Effects of conventional and deep tillage on mustard for efficient water and nitrogen use in coarse textured soils

Crops grown on coarse textured soils are prone to water and nutrient stresses owing to low water retention, poor inherent fertility, and rapid development of mechanical impedance to root growth. These stresses can be alleviated by enlarging rooting volume in the soil and/or by regulating the supply of water and nutrients. Field investigations were carried for 3 years to assess interactive effects of deep tillage, irrigation regime and nitrogen rate on root growth, dry matter accumulation, water use and yield of mustard in a loamy sand and a sandy loam soil. Treatments included combinations of two tillage systems: conventional tillage (CT) (one discing, two cultivations down to 10 cm depth, and a planking), and deep tillage (DT) (chiseling down to 35–40 cm followed by CT); three irrigation regimes: no irrigation (I₀), 7 cm water 28 days after seeding (DAS) (I₁), and two irrigations of 7 cm each at 28 DAS and at peak flowering (I₂); and four nitrogen rates: 0, 40, 80 and 120 kg ha⁻¹. The experiment was replicated three times in a split plot design with tillage and irrigation in main plots and nitrogen in sub-plots.

Deep tillage and early irrigation enhanced the rooting density and the rate of dry matter accumulation of mustard, and as a consequence, there was greater depletion of profile stored water and better plant water status, particularly in the low water retentive loamy sand. Tillage enhanced the synergistic effects of irrigation and nitrogen on crop water use. Interaction effects of the three variables on grain yield were significant in this soil. Regression models relating relative yield to water supply and nitrogen rates showed that, for a given yield, more water and nitrogen were required for CT than for DT in the loamy sand indicating that tillage enhanced the utilization of water and nutrients. The magnitude of tillage effects was much less in the sandy loam.     

Tillage, mulch and irrigation effects on corn (Zea mays L.) in relation to evaporative demand

The effects of deep tillage, straw mulching, and irrigation on corn (Zea mays L.) yield on a loamy sand (mixed, hyperthermic, Typic Ustipsamment) were studied for early (high evaporativity) and normally sown (relatively low evaporativity) crop for 3 years in a semi-arid sub-tropical monsoon region at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India. Treatments included all combinations of two tillage systems (conventional tillage — harrowing the soil to a 10-cm depth; deep tillage — chiselling 40 cm deep, 35–40 cm apart), two irrigation regimes (75 mm irrigation when net open pan evaporation accumulated to 75 mm or 50 mm), and two straw mulch rates (0 and 6 Mg ha⁻¹).

Deep tillage significantly reduced soil strength (cone index) and caused deeper and denser rooting than conventional tillage, more so in the dry season and with the infrequent irrigation regime than in the wet season and frequent irrigation regime. Mulch also improved rooting by influencing the hydrothermal regime of the soil. Better rooting with deep tillage and/or mulch helped the crop to extract stored soil water more efficiently, which was reflected in a favourable plant water status (indicated by canopy temperature). Averaged across years, irrigation, and mulch, deep tillage increased grain yield by 1.6 Mg ha⁻¹ for the early season and 0.5 Mg ha⁻¹ for the normal season crop over the yield of 2.0 Mg ha⁻¹ achieved with conventional tillage regardless of season. Yield increase with mulching was also greater for the early season crop. Crop response to deep tillage and mulching was generally linked to the interplay between water supply (rain + irrigation) and demand (seasonal evaporativity) during the growing season. Increasing irrigation frequency increased crop yield when evaporativity exceeded rainfall early in the growing season. The results show that higher corn yields on coarse-textured soils in these regions may be achieved by advancing the seeding time and by using a proper combination of deep tillage, mulch, and irrigation.     

不同覆砂厚度对土壤水盐运移影响的实验研究

采用室内土柱模拟试验,研究了不同覆砂厚度条件下土壤潜水蒸发及蒸发后盐分(EC)分布特征,并就覆砂厚度对土壤水盐运移的影响进行了分析。结果表明:覆砂厚度对潜水蒸发的抑制率有显著效果,且抑制率随覆砂厚度的增加而升高,如当覆砂厚度1.7 cm时抑制率达到83%,当覆砂增加到3.6 cm和5.7 cm时,抑制率分别为95%和97%;土壤表层覆砂具有显著的抑盐效应,通过覆砂明显的减轻了土壤盐分向上运移和表聚,如当覆砂厚度1.7 cm时,表层盐分抑制率达到83%,当覆砂厚度为3.6 cm与5.7 cm时,盐分抑制率则分别上升到96%和97%。本试验表明,土壤表层覆砂是一种防止土壤水分蒸发,提高土壤保水能力和抑制土壤盐分表聚的有效方法,覆砂厚度达到3.6 cm是一种在新疆北疆绿洲合理覆砂厚度。     

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。     

Studies of 65Zn movement in soil columns under laboratory conditions

Zinc movement was studied in relation to moisture regime, element source, and method of application in soil columns constructed from samples of surface layers of Begu loamy sand and Gurgaon sandy loam. Maximum movement was only 10 mm laterally and 40 mm downward. The amount of zinc and the distance moved were greatest under the wettest regime. Movement was also greater in loamy sand than sandy loam columns, with Zn-EDTA rather than sulphate as the source, and when the amount of zinc was greater for a given volume of soil material.The effect of urea, monocalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, and farmyard manure on the movement of zinc was determined at one moisture level in columns constructed from samples of surface layers of Begu loamy sand and Thana loam. The movement of zinc within the soil columns was reduced by all four treatments.     

A study of some tillage practices for sustainable crop production in India

Soil tilth has been defined in terms of a ‘Physical Index’ based on the product of the ratings of eight physical properties — soil depth, bulk density, available water storage capacity, cumulative infiltration or apparent hydraulic conductivity, aggregation or organic matter, non-capillary pore space, water table depth and slope. The Physical Index and a tillage guide were used to identify the tillage requirements of different soils varying in texture from loamy sand to clay in the semi-arid tropics. The physical index was 0.389 for a loamy sand, 0.518 for a black clay loam and 0.540 for a red sandy loam soil and the cumulative rating indices in summer and winter seasons were 45 and 44 for loamy sand, 52 and 51 for red sandy loam and 54 and 52 for black clay loam soils, respectively. The compaction of the loamy sand by eight passes of a 490 kg tractor-driven roller (0.75 m diameter and 1.00 m length) increased the physical index to 0.658 and chiselling of the red sandy loam and black clay loam increased the physical indices to 0.686 and 0.729, respectively. The grain yields of rainfed pearl millet and guar and irrigated pearl millet, wheat and barley increased significantly over the control (no compaction) yields by compaction.

The chiselling of the soils varying in texture from loamy sand to clay at 50 to 120-cm intervals up to 30–40 cm depth, depending upon the row spacing of seedlines and depth of the high mechanical impedance layer, increased the grain yields of rainfed and irrigated maize on alluvial loamy sand, rainfed maize on alluvial sandy loam and red sandy loam, rainfed sorghum on red sandy loam and black clay loam, irrigated sorghum on black clay loam and rainfed black gram on red sandy loam, pod yield of rainfed groundnut, tuber yield of irrigated tapioca and fresh fruit yield of rainfed tomato on red sandy loam and sugarcane yield on black clay soil, significantly over the yields of no-chiselling systems of tillage such as disc harrow and country plough.     

有机肥与覆盖对苏北滩涂重度盐渍土壤水盐调控效应分析

<正>苏北地区滩涂资源丰富,拥有占全国1/4以上的滩涂面积,是非常重要的后备土地资源,同时,其开发利用历史悠久,已取得了巨大的社会经济效益[1-2]。但从目前研究看来,土壤质量偏低依然是制约苏北滩涂开发利用的主要障碍因子[3]。土壤盐渍化,尤其是重度盐渍化,作为影响滩涂土壤质量的主要障碍因子之一,严重抑制了土壤生产力的发挥,导致土地生产效率普遍偏低[4]。因此,采取     

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.     

Residue management for reducing evaporation in relation to soil type and evaporativity1

Abstract. Usual residue-management options are to remove the residue, use it as mulch with or without undercutting or to incorporate it into the soil. While the role of surface mulch in evaporation has been widely studied, the information on the effect on evaporation of mulch with undercutting or residue incorporated into soil, particularly in relation to soil type and evaporativity (E_o) is lacking. We studied the effect of wheat straw used in various ways on the course of evaporation loss from soil columns with three soils at Ludhiana, India and one soil at Bushland, Texas, USA, under two E_o's Energy-limited evaporation rates under mulch (E_om) followed the soil-specific relation E_om/E_o= a e^(bRes+cEo), where Res is residue rate t/ha and a, b and c are constants; E_o, is expressed in mm/d. In an effort to model the total evaporation (CE) during the energy-limited stage ‘U’ was obtained from appropriate CE versus time curves and (CE-U) was regressed over (t - ti)^0.5 to obtain the slope ‘α’ (Ritchie 1972) for the soil-limited evaporation stage. The observed ‘U’ was independent of mulch rate and E_o but was strongly affected by soil type, Values of ‘α’ decreased with increase in mulch rate and decrease in E_o and coarseness of soil. The otherwise short lived benefit of evaporation reduction with mulch per se, which peaked after a few days was maintained when residue was mixed with soil at the stage when evaporation reduction reached a maximum; this benefit continued for several weeks. Cumulative evaporation values computed from ‘U’ and ‘α’ agreed closely with the observed values under straw mulch for loamy sand and clay loam soils and for ‘undercut’ and ‘residue mixed’ treatments on all soils regardless of E_o, and for all situations under small E_o. However, for sandy loam and silt loam soils under E_o of 10 mm/d, the modified square root of the time function of Jalota et al. (1988) gave a better fit.     

Straw incorporation and soil organic matter in macro-aggregates and particle size separates

Two field experiments in which straw has been removed or incorporated for 17 yr (loamy sand) and 10 yr (sandy clay loam) were sampled to examine the effect of straw on the C and N contents in whole soil samples, macro-aggregate fractions and primary particle-size separates. The particle size composition of the aggregate fractions was determined. Aggregates were isolated by dry sieving. Straw incorporation increased the number of 1–20 mm aggregates in the loamy sand but no effect was noted in the sandy clay loam. Straw had no effect on the particle size composition of the various aggregate fractions. After correction for loose sand that accumulated in the aggregate fractions during dry sieving, macro-aggregates appeared to be enriched in clay and silt compared with whole soil samples. Because of the possible detachment of sand particles from the exterior surface of aggregates during sieving operations, it was inferred that the particle size composition of macro-aggregates is similar to that of the bulk soil. The organic matter contents of the aggregate fractions were closely correlated with their clay + silt contents. Differences in the organic matter content of clay isolated from whole soil samples and aggregate fractions were generally small. This was also true for the silt-size separates. In both soils, straw incorporation increased the organic matter content of nearly all clay and silt separates; for silt this was generally twice that observed for clay. The amounts of soil C, derived from straw, left in the loamy sand and sandy clay loam at the time of sampling were 4.4 and 4.5 t ha^?1, corresponding to 12 and 21% of the straw C added. The C/N ratios of the straw-derived soil organic matter were 11 and 12 for the loamy sand and sandy clay loam, respectively.     

旱地小麦地表覆盖对土壤水分硝态氮累积分布的影响

在黄土高原南部半湿润易干旱地区,通过长期田间定位试验,研究了不同地表覆盖对第3季冬小麦生长、氮素吸收及土壤水分和硝态氮累积分布的影响。结果表明,无论地表覆盖能否促进小麦生长及其对氮素的吸收,在收获期均能提高表层土壤水分;覆膜栽培增加表层硝态氮含量,覆草也在高量施用氮肥时,提高表层硝态氮的累积。而地表覆盖对耕层以下土壤水分和硝态氮累积的影响与施氮量、作物生长及其对氮素吸收利用有关。覆膜在促进作物生长、提高氮素吸收的同时,降低了深层土壤水分及其硝态氮的累积,且随施氮量的增加降低幅度增大;覆草在不施氮肥和施氮120kg·hm^-2时未能促进小麦生长,但有增加深层土壤水分的趋势,而高量施用氮肥,明显提高了小麦地上部生物产量及其对氮素的吸收,降低了深层土壤水分;同时发现,无论施氮与否覆草均降低了下层土壤硝态氮的累积。在高量施用氮肥的情况下,采用地表覆盖,不仅能够促进作物生长、提高氮素吸收,还能有效降低氮素在土壤中的累积及其向下层淋溶。     

有机物料配合深耕混合还田快速提升砂质棕壤农业生产力的效果和机理

  【目的】  提高土壤肥力是增加作物产量的有效方式,我们尝试了不同耕作和有机肥还田方式对砂粒含量较高且贫瘠的土壤的培肥效果。  【方法】  田间试验于2018年开始,在辽宁南部砂质棕壤进行,供试作物为玉米。以常规浅翻15 cm (T15)为对照,设置了秸秆浅混还田(0—15 cm,T15+S)、深翻35 cm (T35)、秸秆深混还田(0—35 cm,T35+S)、有机肥深混还田(0—35 cm,T35+M)、秸秆有机肥深混还田(0—35 cm,T35+S+M)、免耕(NT)、免耕秸秆覆盖(NT+S)和免耕秸秆条覆盖(HT+HS)处理,共9个处理 。2020年玉米收获后,测产,同时取0—15 cm和15—30 cm土层样品,测定土壤pH、有机质和养分含量以及有机碳储量。  【结果】  试验进行3年后,在0—15 cm土层,T35+M和T35+S+M处理土壤有机质含量增幅较T15分别增加了19.2%和20.4%,而NT和T35处理则显著降低;在15—35 cm土层,T35、T35+S、T35+M和T35+S+M处理土壤有机质含量较T15分别增加了12.5%、24.5%、29.9%和35.7%。深翻和有机物料还田(T35+S、T35+M和T35+S+M)显著增加了玉米产量,与T15处理相比,3年T35+S、T35+M和T35+S+M处理玉米产量平均增加了10%、12.3%和16.4%,而浅翻处理(T15+S、NT、NT+S和HT+HS)不同程度地降低了玉米产量。T15+S、HT+HS和NT+S处理间有机质转化率无显著差异,但与T35+S处理相比平均降低了57.9%,与T35+M处理相比平均降低了78.4%。0—15 cm土壤有机质和pH对玉米产量影响显著,而在15—35 cm土层,除pH外,有机质和养分含量以及有机碳储量均对玉米产量有显著影响。  【结论】  腐熟猪粪、猪粪和玉米秸秆配合深翻混合还田可以快速提升0—35 cm土层中的土壤有机碳储量,提高有机质的转化率,是较为理想的棕壤快速培肥途径。通过提高深层土壤有机质和养分含量,提高了辽宁南部棕壤的农业生产能力。     

Improvement of rice (Oryza sativa L.) growth in upland conditions with deep tillage and mulch

The productivity of upland rice in Japan as well as in the world is low and unstable owing to scarce and unpredictable rainfall. The objective of this study was to examine whether agronomic methods could enhance grain yield of upland rice. Four field experiments were conducted from 2001 to 2003 in Nishitokyo, Japan, under upland conditions with different water supplies, in order to quantify the effects of deep tillage combined with deep placement of manure (50-cm depth), straw mulch (6 t ha⁻¹), or their combinations on the growth and grain yield of rice. Mulch kept surface soil moisture higher than without mulch even at reproductive stage, and it increased yield to the greatest extent under the most favourable conditions with much rainfall before heading (i.e., 2003). Deep tillage with deep placement of manure induced deep root proliferation and higher nitrogen uptake, increasing biomass production, and panicle number, and consequently grain yield was enhanced under the two lowest yielding environments with less rainfall before heading. Rice plants with deep tillage with deep manure application without mulch tended to have lower leaf water potential and higher diffusion resistance during drought, and negative effects on grain filling and harvest index in some experiments compared with the control. When deep tillage with deep placement of manure was combined with mulching in two experiments in 2002 and 2003, grain yield always enhanced compared with the control (P < 0.10, 6.0 t ha⁻¹ versus 5.4 t ha⁻¹ on average), suggesting their synergetic mechanisms for yield increase and stabilization. The results showed that deep tillage or mulching can improve grain yield of rice under drought-prone rainfed upland conditions in a temperate climate on an Andosol, and their combination had more consistent and greater positive effects.     

Effect of tillage and residue management on properties of two coarse-textured soils and on yield of irrigated wheat and groundnut

Changes in soil properties and yield response in relation to tillage and residue management treatments in an irrigated groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.)—wheat (Triticum aestivum, L.) rotation on a sandy soil (1972–1974) and on a sandy loam soil (1974–1976) were evaluated. Tillage treatments (T₁ and T₂) did not cause significant changes in soil properties. Incorporation of crop residues (5 t residue per ha per crop, T₃) caused a substantial increase in organic C, available N, and NaHCO₃ -extractable P contents in the top 15 cm of both soils. Residue management treatments (T₃, T₄ and T₅) showed no significant effect on soil bulk density and exchangeable K. Crop yields under no-tillage (T₁) and conventional tillage (control, T₂) were comparable on sandy soil but on the sandy loam soil, no-tillage yielded significantly lower than conventional tillage. Compared with the control, incorporation of crop residues (T₃) caused higher yields on sandy soil for groundnut and wheat by 34.1 and 47.4%, respectively, and on sandy loam by 17.1 and 7.2%, respectively. Mulching with crop residues conserved soil moisture and reduced maximum soil temperature (1.5–5.3°C in groundnut and 1.5–2.9°C in wheat) but other measured soil properties were not significantly affected. Significant yield increase due to residue mulching (T₄) was observed in sandy soil but it was significantly less than when total crop residue was incorporated (T₃). Increased wheat root-weight density in the top 15 cm soil with residue mulching was not reflected in grain yield. Compared with the incorporation of the total amount of crop residue (T₃), incorporation of half the amount and application of the other half as mulch (T₅) caused lower yields — on sandy soil for groundnut and wheat by 31.5 and 15.7%, respectively, and on sandy loam by 4.8 and 3.6%, respectively.     

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.     

Impact of tillage on maize rooting in a Cambisol and Luvisol in Switzerland

Soil conditions under no-tillage (NT) are often unfavorable for the growth of maize roots in comparison to conventional tillage (CT). In 1997 and 1999, the impacts of tillage on the morphology and spatial distribution of maize (Zea mays L.) roots at anthesis were investigated in a 5-year field trial at two sites (loamy silt and sandy loam soils) in the Swiss midlands. Four soil cores, perpendicular to the maize row, were taken to a depth of 100 cm in each plot; the root length density (RLD), the mean root diameter (MD), and the relative length per diameter-class distribution (LDD) of the roots were determined.

Roots were longer and thinner in 1999 than in 1997. The RLD was significantly higher and the MD was smaller on the loamy silt than on the sandy loam. The RLD and MD decreased with the distance from the plant row. Most of the maize roots, about 80% of the total root length, were in the layer from 0 to 40 cm, with maximum values from 5 to 10 cm; the thickest roots were in the soil layer from 10 to 50 cm. Significant differences in RLD with increasing distance from the row of plants were found in the top 30 cm.

Averaged over the whole soil profile, RLD was higher and MD was smaller under CT than under NT. The impact of tillage on RLD and MD interacted with spatial factors and years. Within the soil profile, RLD was significantly higher under NT than under CT at a depth of 5 cm, whereas it was higher under CT than under NT below 10 cm. Below 50 cm, there was no difference in RLD between the tillage systems. In a horizontal direction, MD was consistently higher in the row and lower in the mid-row under NT than under CT.

Our results show that differences in maize root growth between tillage systems, which were reported in previous studies, persist until anthesis. The accumulation of maize roots near the soil surface in NT suggests that subsurface-banding of starter fertilizer is a more efficient way of applying fertilizer (particularly immobile nutrients such as phosphorus) compared with broadcasting in order to supply sufficient nutrients for NT maize.     

Enhancement of the rootability of a structurally fragile tropical soil using gypsum and leguminous residues to increase the yield of maize

In humid tropical areas, a combination of factors related to soil conditions for root development contribute to decreased nutrient use efficiency. Our aim was to evaluate the combined effects of the application of gypsum and mulch from leguminous trees on rootability of root zone soil, root growth, phosphorus recovery efficiency and maize yield in a sandy loam soil prone to hardsetting. The experiment involved a randomized block design with four replications and six treatments: no residue or gypsum (control, C); leguminous residues (L); leguminous residues and 6 t/ha of gypsum (LG6); urea and 6 t/ha of gypsum (UG6); leguminous residues, urea and 6 t/ha of gypsum (LUG6); and leguminous residues, urea and 12 t/ha of gypsum (LUG12). Application of gypsum plus leguminous residues enhanced soil rootability, when applied to a tropical Arenic Hapludult, through the combined effects of increased porosity and decreased penetration resistance. These improvements facilitated root growth in deeper soil layers and greater nutrient uptake. Application of leguminous residues increased the input and retention of calcium in deeper layers. The use of large amounts of gypsum with leguminous residue, despite a significant increase in phosphorus uptake, did not result in a proportional increase in maize yield. Given the small differences in calcium content between the 6 and 12 t/ha gypsum treatments, applying a low dose of gypsum combined with leguminous residue, rather than administering a single large gypsum dose, is recommended for tropical sandy loam soils with low cation retention capacities.     

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.     

不同气候和施肥条件下保护性耕作对农田土壤碳氮储量的影响

【目的】 土壤有机碳氮是影响土壤肥力与作物产量的重要物质,而耕作是影响土壤碳氮储量的重要因素。通过分析不同耕作措施对我国东北、华北地区农田土壤碳氮储量的影响,为优化农田耕作管理、实现固碳减排、保护土壤提供科学依据。 【方法】 基于山西寿阳 (SSY)、山西临汾 (SLF)、河北廊坊 (HLF) 和吉林公主岭 (GZL) 四个长期定位试验,选择传统耕作 (CT)、免耕 (NTN) 和浅旋耕 (NTD) 三个耕作处理,分析了0—80 cm土壤剖面有机碳、氮的储量分布。 【结果】 1) 与传统耕作相比,浅旋耕显著降低褐土 (寿阳) 容重,免耕增加黑土 (公主岭) 容重,保护性耕作对沙性土 (临汾) 和潮土 (廊坊) 的影响很小。2) 耕作影响0—60 cm土壤有机碳储量。与传统耕作处理相比,黑土 (公主岭) 采用免耕和浅旋耕可显著提高0—60 cm土壤中的有机碳含量;免耕可提高褐土 (寿阳)0—50 cm的有机碳含量;沙性土 (临汾)、潮土 (廊坊) 免耕由于表层秸秆覆盖可提高0—15 cm土壤有机碳含量,但降低15—50 cm层土壤碳储量;潮土 (廊坊)15—60 cm土层,浅旋耕可增加土壤有机碳储量,而免耕则相反。3) 免耕处理的潮土 (廊坊) 土壤氮储量比传统耕作高出260 kg/hm2,差异不显著;黑土 (公主岭) 免耕和浅旋耕土壤氮储量则分别高出112 kg/hm2和207 kg/hm2,差异显著,保护性耕作降低临汾和寿阳1 m深土壤的氮储量。4) 保护性耕作加剧了0—20 cm沙性土和潮土壤氮储量的分层,对黑土 (公主岭) 和褐土 (寿阳) 土壤碳储量的层间分布影响很小。 【结论】 耕作影响0—60 cm土壤有机碳储量,免耕可以增加褐土的碳储量和潮土的氮储量,免耕和浅旋耕配合秸秆覆盖可显著增加黑土的碳、氮储量。因此,免耕适用于褐土和潮土,免耕和浅旋耕适用于黑土,沙性土采用保护性耕作的效果不显著。      

Soil erosion on Alfisols in Western Nigeria: II. Effects of mulch rates

The effects of four rates of straw mulching on runoff and soil loss were compared with those of no-tillage treatments under natural rainfall conditions using field runoff plots of 25 × 4 m established at 1, 5, 10 and 15% slopes on the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) research site near Ibadan, Nigeria. The four rates of straw mulching were 0, 2, 4 and 6 t/ha. The mean annual runoff was 50, 10, 4 and 2% of the total annual rainfall for mulch rates of 0, 2, 4 and 6 t/ha, respectively. Runoff from unmulched treatments was not related to slope. Runoff loss from no-till treatments was only 2% of the rain received. The mean soil losses for the rainstorms greater than 25 mm were 143, 16, 2 and 0.4 kg/ha per mm of rain received for mulched rates of 0, 2, 4 and 6 t/ha, respectively. The soil loss declined exponentially with increasing mulch rate with exponents ranging from approximately ?0.3 to ?0.7. The soil losses from the no-till plots were equal to those from plots that received mulch at the rate of 6 t/ha. Soil erodibility was significantly influenced by time after clearing, with maximum K reached two to three years after forest removal. The nutrient loss in runoff and eroded soil was significant only for unmulched treatments. The maximum annual loss of NO₃-N in runoff was about 15 kg/ha. The maximum annual loss of total N in eroded soil from unmulched plots was about 180 kg/ha, that of P, 5 kg/ha, and that of K, about 14 kg/ha.