水旱轮作地区土壤长期休闲与耕种的肥力效应

长期定位试验水旱轮作地区土壤长期休闲和耕种对土壤肥力的影响研究结果表明，长期休闲土壤有机质、全N含量显著高于连续种植作物的土壤，其差异随土壤深度的增加而减小；休闲地15cm以上土层土壤N素矿化势高于耕种地；耕种土壤连续施入猪粪、作物秸秆等有机肥可保持与休闲土壤相当或远高于休闲土壤的有效磷水平，单施化肥或不施肥料的耕种土壤有效磷均低于休闲土壤；休闲和耕种对15-30cm土层土壤缓效钾含量无影响响，15cm以上土层土壤缓效钾含量休闲高于耕种；休闲土壤速效钾含量在整个耕作层（30cm）均高于耕种土壤；休闲土壤PH值略低于耕种土壤。     

Soil mechanical behaviour of sandy loams in a temperate climate: case studies on long-term effects of fertilization and crop rotation

Abstract. Two case studies on Danish sandy loams investigated the long-term effects of fertilization and crop rotation. Case Study 1 compared a diversely cropped organically farmed soil (DFG(1)) with a conventionally farmed soil predominantly growing annual crops (DFA), both receiving animal manure. In Case Study 2, a diversely cropped organically managed soil (DFG(2)) receiving animal manure was compared with an almost exclusively cereal cropped conventionally farmed soil receiving no animal manure (CCC). A multi-level experimental strategy was followed to compare integrating field methods with specialized laboratory methods. Ease of tillage was described in the field and characterized using a drop shatter field test and by measuring aggregate tensile strength. Fitness as a seedbed was characterised visually in the field and from the drop shatter test. Impedance to seedling emergence and root penetration was evaluated by measuring bulk soil shear strength. For Case Study 1, soil tilth was better for the DFA soil than for the DFG(1) soil (i.e. lower soil strength and higher ease of fragmentation and friability index for DFA). However, a crumbly structure and a moderate bulk density suggested that the DFG(1) soil was also a favourable medium for plant growth. For Case Study 2, the CCC soil had a lower organic matter content, higher bulk density, higher soil strength, and lower ease of fragmentation in comparison with the DFG(2) soil.     

Effect of land-use on soil water dynamic in dehesas of Central–Western Spain

Dehesa ecosystems are open woodlands with scattered oak trees as their main component. As a result of differing land-uses, the structure of vegetation found within dehesas varies between: (i) oak trees and intercropped cereals (cropped), (ii) oak trees and native grass vegetation (grazed), and (iii) oak trees with abundant understorey shrubs (encroached). The aim of this study is to investigate whether land-use influences the water dynamics of dehesas by measuring available soil water content (AWC) in the upper 250 cm of the soil at different distances from tree trunks (maximum 30 m) at four Quercus ilex dehesas in Central–Western Spain. The technique used was Time Domain Reflectometry and the study was undertaken between May of 2002 and December of 2005. Leaf water potential (Ψ) was also measured on trees at one site by mean of a pressure chamber. Within the upper meter of the soil, it appears that trees, grasses and shrubs extracted soil water resources in a similar way from both beneath and beyond the tree canopy. However, encroached plots in general showed lower average AWC values than cropped or grazed plots (3.7, 5.6, and 6.2% in encroached, cropped and grazed, respectively). Cereal crops do not compete more strongly than grasses with trees for available soil water resources. The similar Ψ values found at cropped and grazed plots supported these results. From our results, it could be hypothesized that ploughed dehesas could facilitate soil re-watering in the plots with pronounced slopes. The decrease of AWC values at encroached plots with respect to the cropped and grazed plots was found mostly beyond the tree trunk at deeper soil layers, indicating that shrubs use water partly not accessible to trees. The presence of an understory of shrubs seems to have slightly increased the water constraints on trees during the summer period (Ψ_d values of − 0.5, − 0.5, and − 0.8 MPa in cropped, grazed, and encroached plots, respectively). In cropped and grazed plots, an important amount of water seems to have remained unused for trees and grasses.     

Cover crop effects on soil structure and early sugar beet growth

Cover crops can improve soil properties, especially soil structure, through organic matter input and rooting activity. However, large variations exist among cover crops, which may lead to differences in the extent of these effects. In this study, cover crops with differing properties were compared regarding soil structure and subsequent sugar beet growth. Field experiments were conducted at two Luvisol sites in Central Germany. Four cover crops (oil radish, saia oat, spring vetch and winter rye) were compared with fallow. Cover crop effects on soil water, N_min content, soil structure and subsequent early sugar beet growth were studied. Additionally, sugar beet received either no or optimal N fertilizer application. Rye and radish had the highest and vetch the lowest above- and belowground biomass. Soil water content was hardly affected by cover cropping, while topsoil N_min contents in April were increased. Penetration resistance was lowered, and aggregate stability was increased by the cover crops, especially oil radish, while values after spring vetch were similar to those of fallow. Differences among the cover crops might be because of a differing root biomass. Independent of N fertilizer application, sugar beet biomass in May tended to be higher after all cover crops, in particular under oil radish. The higher aggregate stability and lower penetration resistance were found to be beneficial for early sugar beet growth. Thus, sugar beet can benefit from a 1-year cultivation of preceding cover crops. Modifications of this effect through cover crop root biomass and architecture as well as repeated cover cropping need to be investigated in further studies.     

THE PLASTIC LIMIT, AS DETERMINED BY THE DROP-CONE TEST, IN RELATION TO THE MECHANICAL BEHAVIOUR OF SOIL

The variation with water content is examined of soil cohesion, soil-metal friction, susceptibility to soil compaction, implement draught and the slope and intercept of the virgin compression line of critical state soil mechanics theory. For a given soil, all these relations are shown to exhibit turning points at a similar water content which corresponds to the cone penetrometer plastic limit, as determined with a drop-cone penetrometer, rather than the Casagrande plastic limit. The cone penetrometer plastic limit, which can also be more reliably determined than the Casagrande plastic limit, is the better indicator of soil behaviour in the field and of the water content at which the soil changes from the brittle to the plastic state.     

东北黑土有机碳的分布及其损失量研究

为了分析东北黑土土壤有机碳(SOC)的分布特征及其开垦以来黑土SOC的损失程度,我们于2004～2005年在黑龙江和吉林两省采集了32个自然黑土剖面样品,在每个自然黑土样品附近对应采集32个景观条件相似的耕作黑土样品。结果表明,自然黑土样品0～30cm土层SOC含量平均为32.20 g kg-1,最高可达63.46 g kg-1,黑龙江省自然黑土SOC含量(34.55 g kg-1)高于吉林省(23.80 g kg-1)。耕作土壤SOC平均含量为22.71 g kg-1,远低于自然土壤。受温度的影响,随着纬度的增加,自然黑土与耕作黑土SOC含量逐渐递增。由于土壤侵蚀以及耕垦和去除作物残留物等农业管理措施的综合作用,使得耕作黑土表层SOC含量小于自然黑土。与自然黑土相比,耕作黑土0～10cm土层SOC损失量在26.84%～46.57%之间,亚表层损失相对较少。黑土SOC含量下降也是土壤水土流失致使黑土层变薄的一个直接表现。耕作黑土表层流失厚度可以通过自然与耕作黑土剖面SOC含量的分异差值来估算。通过对土壤剖面上SOC的分布进行校正剔除土壤侵蚀的影响后得到的同等深度SOC含量的差值才可视为由耕作以及有机质输入量差异等因素造成的SOC损失量。未经校正而进行的自然黑土和耕作黑土同一深度SOC含量的比较可能过高估计了农业管理措施对土壤SOC损失量的影响。     

Influence of soil properties on the population and activity of geophagous earthworms after five years of bare fallow

Many soil properties influence earthworm populations and activity. To determine which properties are of significance, a broad collection of soils was investigated. Samples from these different soils were kept bare at one site in large plots (3 Mg soil per plot) to liminate crop and weather interference and to isolate the dominating mechanisms of earthworm effects. Earthworm density, biomass, and tunnelling activity were assessed after 5 years of bare fallow. All earthworm parameters varied strongly. Earthworms increased soil respiration by their tunnelling activity, and in turn increased microbial activity and propagated the loss of organic C. Earthworm abundance ranged from 12 to 274 m^-2 and was about 10 times greater than on cropped soils. The range in abundance was mainly caused by variations in the numbers of juveniles. The average soil moisture content was the only soil property among the many properties investigated that was consistently correlated with earthworm abundance and biomass. Even after 5 years of bare fallow with almost no addition of fresh plant biomass and with little water loss by plant transpiration, the earthworm population was controlled by water stress and not by food stress. We therefore conclude that high water consumption by productive crops may degrade the habitat for geophagous earthworms.     

Humus quantity and quality of an entic Haplustoll under different soil‐crop management systems

Abstract

The effects of different management systems on the level and composition of humified organic matter in an entic Haplustoll from the semiarid Pampean region were studied. The systems were: TPc, wheat‐mixed pasture; TV, wheat (Triticum aestivum), oat (Avena sativa), corn (Zea mays) and triticale grasses; TP, wheat‐cattle grazing; and V, virgin, non cultivated. Humic acids were extracted, fractionated, and analyzed for their organic carbon (OC) content, elemental composition, and E4:E6 spectral ratios. The infrared (IR), electron spin resonance (ESR). and ¹³C‐NMR spectra were registered on these humic acids. The TP rotation showed the lowest humic acid‐carbon to fulvic acid‐carbon (HA‐C:FA‐C) ratio. The lower O:C ratio of humic acids from the cropped soils indicates a higher level of oxidation than that of the virgin one. The comparison of the different methodologies allowed us to conclude that crop rotations and conservation tillage were adequate to mantain the level and composition of the soil organic matter and humus which affected the soil fertility and level of productivity     

Effects of soil compaction on N-mineralization and microbial-C and -N. II. Laboratory simulation

Soil compaction can affect the turnover of C and N (e.g. by changing soil aeration or by changing microbial community structure). In order to study this in greater detail, a laboratory experiment simulating total soil porosities representative of field conditions in cropped and pasture soils was set up. Soils were silty clay loams (Typic Endoaquepts) from a site that had been cropped with cereals continuously for 28 years, a permanent pasture and a site that had been cropped with maize continuously for 10 years. Soils from the three sites were compacted into cores to different total porosities (corresponding bulk densities ranging from 0.88 to 1.30 Mg m⁻³). The soil cores were equilibrated to different matric potentials (ranging from −1 to −100 kPa), yielding values for the fraction of air-filled pores of < 0.01 to 0.53 m³ m⁻³, and then incubated at 25°C for 21 days. C-mineralization was on average 15, 33 and 21 μg C g⁻¹ day⁻¹ for soils from the cropped, pasture and maize sites, respectively, and was positively correlated with soil water contents. Net N-mineralization showed a similar pattern only for well-aerated, high total porosity cores (corresponding bulk density 0.88 Mg m⁻³) from the pasture soil. Denitrification at < 0.20 m³ m⁻³ for the fraction of air-filled pores may have caused the low N-mineralization rates observed in treatments with high water content or low porosity. Microbial biomass estimates decreased significantly with increasing water contents if measured by fumigation-extraction, but were not significantly affected by water content if estimated by the substrate-induced respiration method. The degree of soil compaction did not affect the microbial biomass estimates significantly but did affect microbial activity indirectly by altering aeration status.     

Changes in soil properties and the availability of soil micronutrients after 18 years of cropping and fertilization

Micronutrient deficiencies are common in many parts of China's Loess Plateau. The objective of this experiment was to study the effects of long-term cropping and fertilization practices on soil properties and micronutrient availability in this region. The field plot experiment began in 1984. It included five cropping systems and four fertilizer treatments. In September 2002, soil samples were collected and soil pH, organic matter content, available P, and CaCO₃ were measured. Total and available Zn, Cu, Mn, and Fe were also determined. The relationship between soil properties and available micronutrients was determined by correlation and path analysis. After 18 years, soil pH and CaCO₃ levels were lower in the cropped and fertilized treatments compared to the fallow treatment. In contrast, soil organic matter and available P levels were higher in cropped compared to fallow treatments. A comparison of unfertilized treatments indicated that available Zn and Cu levels in cropped treatments were lower compared to the fallow treatment, probably due to the removal of these micronutrients from the system through crop uptake and harvest. In contrast, available Mn and Fe levels were higher in cropped treatments compared to the fallow treatment. The impacts of fertilization on available micronutrients varied with cropping systems. Generally, available Zn and Fe were higher in fertilized compared to unfertilized treatments, but available Cu was not significantly influenced by fertilization. Fertilization tended to increase available Mn in continuous wheat and maize, but reduced available Mn in continuous clover and the crop–legume rotation. The total (plant available + unavailable) micronutrient contents were lower in the four cropped-treatments compared to the fallow treatment. The addition of manure or P fertilizer increased total Zn, Fe, and Mn, but had no significant effect on total Cu. The results of correlation analysis and path analysis indicated that soil organic matter exerts a significant and direct effect on the availability of Zn, Mn, and Fe, but has little influence on available Cu. The effects of available P, CaCO₃, and pH on micronutrient availability were indirect, passing through soil organic matter. The results of this study suggest that long-term cropping and fertilization altered several important soil properties and increased the plant available micronutrient content of this loess-derived soil.     

有机质与黏粒含量对黑土压缩-回弹特性的影响

为探明有机质和黏粒对黑土压缩-回弹行为的影响,以典型黑土区耕作土壤为研究对象,通过人工添加腐植酸、人工分离-提取-添加黏粒、恒温恒湿培养的方法各配制3个梯度的重塑土。采用室内固结的方法,通过压缩系数、压缩指数及回弹指数的测定与分析,研究了2种含水量条件下黑土压缩与回弹对有机质和黏粒含量变化的响应行为。结果表明:(1)压缩指数均随有机质含量的增加而增大,且在高含水量时二者呈极显著正相关,有机质含量最高时压缩指数为0.246 3,但有机质含量对回弹无显著影响。(2)无论含水量高低,压缩指数均与黏粒含量呈极显著正相关,而回弹指数随着黏粒含量的增加逐渐降低,且在低含水量时二者呈显著负相关。(3)含水量不同,有机质与黏粒对黑土压缩-回弹特性的影响亦不同;黏粒对黑土压缩-回弹行为的影响更为显著。     

钼矿开采对球囊霉素相关土壤蛋白和土壤化学计量特性的影响

以不同开采程度钼矿区根际土壤为研究对象，探索了钼矿开采对土壤球囊霉素相关土壤蛋白、化学计量特性及其两者之间关系的影响。结果表明，开采区土壤碳、氮含量分别为25.30和1.00 g/kg，显著低于恢复区和未开采区土壤的碳、氮含量。开采区土壤的碳氮比达到29.36，分别是恢复区和未开采区的2.02倍和1.30倍。恢复区和未开采区土壤的总提取球囊霉素含量为2.81和3.64 mg/g，易提取球囊霉素含量为1.22和2.02 mg/g，分别是开采区土壤总提取和易提取球囊霉素的2.08倍、2.70倍和1.97倍、3.26倍。此外，土壤碳、氮含量对丛枝菌根真菌分泌球囊霉素相关土壤蛋白有显著的影响。可见，钼矿开采主要导致了土壤碳、氮的大量流失，并对丛枝菌根真菌分泌球囊霉素相关土壤蛋白具有明显的抑制作用。     

Centrifugal extraction and determination of free amino acids in soil solutions by TLC using tritiated 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene

A method is described to separate and quantitate free amino acids from soil solutions extracted rapidly by centrifugation at 10,000 g for 5 min. Centrifugation of soil samples with forces up to 20,000 g did not affect the content of ammonium and water soluble organic carbon in solution, therefore it was concluded that the integrity of microbial cells was unaffected.The method of amino acid analysis involved treatment of the soil solution with tritiated 1-Fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene under alkaline conditions after addition of a known concentration of a standard mixture of amino acids. After extraction, the dinitrophenyl (DNP)-amino acids were separated by two-dimensional thin layer chromatography. Quantification was effected by counting the ³H-activity of each spot and comparing it to that of spots of a standard amino acid mixture of known concentration. The method has been tested and found satisfactory on a variety of cultivated soils, except for an Andept soil with a high content of metallic ions in solution.The total free amino acid content in cultivated and virgin soil samples ranged between 0.32 and 4.72 μg g^?1 soil.Alanine, phenylalanine and threonine were the most abundant followed by valine and the aspartic-glutamic acid complex. Basic amino acids, those containing S (methionine and cystine), and the isoleucine-leucine pair were the least abundant and frequently not detected. With the Chernozemic order the total amino acid content decreased in the following order: Brown > Dark Brown > Black. Virgin soil samples contained more but not always a wider range of free amino acids than did cultivated soils. A Luvisolic soil cropped for 50 yr to a 5-yr rotation contained fewer and a narrower range of free amino acids than did the same soil cropped to a wheat-fallow rotation.     

Physical environment near the surface of plowed and no-tilled soils

Mechanical tillage is a dynamic soil process that influences the physical environment near the surface, thus affecting biological processes in the soil. Water content, bulk density, air permeability, hydraulic conductivity and organic carbon were compared for moldboard plowed and non-tilled conditions at five locations from east-central U.S.A. to the Great Plains. Soils were Blount, Maury, Nicollet, Webster and Crete-Butler cropped to continuous corn (Zea mays L.), and Alliance and Duroc cropped to wheat/fallow (Triticum aestivum L.). Major differences in soil physical characteristics between tillage practices were largely confined to the top 75 mm of soil. The volumetric water and organic carbon (C) contents of the 0–150-mm layer at time of sampling ranged from 8 to 66% and 12 to 75% higher, respectively, in no-tilled than in plowed soils. Bulk density was greater and total porosity in the surface layer was as much as 10% less for no-tilled than for plowed treatments. Because of generally higher water contents and/or lower porosity, the water-filled pore space (WFPS) in the 0–150-mm layer of no-tilled soils was 6–28% higher than that of plowed soils. Air permeability in the surface layer of no-tilled soil was less than for plowed, but there were no differences due to tillage in the 75–150-mm depth. Physical soil characteristics influence the soil water regime, and thereby affect rate of biological reactions in the soil. At many points in the soil drying cycle, water added to a no-tilled soil usually creates a less aerobic environment compared to adding the same amount of water to plowed counterpart.     

Seasonal changes in microbial biomass in soils cropped with palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii L.) and Japanese mint (Mentha arvensis L.) in subtropical India

Changes in microbial C, N, and P were investigated for 1 year in two soils with similar physicochemical properties but supporting different crops under subtropical conditions. One was cropped with palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii L.) and the other with Japanese mint (Mentha arvensis L.). Both the season and the type of cropping had a significant influence on changes in the soil microbial biomass. In general, soil microbial biomass C, N, and P were highest in summer months and lowest in midwinter. Soil microbial biomass levels and microbial C:N and C:P ratios were higher and N:P ratios lower under palmarosa soil than under mint.     

黄土丘陵沟壑区旱作农业轮作模式综合评价

[目的]以不同轮作模式为研究对象,研究不同轮作模式对土壤容重、土壤含水量及作物产量的影响,优化兰州市旱地区作物种植制度。[方法]以马铃薯(P)、玉米(M)、蚕豆(B)为供试作物,开展9种年际间轮作模式试验,分别为:(P-P-P),(M-M-M),(B-B-B),(P-M-P),(P-B-P),(M-P-M),(M-B-P),(B-B-P),(M-M-B)。测定不同轮作模式下,土壤容重、土壤水分及作物产量,并进行经济效益分析。[结果]马铃薯轮作模式(P-M-P,P-B-P,M-P-M,M-B-P及B-B-P)能显著减少0—40cm土层的土壤容重,对40—60cm土层的土壤容重没有显著影响;不同作物轮作下土壤含水量、耗水量影响大小相似:玉米>马铃薯>蚕豆,水分利用效率受作物种类影响大小为:马铃薯>玉米>蚕豆,其中轮作模式以M-M-M下土壤含水量最低、耗水量最大,B-B-P下水分利用效率最高;同种作物轮作产量均高于连作产量,如2016年P-M-P,P-B-P,M-B-P,B-B-P较连作P-P-P产量分别提高了40.37%~79.28%,M-M-B蚕豆轮作较B-B-B连作增产23.56%,M-P-M轮作较M-M-M连作玉米产量提高10.51%;不同轮作模式经济收益大小与连作相比,轮作更利于产量与经济收益的提高。[结论]综合土壤容重、水分利用效率、产量及经济效益,P-B-P与P-M-P轮作模式,能改善土壤环境、提高产量与经济效益可作为主推轮作模式。M-B-P轮作模式经济效益次之,但水分利用效益较高,能作为协调水分利用的种植模式。     

Cultivation affected the level of inorganic phosphorus more than the organic pool of the Pampas soils in Argentina

The effects of land use on soil organic and inorganic phosphorus (P) stocks were assessed in the Pampas, Argentina. Three hundred and eighty-six paired sites widely distributed over an area of ca. 50 Mha were sampled. Land use types included soils under trees, uncropped soils, cropped soils at the pasture phase of a mixed rotation, cropped soils at the crop phase of a mixed rotation, and flooded soils. Slight differences in organic P stocks were found among land uses. Organic P was 21–35% lower in flooded soil than in the other treatments in the 0–100 cm depth. Inorganic P was significantly lower (ca. 27%) in pasture and cropped soils than in the uncropped controls at 0–25 cm depth. The ratios of organic P/inorganic P and organic C/organic P decreased with depth and did not significantly differ among the sites. The influence of cultivation on inorganic P to a depth of 100 cm depended on the initial phosphorus content of the soil. Soils rich in phosphorus lost substantial amounts of their phosphorus stocks, in some cases losses were as high as 70%, whereas phosphorus-poor soils presented only small changes in their inorganic P levels.     

Soil physical and hydrological properties under three biofuel crops in Ohio

Abstract

While biofuel crops are widely studied and compared for their energy and carbon footprints, less is known about their effects on other soil properties, particularly hydrologic characteristics. Soils under three biofuel crops, corn (Zea mays), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), and willow (Salix spp.), were analyzed seven years after establishment to assess the effects on soil bulk density (ρ_b), penetration resistance (PR), water-holding capacity, and infiltration characteristics. The PR was the highest under corn, along with the lowest associated water content, while PR was 50–60% lower under switchgrass. In accordance with PR data, surface (0–10 cm) bulk density also tended to be lower under switchgrass. Both water infiltration rates and cumulative infiltration amounts varied widely among and within the three crops. Because the Philip model did not fit the data, results were analyzed using the Kostiakov model instead. Switchgrass plots had an average cumulative infiltration of 69 cm over 3 hours with a constant infiltration rate of 0.28 cm min^?1, compared with 37 cm and 0.11 cm min^?1 for corn, and 26 cm and 0.06 cm min^?1 for willow, respectively. Results suggest that significant changes in soil physical and hydrologic properties may require more time to develop. Soils under switchgrass may have lower surface bulk density, higher field water capacity, and a more rapid water infiltration rate than those under corn or willow.     

干旱半干旱区地表覆盖对土壤风蚀的影响

为了探究地表覆盖对干旱半干旱地区土壤侵蚀及表层特性的影响,探寻农业发展的新机遇,使用Meta分析的方法,通过搜集国内外干旱半干旱地区土壤覆盖已发表的研究数据,分析了3种地表覆盖方式：覆盖植物、秸秆覆盖和高留茬对土壤风蚀模数及表层干容重、含水量和有机碳含量的影响。结果表明：(1)地表覆盖使土壤年风蚀量降低77.96%,地表风蚀量与覆盖度密切相关,秸秆覆盖度最高,减轻风蚀效果最佳。(2)地表覆盖平均降低2.94%表层(0—20 cm)土壤干容重,从而提高孔隙度保水保肥,抑制土壤侵蚀;其中覆盖植物效果最好,能够降低5.26%。(3)地表覆盖能够增加6.26%年均表层土壤含水量,从而有效增大土壤颗粒间的黏聚力;在降水量≤450 mm的半干旱地区该值能达到10.62%。(4)地表覆盖能够提高23.54%表层土壤有机碳含量,增加土壤颗粒间的黏结性,从而提高土体的抗风蚀能力;高留茬的提升效果最好,为34.42%;覆盖植物中豆科作物的效果最好,平均提高30.76%。总之,3种地表覆盖措施均能不同程度地减轻风蚀,能够实现保土、保水和固碳的多重收益,是未来双碳背景下实现农业可持续发展的有效解决方案。     

Reference bulk density and critical degree-of-compactness for no-till crop production in subtropical highly weathered soils

The concept of degree of compactness (DC), referred to as field bulk density (BD) as a percentage of a reference bulk density (BD_ref), was developed to characterize compactness of soil frequently disturbed, but for undisturbed soil such as under no-tillage critical degree of compactness values have not been tested. The objective of this study was to compare methods to determine BD_ref and limits of DC and BD for plant growth under no-tillage in subtropical soils. Data from the literature and other databases were used to establish relationships between BD and clay or clay plus silt content, and between DC and macroporosity and yield of crops under no-tillage in subtropical Brazil. Data of BD_ref reached by the soil Proctor test on disturbed soil samples, by uniaxial compression with loads of 200 kPa on disturbed and undisturbed soil samples, and 400, 800 and 1600 kPa on undisturbed soil samples, were used. Also, comparisons were made with critical bulk density based on the least limiting water range (BDc LLWR) and on observed root and/or yield restriction in the field (BDc Rest). Using vertical uniaxial compression with a load of 200 kPa on disturbed or undisturbed samples generates low BD_ref and high DC-values. The standard Proctor test generates higher BD_ref-values, which are similar to those in a uniaxial test with a load of 1600 kPa for soils with low clay content but lower for soils with high clay content. The BDc LLWR does not necessarily restrict root growth or crop yield under no-tillage, since field investigations led to higher BDc Rest-values. A uniaxial load greater than 800 kPa is promising to determine BD_ref for no-tillage soils. The BD_ref is highly correlated to the clay content and thus pedotransfer functions may be established to estimate the former based on the latter. Soil ecological properties are affected before compaction restricts plant growth and yield. The DC is an efficient parameter to identify soil compaction affecting crops. The effect of compaction on ecological properties must also be further considered.