Effect of tillage and crop on arbuscular mycorrhiza colonization of winter wheat and triticale under Mediterranean conditions

Large‐scale inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is generally impractical in most regions and we have little understanding of the factors that determine inoculation success. Nevertheless, the ability to take full advantage of indigenous AMF for sustainable production needs to be developed within cropping systems. We used part of a long‐term field experiment to understand the influence of tillage and the preceding crop on AMF colonization over the growing season. Arbuscular mycorrhiza colonization rate was more affected by treatment (tillage or the combination of crop and preceding crop) than by the total number of AMF spores in the soil. Conventional tillage (CT) had a statistically significant negative effect (P ≤ 0.05) on spore numbers isolated from the soil, but only in the first year of study. However, the AMF colonization rate was significantly reduced by CT, and the roots of wheat, Triticum aestivum, L, cv. Coa after sunflower, Helianthus annuus L., were less well colonized than were those of triticale, X Triticosecale Wittmack, cv. Alter after wheat, but the affect of tillage was more pronounced than was the effect of crop combination. Under no‐till there was a significant increase in AMF colonization rate throughout the sampling period in both wheat and triticale, indicating that the extraradical mycelium previously produced acted as a source of inoculum. In general, triticale showed greater AMF colonization than wheat, despite the preceding crop being less mycotrophic. Under these experimental conditions, typical of Mediterranean agricultural systems, AMF colonization responded more strongly to tillage practices than to the combination of crop and preceding crop.     

Tillage and Lime Rate Effects on Soil Acidity and Grain Yields of a Ten-Year Corn–Soybean Rotation

Reduced tillage and no-tillage systems provide shallow incorporation of surface applied materials at best. Due to concern of over-liming the surface of agricultural soils, producers either reduce lime rates (and apply more often) or perform some sort of soil inversion to mix the lime deeper into the soil profile. The objective of the authors in this field study was to evaluate the effects of tillage, lime rate, and time of limestone application on corn and soybean growth, and assess the changes in soil acidity to an already acidic soil. Treatments consisted of a no lime check, two no-tillage systems with either a 4.5 ton ha^?1 lime application every two years or an annual application of 450 kg pelleted lime ha^?1, a continuous annual chisel tillage system with a 9.0 ton ha^?1 lime application every four years, and two inversion systems utilizing a rotary tiller (Howard Rotovator) where 9.0 ton lime ha^?1 was mixed into the soil followed by either continuous chisel tillage or continuous no-tillage. Inversions occurred in 1999, 2003, and 2007. Soil samples were collected annually in increments of 5 cm to a 30 cm depth for pH determinations. After 10 years, the continuous chisel system increased soil pH in the top 20 cm and had grain yields comparable to the no-tillage system, but not different than the no lime treatment. The no-tillage system increased the pH in the surface 15 cm of soil. The inversion treatments after soybean mixed the lime more thoroughly in the top 15 cm than inversion after corn and also increased the pH to a deeper depth. The pelleted lime had no effect on soil acidity. Soybean yields were affected by lime treatment with the no lime and pelleted lime having the lowest yields. This is most likely due to manganese (Mn) toxicity with these treatments. There was no perceived benefit of inversion of the soil with no-till or chisel systems.     

Soil tillage for crop production and for protection of soil and environmental quality: a Scandinavian viewpoint

Based on experience from 35 years of tillage research in Sweden, future development of soil tillage is discussed and some research problems are identified. Tillage and seeding methods must be more carefully adapted to conditions at individual sites and occasions. Low-pressure typres, better weed control and improved seed coulters favour the increased use of reduced tillage. In order to diminish the impact of agriculture on the environment, it is necessary to develop methods for establishment of crops in the early spring or immediately after harvest, even in soils with large amounts of crop residues or high moisture content. The roles of tillage methods, and of soil compaction and structure on environmental impact of agriculture must be investigated. World food production must increase, since the world population is rapidly increasing. Therefore, it is necessary to develop improved crop production systems, including crop establishment systems, which favour efficient use of basic crop growth factors, while protecting or increasing soil productivity. Compaction, decreased organic matter content, and erosion are important long-term threats to soil productivity.     

农牧交错带地区发展保护性耕作的意义与前景

在系统总结保护性耕作技术的内涵、技术内容和类型的基础上，阐述了保护性耕作保土、保水、提高土地生产力、增加农业效益的重要作用，并根据北方农牧交错带的实际情况，从气候、土壤、农作物和社会因素四个方面对技术的可行性进行了科学的分析，认为保护性耕作技术在农牧交错带地区应用前景广阔，但社会经济因素将是制约保护性耕作技术应用的重要因子。加强配套技术的研究、增加资金的投入以及加快农民观念的转变是农牧交错带地区深入开展保护性耕作技术推广与应用需要重点解决的问题。     

Development of a spot plow providing complete inversion for effective weed control

Tillage for the "complete inversion" of soil, that is, overturning soil slices 180° was proposed, a "spot plow" was developed and tested to accomplish the task, and a simulation model was evaluated to demonstrate the efficacy of the plow on weed control. A 360 mm wide spot plow was designed to operate at a speed of 1.9 m s⁻¹ for the spot plowing with the least possible lateral displacement of the soil slice by utilizing the inertia of the soil slice and securely rotating it. In field experiments, complete spot inversion required an operating speed of at least 1.6 m s⁻¹; at lower speeds, a portion of the soil block was left half-inverted and further lowering led to considerable lateral displacement. The displacement in the forward and lateral directions was minimal, implying that spot plowing is suitable for potential application to and verification of the weed population dynamics model in the field. A simple linear matrix model of the population dynamics of annual weeds was proposed, whereby four layers of soil were set to describe tillage and other ecological events. The effect of tillage on weed control was evaluated by the equilibrium reproduction rate allowed to sustain a stable population of weeds. The simulation model showed that alternately changing the depth of spot plowing had a significant effect on controlling weeds of low-survival-rate seeds, even when some incomplete inversion of the soil slice was taken into account.     

规模种植条件下玉米茬地平翻整地机组经济性评价

玉米后茬耕整地是玉米机械化生产过程中的重要环节之一,评价玉米茬地机械化耕整地机组的经济性能对指导农业及农业机械化生产具有重要意义。根据实际调研结果,确定了规模化生产条件下玉米茬地平翻整地工艺过程及完成各项作业的10种适用机组;选择年最大盈利值、投资回收期和内部收益率评价玉米茬地平翻整地各机组的经济性能,给出了各指标的计算模型。评价结果表明:东方红1304拖拉机灭茬机组、CASE210拖拉机耙地机组年收益最大;东方红1304拖拉机起垄机组、CASE210拖拉机平翻机组可获得较高的投资效率。     

稻油轮作区驱动圆盘犁对置组合式耕整机设计与试验

针对长江中下游稻油轮作区油菜种植时土壤黏重板结、秸秆量大、播种作业需同步开畦沟的农艺要求,考虑传统耕整作业耕层浅、功耗大的不足,依据驱动圆盘犁组与传统铧式犁相比,不易缠草堵塞、通过性好、牵引阻力小的特征,设计了用于油菜播种的驱动圆盘犁对置组合式耕整机。提出了主动式对置犁耕与被动式开畦沟、碎土、平整相结合的联合耕整作业方案,分析了对称布置的圆盘犁组的动力学和运动学特性,确定了其主要结构和工作参数。根据犁体曲面成形原理,设计了开畦沟前犁犁体曲面;依据组合式船型开沟器与土壤挤压互作机制的分析,确定了开畦沟区域宽度为350 mm时,开畦沟系统作业后可有效保证畦沟和种床厢面质量。耕深稳定性试验表明,整机作业实际耕深与限深深度基本一致,耕深稳定性系数均在90%以上。厢面质量试验表明,开畦沟系统在中间开畦沟区域能开出沟宽241.6~293.5 mm,沟深328.6~370.8 mm的梯形沟。经组合式船型开沟器挤压的土壤对犁沟的实际填埋率高于87.67%,碎土辊作业后厢面平整度为22.45~26.70 mm,碎土率为60.14%~68.37%。正交试验结果表明,整机较优工作参数为:限深深度为180 mm,机组前进速度为3.5 km/h,圆盘犁组转速为160 r/min,此时整机功耗为24.37 k W,相比传统旋耕方式的油菜播种种床整备机具的功耗降低了37.67%,秸秆埋覆率为92.78%,碎土率为66.74%,厢面平整度为24.18 mm,土壤对犁沟平均填埋率为92.3%,满足油菜播种的农艺要求。     

Application of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to predict the impact of alternative management practices on water quality and quantity

Alternative land management practices such as conservation or no-tillage, contour farming, terraces, and buffer strips are increasingly used to reduce nonpoint source and water pollution resulting from agricultural activities. Models are useful tools to investigate effects of such management practice alternatives on the watershed level. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the sensitivity of such models to parameters used to represent these conservation practices. Knowledge about the sensitivity to these parameters would help models better simulate the effects of land management. Hence, this paper presents in the first step a sensitivity analysis for conservation management parameters (specifically tillage depth, mechanical soil mixing efficiency, biological soil mixing efficiency, curve number, Manning's roughness coefficient for overland flow, USLE support practice factor, and filter strip width) in the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). With this analysis we aimed to improve model parameterisation and calibration efficiency. In contrast to less sensitive parameters such as tillage depth and mixing efficiency we parameterised sensitive parameters such as curve number values in detail.In the second step the analysis consisted of varying management practices (conventional tillage, conservation tillage, and no-tillage) for different crops (spring barley, winter barley, and sugar beet) and varying operation dates. Results showed that the model is very sensitive to applied crop rotations and in some cases even to small variations of management practices. But the different settings do not have the same sensitivity. Duration of vegetation period and soil cover over time was most sensitive followed by soil cover characteristics of applied crops.