Diversified cropping systems in semiarid Montana: Nitrogen use during drought

Improved nitrogen use efficiency would be beneficial to agroecosystem sustainability in the northern Great Plains of the USA. The most common rotation in the northern Great Plains is fallow–spring wheat. Tillage during fallow periods controls weeds, which otherwise would use substantial amounts of water and available nitrogen, decreasing the efficiency of fallow. Chemical fallow and zero tillage systems improve soil water conservation, and may improve nitrogen availability to subsequent crops. We conducted a field trial from 1998 through 2003 comparing nitrogen uptake and nitrogen use efficiency of crops in nine rotations under two tillage systems, conventional and no-till. All rotations included spring wheat, two rotations included field pea, while lentil, chickpea, yellow mustard, sunflower, and safflower were present in single rotations with wheat. Growing season precipitation was below average in 3 of 4 years, resulting in substantial drought stress to crops not following fallow. In general, rotation had a greater influence on spring wheat nitrogen accumulation and use efficiency than did tillage system. Spring wheat following fallow had substantially higher N accumulation in seed and biomass, N harvest index, and superior nitrogen use efficiency than wheat following pea, lentil, chickpea, yellow mustard, or wheat. Preplant nitrate-N varied widely among years and rotations, but overall, conventional tillage resulted in 9 kg ha⁻¹ more nitrate-N (0–60 cm) for spring wheat than did zero tillage. However, zero tillage spring wheat averaged 11 kg ha⁻¹ more N in biomass than wheat in conventional tillage. Nitrogen accumulation in pea seed, 45 kg ha⁻¹, was superior to that of all alternate crops and spring wheat, 17 and 23 kg ha⁻¹, respectively. Chickpea, lentil, yellow mustard, safflower, and sunflower did not perform well and were not adapted to this region during periods of below average precipitation. During periods of drought, field pea and wheat following fallow had greater nitrogen use efficiency than recropped wheat or other pulse and oilseed crops.     

Residue management and tillage effects on soil-water storage and grain yield of dryland wheat and sorghum for a clay loam in Texas

Dryland wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) are often grown using a wheat–sorghum-fallow (WSF) crop rotation on the semiarid North American Great Plains. Precipitation stored during fallow as soil water is crucial to the success of the WSF rotation. Stubble mulch-tillage (SM) and no-tillage (NT) residue management practices reduce evaporation, but the sparse residue cover produced by dryland crops, particularly sorghum, is insufficient to reduce soil crusting and runoff. Subsoil tillage practices, e.g., paratill (PT) or sweep (ST), fracture infiltration limiting soil layers and, when used with residue management practices, may increase soil-water storage and crop growth. Our objectives were to compare the effects of PT to 0.35 m or ST to 0.10 m treatments on soil cone penetration resistance, soil-water storage, and dryland crop yield with NT and SM residue management. Six contour-farmed level-terraced watersheds with a Pullman clay loam (US soil taxonomy: fine, mixed, superactive, thermic Torrertic Paleustoll; FAO: Kastanozems) at the USDA—Agricultural Research Service, Conservation and Production Research Laboratory, Bushland, TX, USA (35°11′N, 102°5′W) were cropped as pairs using a WSF rotation so that each phase of the sequence appeared each year. In 1988, residue management plots received PT or ST every 3 years during fallow after sorghum resulting in five treatments: (i) NT–PT, (ii) NT–NOPT, (iii) NT–ST, (iv) SM–PT, and (v) SM–NOPT. Cone penetration resistance was the greatest in NT plots and reduced with PT after 12, 23, and 31 months. Mean 1990–1995 soil-water storage during fallow after wheat was greater with NT than with SM, but unaffected by PT or ST. Dryland wheat and sorghum grain yields, total water use, and water use efficiency (WUE) were not consistently increased with NT, however, and unaffected by PT or ST tillage. We conclude, for a dryland WSF rotation, that: (1) NT increased mean soil-water storage during fallow after wheat compared to SM, and (2) ST and PT “subsoil” tillage of a Pullman did not increase water storage or yield. Therefore, NT residue management was more beneficial for dryland crop production than subsoil tillage.     

旱地小麦休闲期深翻覆盖对土壤水分及其利用效率的影响

为充分利用休闲期降水, 提高旱地麦田土壤蓄水保墒能力, 达到"伏雨春用"的目的, 本文将耕作蓄水技术与覆盖保水技术相结合, 采用大田试验研究了从前茬小麦收获后15 d或45 d进行深翻及深翻后采取渗水地膜、液态地膜覆盖对旱地小麦土壤水分及水分利用效率的影响。结果表明: 前茬小麦收获后45 d深翻较15 d深翻可显著提高小麦收获后65 d(休闲期)至316 d(孕穗期)土壤蓄水量、播前120~300 cm各土层土壤蓄水量和小麦水分利用效率。休闲期深翻覆盖可显著提高65 d(休闲期)至316 d(孕穗期)土壤蓄水量及播前0~ 300 cm各土层土壤蓄水量, 显著提高小麦水分利用效率, 且均以渗水地膜覆盖效果最好。此外, 前茬小麦收获后45 d深翻较15 d深翻可显著减小播种至拔节期60~300 cm, 拔节至开花期0~60 cm、120~240 cm, 开花至成熟期180~300 cm土壤水分减少率, 且深翻后采用渗水地膜覆盖对拔节至开花期土壤水分减少率调控效应较大。 总之, 旱地小麦休闲期等雨后深翻有利于提高土壤蓄水量与水分利用效率, 深翻后覆盖有较大的调控效应, 且采用渗水地膜覆盖效果更好。因此, 休闲期等雨后(约7月底或8月初)深翻并立即采用渗水地膜覆盖的技术是旱地麦田休闲期蓄水保墒的新途径, 且此技术可为旱地小麦高产、稳产、高效提供保障。     

Soil pH and Exchangeable Cation Responses to Tillage and Fertilizer in Dryland Cropping Systems

Long-term use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers can lead to fertility-lowering soil chemical changes. To examine this in geologically young soils in the northern Great Plains of North America, we present near-surface (0–7.6 cm) soil chemistry data from 16 years of two crop rotations: continuous crop (CC; spring wheat [Triticum aestivum L.]—winter wheat [T. aestivum]—sunflower [Helianthus annuus L.]) and crop-fallow (C-F; spring wheat—fallow) that underwent factorial tillage (none, minimum, conventional) and N rate (low, medium, high) treatments. For CC, the N rate (but not tillage) had a significant effect on pH, with the high N rate leading to the largest pH decline (?0.76). The nitrogen rate also had a significant effect on cation exchange capacity (CEC) for CC, whereby CEC increased with the N rate. Managers utilizing high N rates should be aware of the potential for soil acidification, even in the northern Great Plains of North America.     

黄土旱塬区麦田休闲期降水与土壤贮水的变化特征

为提高休闲期降水资源利用效率和确保区域粮食安全,利用1981—2020年陇东黄土高原旱作麦田定位土壤水分和气象观测资料,分析了冬小麦田休闲期间降水与土壤水分的变化特征及其影响因素。结果表明:(1)近40年陇东黄土高原休闲期降水以14 mm/10 a的速率增加,降雨总日数和小雨日数呈减少趋势,中雨、大雨日数呈弱增加趋势;(2)近40年休闲期1 m土层平均以9.5 mm/10 d的速率充水,贮水量平均增加97 mm,21世纪以来贮水量增加明显;(3)休闲期降水与1 m土层贮水增量符合二次函数关系,1 m土层开始贮存水分的降水阈值为175 mm,贮水增量与中、大雨总日数相关性最高,前期降水主要以土壤蒸发消耗为主,后期降水则大部贮存于土壤中;(4)休闲期1 m土层平均贮水效率为0.27,贮水效率随着麦收时的土壤墒情增加而线性递减,当麦收时1 m土层贮水量小于田间持水量的45%～48%时,贮水效率较高,1 m土层水分得到充分补充的降水阈值为388 mm。该研究成果揭示了近40年陇东黄土高原休闲期降水和土壤贮水的转化规律,同时为指导区域水资源高效利用提供科学依据。     

Tillage and cropping effects on soil quality indicators in the northern Great Plains

The extreme climate of the northern Great Plains of North America requires cropping systems to possess a resilient soil resource in order to be sustainable. This paper summarizes the interactive effects of tillage, crop sequence, and cropping intensity on soil quality indicators for two long-term cropping system experiments in the northern Great Plains. The experiments, located in central North Dakota, were established in 1984 and 1993 on a Wilton silt loam (FAO: Calcic Siltic Chernozem; USDA¹: fine-silty, mixed, superactive frigid Pachic Haplustoll). Soil physical, chemical, and biological properties considered as indicators of soil quality were evaluated in spring 2001 in both experiments at depths of 0–7.5, 7.5–15, and 15–30 cm. Management effects on soil properties were largely limited to the surface 7.5 cm in both experiments. For the experiment established in 1984, differences in soil condition between a continuous crop, no-till system and a crop–fallow, conventional tillage system were substantial. Within the surface 7.5 cm, the continuous crop, no-till system possessed significantly more soil organic C (by 7.28 Mg ha⁻¹), particulate organic matter C (POM-C) (by 4.98 Mg ha⁻¹), potentially mineralizable N (PMN) (by 32.4 kg ha⁻¹), and microbial biomass C (by 586 kg ha⁻¹), as well as greater aggregate stability (by 33.4%) and faster infiltration rates (by 55.6 cm h⁻¹) relative to the crop–fallow, conventional tillage system. Thus, soil from the continuous crop, no-till system was improved with respect to its ability to provide a source for plant nutrients, withstand erosion, and facilitate water transfer. Soil properties were affected less by management practices in the experiment established in 1993, although organic matter related properties tended to be greater under continuous cropping or minimum tillage than crop sequences with fallow or no-till. In particular, PMN and microbial biomass C were greatest in continuous spring wheat (with residue removed) (22.5 kg ha⁻¹ for PMN; 792 kg ha⁻¹ for microbial biomass C) as compared with sequences with fallow (SW–S–F and SW–F) (Average=15.9 kg ha⁻¹ for PMN; 577 kg ha⁻¹ for microbial biomass C). Results from both experiments confirm that farmers in the northern Great Plains of North America can improve soil quality and agricultural sustainability by adopting production systems that employ intensive cropping practices with reduced tillage management.     

(土娄)土旱地土壤硝态氮季节性变化与夏季休闲的培肥增产作用

黄土高原广大产麦地区在夏作物如小麦、豌豆、扁豆等收获后,进行夏季休闲,伏耕晒垡,以保证其后作小麦丰产稳产。此项耕作措施是农民在长期生产实践中创造出来的一种保持土壤肥力的宝贵经验。二千多年前,氾勝之^[1]在关中地区教导农业时曾对这些宝贵经验进行过总结。新中国成立后,一些农业科技工作者^[2-17]就此经验曾在陕西、甘肃、宁夏、内蒙、山西等地进行试验研究与调查总结。有些地区或者因为夏粮欠收,大搞以秋补夏,夏作物收后复种秋作物;或者为了多生产粮食,盲目扩大复种指数。二者均挤掉了夏季休闲。各地农业生产领导部门和农业科技工作者对此意见分歧,并进行广泛讨论。本文从缕土早地土壤中硝态氮季节性变化出发,阐明夏季休闲的培肥增产作用以及提高夏季休闲效果的途径。可供黄土高原主要是璞土早作地区进行耕作改制时参考。     

不同耕作方式下秸秆还田对晋中玉米田水分时空分布及产量的影响

为探讨保护性耕作和秸秆还田有机结合对春玉米休闲期蓄水保墒效果、生育期土壤水分时空变化、贮水量季节变化、产量及水分利用效率的影响,设置不同耕作方式(免耕、深松、翻耕)结合秸秆还田(100%秸秆还田、秸秆不还田)6个处理组合,2016-2018年在山西晋中连续2年进行定位试验研究。结果表明:(1)春玉米冬闲期不同耕作处理下土壤贮水量差异显著,且随着时间推移贮水量都有降低趋势,免耕和深松处理分别较翻耕土壤贮水量平均增加10.4,9.3 mm。在玉米的整个生育时期,免耕和深松处理土壤贮水量分别比翻耕提高4.8%,1.2%。(2)平均2年土壤含水量大小顺序为免耕>深松>翻耕,各处理平均土壤含水量分别为23.0%,21.8%,21.5%。丰水年不同耕作方式土壤含水量垂直变化在各生育时期差异较大,干旱年其变化的差异较小。(3)免耕与100%秸秆还田组合下玉米产量和水分利用效率最高,2年平均产量和WUE(水分利用效率)分别为12 679.9 kg/hm²和25.8 kg/(hm²·mm),翻耕与100%秸秆还田处理组合最低。无论是否秸秆还田,免耕和深松处理在春玉米冬闲期土壤蓄水保墒效果、生育期土壤水分状况、产量与水分利用效率均优于翻耕处理;在秸秆还田下免耕和深松耕作方式对玉米田水分的集蓄保用有良好的效果,以免耕秸秆还田效果最佳,可在晋中地区春玉米生产中推广应用。     

Water balance simulation of a dryland soil during fallow under conventional and conservation tillage in semiarid Aragon, Northeast Spain

In Central Aragon, winter cereal is sown in the autumn (November–December), commonly after a 16–18 months fallow period aimed at conserving soil water. This paper uses the Simple Soil–Plant–Atmosphere Transfer (SiSPAT) model, in conjunction with field data, to study the effect of long fallowing on the soil water balance under three tillage management systems (conventional tillage, CT; reduced tillage, RT; and no-tillage, NT). This was on the assumption that soil properties would remain unchanged during the entire fallow season. Once the model was validated with data obtained before primary tillage implementation, the differences between simulated and observed soil water losses for the CT and RT treatments could be interpreted as the direct effect of the soil tillage system. The model was calibrated and validated in a long-term tillage experiment using data from three contrasting long-fallow seasons over the period 1999–2002, where special attention was paid to predicting soil hydraulic properties in the pre-tillage conditions. The capacity of the model to simulate the soil water balance and its components over long fallowing was demonstrated. Both the fallow rainfall pattern and the tillage management system affected the soil water budget and components predicted by the model. The model predicted that about 81% of fallow seasonal rainfall is lost by evaporation in long-fallow periods with both a dry autumn in the first year of fallow and a rainfall above normal in spring. Whereas, when the fallow season is characterised by a wet autumn during the first year of fallow the model predicted a decrease in soil water evaporation and an increase in water storage and deep drainage components. In this case, the predicted water lost by evaporation was higher under NT (64%) than under RT (56%) and CT (44%). The comparison between measured and simulated soil water loss showed that the practice of tillage decreased soil water conservation in the short term. The long-term analysis of the soil water balance showed that, in fallow periods with a wet autumn during the first year of fallow, the soil water loss measured under CT and RT was moderately greater than that predicted by the model.     

Reduced tillage and increasing cropping intensity in the Great Plains conserves soil C

Concern about soil organic matter losses as a result of cultivation has been voiced consistently since the early part of the 20th century. Scientists working in the US. Great Plains recognized that organic matter losses from an already small pool could have major negative consequences on soil physical properties and N supplying capacity. The advent of reduced- and no-till systems has greatly improved our ability to capture and retain precipitation in the soil during the non-crop periods of the cropping cycle, and has made it possible to reduce fallow frequency and intensify cropping systems. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the effects of reduced tillage and cropping system intensification on C storage in soils using data from experiments in North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, and Texas. Decades of farming with the wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)–fallow system, the dominant farming system in the Great Plains, have accentuated soil C losses. More intensive cropping systems, made possible by the greater water conservation associated with no-till practices, have produced more grain, produced more crop residue and allowed more of it to remain on the soil surface. Combined with less soil disturbance in reduced- and no-till systems, intensive cropping has increased C storage in the soil. We also conclude that the effects of cropping system intensification on soil C should not be investigated independent of residue C still on the surface. There are many unknowns regarding how rapidly changes in soil C will occur when tillage and cropping systems are changed, but the data summarized in this paper indicate that in the surface 2.5 cm of soil, changes can be detected within 10 years. It is imperative that we continue long-term experiments to evaluate rates of change over an extended period. It is also apparent that we should include residue C, both on the surface of the soil and within the surface 2.5 cm, in our system C budgets if we are to accurately depict residue–soil C system status. The accounting of soil C must be done on a mass basis rather than on a concentration basis.     

河北低平原区春玉米一熟替代麦玉两熟制的 水生态与粮食安全分析

本研究针对河北低平原区水资源日益短缺的现状,于2011—2014年在河北省吴桥县开展田间试验,以小麦?玉米两熟制(WS)为对照,设置零灌溉春玉米一熟制(SMRF)和适水条件下春玉米一熟制(SMSW)2种种植模式,共3个处理,研究该区改传统高耗水的小麦?玉米两熟制为春玉米一熟制的可行性。结果表明:周年耗水量SMSW、SMRF较WS分别降低48.4%和54.2%;冬小麦耗水主要来自灌溉水和土壤储水,试验年间降雨仅能满足冬小麦耗水总量的32.9%,春玉米生育期内耗水主要来自降雨,试验年间SMSW和SMRF生育期内有效降雨总量分别满足春玉米耗水总量的91.9%和94.9%。SMSW和SMRF周年产量平均较WS分别降低24.4%和45.8%。SMSW和SMRF水分利用效率较WS平均分别高24.8%和0.3%。SMSW和SMRF的经济效益较WS平均分别减少5.2%和36.8%。经济水分利用效率SMSW和SMRF较WS平均分别高56.7%和17.5%。当下WS较SMSW仍具有一定的产量和效益优势,但WS对地下水灌溉依赖严重;而SMSW的水分利用效率和经济水分利用效率显著高于WS,未来随着春玉米高产技术体系的成熟,春玉米产量的进一步提高,在我国粮食总产、库存、进口"三增"的"新常态"下,该区改小麦玉米两熟为春玉米一熟具有兼顾水生态和粮食安全的可行性。     

Rotation and tillage effects on available soil water for winter wheat in a semi-arid environment

The recent adoption of conservation farming systems in the semi-arid Canadian prairies opens up the possibility of replacing the traditional fallow period with non-cereal crops (oilseeds, legumes). However, information on changes to soil water regimes by inclusion of these crops, especially in combination with zero tillage, is sparse. A study was initiated in 1984 on a sandy clay loam soil at Lethbridge, Alberta, to investigate the performance of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under conventional, minimum and zero tillage in monoculture and in 2-year rotations with fallow, canola (Brassica campestris L.) or lentils (Lens culinaris Medic.)/flax (Linum usitatissimum L.). Conventional tillage in the Lethbridge region is shallow cultivation (10 cm) with a wide-blade (sweep) cultivator. Continuous cropping greatly depleted soil water reserves, resulting in some crop failures. Averaged over 10 years, available water for establishment of winter wheat in fall was least after canola (45 mm), followed by continuous winter wheat (59 mm), lentils/flax (74 mm) and fallow (137 mm). In this semi-arid region, the effect of rotation on soil water was much greater than that of tillage. Zero tillage had relatively little impact on available water to 1.5 m depth. However, once the experiment had been established for 6–7 years, available water in the 0–15 cm depth under winter wheat in spring was greatest under zero tillage. Precipitation storage efficiency during the fallow year was generally unaffected by tillage system.     

极端干旱区土壤呼吸对储水灌溉和冻融循环的响应

[目的] 揭示中国极端干旱区甘肃省石羊河流域储水灌溉与季节性冻融叠加作用下对土壤呼吸的影响,为进一步提高极端干旱区灌溉水资源利用效率和节约灌溉水源提供理论基础和技术支撑。[方法] 按照1 199.4 m³/hm²低灌溉定额分为灌水和非灌水处理,将冻融循环分为冻结期、冻融期和解冻期3个时间段,采用LI-8100土壤碳通量全自动测量系统对各处理地块的土壤呼吸速率进行观测与分析。[结果] 极端干旱区储水灌溉在季节性冻融作用下农田生态系统土壤呼吸速率增强,土壤碳排放量增加,农田生态系统碳循环被改变,有利于作物的生长和提高粮食产量。不同土地利用方式下土壤呼吸速率对水分和温度的响应程度不同。整个冻融过程中土壤呼吸速率呈现出：解冻期>冻结期>冻融期的规律。冻结期、冻融期和解冻期3个时期的土壤CO₂都表现为源,但在夜间极低温度时土壤CO₂由源转化为汇。[结论] 储水灌溉调控了整个冻融期土壤呼吸的过程,改变了极端干旱区农田生态系统的碳循环。在水分与季节性冻融叠加作用下,储水灌溉地块土壤呼吸速率相对未储水地块随温度的波动更为剧烈,但与温度的变化趋势一致,水分加剧了其随温度的波动。     

Sustainability of soil structure quality in rice paddy— soya-bean cropping systems in South Sulawesi, Indonesia

In South Sulawesi, paddy rice (Oryza sativa L.) is generally double cropped with soya-bean (Glycine max L.) in the dry season. Decline in soya-bean yield and response to fertilisers after some years indicates that these cropping systems may not be sustainable in terms of soil strucural properties. We investigated the deterioration of soil structure by measuring penetration resistance, air-filled porosity, bulk density and plant available water content in rice paddy-soya-bean rotations of 10, 16 and 21 years duration. These results were compared with those from a 21 year rotation in which rice was followed by grass fallow. The non-limiting available water range was used to assess cropping system differences.

Rice-soya-bean cropping systems were detrimental to soil physical conditions in the long term. Bulk density and soil strength increased and air-filled porosity decreased significantly over a period of 21 years. At this time, aeration porosity at the upper drained limit was below the critical value for adequate aeration, soil penetration resistance exceeded the limits for root growth within the plant available water content range, and the non-limiting range of plant avaiable water was narrowed. These results indicate that double cropping is unsustainable in terms of soil structure quality. Shorter periods (10 years) of double cropping did not cause the same level of deterioration and the grass fallow system had no discerible limitation to available water as a result of poor alteration or high soil strength. We conclude that grass fallow cropping systems appear to be more sustainable and in long-term double cropped systems, a period of grass fallow is probably required to restore soil structure to a favourable state.     

Tillage effects on water storage during fallow, and on barley root growth and yield in two contrasting soils of the semi-arid Segarra region in Spain

In semi-arid areas under rainfed agriculture water is the most limiting factor of crop production. To investigate the best way to perform fallow and its effect on soil water content (SWC) and root growth in a barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) crop after fallow, an experiment was conducted on two soils in La Segarra, a semi-arid area in the Ebro Valley (Spain). Fallow was a traditional system used in these areas to capture out-of-season rainfall to supplement that of the growing period, usually lasting 16 months, from July to October of the next year. Soil A was a loamy fine Fluventic Xerochrept (Haplic Calcisol, FAO) of 120 cm depth and Soil B was a loamy Lithic Xeric Torriorthent (Calcaric Regosol, FAO) of only 30 cm depth. The experiment was continued for four fallow-crop cycles in Soil A and for two in Soil B. In Soil A, three tillage systems were compared: subsoil tillage (ST), minimum tillage (MT) and no-tillage (NT). In Soil B, only MT and NT were compared. In the fields cropped to barley, SWC and root length density (LV) were measured at important developmental stages during the season, lasting from October to June. In the fallow fields SWC was also monitored. Here, evaporation (EV), water storage (WS) and water storage efficiency (WSE) were calculated using a simplified balance approach. The fallow period was split in two 8-month sub-periods: July–February (infiltration) and March–October evaporation (EV). In Soil A, values of WSE were in the range 10–18% in 1992–1993, 1993–1994 and 1994–1995 fallow, but fell to 3% in 1995–1996. Among tillage systems, NT showed significantly greater WSE in the July–February sub-period of 1992–1993 and 1993–1994 fallow, but significantly lower WSE in the March–October sub-period, due to greater EV under NT. Consequently, no differences in total WSE were found between tillage systems. In Soil B, WSE was low, about 3–7%, and there were no difference between tillage systems. During the crop period, the differences in SWC and LV between tillage systems were small. Regarding yields, the best tillage system depended on the year. NT is potentially the best system for executing fallow, but residues of the preceding crop must be left spread over the soil.     

The influence of soil tillage system on Salsola kali L. emergence during the fallow period within cereal fields

With the move towards conservation agriculture, we have seen an increase in weeds such as Salsola kali L., well known as Russian thistle, which are wind spread over fallow land. The emergence of this weed species seemed erratic, perhaps connected to climate conditions and management techniques. In order to shed some light on this issue, we carried out a field experiment over 3 years to monitor Russian thistle density in fallow plots, comparing three tillage systems. This study provides an insight about the limitations of assuming no-tillage techniques within a cropping system that include fallow in the rotation sequence. Our results show that no-tillage systems are more vulnerable to S. kali. Low spring rain leads to high S. kali density, especially in no-tillage plots. High spring rainfall reduced the emergence in all tillage systems because of soil water saturation. Minimum tillage technique served to maintain control over this species even in weather conditions that favoured its emergence in other systems. In order to reduce the need for herbicide in fallow lands under conservation systems, we recommend the implementation of minimum tillage to combat Russian thistle infestation.     

不同利用方式下红壤坡地土壤水分时空动态变化规律研究

利用连续3年土壤水分定位观测数据，研究了红壤坡地不同利用方式下土壤水分的时空动态变化规律。结果表明：土壤水分时空动态变化主要受降雨和植被类型的影响。土壤水分季节变化分为相对稳定期、消耗期和补给期三个时段；土壤剖面（0～90cm）水分含量从表层到深层表现为增长型，依据2003年土壤水分标准差和变异系数。将土壤剖面划分为活跃层、次活跃层和相对稳定层3个层次；土壤剖面水分变异系数随降雨量和土层深度的增加而减小，随植被根系的增长而变大。平水年，深根系区与浅根系区土壤水分变化差异表现在30cm深度以下，而丰水年其差异主要表现在土壤表层（0～30cm）；无论平水年还是丰水年，深根系区土壤水分变幅均比浅根系区大。     

旱地基于豆类绿肥不同轮作方式的经济效益分析

【目的】黄土高原旱地土壤贫瘠,传统的夏休闲期雨热资源丰富但利用率不高,评价不同轮作方式的经济效益,为选择一种合理的种植模式、 保证农民获得可靠的收入提供依据。【方法】本研究通过4年定位试验,以夏休闲-冬小麦一年一熟制为对照,测定并分析了豆类绿肥-冬小麦和豆类绿肥-春玉米-冬小麦两种轮作方式及其不同豆类绿肥处理方式条件下的经济效益。【结果】豆类绿肥-冬小麦轮作经济效益最低,而且纯收入的变异系数高达67.69%,与夏休闲-冬小麦轮作方式相比没有优势; 该轮作绿肥不同翻压时间对作物产量、 总收入等指标存在年际差异。豆类绿肥-春玉米-冬小麦轮作,整体收入最高,而且纯收入变异系数最低,为15.42%,其中茎秆覆盖和茎秆翻压处理的作物产量、 总收入、 纯收入等均高于移出处理。【结论】从农民收入的角度来看,豆类绿肥-春玉米-冬小麦轮作很好的平衡了成本与收益的关系,是该地区较为合理的种植制度; 将绿肥籽粒收获后,茎秆覆盖式翻压,可有效提高小麦、玉米的产量,是应推广的技术措施。     

Priming effect and C storage in semi-arid no-till spring crop rotations

Adoption of less invasive management practices, such as no-till (NT) and continuous cropping, could reduce CO₂ emissions from agricultural soils by retaining soil organic matter (SOM). We hypothesized that C storage increases as cropping intensity increases and tillage decreases. We also hypothesized that pulsed addition of C increases the mineralization of native SOM. We evaluated C storage at the 0- to 5-cm depth in soils from four crop rotations: winter wheat-fallow, spring wheat-chemical fallow, continuous hard red spring wheat, and spring wheat-spring barley on a Ritzville silt loam (Calcidic Haploxeroll). In two incubation studies using ¹⁴C-labeled wheat straw, we traced the decomposition of added residue as influenced by (1) cropping frequency, (2) tillage, and (3) pulsed additions of C. Differences in ¹⁴C mineralization did not exist among the four rotations at any time throughout the incubations. However, differences in total CO₂ production between the continuous wheat rotations and the fallow rotations point to a priming of native SOM, the degree of which appears to be related to the relative contributions of fungi and bacteria to the decomposition of added residue. Addition of non-labeled wheat straw to select samples in the second incubation resulted in a flush of ¹⁴C-CO₂ not seen in the controls. This priming effect suggests C inputs have a greater effect on mineralization of residual C compared to disturbance and endogenous metabolism appears to be the source of primed C, with priming becoming more pronounced as the fungal:bacterial ratio in the soil increases.     

Fallow management practices in Guatemala's Western Highlands: social drivers and biophysical impacts

Land pressures and environmental degradation are driving forces behind shortened fallow periods in the tropics, often resulting in reduced crop yields and increased migration from rural areas. This paper describes contemporary fallow practices in the Western Highlands of Guatemala based on interdisciplinary data collected using participatory rural appraisal and qualitative research methods in combination with a quantitative evaluation of the impacts of fallow management decisions on soil fertility. Case studies of two communities in San Marcos department illustrate contemporary and traditional land use practices. Currently, over 70 per cent of families engage in a variety of fallow management practices, with combined cropping‐fallow cycles within a field averaging 3–6 years. Despite the reduction in length of fallow cycles, new fallow practices in the study area appear to improve some aspects of soil fertility while also providing fodder and fuelwood. Calcium and magnesium concentrations in fallow soil were twice that of cropped plots, indicating that weathering reactions and atmospheric deposition during fallow periods are able to restore base cation fertility that is taken up by potato crops during cropping cycles. Soil in cropped plots, however, showed 25 per cent higher soil organic matter and five times higher nitrate concentrations than soil in fallow plots, which resulted from additions of compost and inorganic fertilizer to cropped plots. Nevertheless, the ¹³C/¹²C isotopic ratio of soil organic carbon indicated that as soil organic matter content decreases in cropped plots, the remaining carbon is increasingly degraded. Potential improvements in fallow management practices proposed by farmers and researchers are also presented. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.