Tillage and land use effects on soil microporosity in Ohio, USA and Kolombangara, Solomon Islands

Micropores are important to soil moisture retention and plant growth. Microporosity and pore size distribution were evaluated using mercury intrusion porosimetery on aggregates from 35-year-old experiments started in 1962 at Wooster (40.5 °N, 82 °W) and South Charleston (39.8 °N, 84 °W) in Ohio, USA and from three land use practices on Kolombangara (8 °S, 157 °E) in Solomon Islands. Tillage treatments in Ohio included: moldboard plowing (MP), chisel plowing (CP), and no-till (NT) with continuous corn. The land use treatments in Kolombangara included: natural forest (NF), traditional farming (TF) and topsoil removal (TR). Pore size measured in aggregates ranged from 0.2 to 100 μm in diameter. Median pore radius was significantly (P < 0.05) larger for NT than for MP and CP treatments at Wooster, but not at South Charleston. Tillage treatments had significant effect on the volume of both storage and residual pores for both sites in Ohio. Volume of storage and residual pores were higher for Wooster than South Charleston soil. At Kolombangara, the NF treatment had significantly larger median and peak pore radii, and microporosity than TF and TR treatments. There was, however, no significant difference among treatments in the volume of pore size distribution. These data support a recommendation for adoption of no-till or conservation tillage in soils of the temperate region, and of minimal disturbance and effective erosion control in soils of the tropics.     

Crop management effects on soil carbon sequestration on selected farmers’ fields in northeastern Ohio

Soil organic carbon (SOC) pool is the largest among terrestrial pools. The restoration of SOC pool in arable lands represents a potential sink for atmospheric CO₂. Restorative management of SOC includes using organic manures, adopting legume-based crop rotations, and converting plow till to a conservation till system. A field study was conducted to analyze soil properties on two farms located in Geauga and Stark Counties in northeastern Ohio, USA. Soil bulk density decreased with increase in SOC pool for a wide range of management systems. In comparison with wooded control, agricultural fields had a lower SOC pool in the 0–30 cm depth. In Geauga County, the SOC pool decreased by 34% in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) grown in a complex rotation with manuring and 51% in unmanured continuous corn (Zea mays L.). In Stark County, the SOC pool decreased by 32% in a field systematically amended with poultry manure and 40% in the field receiving only chemical fertilizers. In comparison with continuous corn, the rate of SOC sequestration in Geauga County was 379 kg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ in no-till corn (2 years) previously in hay (12 years), 760 kg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ in a complex crop rotation receiving manure and chemical fertilizers, and 355 kg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ without manuring. The rate of SOC sequestration was 392 kg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ on manured field in Stark County.     

Effects of alternative tillage systems on soil quality and yield of spring cereals on silty clay loam and sandy loam soils in the cool, wet climate of central Norway

Tillage trials were established on a poorly drained silty loam overlying silty clay loam and on a freely drained sandy loam overlying medium sand, in 1988 and 1989, respectively. Autumn and spring ploughing and two ploughless systems were compared for 12–13 years, with three replications at each site. The ploughless treatments comprised deep versus shallow spring harrowing until 1999, and thereafter autumn plus spring harrowing versus spring harrowing only. In 6 years, treatments with and without fungal spraying of the cereal crops were included. In other years, fungicides were not used. Perennial weeds were controlled by herbicides as necessary, on nine occasions up until 2001. Average spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and spring oat (Avena sativa L.) yields were similar with spring ploughing as with autumn ploughing at both sites. In treatments without ploughing, average yields on the silty loam over clay were 93% of those obtained with ploughing, and on the sandy loam over sand they were 81%. Smaller and non-significant yield differences were found between spring harrowing versus deep spring harrowing, and between autumn plus spring harrowing versus spring harrowing only. Fungal spraying increased yields markedly at both sites (25%), but there was no significant interaction between this treatment and tillage system. Oat was compared with barley in 2 years, with oat performing better under ploughless tillage. At both sites increases in penetrometer resistance occurred in the topsoil of unploughed treatments. These were considered particularly limiting on the sandy loam. On the silty loam there was an increase in surface horizon porosity in the absence of ploughing, which was associated with an increase in topsoil organic matter content. On this soil there was also a tendency toward lower penetrometer resistance at >30 cm depth on autumn plus spring harrowed soil than on ploughed soil, indicating that the plough pan may have diminished. This was supported by observations of greater earthworm activity on unploughed soil. Soil chemical analyses revealed that mineral N and plant-available P and K accumulated in the upper horizon under ploughless tillage. The percentage yields obtained in individual years with autumn as opposed to spring ploughing, were positively correlated with air temperature during 0–4 weeks after planting on the silty loam, and with precipitation during 0–12 weeks after planting on the sandy loam. In the case of yields obtained with spring harrowing only, relative to spring ploughing, positive correlations were found with 0–4 week temperature on both soil types, suggesting that low early season temperatures may limit yields under ploughless tillage.     

Diesel and glyphosate price changes benefit the economics of conservation tillage versus traditional tillage

Recent increases in diesel price and decreases in glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine] price should favor the profitability and farmer acceptance of herbicide-intensive conservation tillage systems versus fuel-intensive traditional tillage (TT) systems. Profitability results from a long-term field experiment that compared TT, minimum tillage (MT), and delayed minimum tillage (DMT) systems for winter wheat–(Triticum aestivum L.)summer fallow in eastern Washington, USA were calculated using both 1998 and 2005 input prices. Net returns for the MT and DMT systems increased by US$ 6.37 and 6.30 (rotational ha)⁻¹, respectively, and net returns to the TT system decreased by US$ 2.36 (rotational ha)⁻¹ when 2005 versus 1998 prices were used. Here, rotational ha equals 0.5 ha fallow and 0.5 ha wheat. Focusing on the dominant crop of soft white winter wheat (SWWW), the 2005 price hikes pushed diesel costs up for all systems, from US$ 6.81 (rotational ha)⁻¹ for DMT to US$ 9.00 (rotational ha)⁻¹ for TT. The cost of diesel for the conservation tillage systems, relative to the cost for TT, decreased by US$ 1.50–2.20 (rotational ha)⁻¹. The conservation tillage systems accrue greater savings from the price reduction in glyphosate because they consume more of this herbicide. An unanticipated result was that relative cost savings from price changes in N fertilizer rivaled those from diesel and glyphosate because anhydrous NH₃–N was exclusively used in the experiment for TT and aqueous NH₃–N for MT and DMT. The price of anhydrous NH₃–N increased from US$ 0.55 kg⁻¹ in 1998 to 0.85 kg⁻¹ in 2005, a 56% increase. Aqueous NH₃–N only increased from $0.75 kg⁻¹ in 1998 to 0.85 kg⁻¹ in 2005, a 15% increase. The greater price increase for anhydrous NH₃–N penalized the TT system because of its use of this fertilizer. If the same source of N fertilizer were used on all three tillage systems, this fertilizer cost effect would disappear. Nonetheless, the conservation tillage systems still retained a statistically significant profitability advantage over TT even if the same fertilizer was used throughout. The sharp price increase for diesel and the concurrent price decrease for glyphosate herbicide favored the conservation tillage systems over TT in this study. Results provide strong evidence for the superior profitability of conservation tillage winter wheat–summer fallow under current economic conditions.     

The adoption of annual subsoiling as conservation tillage in dryland maize and wheat cultivation in northern China

Soil compaction caused by random traffic or repetitive tillage has been shown to reduce water use efficiency, and thus crop yield due to reduced porosity, decreased water infiltration and availability of nutrients. Conservation tillage coupled with subsoiling in northern China is widely believed to reduce soil compaction, which was created after many years of no-till. However, limited research has been conducted on the most effective time interval for subsoiling, under conservation tillage. Data from conservation tillage demonstration sites operating for 10 years in northern China were used to conduct a comparative study of subsoiling interval under conservation tillage. Three modes of traditional tillage, subsoiling with soil cover and no-till with soil cover were compared using 10 years of soil bulk density, water content, yield and water use efficiency data. Cost benefit analysis was conducted on subsoiling time interval under conservation tillage. Yield and power consumption were assessed by based on the use of a single pass combine subsoiler and planter. Annual subsoiling was effective in reducing bulk density by only 4.9% compared with no-till treatments on the silty loam soils of the Loess plateau, but provided no extra benefit in terms of soil water loss, yield increase or water utilization. With the exception of bulk density, no-till and subsoiling with cover were vastly superior in increasing water use (+10.5%) efficiency and yield (+12.9%) compared to traditional tillage methods. Four years of no-till followed by one subsoiling reduced mechanical inputs by 62%, providing an economic benefit of 49% for maize and 209% for wheat production compared to traditional tillage. Annual subsoiling reduced inputs by 25% with an increased economic benefit of 23% for maize and 135% for wheat production. Yield and power consumption was improved by 5% and 20%, respectively, by combining subsoiling with the planting operation in one pass compared with multipass operations of subsoiling and planting. A key conclusion from this is that annual subsoiling in dryland areas of northern China is uneconomical and unwarranted. Four years of no-till operations followed by 1 year subsoiling provided some relief from accumulated soil compaction. However, minimum soil disturbance and maximum soil cover are key elements of no-till for saving water and improving yields. Improved yields and reduced farm power consumption could provide a significant base on which to promote combined planter and subsoiling operations throughout northern China. Further research is required to develop a better understanding of the linkages between conservation tillage, soil quality and yield, aimed at designing most appropriate conservation tillage schemes.     

Soil fertility properties on Agave angustifolia Haw. plantations

This study examined the variations in soil physical, chemical and biological properties from Agave angustifolia fields in three sites with different topographic conditions (valley, hill and mountain), in Oaxaca, Mexico, associated with the tillage systems, disk ploughing (DP), animal drawn ploughing (ADP) and minimum tillage (MT), respectively. Plant ages were 1.5–3.5 years (class 1), 3.6–5.5 years (class 2) and 5.6–7.5 years (class 3). Soil samples were taken at two soil depths (0–20 and 21–40 cm) from plots of 4000 m² within each site and plant age classes, during the spring of 2005. The main changes in soil properties were found in the mountain site. Soil bulk density (2.0 g cm⁻³), cone penetration resistance (CPR) (3.96 MPa), 0.7 and 1.0 mm water stable aggregates (WSA) (28.3 g kg⁻¹ and 102.2 g kg⁻¹, respectively) were higher in the mountain site than in the hill and valley fields. This result is consistent with the rocky substrate beneath the shallow soil. Soil organic carbon (SOC) (23.9 g kg⁻¹), available N (23.1 mg kg⁻¹) and soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) (969.6 μg g⁻¹) at the mountain site showed the highest values, suggesting that MT practiced in this topographic condition favours the organic matter accumulation and biological activity. Soil microbial biomass carbon and SOC seem to be the soil properties that were mainly affected by the sites and soil management associated with them. For the three sites, SOC, P_Olsen, available N, exchangeable Na⁺ and SMBC were higher at 0–20 cm depth than at 21–40 cm depth within each site. Exchangeable Ca²⁺ and K⁺, P_Olsen and CPR increased with plant age. In contrast, available N decreased. Soil chemical properties were more affected by the age of the plant than physical and biological properties. Results reported here represent a reference of the fertility properties of soils cultivated with A. angustifolia, which could be used in further studies focused on management and tillage systems.     

Distribution of light and heavy fractions of soil organic carbon as related to land use and tillage practice

Mass distributions of different soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions are influenced by land use and management. Concentrations of C and N in light- and heavy fractions of bulk soils and aggregates in 0–20 cm were determined to evaluate the role of aggregation in SOC sequestration under conventional tillage (CT), no-till (NT), and forest treatments. Light- and heavy fractions of SOC were separated using 1.85 g mL⁻¹ sodium polytungstate solution. Soils under forest and NT preserved, respectively, 167% and 94% more light fraction than those under CT. The mass of light fraction decreased with an increase in soil depth, but significantly increased with an increase in aggregate size. C concentrations of light fraction in all aggregate classes were significantly higher under NT and forest than under CT. C concentrations in heavy fraction averaged 20, 10, and 8 g kg⁻¹ under forest, NT, and CT, respectively. Of the total SOC pool, heavy fraction C accounted for 76% in CT soils and 63% in forest and NT soils. These data suggest that there is a greater protection of SOC by aggregates in the light fraction of minimally disturbed soils than that of disturbed soil, and the SOC loss following conversion from forest to agriculture is attributed to reduction in C concentrations in both heavy and light fractions. In contrast, the SOC gain upon conversion from CT to NT is primarily attributed to an increase in C concentration in the light fraction.     

旋耕式大蒜播种机关键部件优化及性能试验

为了提高旋耕式大蒜播种机对新疆大蒜种植模式的适应性,依据新疆蒜种外形尺寸优化蒜种勺参数,提高取种单粒率,降低空穴率及重播率。选择机具性能的主要因素(机具作业速度、大蒜种子外形尺寸、鳞芽长度),采用单因素试验分析进行田间试验,分析不同参数对大蒜播种机正芽率、空穴率、重播率的影响,得出各因素影响程度,为后期机具优化提供理论依据。     

秸秆旋埋还田后空间分布效果仿真与试验

对传统旋耕机(TR)、秸秆旋埋还田机(SR)和深松+秸秆旋埋还田机(SSR)进行了秸秆还田离散元仿真和田间试验对比。通过设计的秸秆三维坐标测量装置对秸秆在土壤中的空间坐标进行了测量,并在三维绘图软件中还原了秸秆在土壤中的空间状态,及秸秆在三维图中量化及可视化显示。对取样立方体进行分层、横向及纵向划分等探究了秸秆在土壤中垂直分布及水平分布的均匀性。利用离散元软件建立了相应的仿真模型,并与田间试验设定了相同的作业参数,在仿真作业完成后,通过设置不同尺寸的Geometry Bin计算区域内秸秆数量,并分别对应实际田间作业的分层、横向和纵向划分。在分层处理中,仿真与实测结果表明,SR和SSR埋入土壤中的秸秆量都明显大于TR,尤其是埋入土壤下层的秸秆量均是TR的数倍。TR、SR和SSR作业后各层秸秆占比仿真值和实测值的变异系数均呈递减趋势,其中SSR的变异系数最小,分别为28. 8%和28. 7%。3种耕作装备下仿真值与实测值的变异系数相差不大,平均误差为9. 6%。横向和纵向划分中,TR、SR和SSR的各区域秸秆占比仿真值和实测值的变异系数无绝对规律,SSR的变异系数均最小。离散元仿真和田间试验结果表明,SSR秸秆还田后,秸秆在土壤中垂直分布和水平分布的均匀性均最优。离散元仿真较好地拟合了实际田间作业后秸秆的空间分布状态,相对误差在可接受范围内。     

基于田间摄像的多参数水稻土深松扰动行为与效应研究

耕作机具的土壤扰动行为密切联系土壤失效机理与耕作效应,是优化耕作系统的重要依据。本研究通过土壤耕作原位综合测试平台开展单铲深松试验,从5个方位录制深松视频,同时配合使用微地貌测试、耕作阻力测试、EDEM仿真、深松扰动剖面土壤紧实度测试和深松理论检验,探究深松铲入土角α和耕深D对水稻土深松扰动过程、土壤失效机理及深松效应的影响。结果表明,摄像法提取的纵向碎土距离R、扰动宽度W及抬土高度H与α和D显著相关,可用于水稻土深松扰动行为的定量表述。摄像法显示水稻土难以脆性断裂,铲两侧发生非对称性土壤剪切失效。土壤沿曲柄攀升,抬土高度H随α增大,随D减小,表明深松铲的设计参数和作业参数同时影响抬土能力。R随对应耕深范围内铲的纵向水平长度L线性增加,W随α线性增加。地表平整度S和扰动宽度W均在耕深20 cm时最大。深松土壤扰动行为的EDEM仿真从微观层面再现了摄像法记录的非对称性失效、侧向挤压失效和深松新月形失效现象,表明该离散元模型用于解析水稻土深松力学的科学性。EDEM仿真进一步显示出应力集中区沿铲尖与铲柄破土刃周期性上下移动,同时也对铲下方底层土造成挤压。深松扰动剖面土壤紧实度等值线图验证了仿真过程中铲尖下方形成的土壤压实带,并直观展示出耕深30 cm时,犁底层土壤因侧向挤压流变形成的沟槽状紧实壁面。本文结合田间原位摄像法的多参数测试研究可为深松铲和耕作系统的优化提供依据。