Runoff and sheet erosion from tillage trials under artificial rainfall at Harden, New South Wales

Artificial rainfall was applied to g-m-long plots after the harvest of a canola crop in experiments on a grazed cropping system using a rotation that alternated wheat with lupins and canola. Three tillage treatments were selected for the experiments: one was a direct-drill treatment, while the other two involved the use of a reduced tillage practice during the preparation of the seed bed. Tillage treatment was found to have no substantial effect on runoff and sediment concentration resulting from sheet erosion during the post-harvest period. At sowing time, tillage again had no significant effect on sediment concentration but did have a significant effect on runoff. The roughness produced by the tillage provided a substantial capacity to store water and detached soil particles in surface depressions immediately after cultivation, and the decline in this surface roughness during rainfall was sufficiently small to cause little or no runoff when 1h of 70 mm/h rain was applied to a cultivated surface. The results support indications from SOILOSS, a model that provides local implementation of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), that reduced-till may be as effective as direct-drill at conserving soil at this site. However, since the experiments were restricted to sheet erosion, and no experiments were performed between sowing and harvest or with other crops in the rotation, the results do not provide unconditional support for the SOILOSS result. Despite the result of the experiments reported here, soil erosion risk is likely to be substantially reduced on a field scale through the use of tillage practices which, like the direct-drill treatment, maintain anchored and unanchored crop residue during the fellow and post-sowing periods. Data were also collected in relation to an examination of the ability of the Soil Water Infiltration and Movement (SWIM) model to predict runoff during the post-harvest period. SWIM tended to underpredict runoff but the difference between the observed amount of runoff and that predicted by SWIM was statistically not significant.

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Effect of tillage, slope, and rainfall on soil surface microtopography quantified by geostatistical and fractal indices during sheet erosion

Open Geosciences ◽

10.1515/geo-2020-0036 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 232-241

Author(s):

Na Ta ◽

Chutian Zhang ◽

Hongru Ding ◽

Qingfeng Zhang

Keyword(s):

Surface Roughness ◽

Fractal Dimension ◽

Soil Surface ◽

Rainfall Events ◽

Tillage Practices ◽

Surface Microtopography ◽

Artificial Rainfall ◽

Soil Surface Roughness ◽

The Difference ◽

Sheet Erosion

AbstractTillage and slope will influence soil surface roughness that changes during rainfall events. This study tests this effect under controlled conditions quantified by geostatistical and fractal indices. When four commonly adopted tillage practices, namely, artificial backhoe (AB), artificial digging (AD), contour tillage (CT), and linear slope (CK), were prepared on soil surfaces at 2 × 1 × 0.5 m soil pans at 5°, 10°, or 20° slope gradients, artificial rainfall with an intensity of 60 or 90 mm h−1 was applied to it. Measurements of the difference in elevation points of the surface profiles were taken before rainfall and after rainfall events for sheet erosion. Tillage practices had a relationship with fractal indices that the surface treated with CT exhibited the biggest fractal dimension D value, followed by the surfaces AD, AB, and CK. Surfaces under a stronger rainfall tended to have a greater D value. Tillage treatments affected anisotropy differently and the surface CT had the strongest effect on anisotropy, followed by the surfaces AD, AB, and CK. A steeper surface would have less effect on anisotropy. Since the surface CT had the strongest effect on spatial variability or the weakest spatial autocorrelation, it had the smallest effect on runoff and sediment yield. Therefore, tillage CT could make a better tillage practice of conserving water and soil. Simultaneously, changes in semivariogram and fractal parameters for surface roughness were examined and evaluated. Fractal parameter – crossover length l – is more sensitive than fractal dimension D to rainfall action to describe vertical differences in soil surface roughness evolution.

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Influences of Conservation Tillage Practices on Farmland Soil Ecological Factors and Productive Benefits in Dryland Region with Triple Cropping System

ACTA AGRONOMICA SINICA ◽

10.3724/sp.j.1006.2013.01880 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 39 (10) ◽

pp. 1880

Author(s):

Long-Chang WANG ◽

Cong-Ming ZOU ◽

Yun-Lan ZHANG ◽

Sai ZHANG ◽

Xiao-Yu ZHANG ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Conservation Tillage ◽

Ecological Factors ◽

Cropping System ◽

Tillage Practices ◽

Farmland Soil

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Assessment of the sustainability of the rice-maize cropping system in the Red River Delta of Vietnam and developing reduced tillage practices in rice-maize system in the area

Journal of Vietnamese Environment ◽

10.13141/jve.vol5.no1.pp1-7 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Thi Thanh Ly Le

Keyword(s):

Cropping System ◽

River Delta ◽

Red River ◽

Viet Nam ◽

Red River Delta ◽

Maize Crop ◽

Tillage Practices ◽

Land Use Efficiency ◽

The North ◽

System Sustainability

Rice and maize are global staple food and play an important role in world’s food security strategy. Vietnam is one of rice leading export countries but annually it has to import a considerate amount of maize for cattle food processing. Red River Delta in the north of Vietnam is the second rice bucket of the country, which is responsible for more than 20% of total rice production. The priority crops in the areas are rice and maize and rice-maize system is the leading cropping system in the area. Currently, it is reported that the rice-maize cropping system is not sustainable and its profit is reducing in most of production areas in the Red River Delta. Improving rice cropping system aims is not only to increase rice and maize yields and production but also to improve the land use efficiency, decline the cost of the production and to increase system sustainability. To increase sustainability there must be a linkage of various factors. This review emphasizes on increasing rice-maize crop sustainability by applying appropriate agriculture practices such as reducing chemical fertilization and intensive tillage. Gạo và ngô là nguồn lương thực chính cho toàn cầu và đóng một vai trò quan trọng trong chiến lược an ninh lương thực của thế giới. Việt Nam là một trong những nước dẫn đầu về xuất khẩu gạo nhưng hàng năm vẫn phải nhập một số lượng lớn ngô để chế biến thức ăn gia súc. Đồng bằng sông Hồng là một trong hai vựa lúa lớn của Việt Nam sản xuất khoảng 20% sản lượng lúa gạo của cả nước. Ở đồng bằng sông Hồng, lúa và ngô là hai cây trồng chính là hệ canh tác lúa-ngô là cơ cấu cây trồng hàng đầu trong vùng. Tuy nhiên, trong những năm gần đây, rất nhiều đánh giá cho thấy hệ thống canh tác lúa-ngô là hệ thống canh tác không bền vững và các lợi nhuận của mang lại từ cơ cấu canh tác ở hầu hết các khu vực sản xuất ở vùng đồng bằng sông Hồng của Việt Nam đã và đang giảm dần. Do đó, việc cải thiện cơ cấu canh tác lúa -ngô không chỉ nhằm mục đích tăng năng suất lúa và ngô mà còn nâng cao hiệu quả sử dụng đất, giảm chi phí sản xuất và tăng cường hệ thống canh tác bền vững. Tuy nhiên, để tăng tính bền vững của hệ thống canh tác thì phải liên kết nhiều yếu tố khác nhau. Bài viết này dựa vào các kết quả nghiên cứu của các tác giả khác nhau để đưa ra những giải pháp tích cực làm tăng tính bền vững của hệ thống canh tác lúa - ngô bằng cách áp dụng các phương pháp canh tác hợp lý như giảm sử dụng phân hóa học và các biện pháp canh tác thâm canh như áp dụng phương pháp làm đất tối thiểu.

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Cropping system influences on soil physical properties in the Great Plains

Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems ◽

10.1079/raf2005122 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 15-25 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

J.L. Pikul ◽

R.C. Schwartz ◽

J.G. Benjamin ◽

R.L. Baumhardt ◽

S. Merrill

Keyword(s):

Physical Properties ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Aggregate Size ◽

Cropping System ◽

Soil Physical Properties ◽

Water Infiltration ◽

Soil Conditions ◽

System Effect ◽

Near Surface ◽

Infiltration Rates

AbstractAgricultural systems produce both detrimental and beneficial effects on soil quality (SQ). We compared soil physical properties of long-term conventional (CON) and alternative (ALT) cropping systems near Akron, Colorado (CO); Brookings, South Dakota (SD); Bushland, Texas (TX); Fargo, North Dakota (ND); Mandan (ND); Mead, Nebraska (NE); Sidney, Montana (MT); and Swift Current, Saskatchewan (SK), Canada. Objectives were to quantify the changes in soil physical attributes in cropping systems and assess the potential of individual soil attributes as sensitive indicators of change in SQ. Soil samples were collected three times per year from each treatment at each site for one rotation cycle (4 years at Brookings and Mead). Water infiltration rates were measured. Soil bulk density (BD) and gravimetric water were measured at 0–7.5, 7.5–15, and 15–30 cm depth increments and water-filled pore space ratio (WFPS) was calculated. At six locations, a rotary sieve was used to separate soil (top 5 cm) into six aggregate size groups and calculate mean weight diameter (MWD) of dry aggregates. Under the CON system at Brookings, dry aggregates (>19 mm) abraded into the smallest size class (<0.4 mm) on sieving. In contrast, the large aggregates from the ALT system abraded into size classes between 2 and 6 mm. Dry aggregate size distribution (DASD) shows promise as an indicator of SQ related to susceptibility of soil to wind erosion. Aggregates from CON were least stable in water. Soil C was greater under ALT than CON for both Brookings and Mead. At other locations, MWD of aggregates under continuous crop or no tillage (ALT systems) was greater than MWD under CON. There was no crop system effect on water infiltration rates for locations having the same tillage within cropping system. Tillage resulted in increased, decreased, or unchanged near-surface BD. Because there was significant temporal variation in water infiltration, MWD, and BD, conclusions based on a single point-in-time observation should be avoided. Elevated WFPS at Fargo, Brookings, and Mead may have resulted in anaerobic soil conditions during a portion of the year. Repeated measurements of WFPS or DASD revealed important temporal characteristics of SQ that could be used to judge soil condition as affected by management.

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Changes in Soil Properties and Productivity under Different Tillage Practices and Wheat Genotypes: A Short-Term Study in Iran

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10093273 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 3273 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Shokoofeh Khorami ◽

Seyed Kazemeini ◽

Sadegh Afzalinia ◽

Mahesh Gathala

Keyword(s):

Soil Properties ◽

Block Design ◽

Water Productivity ◽

C:N Ratio ◽

Wheat Yield ◽

Water Infiltration ◽

Reduced Tillage ◽

Short Term ◽

Wheat Genotypes ◽

Tillage Practices

Natural resources are the most limiting factors for sustainable agriculture in Iran. Traditional practices are intensive tillage that leads to a negative impact on crop productivity and soil properties. Conservation agriculture including tillage reductions, better agronomy, and improved varieties, showed encouraging results. The goal of this study was to test combined effect of tillage practices and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes on soil properties as well as crop and water productivity. The experiment was conducted at Zarghan, Fars, Iran during 2014–2016. Experimental treatments were three-tillage practices—conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT), and no tillage (NT)—and four wheat genotypes were randomized in the main and subplots, respectively using split-plot randomized complete block design with three replications. Results showed NT had higher soil bulk density at surface soil, thereby lower cumulative water infiltration. The lowest soil organic carbon and total nitrogen were obtained under CT that led to the highest C:N ratio. Reduced tillage produced higher wheat yield and maize (Zea mays L.) biomass. Maximum irrigation water was applied under CT, which leads lower water productivity. The findings are based on short-term results, but it is important to evaluate medium- and long-term effects on soil properties, crop yields and water use in future.

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Impacts of tillage practices on soil carbon stocks in the US corn-soybean cropping system during 1998 to 2016

Environmental Research Letters ◽

10.1088/1748-9326/ab6393 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 014008

Author(s):

Zhen Yu ◽

Chaoqun Lu ◽

David A Hennessy ◽

Hongli Feng ◽

Hanqin Tian

Keyword(s):

Soil Carbon ◽

Cropping System ◽

Carbon Stocks ◽

Tillage Practices ◽

The Us ◽

Soil Carbon Stocks

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Do Long-Term Continuous Cropping and Pesticides Affect Earthworm Communities?

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10040586 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 586 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kinga Treder ◽

Magdalena Jastrzębska ◽

Marta Katarzyna Kostrzewska ◽

Przemysław Makowski

Keyword(s):

Soil Ph ◽

Faba Bean ◽

Plant Protection ◽

Spring Barley ◽

Cropping System ◽

Continuous Cropping ◽

Harvest Residues ◽

Post Harvest ◽

Density And Biomass

Earthworm species composition, the density of individuals, and their biomass were investigated in spring barley and faba bean fields in a long-term (52-year) experiment conducted at the Production and Experimental Station in Bałcyny, in north-eastern Poland (53°40′ N; 19°50′ E). Additionally, post-harvest residues biomass, soil organic matter (SOM), and soil pH were recorded. The above traits were investigated using two experimental factors: I. cropping system—continuous cropping (CC) vs. crop rotation (CR) and II. pesticide plant protection: herbicide + fungicide (HF+) vs. no plant protection (HF−). A total of three species of Lumbricidae were found: Aporrectodea caliginosa (Sav.) in both crops, Aporrectodea rosea (Sav.) in spring barley, and Lumbricus terrestris (L.) in faba bean. The density and biomass of earthworms were unaffected by experimental treatments in spring barley fields, whereas in faba bean CC increased and HF+ decreased earthworm density and biomass in comparison with CR and HF− respectively. Total post-harvest residues in faba bean fields were higher under CC in relation to CR and under HF+ compared with HF− treatment in both crops. Compared to CR, CC increased soil pH in spring barley fields and decreased in faba bean fields. Experimental factors did not affect SOM. Earthworm density and biomass were positively correlated with SOM content.

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Effect of Tillage, Residue Management and Cropping System on the Properties of Soil

International Journal of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology ◽

10.3126/ijasbt.v6i2.20433 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 164-168 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Bibek Thapa ◽

Keshab Raj Pande ◽

Baburam Khanal ◽

Santosh Marahatta

Keyword(s):

Cropping System ◽

Conservation Agriculture ◽

Conventional Tillage ◽

Residue Management ◽

Zero Tillage ◽

Tillage Practices ◽

Residue Removal ◽

Main Plot ◽

Residue Retention

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of tillage practices, residue management and cropping system on soil properties at NMRP, Rampur, Chitwan from November 2015 to April 2016. The experiment was laid on Strip split design with combination of 12 different treatments i.e, zero tillage & conventional tillage as main plot in the strip, residue retention & residue removal as sub-plot factor and maize – wheat, maize + soybean – wheat & soybean – wheat cropping system as sub-sub plot factor. Three replications of the treatments were made. Soil sample before experiment and after harvest of wheat was taken (0-15cm). The experiment showed significant effect of zero tillage on organic carbon (2.169%) and on total soil nitrogen (0.112 %). Zero tillage with retention of residues is valuable tool for the conservation agriculture and helps in sustainability of soil however long-term research for the tillage management and residue retention should be conducted to highlight the major effects on change in properties of soil.Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 6(2): 164-168

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Analysis of the Similarity between in Silico Ideotypes and Phenotypic Profiles to Support Cultivar Recommendation—A Case Study on Phaseolus vulgaris L.

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10111733 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 1733

Author(s):

Livia Paleari ◽

Fosco M. Vesely ◽

Riccardo A. Ravasi ◽

Ermes Movedi ◽

Sofia Tartarini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Traits ◽

In Silico ◽

Cropping System ◽

Time Factors ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Light Extinction ◽

Sowing Time ◽

Light Extinction Coefficient ◽

Context Specific

Cultivar recommendation is a key factor in cropping system management. Classical approaches based on comparative multi-environmental trials can hardly explore the agro-climatic and management heterogeneity farmers may have to face. Moreover, they struggle to keep up with the number of genotypes commercially released each year. We propose a new approach based on the integration of in silico ideotyping and functional trait profiling, with the common bean (Phaseoulus vulgaris L.) in Northern Italy as a case study. Statistical distributions for six functional traits (light extinction coefficient, radiation use efficiency, thermal time to first pod and maturity, seed weight, plant height) were derived for 24 bean varieties. The analysis of soil, climate and management in the study area led us to define 21 homogeneous contexts, for which ideotypes were identified using the crop model STICS (Simulateur mulTIdisciplinaire pour les Cultures Standard), the E-FAST (Extended Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test) sensitivity analysis method, and the distributions of functional traits. For each context, the 24 cultivars were ranked according to the similarity (weighted Euclidean distance) with the ideotype. Context-specific ideotypes mainly differed for phenological adaptation to specific combinations of climate and management (sowing time) factors, and this reflected in the cultivar recommendation for the different contexts. Feedbacks from bean technicians in the study area confirmed the reliability of the results and, in turn, of the proposed methodology.

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Investigating rainfall duration effects on transport of chemicals from soil to surface runoff on a loess slope under artificial rainfall conditions

Soil and Water Research ◽

10.17221/98/2018-swr ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (No. 4) ◽

pp. 183-194

Author(s):

Yali Zhang ◽

Xiaoyang Li ◽

Xingchang Zhang ◽

Huaien Li

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Power Function ◽

Surface Runoff ◽

Concentration Curve ◽

Desorption Kinetics ◽

Concentration Change ◽

Rainfall Duration ◽

Loess Slope ◽

Artificial Rainfall ◽

Sheet Erosion

The release and transport of soil chemicals in water erosion conditions are important for the local environment, soil and water resources conservation. According to the artificial rainfall experiments with a constant rainfall intensity of 90 mm/h and different rainfall duration (30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 min), the traits of soil PO43–, K+, and Br– release and transport from soil to surface runoff on the loess slope were analysed, and a model describing the chemical concentration change in surface runoff under soil erosion conditions was developed. The runoff coefficient quickly increased in 15 min or so, and then it was stable in the range of 0.60–0.85. The sediment intensity decreased in 30 min and soon increased after severe sheet erosion occurred on the slope. The concentration curve of Br– in surface runoff can be divided into two stages, quickly decreasing in the initial 30 min after the surface runoff occurred, and then stable. The concentration curve of PO43– and K+ in surface runoff can be divided into three stages, quickly decreasing like Br– was decreasing, then stable, and increasing after severe sheet erosion began. Compared with the exponential function, the power function was found more suitable for fitting the change in chemicals in runoff with unsaturated soil; while neither of them could well fit the PO43– and K+ concentration change after severe erosion occurred. The transport of chemicals under complex soil erosion conditions seems to be a dynamic release process between surface runoff and sediment. Based on the convection-dispersion mechanism and desorption kinetics, the polynomial model under soil erosion conditions was created. For adsorbed PO43– and K+, it is more suitable to simulate that process than the power function, while it is not so good for mobile Br–.

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