机碳含量的下降较为明显, 并且在0~5 cm、5~10 cm和10~30 cm土层中, 均表现为由研究初期各处理相对差异较小到试验中后期各处理出现显著差异的变化。不同耕作措施下0~30 cm土壤总有机碳和易氧化有机碳在2002-2012年的平均含量均为NTS>TS>NTP>NT>T>TP。与传统耕作相比, 免耕各处理和传统耕作秸秆翻埋处理可增加1.2%~7.2%的土壤总有机碳, 5.3%~16.6%的土壤易氧化有机碳含量, 而传统耕作覆膜处理分别降低4.3%和2.7%。免耕和秸秆覆盖处理均有利于黄绵土土壤有机碳和易氧化有机碳的积累, 免耕结合秸秆覆盖效果最佳, 而多年传统耕作覆盖地膜后有机碳明显降低。免耕秸秆覆盖处理土壤总有机碳和易氧化有机碳含量平均值在2004年、2006年、2008年、2010年及2012年分别较2002年提高9.5%和42.9%、13.2%和67.6%、21.5%和71.5%、1.1%和15.9%、2.7%和12.6%。因此, 在西部黄土高原黄绵土区, 采用免耕结合秸秆覆盖的保护性耕作措施有利于土壤总有机碳和易氧化有机碳含量的提高, 从而有利于土壤质量的持续改善。易氧化有机碳对不同耕作措施的响应比总有机碳更灵敏, 可以将其作为指示黄绵土有机碳变化的早期指标。     

耕作方式对双季稻田土壤有机碳储量的影响

Tillage practices can potentially afect soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation in agricultural soils. A 4-year experiment was conducted to identify the influence of tillage practices on SOC sequestration in a double-cropped rice (Oryza sativa L.) field in Hunan Province of China. Three tillage treatments, no-till (NT), conventional plow tillage(PT), and rotary tillage(RT), were laid in a randomized complete block design. Concentrations of SOC and bulk density(BD) of the 0-80 cm soil layer were measured, and SOC stocks of the 0-20 and 0-80 cm soil layers were calculated on an equivalent soil mass(ESM) basis and fixed depth (FD) basis.Soil carbon budget(SCB) under diferent tillage systems were assessed on the basis of emissions of methane(CH4) and CO2 and the amount of carbon (C) removed by the rice harvest. After four years of experiment, the NT treatment sequestrated more SOC than the other treatments. The SOC stocks in the 0-80 cm layer under NT (on an ESM basis) was as high as 129.32 Mg C ha 1,significantly higher than those under PT and RT (P < 0.05). The order of SOC stocks in the 0-80 cm soil layer was NT > PT > RT,and the same order was observed for SCB; however, in the 0-20 cm soil layer, the RT treatment had a higher SOC stock than the PT treatment. Therefore, when comparing SOC stocks, only considering the top 20 cm of soil would lead to an incomplete evaluation for the tillage-induced efects on SOC stocks and SOC sequestrated in the subsoil layers should also be taken into consideration. The estimation of SOC stocks using the ESM instead of FD method would better reflect the actual changes in SOC stocks in the paddy filed, as the FD method amplified the tillage efects on SOC stocks. This study also indicated that NT plus straw retention on the soil surface was a viable option to increase SOC stocks in paddy soils.     

Microbial populations and the activity of the soil under agricultural and agricultural–pastoral systems

The effects of agricultural–pastoral and tillage practices on soil microbial populations and activities have not been systematically investigated. The effect of no-tillage (NT), no-tillage agricultural–pastoral integrated systems (NT-I) and conventional tillage (CT) at soil depths of 0–10, 10–20 and 20–30 cm on the microbial populations (bacteria and fungi), biomass-C, potential nitrification, urease and protease activities, total organic matter and total N contents were investigated. The crops used were soybean (in NT, NT-I and CT systems), corn (in NT and NT-I systems) and Tanner grass (Brachiaria sp.) (in NT-I system); a forest system was used as a control. Urease and protease activities, biomass-C and the content of organic matter and total N were higher (p < 0.05) in the forest soil than the other soils. Potential nitrification was significantly higher in the NT-I system in comparison with the other systems. Bacteria numbers were similar in all systems. Fungi counts were similar in the CT and forest, but both were higher than in NT. All of these variables were dependent on the organic matter content and decreased (p < 0.05) from the upper soil layer to the deeper soil layers. These results indicate that the no-tillage agricultural–pasture-integrated systems may be useful for soil conservation.     

Earthworm dynamics and soil physical properties in the first three years of no-till management

Earthworms are often referred to as ecosystem engineers due to their ability to alter the soil environment. Since earthworms influence a wide range of critical chemical and physical soil properties it is important to understand how their populations are impacted by soil management. Earthworms were sampled during the spring and summer of 2001, 2002, and 2003 from conventional tillage (CT) and no-till (NT) plots established in 2000. Although there was a strong trend for higher earthworm density in NT plots in 2001 (p = 0.08) and 2002 (p = 0.19), statistically significant differences were not detected between tillage treatments until 2003 (p = 0.04) when mean earthworm density was 37.7 individuals m⁻² in CT and 149.9 individuals m⁻² in NT during spring and 17.1 individuals m⁻² in CT and 58.4 individuals m⁻² in NT in summer. A high mortality rate between spring and summer, combined with greater cocoon production under NT suggests that the earthworm population turns over rapidly in NT plots. Data also suggest that adverse soil environmental conditions will limit earthworm density in these dryland agroecosystems. Despite significantly higher earthworm density after three years of NT management, soil bulk density, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and aggregate stability of the 0.5- to 1-mm size fraction were not different between the two tillage treatments. The apparent lack of impact of reduced disturbance and increased earthworm density on soil physical properties may be due to the short time this soil has been under NT management, limited seasonal earthworm activity due to environmental conditions, or differences in the scale at which soil physical properties have been affected after three years of NT management and the scale at which our measurements were made.     

Effects of tillage and nitrogen management on soil chemical and physical properties after 23 years of continuous sorghum

Long-term tillage and nitrogen (N) management practices can have a profound impact on soil properties and nutrient availability. A great deal of research evaluating tillage and N applications on soil chemical properties has been conducted with continuous corn (Zea Mays L.) throughout the Midwest, but not on continuous grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench). The objective of this experiment was to examine the long-term effects of tillage and nitrogen applications on soil physical and chemical properties at different depths after 23 years of continuous sorghum under no-till (NT) and conventional till (CT) (fall chisel-field cultivation prior to planting) systems. Ammonium nitrate (AN), urea, and a slow release form of urea were surface broadcast at rates of 34, 67, and 135 kg N ha⁻¹. Soil samples were taken to a depth of 15 cm and separated into 2.5 cm increments. As a result of lime applied to the soil surface, soil pH in the NT and CT plots decreased with depth, ranging from 6.9 to 5.7 in the NT plots and from 6.5 to 5.9 in the CT plots. Bray-1 extractable P and NH₄OAc extractable K was 20 and 49 mg kg⁻¹ higher, respectively, in the surface 2.5 cm of NT compared to CT. Extractable Ca was not greatly influenced by tillage but extractable Mg was higher for CT compared to NT below 2.5 cm. Organic carbon (OC) under NT was significantly higher in the surface 7.5 cm of soil compared to CT. Averaged across N rates, NT had 2.7 Mg ha⁻¹ more C than CT in the surface 7.5 cm of soil. Bulk density (Δ_b) of the CT was lower at 1.07 g cm⁻³ while Δ_b of NT plots was 1.13 g cm⁻³. This study demonstrated the effect tillage has on the distribution and concentration of certain chemical soil properties.     

Abundance and depth stratification of soil arthropods as influenced by tillage regimes in a sandy loam soil

Different tillage regimes can change soil micro‐environmental characteristics, which may influence the distribution and abundance of soil arthropods. In this study, soil arthropods and soil properties under a winter wheat–summer maize cropping system were investigated in different tillage regimes over four seasons at two depths. The tillage treatments included conventional tillage (CT ), tillage once a year (T1), tillage every two years (T2) and no‐tillage (NT ). The results showed that the primary taxa of soil arthropod were Acarina (65.8%), Collembola (28.5%), Diplura (1.4%) and Coleoptera (1%) over the whole sampling period. The total arthropod density was influenced by tillage treatments and season of sampling. Values for CT plots were significantly greater than those for the NT plots in autumn and spring. In contrast, the Shannon–Wiener diversity index (H’) and the evenness index (J) were relatively higher in CT treatment. The Acarina/Collembola (A/C) ratio was significantly smaller in NT treatment for some sampling seasons as mites were more sensitive to tillage practices. The QBS ‐ar index did not show a clear pattern among treatments in this study. Soil arthropods notably showed seasonal variation in depth stratification. Relative to CT , the total soil arthropods in the NT plots tended to concentrate in the upper layer due to soil compaction in the lower layer. The climate conditions and soil physical properties were the main factors affecting the soil arthropod distribution and composition, as the soil chemical and microbial properties did not differ significantly among all tillage treatments.     

不同气候和施肥条件下保护性耕作对农田土壤碳氮储量的影响

【目的】 土壤有机碳氮是影响土壤肥力与作物产量的重要物质,而耕作是影响土壤碳氮储量的重要因素。通过分析不同耕作措施对我国东北、华北地区农田土壤碳氮储量的影响,为优化农田耕作管理、实现固碳减排、保护土壤提供科学依据。 【方法】 基于山西寿阳 (SSY)、山西临汾 (SLF)、河北廊坊 (HLF) 和吉林公主岭 (GZL) 四个长期定位试验,选择传统耕作 (CT)、免耕 (NTN) 和浅旋耕 (NTD) 三个耕作处理,分析了0—80 cm土壤剖面有机碳、氮的储量分布。 【结果】 1) 与传统耕作相比,浅旋耕显著降低褐土 (寿阳) 容重,免耕增加黑土 (公主岭) 容重,保护性耕作对沙性土 (临汾) 和潮土 (廊坊) 的影响很小。2) 耕作影响0—60 cm土壤有机碳储量。与传统耕作处理相比,黑土 (公主岭) 采用免耕和浅旋耕可显著提高0—60 cm土壤中的有机碳含量;免耕可提高褐土 (寿阳)0—50 cm的有机碳含量;沙性土 (临汾)、潮土 (廊坊) 免耕由于表层秸秆覆盖可提高0—15 cm土壤有机碳含量,但降低15—50 cm层土壤碳储量;潮土 (廊坊)15—60 cm土层,浅旋耕可增加土壤有机碳储量,而免耕则相反。3) 免耕处理的潮土 (廊坊) 土壤氮储量比传统耕作高出260 kg/hm2,差异不显著;黑土 (公主岭) 免耕和浅旋耕土壤氮储量则分别高出112 kg/hm2和207 kg/hm2,差异显著,保护性耕作降低临汾和寿阳1 m深土壤的氮储量。4) 保护性耕作加剧了0—20 cm沙性土和潮土壤氮储量的分层,对黑土 (公主岭) 和褐土 (寿阳) 土壤碳储量的层间分布影响很小。 【结论】 耕作影响0—60 cm土壤有机碳储量,免耕可以增加褐土的碳储量和潮土的氮储量,免耕和浅旋耕配合秸秆覆盖可显著增加黑土的碳、氮储量。因此,免耕适用于褐土和潮土,免耕和浅旋耕适用于黑土,沙性土采用保护性耕作的效果不显著。