Leaching of dissolved organic carbon in soil following anhydrous ammonia application

The transport of anhydrous NH₃-solubilized soil organic matter from surface to subsurface soils may affect subsurface microbial activity. In the present study we determined the impact of anhydrous NH₃-N fertilizer on organic C solubilization and the propensity of solubilized C to leach with percolating water. In fertilized treatments, anhydrous NH₃ was subsurface-banded at 20g N m^-2 in ridge or valley areas of a ridge tillage system. In contol treatments, 0g N m^-2 was banded into the valley area of a ridge tillage system. Rainfall (17 cm) was applied with a drop-type artificial rainfall simulator 3, 10, and 24 days after the fertilizer application. The treatments were replicated twice. Grid lysimeters (15 by 15 cm) were placed 75 cm below the soil surface of a Brandt silty clay loam (fine-silty over sandy or sandy skeletal mixed Pachic Udic Haploboroll). Lysimeters were used to collect percolating water temporally and spatially. The application of N fertilizer increased dissolved organic C concentrations in percolating water when rainfall was applied 3 days after the fertilizer application. However, when the rainfall was applied 24 days after the fertilizer application the dissolved organic C concentrations in percolating water was not influenced by anhydrous NH₃ application. The smaller dissolved organic C concentrations in percolating water with a longer incubation time were most likely the result of microbial assimilation or respiration of solubilized C.     

半干旱地区坡耕地渗水孔耕作法试验研究

定西地区属半干旱黄土丘陵沟壑区,农业生产发展缓慢的主要原因是干旱缺水和水土流失。经坡地田间聚流技术试验研究表明:渗水孔耕作法,不仅能增强天然降雨入渗,而且还能增加入渗深度,减少地表蒸发,提高了降雨利用率和水分利用效率,达到了保土、增收及合理利用水土资源的目的。     

Phosphorus losses from arable land in England

Abstract. Concentrations and annual loadings of molyhdate reactive P (MRP) and total (including particulate) P (TP) are reported from field drainage, catchment and erosion experiments in England. Annual losses through field drains and in catchment runoff were 0.037-0.74 kg MRP/ha and 0.37-2.64 kg TP/ha, but those in surface runoff from experimental plots measuring erosion were generally much greater (often > 3 kg MRP/ha and up to 32 kg TP/ha in a wet year). Amounts of TP in drainflow and catchment runoff depended upon factors influencing soil dispersibility, such as particle size distribution and calcium carbonate content. The results to date suggest that P losses in surface runoff and erosion from arable fields to water are best limited by: (a) maximizing crop cover, using minimal cultivation practices and where possible planting crop rows across rather than up and down the slope, (b) avoiding cultivation practices that result in dispersion of soil particles, and (c) avoiding application of P fertilizer to wet soils when rainfall is likely soon after application. Consideration should he given to maintaining field drains below peak efficiency to reduce subsurface P losses.     

正反转旋耕作业的秸秆混埋效果比较

秸秆混埋是增强土壤碳汇的重要技术途经。为分析和比较正、反转旋耕作业的秸秆混埋效果,进行了正、反转旋耕秸秆混埋对比试验。测取旋耕处理后的地貌形态及秸秆在土壤空间中的分布状况,并使用Pro-E造型展示秸秆的空间分布状况。结果表明三维数字化仪配合虚拟造型技术能够直观反映混埋后秸秆在土壤空间的分布状态。2种旋耕处理方式的地表形态及土壤空间内秸秆分布对比分析表明,正转旋耕的秸秆埋覆率及纵向空间分布总体均匀率优于反转旋耕,而反转旋耕的秸秆在沿土壤深度方向的空间分布均匀率、秸秆-土壤混合效果、耕幅内地表平整度等优于正转旋耕。综合分析表明正转旋耕的秸秆混埋质量略有优势,但具体选择混埋模式时还应考虑田间秸秆残留情况。秸秆量较少时反转旋耕较适宜,反之正转旋耕更好。     

Assessment of tillage translocation and tillage erosion by hoeing on the steep land in hilly areas of Sichuan, China

Most of the tillage erosion studies have focused on the effect of tractor-plough tillage on soil translocation and soil loss. Only recently, have a few studies contributed to the understanding of tillage erosion by manual tillage. Furthermore, little is known about the impact of tillage erosion in hilly areas of the humid sub-tropics. This study on tillage erosion by hoeing was conducted on a purple soil (Regosols) of the steep land, in Jianyang County, Sichuan Province, southwestern China (30°24′N and 104°35′E) using the physical tracer method.

The effects of hoeing tillage on soil translocation on hillslopes are quite evident. The tillage transport coefficients were 26–38 kg m⁻¹ per tillage pass and 121–175 kg m⁻¹ per tillage pass respectively for k₃- and k₄-values. Given that there was a typical downslope parcel length of 15 m and two times of tillage per year in this area, the tillage erosion rates on the 4–43% hillslopes reached 48–151 Mg ha⁻¹ per year. The downslope soil translocation is closely related to slope gradient. Lateral soil translocation by such tillage is also obvious though it is lower than downslope soil translocation. Strong downslope translocation accounts for thin soil layers and the exposure of parent materials/rocks at the ridge tops and on convexities in the hilly areas. Deterioration in soil quality and therefore reduction in plant productivity due to tillage-induced erosion would be evident at the ridge tops and convex shoulders.     

Effects of autumn tillage and residue management on soil respiration in a long‐term field experiment in Sweden

Several previous field studies in temperate regions have shown decreased soil respiration after conventional tillage compared with reduced or no‐tillage treatments. Whether this decrease is due to differences in plant residue distribution or changes in soil structure following tillage remains an open question. This study investigated (1) the effects of residue management and incorporation depth on soil respiration and (2) biological activity in different post‐tillage aggregates representing the actual size and distribution of aggregates observed in the tilled layer. The study was conducted within a long‐term tillage experiment on a clay soil (Eutric Cambisol) in Uppsala, Sweden. After 38 y, four replicate plots in two long‐term treatments (moldboard plowing (MP) and shallow tillage (ST)) were split into three subplots. These were then used for a short‐term trial in which crop residues were either removed, left on the surface or incorporated to about 6 cm depth (ST) or at 20 cm depth (MP). Soil respiration, soil temperature, and water content were monitored during a 10‐d period after tillage treatment. Respiration from aggregates of different sizes produced by ST and MP was also measured at constant water potential and temperature in the laboratory. The results showed that MP decreased short‐term soil respiration compared with ST or no tillage. Small aggregates (< 16 mm) were biologically most active, irrespective of tillage method, but due to their low proportion of total soil mass they contributed < 1.5% to total respiration from the tilled layer. Differences in respiration between tillage treatments were found to be attributable to indirect effects on soil moisture and temperature profiles and the depth distribution of crop residues, rather than to physical disturbance of the soil.     

覆盖免耕夏玉米耗水特性的研究

以无覆盖翻耕、无覆盖铁茬等常规耕作为对照,对覆盖免耕夏玉米的耗水特性进行了研究。结果表明耕作并没有大幅度增加或者减少夏玉米的耗水量,不同耕法夏玉米耗水量差异不大;同翻耕、铁茬等相比,覆盖免耕夏玉米耗水在时间和空间分配上有所改变,即覆盖免耕夏玉米前期耗水少,后期耗水量增加,蒸散量加大,而且覆盖免耕有效地减少土壤棵间蒸发,却增加了作物的蒸腾量,变非生产性耗水为有效耗水,有利于夏玉米产量和水分利用效率的提高     

Differences in common bean rhizobial populations associated with soil tillage management in southern Brazil

Progressive adoption of no-tillage (NT) agriculture in the tropics is finally reversing physical, chemical, and biological erosion of soil and in Brazil, an estimated 19 Mha are now devoted to NT. Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a main component of Brazilian agriculture, and enhancement of yields has been achieved under NT as a result of mitigation of environmental stresses, resulting in higher N₂ fixation. However, the effects of NT on rhizobial diversity are poorly understood. This study evaluated rhizobial diversity in soils planted to common bean under NT or conventional tillage (CT) systems that were compared with natural grassland used for grazing, in the State of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Genetic diversity was assessed by the amplification of the DNA by PCR with specific primers (BOX-PCR) and by RFLP-PCR analyses of the 16S rDNA region. A high level of diversity was observed among strains from all three systems, such that the similarity in the clustering analysis of BOX-PCR products ranged from 36% under natural grassland to only 23% for CT strains. High polymorphism was confirmed in the RFLP-PCR analysis; forty-seven different profiles were obtained, none sharing high similarity with the profiles of reference species of common bean rhizobia. These results indicate that other tropical rhizobial species remain to be described. Genetic diversity was higher among the NT than the CT rhizobial strains, especially when the RFLP-PCR profiles were considered. Genetic diversity in the natural grassland was lower than in the cropped systems, possibly due to absence of the host plant and stubble burning in winter. Average yields in the area under NT (e.g. common bean, approximately 1500 kg ha⁻¹) have been about 30% higher than under CT, therefore high rhizobial diversity may be a parameter indicative of superior soil quality.     

Effects of tillage systems on soil characteristics, glomalin and mycorrhizal propagules in a Chilean Ultisol

Tillage affects the soil physical and chemical environment in which soil microorganisms live, thereby affecting their number, diversity and activity. However, soil disturbance generally has the greatest impact on biological properties, including both free and symbiotic fungal populations. Interest in more ecologically sustainable agricultural systems is rising with increasing recognition that agricultural intensification can adversely affect environmental quality. This paper discusses the effect of tillage system on some soil characteristics, such as pH, C, N and S levels, total and Olsen-P contents including some P forms associated with organic matter, glomalin contents and arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) parameters, such as root colonization, spore number and total and active hyphal length. Measurements were in the sixth year of an on-going tillage-rotation experiment conducted on an Ultisol under no-till (NT), reduced tillage (RT) and conventional tillage with stubble mixed into the soil (CTS) or stubble burnt (CTB). Soil was sampled at two dates; after wheat (Triticum aestivum) harvest (autumn) and 6 months after subsequent grassland seeding (spring). Higher C, N, S, total P and fulvic acid-P concentrations and pH occurred under NT and RT than under CTS and CTB after wheat harvest. However, results at the second sampling were not consistent. AM spore number and active hyphal length were highest under NT having the greatest incidence on AM root colonization and P concentration in shoots of the pasture. Glomalin concentration was higher under NT and RT than under CTS and CTB but no differences in calculated glomalin to total C (ca. 5%) were found. It is concluded that a less disruptive effect of NT influences positively all soil characteristics and also increases P acquisition by the following crop in the rotation system.     

中国再生稻种植的影响因素及可持续性研究进展

再生稻作为一种特殊的水稻耕作模式,种一茬可收获两次,对增加粮食产量、保障国家粮食安全和提高稻田综合效益有重大意义。综述了中国再生稻的发展趋势,分析了再生稻种植的关键影响因子,阐释了再生稻高产栽培技术,提出在种好头季稻的前提下,适当高留桩,在头季稻齐穗后15d施用尿素150kg·hm^-2作为促芽肥,头季稻收割后3d施用尿素150 kg·hm^-2作为发苗肥,同时配施磷钾肥,可在保证土壤养分平衡的基础上使再生稻获得高产,最后讨论了当前存在的问题及今后发展的方向,认为未来的研究需重点关注再生稻产业化、土壤养分管理、高产栽培技术、稻米品质、温室气体和水体质量,以促进再生稻的发展并为国内同行的研究提供参考与借鉴。