Effect of long-term conventional tillage and no-tillage systems on soil and water quality at the field scale

2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 183-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.S. Tan ◽  
C.F. Drury ◽  
W.D. Reynolds ◽  
J.D. Gaynor ◽  
T.Q. Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
Tile Drainage ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Field Scale ◽  
N Loss ◽  
Tillage Systems

No-tillage (NT) is becoming increasingly attractive to farmers because it clearly reduces soil erosion and production costs relative to conventional tillage (CT). However, the impacts of no-tillage on the quantity and quality of tile drainage water are less well known. Accordingly, two adjacent field scale on-farm CT and NT sites were established to compare the impacts of the two tillage systems on tile drainage and NO3-N loss in tile drainage water. The effect of the two tillage systems on soil structure, hydraulic conductivity, and earthworm population were also investigated. The total NO3-N loss in tile drainage water over the 5-yr period (1995-1999) was 82.3 kg N ha−1 for the long-term NT site and 63.7 kg N ha−1 for the long-term CT site. The long-term NT site had 48% more tile drainage (6,975 kL ha−1) than the long-term CT site (4,716 kL ha−1). The average flow weighted mean (FWM) NO3-N concentration in tile drainage water over the 5-yr period was 11.8 mg N L−1 for the NT site and 13.5 mg N L−1 for the CT site. For both tillage systems, approximately 80% of tile drainage and NO3-N loss in tile drainage water occurred during the November to April non-growing season. Long-term NT improved wet aggregate stability, increased near-surface hydraulic conductivity and increased both the number and mass of earthworms relative to long-term CT. The greater tile drainage and NO3-N loss under NT were attributed to an increase in continuous soil macropores, as implied by greater hydraulic conductivity and greater numbers of earthworms.

Effect of controlled drainage and tillage on soil structure and tile drainage nitrate loss at the field scale

1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 103-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. S. Tan ◽  
C. F. Drury ◽  
M. Soultani ◽  
I. J. van Wesenbeeck ◽  
H. Y. F. Ng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Structure ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Drainage System ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
Tile Drainage ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Controlled Drainage ◽  
Nitrate Loss ◽  
Free Drainage

Conservation tillage has become an attractive form of agricultural management practices for corn and soybean production on heavy textured soil in southern Ontario because of the potential for improving soil quality. A controlled drainage system combined with conservation tillage practices has also been reported to improve water quality. In Southwestern Ontario, field scale on farm demonstration sites were established in a paired watershed (no-tillage vs. conventional tillage) on clay loam soil to study the effect of tillage system on soil structure and water quality. The sites included controlled drainage and free drainage systems to monitor their effect on nitrate loss in the tile drainage water. Soil structure, organic matter content and water storage in the soil profile were improved with no-tillage (NT) compared to conventional tillage (CT). No-tillage also increased earthworm populations. No-tillage was found to have higher tile drainage volume and nitrate loss which were attributed to an increase in soil macropores from earthworm activity. The controlled drainage system (CD) reduced nitrate loss in tile drainage water by 14% on CT site and 25.5% on NT site compared to the corresponding free drainage system (DR) from May, 1995 to April 30, 1997. No-tillage farming practices are definitely enhanced by using a controlled drainage system for preventing excessive nitrate leaching through tile drainage. Average soybean yields for CT site were about 12 to 14% greater than the NT site in 1995 and 1996. However, drainage systems had very little effect on soybean yields in 1995 and 1996 due to extremely dry growing seasons.

Determinants of annual fluxes of CO2 and N2O in long-term no-tillage and conventional tillage systems in northern France

2007 ◽  
Vol 95 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 133-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrien Oorts ◽  
Roel Merckx ◽  
Eric Gréhan ◽  
Jérôme Labreuche ◽  
Bernard Nicolardot
Keyword(s):  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
Northern France

scholarly journals Long-Term Trial of Tillage Systems for Sugarcane: Effect on Topsoil Hydrophysical Attributes

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3448
Author(s):  
Aline Fachin Martíni ◽  
Gustavo Pereira Valani ◽  
Laura Fernanda Simões da Silva ◽  
Denizart Bolonhezi ◽  
Simone Di Prima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Total Porosity ◽  
Tropical Region ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
Essential Information

Seeking to provide essential information about sustainable tillage systems, this work aimed to assess the effects of liming and soil cultivation systems on the soil hydrophysical attributes of a long-term cultivated sugarcane field in the tropical region of southeast Brazil. Infiltration tests and soil sampling down to 0.10 m were performed in order to determine saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, soil bulk density, soil total porosity, macroporosity, microporosity, and soil resistance to penetration. The studied areas include no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) systems with 0 (CT0 and NT0) and 4 (CT4 and NT4) Mg ha−1 of lime, and an adjoining area with native forest (NF). The data analysis included an analysis of variance followed by the Tukey test to compare different systems, assessment of the Pearson correlation coefficient between variables, and a principal component analysis of the dataset. The lowest bulk density and highest soil total porosity, macroporosity and saturated hydraulic conductivity were found in the NF. The bulk density in CT4 and NT0 was higher than in other systems, indicating the need for amelioration. NT4 is suggested as the most viable system for conservation agriculture in sugarcane fields, combining the benefits of no-tillage and liming to enhance soil hydrophysical functions.

scholarly journals Long term effects of different soil tillage systems on maize (Zea mays L.) yields

2011 ◽  
Vol 57 (No. 4) ◽  
pp. 186-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ž. Videnović ◽  
M. Simić ◽  
J. Srdić ◽  
Z. Dumanović
Keyword(s):  
Zea Mays L ◽  
Maize Yield ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Soil Tillage ◽  
Reduced Tillage ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
Maize Production

The effects of three tillage systems: no-tillage (NT), reduced tillage (RT) and conventional tillage (CT), and three levels of fertilization (0, 258 and 516 kg/ha NPK (58:18:24)), on the maize yield during ten years (1999–2008) were analyzed on the chernozem soil type in Zemun Polje, Serbia. Statistical analyses showed significant effects of all three factors i.e., year, soil tillage and amount of fertilizers, and their interactions on the maize yield. The ten-year averages showed that the highest yields were observed with CT (10.61 t/ha), while the averages with RT and NT were lower (8.99 t/ha and 6.85 t/ha, respectively). The results of the influence of the amount of the applied fertilizers on maize yield showed that the lowest yield was in the zero level of fertilization 7.71 t/ha, while the yield was raised when the 258 kg/ha and 516 kg/ha NPK were applied (9.18 t/ha and 9.56 t/ha, respectively). Analyzing the influence of the soil tillage systems on maize production with respect to the amounts of applied fertilizers, this research revealed the benefits of CT under the presented agroecological conditions, irrespective of the level of applied fertilizer.

scholarly journals Effects of No-Tillage and Conventional Tillage on Physical and Hydraulic Properties of Fine Textured Soils under Winter Wheat

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirko Castellini ◽  
Francesco Fornaro ◽  
Pasquale Garofalo ◽  
Luisa Giglio ◽  
Michele Rinaldi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Hydraulic Properties ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Field Capacity ◽  
Infiltration Rate ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Long Term Effects

The conversion from conventional tillage (CT) to no-tillage (NT) of the soil is often suggested for positive long-term effects on several physical and hydraulic soil properties. In fact, although shortly after the conversion a worsening of the soil may occur, this transition should evolve in a progressive improvement of soil properties. Therefore, investigations aiming at evaluating the effects of NT on porous media are advisable, since such information may be relevant to better address the farmers’ choices to this specific soil conservation management strategy. In this investigation, innovative and standard methods were applied to compare CT and NT on two farms where the conversion took place 6 or 24 years ago, respectively. Regardless of the investigated farm, results showed negligible differences in cumulative infiltration or infiltration rate, soil sorptivity, saturated hydraulic conductivity, conductive pores size, or hydraulic conductivity functions. Since relatively small discrepancies were also highlighted in terms of bulk density or soil organic carbon, it was possible to conclude that NT did not have a negative impact on the main physical and hydraulic properties of investigated clay soils. However, a significantly higher number of small pores was detected under long-term NT compared to CT, so we concluded that the former soil was a more conductive pore system, i.e., consisting of numerous relatively smaller pores but continuous and better interconnected. Based on measured capacity-based indicators (macroporosity, air capacity, relative field capacity, plant available water capacity), NT always showed a more appropriate proportion of water and air in the soil.

Soil infiltration and hydraulic conductivity under long-term no-tillage and conventional tillage systems

1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. H. Azooz ◽  
M. A. Arshad
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Field Capacity ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Silt Loam ◽  
Soil Infiltration ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
Infiltration Rates ◽  
Soil Pores

Long-term tillage practices may affect crop growth, in part by changing soil hydraulic properties. The hypothesis that long-term no-till (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) practices affect soil infiltration and hydraulic conductivity was evaluated on silt loam and sandy loam soils (both Gray Luvisols). Ponded soil infiltration, water content and marric potential were measured in the field during 1992 and 1993. In most cases, the ponded soil infiltration rates (i) were significantly lower (P ≤ 0.05) under the CT than under the NT for both soils. Total volume of soil pores with radii < 14 μm (micropores) were significantly greater in NT than in CT. Differences in volume of soil pores with radii > 14 μm (macropores) between CT and NT were not significant. For the initial soil moisture conditions ranging from dry to field capacity, the i values were greater by 0 24 to 3 01 cm h−1 in NT than in CT for the silt loam and by 3.30 to 4.13 cm h−1 for the sandy loam. Saturated hydraulic conductivity values were significantly greater in NT (range from 0.36 to 3.0 cm h−1) than in CT (range from 0.26 to 1.06 cm h−1). Unsaturated hydraulic conductivity increased more with increasing matric potential (less negative) in NT than in CT. Long-term NT practices kept soil pore structure and continuity undisturbed, which contributed to significantly greater hydraulic conductivity and infiltration rates in NT than in CT for both soils. Key words: Infiltration, hydraulic conductivity, macroporosity, microporosity, tillage systems

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document