Soil tillage systems: changes in soil structure and crop response

The introduction and intensification of no-tillage systems in Brazilian agriculture in recent decades have created a new scenario, increasing concerns about soil physical properties. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of different tillage systems on some physical properties of an Ultisol previously under native grassland. Five tillage methods were tested: no-tillage (NT), chiseling (Ch), no-tillage with chiseling every two years (NTCh2), chiseling using an equipment with a clod-breaking roller (ChR) and chiseling followed by disking (ChD). The bulk density, macroporosity, microporosity and total porosity, mechanical resistance to penetration, water infiltration into the soil and crop yields were evaluated. The values of soil bulk density, mechanical resistance to penetration and microporosity increased as macroporosity decreased. Soil bulk density was lower in tillage systems with higher levels of tillage/soil mobilization; highest values were observed in NT and the lowest in the ChD system. The water infiltration rate was highest in the ChR system, followed by the systems ChD, NT and NTCh2, while crop yields were higher in systems with less soil mobilization.

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The Performance of the DES Sensor for Estimating Soil Bulk Density under the Effect of Different Agronomic Practices

Geosciences ◽

10.3390/geosciences10040117 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 117 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ahmed Abed Gatea Alshammary ◽

Abbas Z. Kouzani ◽

Akif Kaynak ◽

Sui Yang Khoo ◽

Michael Norton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bulk Density ◽

Soil Depth ◽

Specific Energy Consumption ◽

Strong Relationship ◽

Soil Bulk Density ◽

Electromechanical System ◽

Soil Tillage ◽

Tillage Systems ◽

Agronomic Practices ◽

Lack Of Information

The estimation of soil wet bulk density (ρn) and dry bulk density (ρb) using the novel digital electromechanical system (DES) has provided information about important parameters for the assessment of soil quality and health with a direct application for agronomists. The evaluation of the DES performance is particularly appropriate for different tillage methods, mulching systems, and fertilizers used to increase soil fertility and productivity, but currently, there is a lack of information, particularly in the arid areas in underdeveloped countries. Therefore, the main aim of this study was the application of a novel digital electromechanical system (DES) to evaluate bulk density, wet (ρn) and dry (ρb), under different soil treatments according to the variations in thermal efficiencies (ηth), microwave penetration depths (MDP), and specific energy consumption (Qcon) in an experimental area close to Baghdad (Iraq). The experimental design consisted of 72 plots, each 4 m2. The agronomic practices included two different tillage systems (disc plough followed by a spring disk and mouldboard plough followed by a spring disk) and twelve treatments involving mulching plastic sheeting combined with fertilizers, to determine their effect on the measured soil ρn and ρb and the DES performance in different soils. The results indicated that soil ρn and ρb varied significantly with both the tillage systems and the mulching systems. As expected, the soil ρn and ρb, MDP, and Qcon increased with an increase in the soil depth. Moreover, the tillage, soil mulching, and soil depth value significantly affected ηth and Qcon. A strong relationship was identified between the soil tillage and MDP for different soil treatments, leading to the changes in soil ρb and the soil dielectric constant (ε’).

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Short and long-term effects of tillage systems and nutrient sources on soil physical properties of a Southern Brazilian Hapludox

Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo ◽

10.1590/s0100-06832008000400008 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 32 (4) ◽

pp. 1437-1446 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Milton da Veiga ◽

Dalvan José Reinert ◽

José Miguel Reichert ◽

Douglas Rodrigo Kaiser

Keyword(s):

Physical Properties ◽

Bulk Density ◽

Crop Residues ◽

Total Porosity ◽

Soil Physical Properties ◽

Soil Tillage ◽

Tillage Systems ◽

Nutrient Sources ◽

Over Time

Soil tillage promotes changes in soil structure. The magnitude of the changes varies with the nature of the soil, tillage system and soil water content and decreases over time after tillage. The objective of this study was to evaluate short-term (one year period) and long-term (nine year period) effects of soil tillage and nutrient sources on some physical properties of a very clayey Hapludox. Five tillage systems were evaluated: no-till (NT), chisel plow + one secondary disking (CP), primary + two (secondary) diskings (CT), CT with burning of crop residues (CTb), and CT with removal of crop residues from the field (CTr), in combination with five nutrient sources: control without nutrient application (C); mineral fertilizers, according to technical recommendations for each crop (MF); 5 Mg ha-1 yr-1 of poultry litter (wetmatter) (PL); 60 m³ ha-1 yr-1 of cattle slurry (CS) and; 40 m³ ha-1 yr-1 of swine slurry (SS). Bulk density (BD), total porosity (TP), and parameters related to the water retention curve (macroporosity, mesoporosity and microporosity) were determined after nine years and at five sampling dates during the tenth year of the experiment. Soil physical properties were tillage and time-dependent. Tilled treatments increased total porosity and macroporosity, and reduced bulk density in the surface layer (0.00-0.05 m), but this effect decreased over time after tillage operations due to natural soil reconsolidation, since no external stress was applied in this period. Changes in pore size distribution were more pronounced in larger and medium pore diameter classes. The bulk density was greatest in intermediate layers in all tillage treatments (0.05-0.10 and 0.12-0.17 m) and decreased down to the deepest layer (0.27-0.32 m), indicating a more compacted layer around 0.05-0.20 m. Nutrient sources did not significantly affect soil physical and hydraulic properties studied.

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Tillage systems and cover crops on soil physical properties after soybean cultivation

Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental ◽

10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v20n12p1057-1061 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 20 (12) ◽

pp. 1057-1061 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Rafael B. Teixeira ◽

Monica C. R. Z. Borges ◽

Cassiano G. Roque ◽

Marcela P. Oliveira

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Soil Bulk Density ◽

Conventional Tillage ◽

Soil Tillage ◽

Tillage Systems ◽

Mato Grosso ◽

Sunn Hemp ◽

Physical Attributes ◽

Mato Grosso Do Sul ◽

Resistance To Penetration

ABSTRACT Soil management alters soil physical attributes and may affect crop yield. In order to evaluate soil physical attributes in layers from 0 to 0.40 m and soybean grain yield, in the 2012/2013 agricultural year, an essay was installed in the experimental area of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS/CPCS). Soil tillage systems were: conventional tillage (CT), minimum tillage (MT) and no tillage (DS), the cover crops used were millet, sunn hemp and fallow. The experimental design was randomized blocks with split plots. For the layer of 0.20-0.30 m, millet provided the best results for soil bulk density, macro and microporosity. The resistance to penetration (RP) was influenced in the layer of 0-0.10 m, and millet provided lower RP. The DS provided the lowest RP values for the layer of 0.10-0.20 m. The treatments did not influence yield or thousand-seed weight.

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Soil Aggregation, Organic Carbon Concentration, and Soil Bulk Density As Affected by Cover Crop Species in a No-Tillage System

Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo ◽

10.1590/01000683rbcs20140388 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 871-879 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Adriano Stephan Nascente ◽

Yuncong Li ◽

Carlos Alexandre Costa Crusciol

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Bulk Density ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Soil Bulk Density ◽

Soil Aggregation ◽

Soil Tillage ◽

Panicum Maximum ◽

No Tillage ◽

Tillage System

Soil aggregation and the distribution of total organic carbon (TOC) may be affected by soil tillage and cover crops. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of crop rotation with cover crops on soil aggregation, TOC concentration in the soil aggregate fractions, and soil bulk density under a no-tillage system (NTS) and conventional tillage system (CTS, one plowing and two disking). This was a three-year study with cover crop/rice/cover crop/rice rotations in the Brazilian Cerrado. A randomized block experimental design with six treatments and three replications was used. The cover crops (treatments) were: fallow, Panicum maximum, Brachiaria ruziziensis, Brachiaria brizantha, and millet (Pennisetum glaucum). An additional treatment, fallow plus CTS, was included as a control. Soil samples were collected at the depths of 0.00-0.05 m, 0.05-0.10 m, and 0.10-0.20 m after the second rice harvest. The treatments under the NTS led to greater stability in the soil aggregates (ranging from 86.33 to 95.37 %) than fallow plus CTS (ranging from 74.62 to 85.94 %). Fallow plus CTS showed the highest number of aggregates smaller than 2 mm. The cover crops affected soil bulk density differently, and the millet treatment in the NTS had the lowest values. The cover crops without incorporation provided the greatest accumulation of TOC in the soil surface layers. The TOC concentration was positively correlated with the aggregate stability index in all layers and negatively correlated with bulk density in the 0.00-0.10 m layer.

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Influence of ryegrass managements on the physical properties of a Haplohumox

Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira ◽

10.1590/s0100-204x2018000800010 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 53 (8) ◽

pp. 952-960 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Bruno Vizioli ◽

Karina Maria Vieira Cavalieri-Polizeli ◽

Gabriel Barth

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Physical Properties ◽

Total Organic Carbon ◽

Bulk Density ◽

Block Design ◽

Soil Bulk Density ◽

Pedotransfer Functions ◽

Root Penetration ◽

Organic Carbon Content ◽

No Tillage

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) managements on the physical properties of a Haplohumox, and on the yields of corn and of ryegrass cultivated in succession to corn. The experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design, with three treatments and three replicates, in which treatments were the different managements of ryegrass under no-tillage for silage, soil cover, and grazing. After nine years of management, samples were collected at 0.00-0.05, 0.05-0.10, 0.10-0.20, and 0.20-0.30-m soil depths, to determine the following soil properties: texture, total organic carbon, soil bulk density, macroporosity, microporosity, total porosity, and resistance to root penetration. The index of structural stability was estimated from texture and total organic carbon data. Maximum soil bulk density and permanent wilting point were also estimated from pedotransfer functions. Corn and ryegrass dry matter yields were determined from plants harvested inside the plot area. Total organic carbon content increased as depth increased. The ryegrass managements in no-tillage system, in succession to corn, does not influence the soil physical properties of a Haplohumox, and maintains high corn and ryegrass yields.

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Soil organic carbon in no-tillage systems of different ages in Southwest Mato Grosso, Brazil

Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental ◽

10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v25n4p250-255 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 250-255

Author(s):

Renata M. Severiano ◽

Maria A. P. Pierangeli ◽

Nilton de S. Santos ◽

Vinícius Xavier

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Bulk Density ◽

Soil Bulk Density ◽

Carbon Stocks ◽

Native Vegetation ◽

No Tillage ◽

Tillage Systems ◽

Mato Grosso ◽

Tillage System

ABSTRACT The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of the no-tillage system on soil bulk density, soil organic carbon, and carbon stocks in Plinthic subgroups and Oxisols, located in Pontes and Lacerda, State of Mato Grosso, Brazil. The treatments were native vegetation and no-tillage systems established for 3, 8, 10, and 12 years. To analyse soil organic carbon, soils were sampled in each area, with three repetitions, at layers of 0-0.05; 0.05-0.10; 0.10-0.20; 0.20-0.40; 0.40-0.60; 0.60-1.00; 1.00-1.50 and 1.50-2.00 m. For soil bulk density, undisturbed samples were collected at layers of 0-0.20 and 0.20-0.40 m. Compared with areas of native vegetation, soil bulk density values after 12 years increased by 25% in Oxisols and 30% in the Plinthic subgroups. In Oxisols and Plinthic subgroups, respectively, organic carbon concentration was, on average, 20.57, 25.04 g kg-1 under native vegetation; 16.82, 16.59 g kg-1 after 3 years of no-tillage; 13.31, 4.96 g kg-1 after 8 years; 16.52, 14.39 g kg-1 after 10 years; and 17.97, 18.53 g kg-1 after 12 years. In both soils, the no-tillage system contributed to an increase in carbon stocks over the years, but not at depth, being generally limited to the top 0.20 m of the soils. Compared to native vegetation, after 12 years of no-tillage, carbon stocks decreased at a rate of 0.075 Mg ha-1 year-1 in the Plinthic subgroups and increased by 2.3 Mg ha-1 year-1 in Oxisols.

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Plant response to mechanical resistance and air-filled porosity of soils under conventional and no-tillage system

Scientia Agricola ◽

10.1590/s0103-90162004000400016 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 61 (4) ◽

pp. 451-456 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Alvaro Pires da Silva ◽

Silvia Imhoff ◽

Beverley Kay

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Bulk Density ◽

Soil Water ◽

Conventional Tillage ◽

Plant Response ◽

Mechanical Resistance ◽

No Tillage ◽

Tillage Systems ◽

Physical Conditions ◽

Tillage System

Roots may respond to restrictive soil physical conditions and send signals to shoots to control plant growth. Soil mechanical resistance and aeration can be managed to improve the soil physical conditions for plant growth by using different tillage systems. The objective of this study was to quantify the influence of no-tillage and conventional-tillage systems on plant response to soil mechanical resistance and aeration. The study was carried out on a farm, cultivated with corn, with a side-by-side comparison of no-tillage and conventional-tillage systems. Thirty-two paired sampling sites were located along two transects, located one in each treatment. Soil water content, bulk density, and plant growth were measured in each treatment. Based on the soil water and bulk density measurements, the air-filled porosity values were computed for each treatment. Soil water contents and bulk density values were converted to soil mechanical resistance by using the soil resistance curve. Plant growth varied positively with soil air-filled porosity, and negatively with soil mechanical resistance in both tillage systems. However, the decrease rates/increase rates were dependent on the tillage system. The no-tillage system somehow improved the soil physical conditions for the plants, especially when they were more restrictive, allowing them to attain greater values of growth.

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Pengaruh Frekuensi Pengolahan Tanah dan Pupuk Kompos terhadap Sifat Fisik Tanah dan Hasil Jagung

Agrotrop : Journal on Agriculture Science ◽

10.24843/ajoas.2019.v09.i02.p06 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 154

Author(s):

I PUTU DHARMA ◽

I NYOMAN PUJA

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Moisture Content ◽

Physical Properties ◽

Bulk Density ◽

Soil Moisture Content ◽

Block Design ◽

Soil Physical Properties ◽

Soil Tillage ◽

Corn Yield ◽

No Tillage

The Effect of Soil Tillages Frequency and Compost Fertilizer on Soil Physical Properties and Corn Yields. The aims of this research is to determine of effect soil tillage frequency and compost fertilizer on soil physical properties and corn yields. The method was used a Randomized Block Design (RBD), factorial consisting of two factors, namely: Soil Tillages Frequency (T) consists of 3 levels, namely: T0 = no tillage; T1 = if one time and T2 = if twice. Compost Fertilizer (K) consists of 3 levels, namely: K0 = Without compost, K1 = 5 tons compost/ha and B2 = 10 tons compost/ha. Combination treatment into 9 treatments, namely T0K0 , T0K1, T0K2, T1K0, T1K1, T1K2, T2K0, T2K1, T2K2. and each treatment was repeated 3 times, so there were 27 research plots.The results showed that the soil tillage frequency and compost fertilizer had no significant effect on the soil physical properties and corn yields. Twice soil tillage frequency resulted bulk density, porosity, soil moisture content and dry corn yields respectively 1.01 g/cm3, 60.98%, 37.31% and 0.83 kg/m2, and not significant different compared with no tillage which is 1.03 g/cm3, 60.43%, 36.57% and 0.81 kg/m2. Addition of 10 tons compost/ha resulted bulk density, porosity, soil moisture content and dry corn yield respectively 0.99 g/cm3, 61.75%, 38.21% and 0.86 kg/m2, and not significant different compared with without compost fertilizer which is 1.06 g/cm3, 59.40%, 36.44% and 0.80 kg/m2.

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Water infiltration into soil related to the soil tillage intensity

Soil and Water Research ◽

10.17221/2098-swr ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 2 (No. 1) ◽

pp. 15-24 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

M. Kroulík ◽

J. Hůla ◽

R. Šindelář ◽

F. Illek

Keyword(s):

Physical Properties ◽

Bulk Density ◽

Clay Soil ◽

Soil Layer ◽

Infiltration Rate ◽

Soil Physical Properties ◽

Water Infiltration ◽

Soil Tillage ◽

Soil Protection ◽

Direct Drilling

Soil infiltration capacity is one of the key factors in the soil protection against unfavourable effects of water erosion. The purpose of its measuring was to compare and evaluate the changes of the soil physical properties and of water infiltration into soil caused by different intensity of soil cultivation at two individual sites. The ploughing (PL), shallow tillage (ST), and direct drilling (NT) effects on the soil physical properties, water infiltration into soil, and soil surface coverage with the crop residua under the soil condition loamy Haplic Luvisol, with long-term growing of maize (Zea mays L.) - Agroservis, 1st Agricultural, a.s., Vi&scaron;ňové - and clay soil of Calcic Chernozem (Cooperative farm Klapý), were compared. Soil bulk density values in the variant with ploughing showed in the depth up to 0.20 m considerably lower values as compared with the variants shallow tillage and direct drilling. Nevertheless, in the subsoil layer the bulk density of soil in the variant with ploughing increased in comparison with other variants. The results were also confirmed by the cone index values. At the plots in Vi&scaron;ňové the infiltration was evaluated utilising the double ring infiltrometer, and by means of the coloured water infiltration. The results revealed significant differences in the water infiltration rate at various stages of the soil loosening. The highest average values were recorded for ploughing (1.00 dm3/min). The lowest values were found for the shallow soil tillage (0.18 dm3/min). The variant with direct drilling showed values of 0.53 dm3/min. The coloured water infiltration evaluation showed a different character of water flow in soil. The variant with ploughing showed water saturation in the top layer, the variants with reduced tillage were characterised by vertical macropores and crack effects with the water drain into deeper layers. Ploughing proved its advantage for the short-term rainfall retention. Similar results were also brought in the evaluation on the plot with clay soil (Klapý). The loosening effect was evident during coloured water infiltration in the period of snow thawing. The loosed soil layer showed a significantly higher soil water holding capacity as compared with variants with reduced soil tillage. The result showed major differences in the water infiltration rate into soil and different characters of water infiltration into soil at different soil tillage.

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Soil Physical Properties and Soybean Yield as Influenced by Long-Term Tillage Systems and Cover Cropping in the Midsouth USA

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10124696 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 4696 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Amin Nouri ◽

Jaehoon Lee ◽

Xinhua Yin ◽

Donald D. Tyler ◽

Sindhu Jagadamma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Properties ◽

Geometric Mean ◽

Aggregate Stability ◽

Soil Physical Properties ◽

Water Infiltration ◽

No Tillage ◽

Tillage Systems ◽

Soybean Yield ◽

Cover Cropping

A better understanding of the effect of long-term tillage management on soil properties and yield is essential for sustainable food production. This research aimed to evaluate the 37-year impact of different tillage systems and cover cropping on soil hydro-physical properties at 0–15 and 15–30 cm, as well as on soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] yield. The long-term experiment was located in Jackson, TN, and the different treatments involved in this study were no-tillage (NT), disk (DP), chisel (CP), moldboard plow (MP), and no-tillage with winter wheat [Triticum aestivum (L.)] cover crop (NTW). Forty-five days after the tillage operation, MP showed a comparable bulk density (BD) with NT, NTW, and CP at 0–15 cm depth. At surface depth, No-tillage systems increased cone penetration resistance (PR) by 12% compared with the reduced tillage systems, and 47% relative to MP. Wet aggregate stability (WAS) at surface depth was 27% and 36% greater for NT systems than for reduced and conventional tillage systems, respectively. Similarly, the geometric mean diameter (GMD) of aggregates was significantly higher under NT and NTW. However, water infiltration and field-saturated hydraulic conductivity (Kfs) did not differ significantly among tillage systems. The greatest soybean yield was obtained from CP and DP, producing 10% higher yield than NTW. Overall, 37 years of no-tillage, with or without simplified cover cropping did not result in a consistent improvement in soybean yield and soil physical properties with the exception of having improved soil aggregation.

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