Effect of farm management on topsoil organic carbon and aggregate stability in water: A case study from Southwest England,UK

There are few reliable data sets to inspire confidence in policymakers that soil organic carbon (SOC) can be measured on farms. We worked with farmers in the Tamar Valley region of southwest England to select sampling sites under similar conditions (soil type, aspect and slope) and management types. Topsoils (2–15 cm) were sampled in autumn 2015, and percentage soil organic matter (%SOM) was determined by loss on ignition and used to calculate %SOC. We also used the stability of macroaggregates in cold water (WSA) (‘soil slaking’) as a measure of ‘soil health’ and investigated its relationship with SOC in the clay‐rich soils. %SOM was significantly different between management types in the order woodland (11.1%) = permanent pasture (9.5%) > ley‐arable rotation (7.7%) = arable (7.3%). This related directly to SOC stocks that were larger in fields under permanent pasture and woodland compared with those under arable or ley‐arable rotation whether corrected for clay content (F = 8.500, p < .0001) or not (F = 8.516, p < .0001). WSA scores were strongly correlated with SOC content whether corrected for clay content (SOC_adj R² = .571, p < .0001) or not (SOC_unadj R² = 0.490, p = .002). Time since tillage controlled SOC stocks and WSA scores, accounting for 75.5% and 51.3% of the total variation, respectively. We conclude that (1) SOC can be reliably measured in farmed soils using accepted protocols and related to land management and (2) WSA scores can be rapidly measured in clay soils and related to SOC stocks and soil management.     

不同起垄方式对植烟土壤物理特性及烤后烟叶产质量的影响

为了探讨起垄方式与移栽方式对河南省周口市烟区植烟土壤物理特性和烤后烟叶产质量的影响,以筛选适合周口烟区烤烟产质量和土壤物理特性同步提高的起垄与移栽处理组合模式。采用田间试验法,以‘中烟100’为研究材料,依据起垄方式与移栽方式设置龟背型膜上移栽(T1)、龟背型膜下移栽(T2)、中凹型膜下移栽(T3)和中凹型膜上移栽(T4)4个试验处理,研究不同起垄方式对土壤物理特性和烤后烟叶产质量的影响。结果显示,中凹型起垄的单独和复合处理均可以有效地改善土壤的物理特性和提高烟叶的产质量,其中以中凹型起垄配合膜下移栽处理(T3)效果最好。与T1相比,T3处理可以显著提高各土层土壤含水率和总孔隙度,降低土壤容重,明显促进烤后烟叶中化学成分更加协调,上部叶中性致香物质含量较T1提高了15.96%,产量和产值较T1处理显著提高。因此,中凹型起垄膜下移栽处理更有利于改善植烟土壤物理特性和提高烤后烟叶产质量,是最佳种植模式,结果为河南省周口烟区适宜的烟草种植模式提供理论依据。     

Do tillage and conversion of grassland to cropland always deplete soil organic carbon?

ABSTRACT

Conversion of grassland to cropland is widely reported to deplete soil organic carbon (SOC) largely due to tillage effects on the decomposition of SOC. However, most studies report on long-term changes in SOC following the conversion and little is known about the changes in the short term. Net ecosystem carbon budget (NECB) measures the difference between total C input (i.e., manure, above- and below-ground plant residues) and C loss through heterotrophic respiration (RH). However, most studies that report temporal SOC do not report other components of the NECB like RH, total C inputs and often do not include the cumulative annualized change of these components. This review evaluated the change in C input, RH, NECB and SOC after conversion of permanent/continuous grassland to cropland within 5 years after the conversion. We also reviewed and compared no-tillage and conventional tillage on SOC storage and accumulation. Total C input was higher in grassland than cropland largely due to high root biomass, as opposed to aboveground residue, and therefore grassland tended to have higher NECB. Despite higher NECB in grassland, the SOC stocks in cropland (cornfield) converted from grassland were greater than that in continuous grassland within first 2–3 years of conversion. The combination of manure C addition and tillage in cropland showed potential to maintain NECB and increase SOC. Within the continuous grassland C addition alone increased NECB but did not result in a corresponding increase in SOC. Residue retention and manure addition are recognized as good practices for increasing SOC, this study however, shows that combining them with occasional tillage, especially in managed grasslands, could increase the rate of SOC storage in soils.     

Strip-till as a means of decreasing spatial variability of winter barley within a field scale

The tillage system, which joins soil tillage, fertilisation, and seed sowing in one pass of a machine, is rarely used in cereal cultivation. This research aimed to study whether strip-till and conventional tillage (post-harvest ripping and mixing of stubble, ploughing, pre-sowing fertilisation, and seedbed preparation) differ in plant density, yield components, and grain yield of winter barley cultivated on Cambisol in a region with low rainfall, the annual average is about 500?mm. To reach this aim, a two-year, large-plot experiment was conducted in a production field. The soil within the field was spatially variable in texture, moisture, and chemical and biological properties, CV 2.3% do 29.6%. Strip-till had lower within-field spatial variability of winter barley grain yield than conventional tillage. The standard deviation was 0.36?t?ha^?1, 0.67?t?ha^?1 in the first year and 0.12?t?ha^?1, 0.30?t?ha^?1 in the second year, respectively. During the period of limited rainfall, strip-till had greater uniformity of plants after emergence; after the winter with low air temperature and a low amount of snow, it had greater plant density. Thus, strip-till can reduce variability of plants and their yield within a field, especially in adverse environmental conditions.     

Tillage and crop straw methods affect energy use efficiency,economics and greenhouse gas emissions in rainfed winter wheat field of Loess Plateau in China

Data from a field experiment conducted in China's Loess Plateau (2013–2015) were used to determine the energy balance of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) as affected by tillage and straw treatments. Tillage treatments included chisel plow, no tillage, and mouldboard plow. Crop straw levels included straw returning and straw removed. The energy balance was evaluated by comparing the following parameters: net energy, energy profitability, energy use efficiency, and energy intensity. The yield parameters were significantly influenced by the tillage treatments and revealed that the chisel plow entailed fewer field operations and lower energy requirements with a higher yield than mouldboard plowing tillage. The highest proportion of energy input came from a nitrogen fertiliser, followed by diesel fuel. The total energy input applied per hectare increased with an increase in the tillage intensity, and the lowest energy input was required for the no tillage case with the straw returning treatment, and the highest for the case of mouldboard plow with the straw returning treatment. The lowest average energy intensity was recorded for the no tillage case, followed by the case of chisel plow tillage in both cropping seasons. Moreover, in the case of mouldboard plough tillage, the maximum energy intensity was recorded in both cropping seasons. In the cases of the chisel plow tillage and the no tillage, we observed the maximum energy gain, while in the no tillage case, we observed the maximum energy use efficiency. The net return and the benefit/cost ratio were higher in the case of straw returning than those in the case of no straw treatment. We concluded that no tillage and chisel plow tillage with straw returning could improve the energy use efficiency and the benefit/cost ratio of winter wheat production systems.     

Are all three components of conservation agriculture necessary for soil conservation in the Sudan Savanna?

ABSTRACT

Conservation agriculture (CA) as recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations consists of three components: minimum soil disturbance, soil cover, and crop rotation/association. CA was expected to become an effective countermeasure against water erosion in the Sudan Savanna, but it has not been adopted by local smallholder farmers. As markets for grain legumes (including cowpea) have not been developed in the Sudan Savanna, crop rotation/association should be considered impractical for these farmers. Therefore, we examined whether legume intercropping as a crop rotation/association component is necessary for preventing soil erosion in the Sudan Savanna. Three-year field experiments were conducted in runoff plots at Institute of Environment and Agricultural Research Saria station. The four treatments were conventional practice (full tillage, no sorghum residue mulching, and no intercropping), two-component CA (minimum tillage (MT) and sorghum residue mulching without intercropping), and three-component CA with velvet bean (VB) or pigeon pea (PP) intercropping. It was revealed that: (1) MT and sorghum residue mulching (without intercropping) effectively reduced the annual soil loss by 54% mainly due to the improvement of soil permeability by the boring of termites and wolf spiders found under the sorghum stover mulch; (2) intercropping in combination with MT and crop residue mulching had no effect on soil erosion control mainly because: (a) PP did not survive the long dry season; (b) VB did not serve effectively as a cover crop since soil loss was concentrated at the beginning of the rainy season when VB was still too small; (c) unexpectedly, in combination with MT and crop residue mulching, intercropping with VB did not increase mulch biomass, especially sorghum biomass which prompts the boring of termites and wolf spiders. These results demonstrate that the third component of CA, namely legume intercropping, is not always necessary; rather, the two remaining components – minimum soil disturbance and soil cover – are sufficient for soil conservation in the Sudan Savanna. This finding lightens the burden of adopting CA and thus facilitates its future promotion to the smallholder farmers in the Sudan Savanna.     

微耕机配套的玉米免耕播种机防堵开沟部件设计与试验

【目的】为解决我国西南地区土壤黏重,田块面积相对较小,现有免耕播种机作业时机具通过性差,播种质量难以保证等问题,设计一种微耕机配套的圆盘刀式玉米免耕播种机。【方法】应用圆盘刀与限深轮行走装置具备的破茬开沟、限深防滑功能,研究对比播种机平面、波纹与缺口圆盘刀作业时对破茬、牵引阻力和油耗等的影响;通过LS-DYNA对3种类型圆盘刀切割土壤过程进行仿真模拟,并实现关键参数的设计。【结果】田间试验结果表明,配置平面圆盘刀的免耕播种机土壤扰动量、油耗较波纹圆盘刀分别低4.03%和14.64%;较缺口圆盘刀分别低1.15%和7.51%;牵引阻力在0.54 m·s~(–1)时最低,为1.20 k N;使用3种类型圆盘刀的种肥深度合格率达85%以上,粒距合格指数为90.3%。【结论】本研究可为西南地区圆盘刀破茬的免耕播种机设计提供依据。     

油-棉连作棉田油菜秸秆覆盖对棉田杂草发生及土壤杂草种子库的动态影响

在安徽省沿江棉区开展了油菜秸秆覆盖对棉田杂草发生、棉花生长及土壤杂草种子库影响的研究。结果表明,随着油菜秸秆覆盖量的增加,对棉田杂草的抑制效果增强。与未覆盖秸秆且不除草处理相比较,7000Kg/hm²秸秆覆盖量处理棉花单株铃数和子棉产量显著提高。7000Kg/hm²秸秆覆盖量处理在覆盖后30d、60d和120d逐步减少0-20cm土层杂草种子库密度,与全程除草剂处理较一致；随着覆盖量减少,对0-20cm土层杂草种子库密度降低幅度减小。全程除草剂处理降低0-5cm土层杂草种子库多样性,而油菜秸秆覆盖则可能增加0-5cm土层的杂草种子库多样性。3500Kg/hm²覆盖量+秸秆覆盖30d后喷施除草剂处理的抑草效果和增产效果与全程除草剂处理一致。因此,在安徽省沿江棉区油-棉连作棉田推荐使用3500Kg/hm²油菜秸秆覆盖量+秸秆覆盖30d后喷施除草剂。     

Novel soil quality indicators for the evaluation of agricultural management practices: a biological perspective

Developments in soil biology and in methods to characterize soil organic carbon can potentially deliver novel soil quality indicators that can help identify management practices able to sustain soil productivity and environmental resilience. This work aimed at synthesizing results regarding the suitability of a range of soil biological and biochemical properties as novel soil quality indicators for agricultural management. The soil properties, selected through a published literature review, comprised different labile organic carbon fractions [hydrophilic dissolved organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon, permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC), hot water extractable carbon and particulate organic matter carbon], soil disease suppressiveness measured using a Pythium-Lepidium bioassay, nematode communities characterized by amplicon sequencing and qPCR, and microbial community level physiological profiling measured with MicroResp^TM. Prior studies tested the sensitivity of each of the novel indicators to tillage and organic matter addition in ten European long-term field experiments (LTEs) and assessed their relationships with pre-existing soil quality indicators of soil functioning. Here, the results of these previous studies are brought together and interpreted relative to each other and to the broader body of literature on soil quality assessment. Reduced tillage increased carbon availability, disease suppressiveness, nematode richness and diversity, the stability and maturity of the food web, and microbial activity and functional diversity. Organic matter addition played a weaker role in enhancing soil quality, possibly due to the range of composition of the organic matter inputs used in the LTEs. POXC was the indicator that discriminated best between soil management practices, followed by nematode indices based on functional characteristics. Structural equation modeling shows that POXC has a central role in nutrient retention/supply, carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, erosion control and disease regulation/suppression. The novel indicators proposed here have great potential to improve existing soil quality assessment schemes. Their feasibility of application is discussed and needs for future research are outlined.     

四要素变量施肥机肥箱施肥量控制算法设计与试验

针对黑龙江农垦地区垄作玉米施肥过程中遇到的肥料分层问题，设计了一种四要素变量施肥控制系统。系统采用电液比例控制技术，主要由液晶显示终端、变量施肥控制器、4路液压马达和编码器、4路排肥机构（排肥轴和外槽轮）和GNSS模块组成。为了实现氮肥、磷肥、钾肥和微肥的一次性及时、准确施用，提出了一种基于复合交叉原则的各路施肥量确定策略，基于PID技术设计了液压马达控制算法。根据用户在变量施肥控制软件中设置的目标施肥量，系统自动确定各肥箱精确施肥量，基于PID液压马达控制算法，实时计算4路液压马达的目标转速，同步向控制器发送4路转速指令，一次性完成氮肥、磷肥、钾肥和微肥4种肥料的同步变量施用。为了验证各路施肥量控制算法的效果，分别进行了PID算法响应时间和精度试验、变量施肥系统单质肥排肥性能验证试验和作业条件下各肥箱施肥量控制算法验证试验。试验结果表明，基于PID技术的排肥轴转速控制算法响应时间不大于0.5s；变量施肥系统单质肥排肥性能误差绝对值不大于3%；作业条件下各路施肥量控制算法显著减少了氮素的施用量，实现了氮肥、磷肥、钾肥的精确投入。四要素变量施肥机各路施肥量控制算法完全满足了垦区玉米施肥精确、均匀施用的要求。