Tillage effects on soil properties at different levels of fertilizer application in Punjab, Pakistan

The effects of cropping systems and management practices on soil properties provide essential information for assessing sustainability and environmental impact. Tillage and fertilizer rates were evaluated for their effects on soil bulk density (BD), penetration resistance, soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration and availability of macronutrients on a sandy clay loam (fine-loamy, mixed, hyperthermic Typic Haplargids, USDA; Luvic Yermosol, FAO) in a semi-arid region of Pakistan. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) were double-cropped from 1996 to 1998. Tillage treatments were minimum till (MT), conventional till (CT), and deep till (DT). Low, medium and high fertilizer rates were applied to wheat and cotton. BD was affected neither by tillage nor fertilizer rates. Soil penetration resistance was lower for DT than CT and MT. Tillage methods affected soil P concentration but did not affect N and K concentrations. However, fertilizer application significantly increased soil P and K concentrations. Concentrations of N, P, K and SOC were greater in the plough layer than sub-soil. Grain yield of wheat was significantly negatively correlated with penetration resistance and was positively correlated with soil P and K concentrations. Yield of cotton was significantly negatively correlated with soil BD. These data provide an experimental basis to re-evaluate recommendations for fertilizer rates and tillage methods for production of wheat and cotton in Punjab. Further, there is a strong need to establish long-term experiments to study agronomic and environmental effects of tillage methods, fertilizer rates, and cropping systems on productivity and environment quality.