Soil management effects on runoff and soil loss from field rainfall simulation

Soil erosion from agricultural lands is a serious problem on the Chinese Loess Plateau. In total, 28 field rainfall simulations were carried on loamy soils under different management practices, namely conventional tillage (CT), no till with mulch (NTM), reduced tillage (RT), subsoiling with mulch (SSM), subsoiling without mulch (SS), and two crops per year (TC), to investigate (i) the effects of different soil management practices on runoff sediment and (ii) the temporal change of runoff discharge rate and sediment concentration under different initial soil moisture conditions (i.e. initially dry soil surface, and wet surface) and rainfall intensity (85 and 170 mm h^− 1) in the Chinese Loess Plateau. NTM was the best alternative in terms of soil erosion control. SSM reduced soil loss by more than 85% in 2002 compared to CT, and its effects on runoff reduction became more pronounced after 4 years consecutive implementation. SS also reduced considerably the runoff and soil loss, but not as pronounced as SSM. TC resulted in a significant runoff reduction (more than 92%) compared to CT in the initial ‘dry’ soil, but this effect was strongly reduced in the initial ‘wet’ soil. Temporal change of runoff discharge rate and sediment concentration showed a large variation between the different treatments. In conclusion, NTM is the most favorable tillage practices in terms of soil and water conservation in the Chinese Loess Plateau. SSM can be regarded as a promising measure to improve soil and water conservation considering its beneficial effect on winter wheat yield.     

Global achievements in soil and water conservation: The case of Conservation Agriculture

In response to the dust bowls of the mid-thirties in the USA, soil and water conservation programmes involving reduced tillage were promoted to control land degradation, particularly soil erosion. The farming and land management practices that were considered to adequately address soil and water conservation objectives were based on no-till seeding and maintenance of soil mulch cover. This collection of practices led to what became known as conservation tillage, although no-till systems by definition avoid soil disturbance by no-till direct seeding, and maintain an organic mulch cover on the soil surface.This article is an overview of achievements in soil and water conservation on agricultural lands through the experience derived from the adoption and spread of Conservation Agriculture (CA) world-wide. CA is an agro-ecological approach to sustainable production intensification. It involves the application of three inter-linked principles that underpin agricultural production systems based on locally formulated practices: (i) permanent no or minimum mechanical soil disturbance, which in practice entails direct seeding through mulch into no-till soils; (ii) maintenance of soil cover with crop residues and green manure crops, particularly legumes; and (iii) diversified cropping system involving annuals and perennial in rotations, sequences and associations.In 2011, CA had spread over 125 million hectares (9% of the global cropped land) across all continents and most agro-ecologies, including small and large farms. In addition, there is a significant area of CA orchards in the Mediterranean countries. CA is now considered to be a practical agro-ecological approach to achieving sustainable agriculture intensification. It offers environmental, economic and social advantages that are not fully possible with tillage-based production systems, as well as improved productivity and resilience, and improved ecosystem services while minimizing the excessive use of agrochemicals, energy and heavy machinery. While there are challenges to the adoption of CA, there is also increasing interest from producers, the civil society, donors and private sector institutions to further promote and service the uptake and spread of CA globally.     

Tillage methods and soil and water conservation in eastern Africa

This paper reviews some research studies on tillage methods influencing soil and moisture conservation in the eastern African countries of Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Ethiopia during the past four decades. Most of these studies were conducted in marginal rainfall (semi arid) areas and on shallow soils of various textures (sandy clay loam, sandy clay, clay and loam). The studies were meant to establish the effects of tillage and residue management practices on physico-chemical soil properties (i.e. structure, bulk density, soil moisture and organic matter contents), runoff and infiltration.

This review emphasizes the importance of appropriate tillage and residue management methods (contour bunds and terraces, minimum tillage, tied ridging, mulching and conventional tillage) in providing soil conditions favourable for soil moisture conservation and subsequent crop performance and yield on smallholder farms.     

免耕对土壤团聚体特征以及有机碳储量的影响

以实施7年的中国科学院禹城综合试验站冬小麦夏玉米轮作免耕长期定位试验场为对象,研究免耕条件下土壤水稳性团聚体和有机碳储量的变化,为进一步评价免耕措施对黄淮海平原土壤结构和质量的影响提供科学依据。设置免耕(NT)、免耕秸秆不还田(NTRR)、常规耕作(CT)3种处理,分析土壤表层(0~20 cm)及深层(20~60 cm)水稳性团聚体分布特征、土壤有机碳以及团聚体有机碳的变化和相互关系。研究结果表明:由于减少了对土壤的破坏以及增加了秸秆还田和有机肥的施用,与常规耕作相比,NT和NTRR可提高表层土壤有机碳含量和储量、水稳性团聚体平均重量直径(MWD)和几何平均直径(GMD),以及大团聚体有机碳的含量和储量。其中,秸秆覆盖比施用有机肥对表层土壤有机碳储量和0.25~2 mm团聚体有机碳储量的提高具有更显著的作用。与表层不同,深层土壤有机碳和大团聚体有机碳的含量和储量表现为NT相似文献   

Crop residue management and tillage methods for conserving soil and water in semi-arid regions

Soil degradation reduces soil productivity and is a serious problem on much of the land in semi-arid regions. To avert continued degradation, the soil productivity balance must be shifted from degrading processes to conservation practices. Crop residue management and conservation tillage are on the positive side of the balance. When adequate residues are available and conservation tillage is used, soil erosion is greatly reduced and water conservation is enhanced. Water conservation is important for improving crop yields in semi-arid regions, especially where irrigations is not used. A major constraint to residue management in many countries is low production and widespread use for other purposes. In such cases, clean tillage and appropriate support practices such as contouring, furrow diking, strip cropping and terracing may provide adequate soil and water conservation benefits. Where these are not adequate, alternative management practices should be implemented to ease the demand for residues, thus permitting more of them to be retained on the land for soil and water conservation purposes. Some alternative practices include limited or selective residue removal, substituting high quality forages for residues as animal feed, alley cropping, using wasteland areas more effectively, improving the balance between feed supplies and animal populations, and using alternative fuel sources.     

Straw management and tillage effects on soil water storage under field conditions

Abstract. A two year field study was conducted to evaluate the effects of straw management and tillage on the soil profile (1.5m) water storage, nature of the moisture profile, infiltration and sorptivity as influenced by rainfall, evaporativity (E₀) and soil texture. The straw mulch treatment stored more moisture under low E₀ rainy conditions in three coarse to medium textured soils. Straw incorporation treatment was better under low E₀ rain free conditions, as well as under high E₀ rainy conditions in the two coarser textured soils. In the coarsest textured soil, tillage and straw mulching were not effective in maintaining greater soil water storage under high E₀ because of the very open nature of the soil. The soil moisture profiles showed a sharper increase in water content below the tilled layer in the tillage and straw- incorporation treatments than the untreated and straw mulch treatments. Tillage and straw incorporation treatments increased the sorptivity of the soil compared with untreated and straw mulch treatments respectively. The results of this study suggest that when selecting a suitable soil water conservation practice to increase water storage in the soil profile, information on soil texture and weather (rain and evaporativity) must be considered.     

Effect of management of a Himalayan Alfisol on water conservation for rainfed crops

Field experiments were conducted during 1989 and 1990 to study the effect of various soil management practices on water conservation during the two prime planting periods in the lower Himalayan region. Treatments studied were: zero tillage with weed control (ZT+W), zero tillage (ZT), fine tilth (FT), coarse tilth (CT), zero tillage with surface-applied lantana (Lantana camara L.) mulch at 10 t ha⁻¹ (ZT+M), fine tilth with surface-applied lantana mulch at 10 t ha⁻¹ (FT+M), fine tilth with surface-applied farmyard manure mulch at 10 t ha⁻¹ (FT+FYM) and fine tilth with FYM incorporated at 10 t ha⁻¹ (FYM). The soils were Typic Hapludalfs with pH 5.8, organic carbon 6.6 g kg⁻¹ and cation exchange capacity 12 cmol (P⁺) (100 g)⁻¹. The lantana mulch application to fine tilth (FT+M) or zero tillage (ZT+M) maintained higher seed-zone water content and profile water storage as compared with all the other treatments. Highest water depletion was observed under ZT+W treatment. Seed germination is likely to occur only under FT+M and ZT+M during the two prime planting periods, if field capacity water content is considered to be limiting for seed germination. However, for the other treatments rainfall would invariably be required to increase the surface water content, to allow germination and early seedling establishment.     

Tillage systems and soils in the semi-arid tropics

Even though conservation tillage may be ideal for the semi-arid tropics (SAT) in view of results from studies and tillage practices in the U.S.A. and Australia, studies conducted in semi-arid regions of Africa appear to support the use of conventional tillage systems. Some of the reasons for this apparent discrepancy are because of the physical properties of the soils in semi-arid Africa, particularly the Sahelian zones where the soils are sandy, have high bulk densities and therefore low total porosities and form crusts upon wetting and drying. Consequently, no-till or reduced tillage systems that do not have the soil surface covered by residue in irder to prevent formation of crust as a result of raindrop impact, tend to lose water through runoff in a region where water economy is essential. Also, because these soils have inherently high bulk densities, conventional tillage systems appear to be suitable since they increase the macropores, reduce both bulk density and strength and thus ensure prolific root distribution and the resultant exploration of water and nutrients at greater soil depths. Notwithstanding, it seems that since most of the SAT soils are structurally unstable, further conventional tillage even though it has ephemeral advantages, may in the long term be exacerbating the problems of structural instability and their deleterious effect on water and soil conservation and therefore on crop production. We suggest that at this stage soil tillage research in the semi-arid regions of Africa and Asia should re-examine some of the concepts of conservation tillage in relation to soil physical properties and processes in order to obtain a tillage system that ensures high crop yields without destruction of the soil resource.     

深松条件下不同地表覆盖对马铃薯产量及水分利用效率的影响

水分不足是限制旱区作物生长的主要因素,覆盖耕作能够改善土壤的微环境,从而显著提高作物的产量和水分利用效率。为探讨深松结合地表覆盖对土壤物理性状、马铃薯生长、产量及水分利用效率的影响,2013-2015年在宁南旱区采用深松覆盖秸秆、深松覆盖地膜、深松不覆盖3种覆盖耕作模式,以传统耕作不覆盖为对照,对土壤体积质量、团聚体、水分、马铃薯产量和水分利用效率等方面的影响进行了研究。结果表明,与传统耕作相比,深松结合地表覆盖可有效降低耕层土壤体积质量,改善土壤孔隙状况,以深松覆盖秸秆处理效果最佳,深松覆盖秸秆处理0~40 cm平均土壤体积质量较传统耕作降低17.1%。与传统耕作相比,深松覆盖地膜和深松覆盖秸秆处理可使0~40 cm土层0.25 mm机械稳定性团聚体数量显著增加30.7%和17.4%。深松结合不同覆盖方式能有效改善马铃薯生育期0~200 cm土层土壤水分状况,深松覆盖地膜对作物生育前期土壤水分保蓄效果较好,深松覆盖秸秆对生育中后期土壤水分状况的改善效果最佳。深松结合不同覆盖方式下马铃薯植株株高、茎粗及地上部生物量均显著高于传统耕作。作物生育前期以深松覆盖地膜处理效果最佳,中后期以深松覆盖秸秆处理促进作用明显。深松结合地表覆盖能明显提高马铃薯的产量和水分利用效率,深松覆秸秆处理的马铃薯产量、商品薯率和水分利用效率分别较传统耕作处理平均提高37.3%、93.3%和41.2%。通过两年试验研究,在宁南旱区采用深松结合地表覆盖措施具有良好的蓄水保墒效果,对马铃薯生长有利,以深松覆盖秸秆处理的增产和提高水分利用效率效果最为显著。     

Hydraulic conductivity, residue cover and soil surface roughness under different tillage systems in semiarid conditions

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of tillage and cropping system on near-saturated hydraulic conductivity, residue cover and surface roughness to improve soil management for moisture conservation under semiarid Mediterranean conditions. Three tillage systems were compared (subsoil tillage, minimum tillage and no-tillage) under three field situations (continuous crop, fallow and crop after fallow) on two soils (Fluventic Xerochrept and Lithic Xeric Torriorthent). Soil under no-tillage had lower hydraulic conductivity (5.0 cm day⁻¹) than under subsoil tillage (15.5 cm day⁻¹) or minimum tillage (14.3 cm day⁻¹) during 1 of 2 years in continuous crop due to a reduction of soil porosity. Residue cover at sowing was greater under no-tillage (60%) than under subsoil or minimum tillage (<10%) in continuous crop. Under fallow, residue cover was low (10%) at sowing of the following crop for all tillage systems in both soils. Surface roughness increased with tillage, with a high value of 16% and decreasing following rainfall. Under no-tillage, surface roughness was relatively low (3–4%). Greater surface residue cover under no-tillage helped conserve water, despite indications of lower hydraulic conductivity. To overcome the condition of low infiltration and high evaporation when no-till fallow is expected in a cropping sequence, either greater residue production should be planed prior to fallow (e.g. no residue harvest) or surface tillage may be needed during fallow.     

Tillage and water conservation: experience in the Pacific Northwest

Abstract. Tillage practices for water conservation in the Pacific Northwest, USA, wheat region emphasize the infiltration and retention of winter rain and snow and suppression of evaporation and transpiration by weeds. The wheat-fallow system dominates in the semi-arid areas and winter wheat-spring crop rotations are most common in the sub-humid areas. The main features of water conservation during the fallow season include chisel ploughing in the autumn to reduce winter runoff, and spring and summer tillage to kill weeds, minimize evaporation, and conserve seed-zone water. Water in the seed zone is conserved by establishing a soil mulch having properties that thermally insulate the seed zone while at the same time restricting upward liquid and water vapour flow. Water conservation in the more humid zones involves chisel ploughing in autumn, uphill ploughing, and stubble retention to reduce winter runoff. New practices include minimum tillage and no-till planting methods which maintain surface residues. However, heavy equipment associated with current trends in no-till is causing soil compaction which may decrease infiltration rates. Methods under experimentation to improve infiltration with conservation tillage systems include slot mulching, paraplowing, and the use of basin pitters.     

Effects of tillage on soil microrelief, surface depression storage and soil water storage

Conservation of soil water is an important management objective for crop production in the semi-arid tropics where droughts are persistent. Identification of the best tillage methods to achieve this objective is thus imperative. The integrated effects of conservation tillage on soil micro topography and soil moisture on a sandy loam soil were evaluated. The field experiment consisted of five tillage treatments, namely tied ridging (TR), no till (NT), disc plough (DP), strip catchment tillage (SCT) and hand hoe (HH). Data measured in the field included soil moisture content, surface roughness, infiltration and sorghum grain yield. A depth storage model was used to estimate depression storage TR treatment and the higher the surface roughness, the greater the depression storage volume. Regression analysis showed that random roughness decreased exponentially with increase in cumulative rainfall. Higher moisture contents were associated with treatments having higher depressional storage. Infiltration rate was significantly higher in the tilled soils than the untilled soils. The DP treatment had the highest cumulative infiltration while NT had the lowest. The Infiltration model which was fitted to the infiltration data gave good fit. Grain yield was highest in TR and least in NT, whereas DP and HH had similar yields.     

Nutrient content of maize and soil organic matter status under various tillage methods and farmyard manure levels

Abstract

A two-year field study was conducted under semi-arid conditions in Pakistan to assess the role of tillage systems and farmyard manure on soil, plant nutrients and organic matter content. Four tillage systems (zero, minimum, conventional and deep tillage) and three farm manure levels were used. Maize crop was grown up to maturity. Uptake of N, P and K in maize shoots improved in tillage systems compared to non-tillage and treatments where farmyard manure was applied. Soil N status decreased in the deep tillage systems, whereas it increased in all other tillage systems and in the farmyard manure amended treatments. Increase in soil P values was observed under minimum and conventional tillage, whereas deep tillage resulted in a decrease. Farmyard manure amendments increased soil P and soil K in all systems. Tillage did not affect soil K levels. Results demonstrate that reduced tillage is practicable in arid and semi-arid regions since it improves soil fertility.     

水土保持农业技术措施分类初探

为进一步完善我国水土保持农业技术措施的分类体系,并服务于研究与生产,在论述水土保持农业技术措施的概念、分类现状基础上,依据措施实施的方式、作用和目标,并结合农艺环节,将水土保持农业技术划分为以改变微地形为主的蓄水保墒技术、以提高土壤抗蚀力为主的保护性耕作技术和以增加植物覆盖为主的栽培技术3大类,等高耕作、沟垄种植、坑田、半旱式耕作、深耕翻、保墒、覆盖、深松、少耕、培肥土壤、合理配置作物、播种保苗、栽培13个亚类和等高耕作等44个型,以供参考.     

Soil C and N changes under tillage and cropping systems in semi-arid Pacific Northwest agriculture

Soils in semi-arid regions are highly susceptible to soil organic matter (SOM) loss when cultivated because of erratic yield, removal of crop residue for feed or fuel, uncontrolled soil erosion, and frequent fallowing to increase water storage. It is important to quantify the effect of each factor to be able to identify agoecosystems that are sustainable and recognize the management practices that best sequester C in soil. We identified changes in SOM in long-term experiments, some dating from the early 1900s, by evaluating tillage and crop rotation effects at several locations in semi-arid regions of the US Pacific Northwest. The major factors influencing changes in organic C and N were the frequency of summer-fallow and the amount of C input by crop residue. Soil erosion was low in long-term studies, but even limited soil loss can have a substantial impact on C and N levels if allowed over many years. Yearly crop production is recommended because any cropping system that included summer-fallow lost SOM over time without large applications of manure. We conclude that most of the SOM loss was due to high biological oxidation and absence of C input during the fallow year rather than resulting from erosion. Decreasing tillage intensity reduced SOM loss, but the effect was not as dramatic as eliminating summer-fallow. Crop management practices such as N fertilization increased residue production and improved C and N levels in soil. SOM can be maintained or increased in most semi-arid soils if they are cropped every year, crop residues are returned to soil, and erosion is kept to a minimum. SOM loss may be more intense in the Pacific Northwest because fallowing keeps the soil moist during the summer months when it would normally be dry. Our experiments identify two primary deficiencies of long-term studies to measure C sequestering capability: (1) soil C loss can be partitioned between erosion and biological oxidation only by estimation, and (2) C changes occurring below 30 cm in grassland soils cannot be quantified in many instances because samples were not collected.     

Interactive effect of tillage depth and mulch on soil temperature, productivity and water use pattern of rainfed barley (Hordium vulgare L.)

Soil porosity and organic matter content influence the hydrology, thermal status and productivity of agricultural soils. Shape, size and continuity of soil pores are determined by tillage practices. Thus appropriate tillage and mulch management can conserve residual soil moisture during the post rainy season. This can play a key role in enhancing productivity under the rainfed ecosystem of subhumid region in eastern India. A field study was carried out on a fine loamy soil from 1993–1994 to 1995–1996. Two tillage treatments were conventional ploughing (150 mm depth) and shallow ploughing (90 mm) depth. Each tillage practice was tested with three mulch management viz., no mulch, soil dust mulch and rice (Oryza sativa L.) straw mulch. Soil organic carbon, bulk density, moisture retentivity, soil temperature with productivity and water use pattern of barley (Hordium vulgare L.) were measured.Reduction in ploughing depth resulted in nominal increase in profile (0.0–1.2 m) moisture status, yield, and soil thermal status at 14:00 and water use efficiency (WUE). However, it decreased the magnitude of soil temperature in the morning (07:00). Straw mulch conserved 19–21 mm of moisture in the profile (1.2 m) over the unmulched condition. Both soil dust and rice straw mulching elevated soil thermal status at 07:00 as compared to unmulched condition, but this trend was reversed at 14:00. Straw mulching significantly increased grain yield and WUE over soil dust mulch and unmulched condition. Impact of straw mulch was more pronounced under shallow ploughing depth. Shallow tillage with rice straw mulching is recommended to the farmers to obtain higher level of yield and water use efficiency.     

Effect of long-term conservation tillage on soil biochemical properties in Mediterranean Spanish areas

In semi-arid Mediterranean areas, studies of the performance of conservation tillage systems have largely demonstrated advantages in crop yield, soil water storage and soil protection against wind and water erosion. However, little attention has been given to interactions between soil biochemical properties under different tillage practices. Biochemical properties are useful tools to assess changes caused by different soil tillage systems in long-term field experiments. This study deals with the effect of long-term tillage practices (reduced tillage and no-tillage vs. traditional tillage) on soil chemical properties and microbial functions in three different sites of Spain (two of them located in the Northeast and one in the Southwest) under semi-arid Mediterranean conditions. Soil biological status, as index of soil quality, was evaluated by measuring microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and dehydrogenase (an oxidoreductase) and protease (a hydrolase) activities at three soil depths (0–5, 5–10 and 10–25 cm). In the three experimental areas, increases in soil organic matter content, MBC and enzymatic activities were found at the superficial layers of soil under conservation tillage (reduced tillage and no-tillage) in comparison with traditional tillage. Values of the stratification ratio of some biochemical properties were significantly correlated with yield production in Northeast sites.Conservation tillage has proven to be an effective strategy to improve soil quality and fertility in Mediterranean areas of Spain.     

覆膜耕作方式对河套灌区土壤水热效应及玉米产量的影响

通过设置垄作全膜、垄作半膜、平作全膜以及平作半膜4个覆膜耕作处理,探究不同覆膜耕作方式对河套灌区土壤水热及春玉米产量的影响。结果表明:1)2个生长季内垄作全膜处理各阶段土壤含水率和温度均最高,保水保温效果明显。2)耕层土壤温度的变化规律和含水率的变化规律相反,随着土壤温度升高,土壤含水率逐渐降低。3)玉米生育期内随着温度升高和作物耗水量增大,全膜覆盖和垄作耕作方式的蓄水保墒效果愈加明显;干旱条件下,耕作措施较覆膜方式对地温的影响更为明显;而在水量充沛条件下,覆膜方式则表现出对地温更显著的影响。田间起垄耕作结合全膜覆盖的种植方式,可以获得较高的穗行数和穗粒数,有利于干物质的积累,促进滴灌条件下玉米产量的形成,同时提高水分利用效率,为河套灌区农业节水和玉米高产提供了技术依据。     

Tillage systems and soil properties in West Africa

West African soil resources have high potentials for enhancing agricultural productivity, if well-managed and restored. In this context, the importance of tillage systems have not been fully appreciated as an integral part of good farming systems in order to tally with the peculiarities of the soil, crops and the environment. Most improved tillage systems are not widely used, although the relatively small-scale uncontrolled application of mechanical tillage has had untold adverse effects on properties and productivity of soils in the humid and subhumid regions.

In contrast, mechanical soil tillage involving deep plow-till and soil inversion has proven beneficial on compact soils of arid and semi-arid regions. The plow-based systems not only reduce soil bulk density and soil strength but also improve the efficiency of water and nutrient use.

The exposure of structurally unstable Alfisols and Ultisols predominant in the humid and sub-humid regions by mechanical tillage can cause more adverse effects than beneficial effects on soil properties and crop yields, especially on a long-term basis. On the other hand, the no-till system with crop residue mulch can maintain favorable soil properties. The conservation tillage system, however, requires more research to make it applicable to diverse soil types, crops and ecoregions.

Apart from the long-term effects of tillage on the level of soil organic matter and the attendant release of nutrients, the effects of tillage systems on the chemical properties of soil are often contradictory and are confounded by many other factors so that clear-cut cause and effect relationships are not obvious. The interactions between fertilizer application, liming, soil organic matter content and tillage systems, especially on acid soils, are such examples. More detailed studies on nutrient dynamics under different tillage systems are necessary. The interactions between the relatively new technologies of alley cropping and agroforestry which allow a more continuous use of the land should be investigated vis-à-vis tillage systems.

Long-term, well-designed, adequately equipped experiments (which are scanty in West Africa) should be encouraged to elucidate and confirm results of many short-term experiments.