scholarly journals Influence of Tillage on the Mollisols Physicochemical Properties, Seed Emergence and Yield of Maize in Northeast China

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 939
Author(s):  
Qiang Chen ◽  
Xingyi Zhang ◽  
Li Sun ◽  
Jianhua Ren ◽  
Yaru Yuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Physicochemical Properties ◽  
Northeast China ◽  
Soil Structure ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Maize Yield ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Emergence Period

Tillage practices are critical for sustaining soil quality necessary for successful crop growth and productivity, but there are only few studies for strip tillage (ST) in the Mollisols region of Northeast China at present. A long-term (≥10-year) study was carried out to investigate the influence of within the tilled row (IR) and between rows (BR) in ST (10-year), conventional tillage (CT, 14-year) and no tillage (NT, 14-year) treatments on soil physicochemical properties. Soil samples were taken in May of 2019 at 0–5, 5–10, 10–20 and 20–30 cm depths and used to analyze bulk density (BD), soil aggregate distribution and stability, and soil organic carbon (SOC). Meanwhile, our study also explored the differences in seed emergence, soil moisture, and temperature during the seed emergence period, and yield of maize (Zea mays L.) among the different treatments. Similar soil properties were observed between ST-BR and NT, which showed they had a significantly greater BD, >0.25 mm water stable aggregate content (WR0.25) (especially in the amount of >2 mm and 1–2 mm size proportion), aggregate stability, and SOC than ST-IR and CT-IR at a depth of 0–20 cm. By improving soil conditions of seedbed, ST-IR and CT-IR increased soil temperature above NT by 1.64 °C and 1.80 °C, respectively, and ST-IR had a slight greater soil moisture than CT-IR in the top 10 cm layer during the seed emergence period. Late maize seed emergence was observed NT in than ST-IR and CT-IR and the average annual yields in ST were slightly greater than NT and CT, but the differences were not significant. Our results also showed that CT-BR had a poor soil structure and lower SOC than other treatments at 0–30 cm depth. We conclude from these long-term experimental results that ST could improve soil water-heat conditions to promote seed germination, maintain soil structure, and increase the maize yield and it should be applied in the Mollisols region of Northeast China.

scholarly journals Integrated Soil–Crop System Management with Organic Fertilizer Achieves Sustainable High Maize Yield and Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Northeast China Based on an 11-Year Field Study

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1078
Author(s):  
Yin Wang ◽  
Yaqi Cao ◽  
Guozhong Feng ◽  
Xiaoyu Li ◽  
Lin Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Northeast China ◽  
Organic Fertilizer ◽  
Maize Yield ◽  
Organic Fertilizers ◽  
Agricultural System ◽  
System Management ◽  
Environmental Costs ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Crop System

To increase crop productivity while reducing environmental costs, an integrated soil–crop system management (ISSM) strategy was developed and successfully adopted in China. However, little information is available on the long-term ISSM effects on maize agronomic and environmental performance. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of ISSM with combining inorganic and organic fertilizers on maize productivity, N use efficiency (NUE) and N balance and losses as compared with farmers’ practice (FP) and high-yielding practice (HY), based on an 11-year field experiment in Northeast China. Maize yield in ISSM (11.7–14.3 Mg ha−1) achieved 97.7% of that in HY and was increased by 27% relative to FP. The excellent yield performance in ISSM was mainly attributed to optimum plant population structure and yield components. Annual N surplus in ISSM was only 7 kg ha−1, which was considerably lower than that in FP (52 kg ha−1) and HY (109 kg ha−1). Consequently, ISSM obtained significantly lower N losses and greenhouse gases emissions and higher NUE. In contrast to FP, crop performance in ISSM showing better sustainability and inter-annual stability. In conclusion, ISSM is an effective strategy to achieve long-term sustainable high crop yields and NUE with less environmental costs in the intensive agricultural system.

scholarly journals Sewage Sludge Amendment Combined with Green Manuring to a Coastal Mudflat Salt-Soil in Eastern China: Effects on Soil Physicochemical Properties and Maize Yield

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanchao Bai ◽  
Wengang Zuo ◽  
Yiyun Yan ◽  
Chuanhui Gu ◽  
Yongxiang Guan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Physicochemical Properties ◽  
Eastern China ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Maize Yield ◽  
Soil Physicochemical Properties ◽  
Green Manuring ◽  
Salt Soil

Sewage sludge and green manure have become widely used organic amendments to croplands in many regions of the world. However, the amending effect of the combination of sewage sludge with green manuring in reclaimed coastal mudflat salt-soil has been unclear yet. This paper was one of earlier studies to investigate and evaluate the effects of sewage sludge amendment combined with green manuring on selected soil physicochemical properties of the mudflat soil in a rain-fed agroecosystem. The mudflat salt-soil was amended by one-time input of sewage sludge at the rates of 0, 30, 75, 150, and 300 t ha−1. After green manuring for three consecutive seasons, maize (Zea maysL.) was planted in 2013 and 2014. The results showed that SSA combined with green manuring decreased bulk density, pH, salinity, and exchangeable sodium percentage of the topsoil (0–20 cm soil layer) and increased aggregate stability, cation exchange capacity, and N and P concentration of the topsoil. As a result, the maize yield increased with the increase of SSA rates. Sewage sludge combined with green manuring can be applied in coastal mudflat salt-soil amendment, which provides an innovative way to create arable land resources and safe disposal of sewage sludge.

Effect of persistent water cover on soil structure, investigated on representative Hungarian soil samples

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viktória Labancz ◽  
András Sebők ◽  
Imre Czinkota ◽  
Tamás Szegi ◽  
András Makó
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Soil Structure ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Soil Samples ◽  
Agricultural Crop ◽  
Laser Diffractometry ◽  
Water Cover

<p>Today, due to climate change, soil degradation processes related to extreme water supply situations (flood, inland water or drought) are occurring more and more frequently. Soil structure is one of the most important soil characteristics influencing many transport of materials (transport, storage of heat, gas, water and nutrients).Furthermore, it defines and ultimately determines the significant physical, chemical and biological processes involved and also the most important factor in agricultural crop production. Permanent water cover has a significant effect on soil structure, but the dynamics of disaggregation and the role of the soil factors influencing it is not yet fully understood. Our basic research aim is to investigate the effect of permanent water cover on soil structure on representative Hungarian soil samples. In our experiment, we sought to find the answer to the question of how long-term water coverage causes changes and damage to the soil structure under laboratory conditions by artificial water cover. We measured aggregate stability with Mastersizer 3000 Hydro LV laser diffractometry device and some soil chemistry parameters with Agilent 4210 MP-AES at different water cover times (selected in the literature). Based on experiences the effect of persistent water cover from the soil structure side can be most noticeable in the changes of macro- and microaggregate stability, as well as in the change of certain chemical parameters (e.g. calcium and iron content), thus, the aim of our research was to investigate these characteristics also. After compiling our results in a database, we evaluated and deduced statistical data on the long-term degradation effects of water cover. We also made an attempt to describe its disaggregation dynamics for different Hungarian soil types. Based on the results, we have selected the most sensitive soils for permanent water cover, which are also expected to be sensitive to extreme water management related to climate change.</p>

Tillage-induced changes to soil structure and organic carbon fractions in New Zealand soils

Soil Research ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 465 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. G. Shepherd ◽  
S. Saggar ◽  
R. H. Newman ◽  
C. W. Ross ◽  
J. L. Dando
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Soil Structure ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Aggregate Size ◽  
Aggregate Size Distribution ◽  
Binding Agents ◽  
Rate Of Decline ◽  
Humic Soil

The effects of increasing cropping and soil compaction on aggregate stability and dry-sieved aggregate-size distribution, and their relationship to total organic C (TOC) and the major functional groups of soil organic carbon, were investigated on 5 soils of contrasting mineralogy. All soils except the allophanic soil showed a significant decline in aggregate stability under medium- to long-term cropping. Mica-rich, fine-textured mineral and humic soils showed the greatest increase in the mean weight diameter (MWD) of dry aggregates, while the oxide-rich soils, and particularly the allophanic soils, showed only a slight increase in the MWD after long-term cropping. On conversion back to pasture, the aggregate stability of the mica-rich soils increased and the MWD of the aggregate-size distribution decreased, with the humic soil showing the greatest recovery. Aggregate stability and dry aggregate-size distribution patterns show that soil resistance to structural degradation and soil resilience increased from fine-textured to coarse-textured to humic mica-rich soils to oxide-rich soils to allophanic soils. Coarse- and fine-textured mica-rich and oxide-rich soils under pasture contained medium amounts of TOC, hot-water soluble carbohydrate (WSC), and acid hydrolysable carbohydrate (AHC), all of which declined significantly under cropping. The rate of decline varied with soil type in the initial years of cropping, but was similar under medium- and long-term cropping. TOC was high in the humic mica-rich and allophanic soils, and levels did not decline appreciably under medium- and long-term cropping. 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance evidence also indicates that all major functional groups of soil organic carbon declined under cropping, with O-alkyl C and alkyl C showing the fastest and slowest rate of decline, respectively. On conversion back to pasture, both WSC and AHC returned to levels originally present under long-term pasture. TOC recovered to original pasture levels in the humic soil, but recovered only to 60–70% of original levels in the coarse- and fine-textured soils. Aggregate stability was strongly correlated to TOC, WSC, and AHC (P < 0.001), while aggregate-size distribution was moderately correlated to aggregate stability (P < 0.01) and weakly correlated to AHC (P < 0.05). Scanning electron microscopy indicated a loss of the binding agents around aggregates under cropping. The effect of the loss of these binding agents on soil structure was more pronounced in mica-rich soils than in oxide-rich and allophanic soils. The very high aggregate stabilities of the humic soil under pasture was attributed to the presence of a protective water-repellent lattice of long-chain polymethylene compounds around the soil aggregates.

Increase in maize yield and soil aggregate-associated carbon in North China due to long-term conservation tillage

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Ying Shen ◽  
Tingting Zhang ◽  
Jichao Cui ◽  
Siyu Chen ◽  
Huifang Han ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Benefit ◽  
North China ◽  
Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Maize Yield ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Soil Aggregate ◽  
The North ◽  
The Impact

Summary The North China Plain (NCP) is an important agricultural area, where conventional tillage (CT) is used year-round. However, long-term CT has damaged the soil structure, threatening agricultural sustainability. Since 2002, we have conducted a long-term tillage experiment in the NCP to explore the effects of different types of tillage on soil and crop yield. As part of long-term conservation tillage, we conducted a 2-year study in 2016/2017 to determine the impact of no tillage (NT), subsoiling (SS), rotary tillage (RT) and CT on soil aggregate distribution, aggregate-associated organic carbon (AOC), aggregate-associated microbial biomass carbon (AMBC), and maize yield. Compared to CT, NT increased the content of macro-aggregates (+4.8%), aggregate-AOC (+8.3%), and aggregate-AMBC (+18.3%), but decreased maize yield (−11.5%). SS increased the contents of macro-aggregates (+5%), aggregate-AOC (+14.7%), and aggregate-AMBC (+16%); although the yield increase was not significant (+0.22%), it had the highest economic benefit among the four tillage measures. RT had no significant advantage when considering the above soil variables; moreover, it reduced maize yield by 16.1% compared with CT. Overall, SS is a suitable tillage measure to improve soil macro-aggregate content, carbon content, yield, and economic benefit in the NCP area.

scholarly journals Macro- and microscale gaseous diffusion in a Stagnic Luvisol as affected by compaction and reduced tillage

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 252 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. SIMOJOKI ◽  
O. FAZEKAS-BECKER ◽  
R. HORN
Keyword(s):  
Soil Compaction ◽  
Soil Structure ◽  
Gas Transport ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Field Capacity ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Reduced Tillage ◽  
Tillage Practices ◽  
Conservation Treatment

Intensification of mechanical agriculture has increased the risk for soil compaction and deformation. Simultaneously, reduced tillage practices have become popular due to energy saving and environmental concerns, as they may strengthen and improve the functioning of structured soil pore system. Soil aeration is affected by both compaction and reduced tillage through changes in soil structure and in the distribution of easily decomposable organic matter. We investigated whether a single wheeling by a 35 000 kg sugar-beet harvester in a Stagnic Luvisol derived from loess near Göttingen, Germany, influenced the gas transport properties (air permeability, gaseous macro- and microdiffusivities, oxygen diffusion rate) in the topsoil and subsoil samples, and whether the effects were different between long-term reduced tillage and mouldboard ploughing. Poor structure in the topsoil resulted in slow macro- and microscale gas transport at moisture contents near field capacity. The macrodiffusivities in the topsoil under conventional tillage were slower compared with those under conservation treatment, and soil compaction reduced the diffusivities by about half at the soil depths studied. This shows that even one pass with heavy machinery near field capacity impairs soil structure deep into the profile, and supports the view that reduced tillage improves soil structure and aeration compared with ploughing, especially in the topsoil.;

Sequestration of carbon and changes in soil quality under conservation tillage on light-textured soils in Australia: a review

2003 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 325 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Y. Chan ◽  
D. P. Heenan ◽  
H. B. So
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Soil Structure ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Continuous Cropping ◽  
Ecological Zones ◽  
Long Term Changes

Light-textured soils (<35% clay) make up more than 80%, by area, of cropping soils in Australia. Many have inherent soil physical problems, e.g. hardsetting, sodicity and low organic carbon levels. Maintenance and improvement of soil organic carbon levels are crucial to preserving the soil structure and physical fertility of these soils.A review of field trials on conservation tillage (3–19 years duration) on these soils in southern Australia revealed that significantly higher soil organic carbon levels compared with conventional tillage were found only in the wetter areas (>500 mm) and the differences were restricted to the top 2.5–10.0 cm. The average magnitude of the difference was lower than that reported in the USA. The lack of a positive response to conservation tillage is probably a reflection of a number of factors, namely low crop yield (due to low rainfall), partial removal of stubble by grazing and the high decomposition rate (due to the high temperature). There is evidence suggesting that under continuous cropping in the drier areas, the soil organic carbon level continues to decline, even under conservation tillage.Better soil structure and soil physical properties, namely macro-porosity, aggregate stability and higher infiltration have been reported under conservation tillage when compared with conventional tillage. However, little information on long-term changes of these properties under conservation tillage is available. As many of these soil qualities are associated directly or indirectly with soil organic carbon levels, the lack of significant increase in the latter suggests that many of these improvements may not be sustainable in the longer term, particularly in the drier areas. Continuous monitoring of long-term changes in the soil organic carbon and soil quality under conservation tillage in different agro-ecological zones is needed.

scholarly journals The scientific background of competitive maize production

2018 ◽  
pp. 33-46
Author(s):  
János Nagy ◽  
Adrienn Széles
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiment ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Plant Density ◽  
Crop Protection ◽  
Maize Yield ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Maize Production ◽  
Production Factors ◽  
Term Field

The effect and interaction of crop production factors on maize yield has been examined for nearly 40 years at the Látókép Experiment Site of the University of Debrecen in a long-term field experiment that is unique and acknowledged in Europe. The research aim is to evaluate the effect of fertilisation, tillage, genotype, sowing, plant density, crop protection and irrigation. The analysis of the database of the examined period makes it possible to evaluate maize yield, as well as the effect of crop production factors and crop year, as well as the interaction between these factors. Based on the different tillage methods, it can be concluded that autumn ploughing provides the highest yield, but its effect significantly differed in irrigated and non-irrigated treatments. The periodical application of strip tillage is justified in areas with favourable soil conditions and free from compated layers (e.g. strip – strip – ploughing – loosening). Under conditions prone to drought, but especially in several consecutive years, a plant density of 70–80 thousand crops per hectare should be used in the case of favourable precipitation supply, but 60 thousand crops per hectare should not be exceeded in dry crop years. The yield increasing effect of fertilisation is significant both under non-irrigated and irrigated conditions, but it is much more moderate in the non-irrigated treatment. Selecting the optimum sowing date is of key importance from the aspect of maize yield, especially in dry crop years. Irrigation is not enough in itself without intensive nutrient management, since it may lead to yield decrease. The results of research, development and innovation, which are based on the performed long-term field experiment, contribute to the production technological methods which provide an opportunity to use sowing seeds, fertilisers and pesticides in a regionally tailored and differentiated way, adapted to the specific needs of the given plot, as well as to plan each operation and to implement precision maize production.

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