scholarly journals Sampled Soil Volume Effect on Soil Physical Quality Determination: A Case Study on Conventional Tillage and No-Tillage of the Soil under Winter Wheat

Soil Systems ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 72
Author(s):  
Mirko Castellini ◽  
Luisa Giglio ◽  
Francesca Modugno

Sampled soil volume is a main experimental factor which must be properly considered to obtain a reliable estimation of soil physical quality (SPQ) and, thus, to obtain credible evaluation of the impact of a conservative-conventional soil management system on the soil air–water relationship. In this investigation, two ring sizes were used to sample two fine textured soils and soil management for durum wheat cultivation, namely, conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT). The soil water retention was determined; soil bulk density (BD), macroporosity (MACpor), air capacity (AC), and relative field capacity (RFC) were estimated to assess the soil physical quality indicators, in agreement with the guidelines suggested in the literature. The main results showed that the sampling volume of the soil affected the soil water retention estimation (θ) and, consequently, affected the SPQ estimation, given that (i) higher θ values (by a factor 1.11 as mean) were generally obtained with a large diameter than a small one; these differences decreased (by a factor 1.20, 1.10 and 1.03) as the imposed pressure head value decreased (respectively, at h = 0, −10 and −100 cm); (ii) among SPQ indicators considered, soil volume samples seemed to impact the BD–RFC estimation more than AC–MACpor, as statistical differences were identified only in the former case; iii) NT soil was significantly more compact, and had lower macroporosity or air capacity, when compared with CT; at the time of sampling, the mean SPQ was always poor for AC–RFC, or optimal for BD, regardless of soil management, and it was intermediate or poor when the MACpor was evaluated under CT or NT. This study contributes toward understanding the impact of soil management on soil physical properties in Mediterranean agro-environments.

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirko Castellini ◽  
Anna Maria Stellacci ◽  
Danilo Sisto ◽  
Massimo Iovino

The multi-height (low, L = 3 cm; intermediate, M = 100 cm; high, H = 200 cm) Beerkan run methodology was applied on both a minimum tilled (MT) (i.e., up to a depth of 30 cm) and a no-tilled (NT) bare loam soil, and the soil water retention curve was estimated by the BEST-steady algorithm. Three indicators of soil physical quality (SPQ), i.e., macroporosity (Pmac), air capacity (AC) and relative field capacity (RFC) were calculated to assess the impact of water pouring height under alternative soil management practices. Results showed that, compared to the reference low run, M and H runs affected both the estimated soil water retention curves and derived SPQ indicators. Generally, M–H runs significantly reduced the mean values of Pmac and AC and increased RFC for both MT and NT soil management practices. According to the guidelines for assessment of SPQ, the M and H runs: (i) worsened Pmac classification of both MT and NT soils; (ii) did not worsen AC classification, regardless of soil management parameters; (iii) worsened RFC classification of only NT soil, as a consequence of insufficient soil aeration. For both soil management techniques, a strong negative correlation was found between the Pmac and AC values and the gravitational potential energy, Ep, of the water used for the infiltration runs. A positive correlation was detected between RFC and Ep. The relationships were plausible from a soil physics point of view. NT soil has proven to be more resilient than MT. This study contributes toward testing simple and robust methods capable of quantifying soil degradation effects, due to intense rainfall events, under different soil management practices in the Mediterranean environment.


2014 ◽  
Vol 60 (No. 7) ◽  
pp. 309-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen XW ◽  
Liang AZ ◽  
Jia SX ◽  
Zhang XP ◽  
Wei SC

Soil management is aimed at the maintenance of optimal soil physical quality for crop production. In order to explore the effects of tillage practices on soil physical properties, a study was conducted to compare the effects of no tillage (NT), moldboard plow (MP) and ridge tillage (RT) on soil bulk density (BD), soil penetration resistance (SPR), soil water content (SWC), soil macroporosity (MAC) and soil air-filled porosity (AFP) in Northeast China. Results showed that both NT and RT led to significant BD increment than MP at 0&ndash;20 cm (P &lt; 0.05). Compared with MP, NT and RT increased SPR at the depths of 2.5&ndash;17.5 cm (P &lt; 0.05). SWC of 0&ndash;10 cm layer was significantly higher in NT and RT than MP soils (P &lt; 0.05). NT showed a significantly lower MAC than MP and RT at 0&ndash;20 cm soil depths (P &lt; 0.05). All AFP values were above the limit of 0.10 cm<sup>3</sup>/cm<sup>3</sup> under all tillage treatments. RT improved the soil physical quality as evidenced by decreased BD and SPR, and increased SWC, MAC and AFP relative to NT.


2003 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 381-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. D. Reynolds ◽  
X. M. Yang ◽  
C. F. Drury ◽  
T. Q. Zhang ◽  
C. S. Tan

Field-crop yields are below their genetic and climatic potentials on many fine-textured soils due to low organic carbon content (OC), high bulk density (ρb), low hydraulic conductivity (Ks), insufficient air capacity (AC) and low plant-available water capacity (PAWC). Although soil conditioners derived from municipal, agricultural and industrial wastes are frequently used to improve soils, their effects on overall soil physical quality are still poorly understood. Hence, the objective of this laboratory soil core study was to determine for a Brookston clay loam the effectiveness of masonry sand, greenhouse rockwool waste, yard waste compost and swine manure compost for improving soil physical quality relative to “ideal” levels proposed in the literature, and relative to “benchmark” levels found in the soil under virgin conditions, long-term conventional tillage and long-term no-tillage. The virgin soil produced near-surface (0.05–0.15 m depth) values for ρb(0.88 Mg m-3), AC (0.19 m3m-3) and PAWC (0.22 m3m-3) that fell within the optimal ranges proposed in the literature, while OC (68.2 g C kg-1) was slightly above optimal. The soil under long-term conventional tillage and no-tillage (cornsoybean rotation) produced below-optimal organic carbon content (21.9–22.5 g C kg-1), excessive ρb (1.45–1.47 Mg m-3), insufficient AC (0.06 m3m-3) and low PAWC (0.14–0.19 m3m-3). Conventional tillage also produced below-optimal Ks (10−6 m s-1). Each conditioner could improve one or more of the above parameters, but not all five. Adding sand at 20–100 wt. % improved AC, but caused excessive reductions in OC and PAWC, and excessive increases in ρb and Ks. Greenhouse rockwool waste added at 2.5–10 wt. % improved AC and ρb, but did not improve OC and PAWC. Yard waste compost added at 3.8–20 wt. % improved OC, ρb and PAWC, but did not improve AC. Adding swine manure compost at 3.8–20 wt. % improved OC and ρb, but did not improve AC or PAWC, and decreased Ks. As no single conditioner could optimize all soil physical quality parameters, future studies using combinations of conditioners are proposed. Key words: Soil physical quality, tillage, soil conditioners, clay loam, sand, rockwool, compos


2010 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 211-2178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabiana de Souza Pereira ◽  
Itamar Andrioli ◽  
Amauri Nelson Beutler ◽  
Cinara Xavier de Almeida ◽  
Faber de Souza Pereira

The intensive use of land alters the distribution of the pore size which imparts consequences on the soil physical quality. The Least Limiting Water Range (LLWR) allows for the visualization of the effects of management systems upon either the improvement or the degradation of the soil physical quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical quality of a Red Latosol (Oxisol) submited to cover crops in the period prior to the maize crop in a no-tillage and conventional tillage system, using porosity, soil bulk density and the LLWR as attributes. The treatments were: conventional tillage (CT) and a no-tillage system with the following cover crops: sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) (NS), pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke) (NP) and lablab (Dolichos lablab L.) (NL). The experimental design was randomized blocks in subdivided plots with six replications, with the plots being constituted by the treatments and the subplots by the layers analyzed. The no-tillage systems showed higher total porosity and soil organic matter at the 0-0.5 m layer for the CT. The CT did not differ from the NL or NS in relation to macroporosity. The NP showed the greater porosity, while CT and NS presented lower soil bulk density. No < 10 % airing porosity was found for the treatments evaluated, and value for water content where soil aeration is critical (θPA) was found above estimated water content at field capacity (θFC) for all densities. Critical soil bulk density was of 1.36 and 1.43 Mg m-3 for NP and CT, respectively. The LLWR in the no-tillage systems was limited in the upper part by the θFC, and in the bottom part, by the water content from which soil resistance to penetration is limiting (θPR). By means of LLWR it was observed that the soil presented good physical quality.


2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 288-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moacir Tuzzin de Moraes ◽  
Henrique Debiasi ◽  
Reimar Carlesso ◽  
Julio Cezar Franchini ◽  
Vanderlei Rodrigues da Silva

Soil penetration resistance is an important indicator of soil physical quality and the critical limit of 2 MPa has been widely used to characterize the soil physical quality, in both no-tillage and conventional systems. The aim of this study was to quantify the influence of different tillage and cropping systems on the soil penetration resistance in a Rhodic Eutrudox. The experiment was carried out in a 5 × 2 factorial, completely randomized block design (tillage systems vs cropping systems), with four replications. The tillage systems consisted of: conventional tillage disk harrow; minimum tillage with annual chiseling; minimum tillage with chiseling every three years; no-tillage for 11 consecutive years; and no-tillage for 24 consecutive years. The factor cropping systems was represented by: crop rotation and crop succession. The soil penetration resistance (SPR) was determined in 20 soil samples per treatment and layer (0.0-0.10; 0.10-0.20 and 0.20-0.30 m) for each soil matric potential: -6, -10, -33, -100, -500 kPa. The SPR was determined at a volumetric soil water content equivalent to the fraction of plant-available water of 0.7. There were no differences of soil penetration resistance between the two cropping systems. Differences in soil penetration resistance among tillage systems were related to the matric potential at which the samples were equilibrated. The critical SPR limit of 2 MPa normally used for conventional tillage should be maintained. However, this value of 2 MPa is inappropriate for the physical quality characterization of Rhodic Eutrudox under no-tillage and/or minimum tillage with chiseling. Regardless of the cropping systems, the critical SPR limit should be raised to 3 MPa for minimum tillage with chiseling and to 3.5 MPa for no-tillage.


2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 1927-1937 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliano Carlos Calonego ◽  
Ciro Antonio Rosolem

Soil compaction can be minimized either mechanically or biologically, using plant species with vigorous root systems. An experiment was carried out with soybean (Glycine max) in rotation with triticale (X Triticosecale) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus) in fall-winter associated with pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) or sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea) in spring. Crop rotation under no-till was compared with mechanical chiseling. The experiment was carried out in Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil. Soil quality was estimated using the S index and soil water retention curves (in the layers of 0-0.05, 0.075-0.125, 0.15-0.20, 0.275-0.325, and 0.475-0.525 m deep). Crop rotation and chiseling improved soil quality, increasing the S index to over 0.035 to a depth of 20 cm in the soil profile. The improved soil quality, as shown by the S index, makes the use of mechanical chiseling unnecessary, since after 3 years the soil physical quality under no-tilled crop rotation and chiseling was similar.


2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 581-586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ildegardis Bertol ◽  
Eloy Lemos Mello ◽  
Jean Cláudio Guadagnin ◽  
Almir Luis Vedana Zaparolli ◽  
Marcos Roberto Carrafa

Water erosion causes soil degradation, which is closely related to nutrient losses either in, the soluble form or adsorbed to soil particles, depending mainly on the adopted soil management system. This study was carried out in São José do Cerrito, SC, Brazil, between March 2000 and June 2001. The objective was to quantify available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium losses in water erosion obtained with simulated rainfall in the following soil management systems: conventional tillage with no-crop (bare soil) (BS), conventional tillage with soybean (CT), reduced tillage with soybean (RT), no tillage with soybean on a desiccated and burned natural pasture (DBNP), and no tillage with soybean on a desiccated natural pasture (DNP). A rotating boom rainfall simulator was used to perform three rainfall tests with constant intensity of 64 mm h-1 and sufficient duration to reach constant runoff rate, on a clayey-loam, well-structured Typic Hapludox, with an average slope of 0.18 m m-1. The first test was carried out five days before soybean emergence and the second and third at 30 and 60 days, respectively. The nutrient concentration in water and total losses of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium were higher under CT than in the other soil management systems.


2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 444-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thalita Campos Oliveira ◽  
Laura Fernanda Simões da Silva ◽  
Miguel Cooper

The concept of soil quality is currently the subject of great discussion due to the interaction of soil with the environment (soil-plant-atmosphere) and practices of human intervention. However, concepts of soil quality relate quality to agricultural productivity, but assessment of soil quality in an agronomic context may be different from its assessment in natural areas. The aim of this study was to assess physical quality indices, the S index, soil aeration capacity (ACt/Pt), and water storage capacity (FC/Pt) of the soil from a permanent plot in the Caetetus Ecological Reserve (Galia, São Paulo, Brazil) under a seasonal semideciduous forest and compare them with the reference values for soil physical quality found in the literature. Water retention curves were used for that purpose. The S values found were higher than the proposed limit for soil physical quality (0.035). The A and E horizons showed the highest values because their sandy texture leads to a high slope of the water retention curve. The B horizons showed the lowest S values because their natural density leads to a lower slope of the water retention curve. The values found for ACt/Pt and FC/Pt were higher and lower than the idealized limits. The values obtained from these indices under natural vegetation can provide reference values for soils with similar properties that undergo changes due to anthropic activities. All the indices evaluated were effective in differentiating the effects of soil horizons in the natural hydro-physical functioning of the soils under study.


Author(s):  
Nguyễn Trung Hải ◽  
Trần Thanh Đức ◽  
Vi Thị Linh

Nghiên cứu này nhằm đánh giá tác động của các biện pháp làm đất và mật độ trồng khác nhau đến quá trình sinh trưởng, phát triển, năng suất và hiệu quả kinh tế của giống ngô lai HQ2000 trên đất cát nội đồng trong vụ Đông Xuân năm 2018-2019 tại Thừa Thiên Huế. Thí nghiệm thứ nhất gồm 3 công thức gồm làm đất truyền thống, làm đất tối thiểu và không làm đất trong đó thí nghiệm thứ hai gồm 4 công thức với mật độ gieo trồng lần lượt là 47.058, 53.333, 61.538 và 66.666 cây/ha. Kết quả thí nghiệm cho thấy: Thời gian hoàn thành các giai đoạn sinh trưởng và phát triển ở các biện pháp làm đất tối thiểu có xu hướng ngắn hơn các công thức làm đất truyền thống; chiều cao cây cuối cùng dao động từ 154 đến 175cm, số lá dao động từ 16 đến 18 lá, diện tích lá đóng bắp có xu hướng giảm ở các công thức làm đất tối thiểu trong khi các yếu tố khác như chiều cao đóng bắp, chiều dài bắp, đường kính bắp và đường kính lóng gốc ở các công thức thí nghiệm dao động tương đối ít. Năng suất lý thuyết dao động từ 61 đến 72 tạ/ha, năng suất thực thu đạt cao nhất là 59,8 tạ/ha ở công thức không làm đất. Đối với biện pháp canh tác truyền thống, năng suất đạt cao nhất ở mật độ 18,5 kg hạt giống/ha (63,4 tạ/ha). Ở các công thức thí nghiệm, lợi nhuận đạt cao nhất ở công thức không làm đất và ở mật độ trồng là 18,5 kg hạt giống/ha, tương đương 61.538 cây/ha.  ABSTRACT This study aims to evaluate the impact of different tillage methods and planting densities on the growth, development, grain yield and economic efficiency of hybrid maize HQ2000 on sandy soil in the 2018-2019 Winter-Spring season in Thua Thien Hue province. The first trial consisted of three treatments including conventional tillage, limited tillage and no tillage; the second trial consisted of four treatments with planting density of 47.058, 53.333, 61.538 và 66.666 plants/ha, respectively. Experimental results showed that: The completed time of the growth and development stages at the minimum tillage methods was shorter than conventional tillage treatments; final plant height varied from 154 to 175cm, the number of leaves ranged from 16 to 18 leaves, the leaf area at ​​corn position decreased in minimum tillage treatments while other factors such as ear height, ear length, ear diameter and stalk diameter at prop root position fluctuated slightly. Potential grain yield varied from 6.1 to 7.2 tons/ha, the highest actual grain yield was 5.98 tons/ha in the no-tillage treatment. For conventional tillage, the highest grain yield was at 18.5 kg seed/ha treatment (6.34 tons/ha). In the experimental treatments, the highest profit was achieved in the no-tillage treatment and in planting density of 18.5 kg seed/ha, equivalent 61,538 plants/ha.      


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