Effect of induced compaction by wheel traffic on soil physical properties and yield of maize in Romania

Results of field experiments with soil compaction induced by wheel traffic applied uniformly to cover the entire surface of the experimental plots are reported. Compaction was done immediately before sowing, and each year, in each location, the same treatments were repeated on the same plots. The number of tractor passes varied between 0 and 30. The experiments were conducted during the 1978–1981 period in four locations with different soil and climatic conditions.Changes in soil physical properties, as well as in the yield of maize grain, were shown to be related to the number of tractor passes according to regression formulae of the type: Y = aX^b. Most of the changes were recorded between 0 and 8–10 passes, while with more than 15–20 passes changes became negligible. The average maximum increase in bulk density was 20–25% as compared with the non-compacted control plot, and the average maximum decrease in yield was 46%. Moisture content in the compacted control plot, and the was 2–3% (w/w) lower than in the control plot, except for the soils with poor drainage where the lower part of the compacted topsoil showed an increase in moisture content. Air content in the compacted plots often dropped below 10, and occasionally to nearly 0% (v/v). For three of the four locations, grain yield of maize linearly decreased by 13 kg ha^?1 (or 0.18% of the control plot yield) for each 1 kg m^?3 increase in bulk density.     

Compressibility of soils in a long term field experiment with intensive deep ripping in Romania

Laboratory compressibility tests were done on soil samples taken from a field experiment 21 years old, located on a Stagnic Luvisol, with deep ripping performed with various frequencies: no ripping, ripping every 8, 4 and 2 years, and ripping yearly. Precompression stress was found to increase with depth of the soil profile down to some 60 cm, and somewhat decreasing at the depth of 70–75 cm, which corresponds to the Bt horizon. Due to ripping, the values of the precompression stress decreased; for soils from experimental treatments with different periodicity of ripping operations, the differences were small, and not in a very definite direction. The estimation procedures suggested by Lebert to predict precompression stress for “normal” arable soils could not be applied to ameliorated soil samples investigated in this paper because repeated ripping prevents a continuous aggregate formation and results mainly in structural texture dependent relations. The compression index showed an increase down to 60 cm and a decrease in the Bt horizon (70–75 cm). In the different experimental treatments, it showed a less clear variation, although some trend of increasing with increased number of rippings may be considered. As inferred from these parameters, soil strength and compressibility do not affect directly crop yields.     

Effects of age and season on conception rate of Mediterranean Italian Dairy Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) following oestrus synchronization and fixed-time artificial insemination

The objective of this project was to report the effects of season and age on conception rate amongst Italian Mediterranean Buffalo subjected to an Ovsynch/Resynch (O/R) reproductive management protocol. The study utilized nulliparous (heifers), primiparous buffalo cows (PBC) and multiparous buffalo cows (MBC). The primiparous and multiparous groups were subjected to the synchronization protocol throughout the entire year, but heifers were synchronized and inseminated only during the spring/summer seasons. The conception rate obtained following the OvSynch oestrus synchronization protocol, applied during spring, was 68.4% for heifers, 83.3% for PBC and 67.7% for MBC. The overall total conception rates following the complete O/R protocol were 84.27%, 94.4% and 79%. Conception rates achieved during summer were heifers 52%, PBC 47.2% and MBC 49%, whilst overall conception rates following the full O/R protocol were 72%, 69.8% and 58.2% respectively. In the autumn seasons, PBC conceived 58.9% and MBC 52.1% following initial Ovsynch, which improved to total overall conception rates of 87.5% and 78.7% following the full O/R protocol. Similarly, in the winter season, PBC experienced a conception rate of 47.5% following Ovsynch and 72.5% after a follow-up Resynch. MBC experienced 60.0% and 74.4% conception following Ovsynch and full O/R, respectively, during winter. Total conception rates during all seasons were quite acceptable following the O/R protocol. There was a significant decrease from spring to summer in conception rate for all parity groups, but heifers were not a severely affected as older buffalo cows. This finding agrees with that of other investigators indicating that heifer fertility is not as negatively impacted by long photoperiod and higher ambient temperature as that of older animals. The O/R protocol as utilized in this study is an effective means of reproductive management for dairy buffalo cows and is effective for improving fertility during out-of-season breeding.