Physical and mechanical properties of a clayey soil as affected by tillage systems for wheat growth

Abstract

The effect of tillage systems on soil physical properties of a clayey soil was studied. Tillage systems consisting of conventional tillage I (CT₁), conventional tillage II (CT₂), reduced conventional tillage (RCT), reduced tillage (RT) and no tillage (NT) were carried out in autumn after harvest of sugar beet. Significant differences between tillage systems were recorded on the measured properties, apart from moisture content, at 15–30 cm soil layer. The CT₁, CT₂ and RCT systems resulted in similar penetration resistance and bulk density values below the 15 cm soil depth, while the RT and NT systems resulted in higher but similar values. The mean penetration resistance values were less than 1 MPa in the CT₁, CT₂ and RCT systems at the 0–15 cm depth, while they were 1.41, 1.84 MPa in RT and NT, respectively. The mean total porosity increased with tillage from 8.2 to 28% when compared with NT. The CT₁, CT₂ and RCT systems resulted in lower moisture content at the 0–15 cm depth. The lowest moisture content occurred in RCT (24.4%) and the highest in NT (30.9%), while it was 30.3% in RT system. The lowest and highest mean weight diameter values were reported for the RT (1.36 mm) and NT (2.37 mm) systems, respectively. The lowest wheat grain yield was obtained in NT (4.14) and the highest in CT₁ (5.24 Mg ha^?1). A significant difference occurred between only NT and the other systems. When both grain yield and advantages of reduced tillage are considered, the RT system is recommended.     

Response of Sunflower to Sulfur Rate and Time of Application under Two Tillage Systems in a Silty Clay Soil of Dera Ismail Khan Pakistan

ABSTRACT

Sulfur (S) availability is a characteristic of conservation tillage. We studied the effects of S on sunflower yield and fatty acid profile under conventional and conservation tillage in silty clay soil of D.I. Khan, Pakistan. Conventional tillage consisted of disk plowing followed by tiller and rotavator, while conservation tillage comprises tiller and disc harrowing. Treatments comprise six sulfur levels (S₁ = 0, S₂ = 20 kg S ha^?1 at sowing, S₃ = 10 kg S ha^?1 at sowing +10 kg S ha^?1 25 days after sowing (DAS), S₄ = 40 kg S ha^?1 at sowing, S₅ = 20 kg S ha^?1 at sowing + 20 kg S ha^?1 25 DAS, and S₆ = 20 kg S ha^?1 at sowing + 10 kg S ha^?1 25 DAS + 10 kg S ha^?1 50 DAS) replicated thrice. After 2 years of experimentation, soil samples were collected (from 0 to 0.30 m depth) for organic matter (OM), total soil N (TSN), and available sulfur analysis. Conservation tillage significantly increased OM, TSN, and S contents in 0–0.30 m soil compared to conventional tillage. Likewise, sunflower plants showed higher achene yield, better fatty acid profile, and net economic returns in conservation tillage than in conventional tillage. Application of 20 kg S ha^?1 at sowing and 10 kg S ha^?1 at each 25 and 50 DAS recorded significantly higher achene yield, higher oil, and linoleic acid contents; however, oleic and oleic/linoleic ratio did not increase with higher S rates. Conservation tillage was effective in increasing OM, TSN, and available S besides increasing yield and economics in silty clay soil.     

Predicting soil workability and fragmentation in tillage: a review

Soil workability and friability are required parameters to consider when creating suitable seedbeds for crop establishment and growth. Knowledge of soil workability is important for scheduling tillage operations and for reducing the risk of tillage‐induced structural degradation of soils. A reliable evaluation of soil workability implies a distinctive definition of the critical water content (wet and dry limits) for tillage. In this review, we provide a comprehensive assessment of the methods for determining soil workability, and the effects of soil properties and tillage systems on soil workability and fragmentation. The strengths and limitations of the different methods for evaluating the water content for soil workability, such as the plastic limit, soil water retention curve (SWRC), standard Proctor compaction test, field assessment, moisture‐pressure‐volume diagram, air permeability and drop‐shatter tests are discussed. Our review reveals that there is limited information on the dry limit and the range of water content for soil workability for different textured soils. We identify the need for further research to evaluate soil workability on undisturbed soils using a combination of SWRC and the drop‐shatter tests or tensile strength; (i) to quantify the effects of soil texture, organic matter and compaction on soil workability; and (ii) to compare soil water content for workability in the field with theoretical soil workability, thereby improving the prediction of soil workability as part of a decision support system for tillage operations.     

Response of organic matter to reduced tillage and animal manure in a temperate loamy soil

The impacts of tillage and organic fertilization on soil organic matter (SOM) are highly variable and still unpredictable, and their interactions need to be investigated under various soil, climate and cropping system conditions. Our work examined the effect of reduced tillage and animal manure on SOM stocks and quality in the 0–40 cm layer of a loamy soil under mixed cropping system and humid temperate climate. The soil organic carbon (SOC) and N stocks, particulate organic matter (POM), and C and N mineralization potential (301 days at 15 °C) were measured in a 8‐yr‐old split‐plot field trial, including three tillage treatments [mouldboard ploughing (MP), shallow tillage (ST), no tillage (NT)] and two fertilization treatments [mineral (M), poultry manure 2.2 t/ha/yr C (O)]. No statistically significant interactive effects of tillage and fertilization were measured except on C mineralization. NT and ST showed greater SOC stocks (41.2 and 39.7 t/ha C) than MP (37.1 t/ha C) in the 0–15 cm increment, while no statistical differences were observed at a greater depth. N stocks exhibited similar distribution patterns with regard to tillage effect. Animal manure, applied at a rate representative of typical field application rates, had a smaller impact on SOC and N stocks than tillage. The mean SOC and N stocks were higher under O than M, but the differences were statistically significant only in the 0–5 cm increment. MP showed lower C‐POM stocks than NT and ST in the 0–5 cm increment, whereas greater C‐POM stocks were measured under MP than under NT or under ST in the 20–25 cm increment. Organic fertilization had no impact on C‐POM or N‐POM stocks. In the 0–25 cm increment, NT showed a lower C and N mineralization potential than MP. Our work shows that the sensitivity of SOM to reduced tillage for the whole soil profile can be relatively small in a loamy soil, under humid‐temperate climate. However, POM was particularly sensitive to the differential effects of tillage practices with depth, and indicative of differentiation in total SOM distribution in the soil profile.     

Maize growth and yield as affected by wheat residues and irrigation management in a no-tillage system

Determining the proper rate of wheat residues incorporation into the soil under a wheat–maize double cropping system is an important issue in southern parts of Iran, where these two irrigated crops are consecutively grown. A 2-year experiment (2010–2011) was conducted to evaluate the effect of wheat residue incorporation rates (25%, 50% and 75%) and irrigation intervals (12, 16 and 20 days) on yield and growth of maize under no-tillage system compared to control without residue and under conventional tillage (CT) at the College of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran. The experiment was conducted as a split plot arranged in randomized complete block design with three replications. The results showed that increased irrigation intervals reduced the plant height (14.6%), leaf-area index (12.9%), rows (10.1%) and grains per ear (29.8%), thousand grain weight (6.9%), grain (33.8%) and biological yield (24.2) and harvest index (23.2%). Water deficit had no significant effect on soil organic matter and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio. Under 12 and 20 days irrigation intervals, the highest grain yields were obtained with 12.7 and 8.6 t ha^?1 in CT and 25% residue incorporation into soil, respectively. Therefore, according to the results of this 2-year study, realized incorporation of 25% wheat residue soil covering percentage is recommended for this area with limited water resources.     

Energy use efficiency of deficit-irrigated silage maize in different soil tillage practices on a high plain with a semi-arid climate

ABSTRACT

Energy requirement increases rapidly in agriculture due to the increase in mechanization. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the energy use efficiency of silage maize under three different tillage practices (conventional, reduced, no-tillage) combined with four different irrigation levels (full and three deficit irrigations). The no-tillage and reduced tillage practices provided savings in input energy at the rate of 17.4 and 9.1%, respectively compared to the conventional tillage. The highest silage yields in all irrigation levels were obtained in the no-tillage practice. Therefore, in full and deficit irrigated silage maize, the highest energy ratio, energy productivity and net energy and the lowest specific energy values were manifested in the no-tillage practice. Energy rates in the no-tillage practice were higher by 34.2 and 22.9% than the conventional and the reduced tillage practices, respectively. Moreover, the direct and non-renewable energy requirements were the lowest in the no-tillage practice. In conclusion, the fully-irrigated no-tillage practice can be recommended to obtain the highest energy use ratio and productivity. However, no-tillage irrigated with up to 50% less water amount could be a better alternative for areas with a water shortage by improving the energy use ratio with better water and fuel savings.     

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.     

秸秆覆盖免耕法

本文阐述了传统耕作法,少耕法和免耕法的基本概念,分析了秸秆覆盖免耕法的原理。夏玉米免耕覆盖种植机械化技术就是应用秸秆覆盖法的原理试验成功的一项科研成果,这项技术由三项作业,六项技术组成,具有节能,省工,增产,增加土壤有机质,改善土壤结构等效益,是对传统耕作法改革的一项新型耕作技术。研制成功的免耕播种机是实现这项技术的关键机具,本文介绍了其工作部件及工作原理。最后指出这项新技术在我国小麦、玉米两熟地区推广应用的意义。     

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.     

我国南方丘陵区土壤耕作侵蚀的定量研究

通过采用示踪法对四川丘陵区坡耕地的耕作试验研究 ,获得了土壤耕作位移和土壤耕作侵蚀的直接证据 ,确定了耕作侵蚀是四川丘陵区土壤流失的原因之一。试验结果指出 ,四川丘陵区单次耕作的土壤位移量为 43.70～ 6 4.47kg/ m;平均土壤耕作侵蚀速率为 6 5 .0 5～ 97.0 5 t/ hm2 .a。土壤耕作位移受地面坡度的影响十分明显 ,平均位移距离与坡度间呈显著正相关关系。耕作侵蚀速率主要取决于坡体长度 ,只有在坡体长度相同的条件下 ,耕作侵蚀速率才随坡度的增大而增加     

旱地玉米保护性耕作机具与作业工艺的组合研究

多年保护性耕作试验取得了保墒增产的明显效果,但也暴露出播种质量不高等问题,仅靠改进机具已难以解决。１９９６年开始增加表土耕作进行配套试验。通过对不同试验处理的秸秆覆盖率、地温、土壤含水量、出苗率和作物产量对比,初步得出增加表土耕作组合方案可以调控地表秸秆覆盖量、改善地面状况、提高地温、保苗增产。在我国北方,干旱低温,秸秆不易腐烂,逐年积累,故应该把表土耕作列为保护性耕作体系的重要内容,只有把作业工艺选择与播种机性能改进结合,才能更有效地解决免耕播种质量不高的问题。     

Tillage and Lime Rate Effects on Soil Acidity and Grain Yields of a Ten-Year Corn–Soybean Rotation

Reduced tillage and no-tillage systems provide shallow incorporation of surface applied materials at best. Due to concern of over-liming the surface of agricultural soils, producers either reduce lime rates (and apply more often) or perform some sort of soil inversion to mix the lime deeper into the soil profile. The objective of the authors in this field study was to evaluate the effects of tillage, lime rate, and time of limestone application on corn and soybean growth, and assess the changes in soil acidity to an already acidic soil. Treatments consisted of a no lime check, two no-tillage systems with either a 4.5 ton ha^?1 lime application every two years or an annual application of 450 kg pelleted lime ha^?1, a continuous annual chisel tillage system with a 9.0 ton ha^?1 lime application every four years, and two inversion systems utilizing a rotary tiller (Howard Rotovator) where 9.0 ton lime ha^?1 was mixed into the soil followed by either continuous chisel tillage or continuous no-tillage. Inversions occurred in 1999, 2003, and 2007. Soil samples were collected annually in increments of 5 cm to a 30 cm depth for pH determinations. After 10 years, the continuous chisel system increased soil pH in the top 20 cm and had grain yields comparable to the no-tillage system, but not different than the no lime treatment. The no-tillage system increased the pH in the surface 15 cm of soil. The inversion treatments after soybean mixed the lime more thoroughly in the top 15 cm than inversion after corn and also increased the pH to a deeper depth. The pelleted lime had no effect on soil acidity. Soybean yields were affected by lime treatment with the no lime and pelleted lime having the lowest yields. This is most likely due to manganese (Mn) toxicity with these treatments. There was no perceived benefit of inversion of the soil with no-till or chisel systems.     

Tillage effects on soil properties and wheat cultivars traits

Information regarding the evaluation of tillage effects on soil properties and rainfed wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars of Iranian fields is not available. Therefore, this research was conducted in Sanandaj (west of Iran) using a randomized complete block design in a split-plot arrangement. Three types of tillage including conventional tillage (moldboard plow to soil depth of 30 cm plus disk harrow twice), minimum tillage (chisel plow to soil depth of 15 cm plus disk harrow once) and no-tillage are assigned to the main plots. Wheat cultivars (Sardari and Azar2) were randomly distributed within the subplots in each tillage system. Results showed that the greatest bulk density and cone index were found in the minimum tillage and no tillage systems. The highest rate of grain yield was obtained in the minimum tillage system. The grain yield of Sardari cultivar (1624.1 kg ha^?1) was significantly greater than that of Azar2 (1572 kg ha^?1). Minimum tillage improved soil physical properties and wheat growth compared with the other tillage systems. No tillage increased microbial biomass carbon and bacteria number in soil compared with the other tillage systems. We conclude that using minimum tillage for Sardari cultivar will be more effective compared with other treatments.     

Time‐dependent,anisotropic pore structure and soil strength in a 10‐year period after intensive tractor wheeling under conservation and conventional tillage

Any soil deformation induced by agricultural machinery is transmitted three‐dimensionally and the “kneading effect” of tractor wheeling further rearranges soil particles and aggregates anisotropically. In this work, we investigated how heterogeneous soil structure remained 10 y after a complete wheeling of fields in 1995 with a single pass of 2 × 2.5 Mg and of 6 × 5 Mg on a silty loam Luvisol derived from loess. Control plots received no tractor wheeling. We also analyzed how soil physical properties responded to the tractor wheeling under two management systems: continuous conservation tillage (chisel plow = CS) with mulch cover and conventional tillage (plowing to 25 cm depth annually = CT). We compared three sampling dates: done before wheeling in 1995, after wheeling in 1995, and in 2004. Results showed that applying tractor wheeling in 1995 not only reduced total soil‐pore volume but also increased soil strength as expressed by precompression stress. The reduction of total pore volume at 30 cm depth was more pronounced in CS than in CT. After 10 y of continuous use of the two tillage systems, the precompression stress of the wheeled soils was greater in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction. This anisotropy of soil strength and its load dependency were also more pronounced in CS than in CT. The effect of wheeling on the fluxes of gas and water was covered up by the effects of biochannels, causing a prevailing vertical passage. From this study, we conclude that heavy, agricultural machinery causes soil degradation, which is more evident in CS than in CT.     

紫色土坡地旋耕机耕作侵蚀特征

耕作侵蚀的过程机制和防治技术研究是我国现阶段水土保持科学与技术的重点研究领域,关于小型旋耕机耕作的土壤再分布过程和影响因素研究较少.应用磁性示踪法研究旋耕机等高耕作、向下耕作和向上耕作的土壤再分布模式和强度,查明耕作速度对旋耕机耕作侵蚀的影响.结果表明:不同耕作方向下旋耕机单次耕作过程中均引起土壤同时发生向上坡和向下坡移动,且均导致土壤发生向下坡净位移;不同耕作速度时等高耕作和向上耕作土壤净位移与坡度均呈显著正相关(P＜0.01),而向下耕作二者无显著相关性(P＞0.05);土壤净位移量表现为快挡等高耕作(11.53 kg/m)＞快挡向下耕作(11.40kg/m)＞快挡向上耕作(7.59kg/m)＞慢挡向下耕作(7.33 kg/m)＞慢挡等高耕作(6.87 kg/m)＞慢挡向上耕作(6.29 kg/m);快挡时上下坡交替耕作的耕作侵蚀速率小于等高耕作,但慢挡时二者相当.旋耕机耕作相比传统耕作机具的耕作侵蚀明显下降,其推广应用对于防治紫色土坡地耕作侵蚀和土壤退化有重要作用.     

Effects of tillage and management practices on soil crust morphology under a Mediterranean environment

Soil crust formation can be affected by soil tillage. Alternative soil conservation practices consisting of reduced tillage were tested against traditional tillage, which involves mechanical weeding by frequent ploughing in rainfed vineyard soils in Catalonia, Spain. After 2 years of the experiment (1994–1996), thin sections of the surface crusts were studied to evaluate the effects of the soil management treatments on crust morphology and genesis, using micromorphological observations and pore characterisation with image analysis. Reduced tillage caused thicker and more complex crusts consisting of layers with different degrees of sorting and pore types, compared to traditional tillage. Total porosity of crusts did not differ from that of non-crusted areas, but pores in crusts were less interconnected, more horizontally distributed and more elongated than in the underlying non-crusted material. The soil type, especially structure and texture, affected crust morphology and played an important role in the process of crusting. The results show that reduced tillage may be limited as an alternative management practice when used to reduce crust formation in Mediterranean conditions, due to the difficulty to establish an effective groundcover.     

Soil P and cation availability and crop uptake in a forage rotation under conventional and reduced tillage

Long‐term conservation tillage can modify vertical distribution of nutrients in soil profiles and alter nutrient availability and yields of crops. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of 14 yr of conventional (CT) and reduced tillage (RT) on soil macronutrient availability (0–5, 5–15, 15–30 cm) and uptake by Italian ryegrass and maize in a forage rotation under a temperate–humid climate (NW Spain). Soil contents of total C, plant available Ca, Mg, Na, K and P and their uptake by plants were evaluated over 2 yr. The three‐way ANOVA showed that tillage and its interactions with soil depth and sampling date have little influence on soil C and macronutrients contents (<13% of variance explained). In the topsoil layer, all studied variables (except K) increased in RT compared with CT, but they remained unchanged (C, Ca and Na) or decreased (Mg, K and P) in deeper layers. Crop yields were greater with RT than CT during the year with soil‐water‐deficit periods, while limited tillage effect was found in the other year. Whereas no differences were obtained for maize, nutrient concentration (Mg, Na, K and P) in ryegrass increased under RT. Conservation tillage improved surface soil fertility, maize yield and ryegrass nutrient content.     

固定式打孔播种机工作过程的理论分析与计算机仿真

提出一种结构新颖的打孔式播种机——固定式打孔播种机，对这种播种机的工作过程进行了理论分析和计算机仿真，为这种播种机的设计和使用奠定了理论基础。     

固定式打孔播种机工作过程的理论分析与计算机仿真

提出一种结构新颖的打孔式播种机——固定式打孔播种机，对这种播种机的工作过程进行了理论分析和计算机仿真，为这种播种机的设计和使用奠定了理论基础。