Enzymological and Physicochemical Evaluation of the Effects of Soil Management Practices

2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (10) ◽  
pp. 2243-2247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alina Dora Samuel ◽  
Delia Mirela Tit ◽  
Carmen Elena Melinte (Frunzulica) ◽  
Ciprian Iovan ◽  
Lavinia Purza ◽  
...  

Soil enzymes activities have been considered as sensitive indicators of alteration soil quality by management. In order to obtain new data on the soil enzymological effects of soil management practices, we have determined some enzymatic activities in a preluvosoil submitted to a complex tillage and crop rotation experiment at the Agricultural Research and Development Station in Oradea (Bihor County). Actual and potential dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase and catalase activities were investigated in a split plot experiment where tillage (no-till and conventional tillage) was the main plot and crop rotation (Wheat/Maize, W/M; Soybean/Maize, S/M; Oats-Clover/maize, O-C/M) was the subplot. Soil samples were taken at 0-20, 20-40 and 40-60 cm. Each activity in both non-tilled and conventionally tilled soil under maize crop decreased with increasing sampling depth. It was found that no-till, in comparison with conventional tillage, resulted in insignificantly higher (p]0.10) soil enzymatic activities in the 0-20 cm layer and insignificantly (at least at p]0.10) lower activities in the deeper layers, excepting actual and potential dehydrogenase activities in the 40-60 cm layer, in which these activities were significantly lower(0.02]p]0.01). Based on the absolute values of the enzymatic activities, the enzymatic indicator of soil quality (EISQ) was calculated. The EISQ values ranged between 0.201 and 0.974 indicating the presence of high enzymatic activities in the upper layer and a moderate intensity of the enzymatic activities in the deeper layers. A significant correlation between soil enzyme activities and physical and chemical indicators was established.

Author(s):  
Alina Dora SAMUEL ◽  
Cornel DOMUŢA ◽  
Maria ŞANDOR ◽  
Adrian VUŞCAN

We have determined five enzymatic activities (actual and potential dehydrogenase, catalase, acid and alkaline phosphatase) and one nonenzymatic catalytic activity (H2O2 splitting in autoclaved samples) in the 0–10–, 10–20– and 20–30–cm layers of a brown luvic soil submitted to a complex irrigation and crop rotation (2– and 3–crop rotations) experiment. Each activity in both non-irrigated and irrigated soil under wheat and maize crops was significantly higher in the intermediate layer than in the upper, respectively deeper layers. Non-irrigation – in comparison with irrigation – resulted in significantly higher soil phosphatase activities in the 0–10–, 10–20– and 20–30–cm layers, whereas dehydrogenase and catalase activities were significantly higher in irrigated soil. The soil under wheat or maize was more enzyme-active in the 3– than in the 2–crop rotation and in the monoculture. In the monoculture and in the 2–crop rotation, higher enzymatic activities were registered under wheat than under maize. In the 3–crop rotation, higher enzymatic activities were recorded maize under wheat. The enzymatic indicators of soil quality decreased depending on the nature of crops and kind of irrigation in the following order: maize ( 3–crop rotation ) > wheat ( 3–crop rotation) > wheat ( 2–crop rotation ) > maize ( 2–crop rotation ) > wheat ( monoculture ) > maize ( monoculture ).


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 650
Author(s):  
Jesús Aguilera-Huertas ◽  
Beatriz Lozano-García ◽  
Manuel González-Rosado ◽  
Luis Parras-Alcántara

The short- and medium—long-term effects of management and hillside position on soil organic carbon (SOC) changes were studied in a centenary Mediterranean rainfed olive grove. One way to measure these changes is to analyze the soil quality, as it assesses soil degradation degree and attempts to identify management practices for sustainable soil use. In this context, the SOC stratification index (SR-COS) is one of the best indicators of soil quality to assess the degradation degree from SOC content without analyzing other soil properties. The SR-SOC was calculated in soil profiles (horizon-by-horizon) to identify the best soil management practices for sustainable use. The following time periods and soil management combinations were tested: (i) in the medium‒long-term (17 years) from conventional tillage (CT) to no-tillage (NT), (ii) in the short-term (2 years) from CT to no-tillage with cover crops (NT-CC), and (iii) the effect in the short-term (from CT to NT-CC) of different topographic positions along a hillside. The results indicate that the SR-SOC increased with depth for all management practices. The SR-SOC ranged from 1.21 to 1.73 in CT0, from 1.48 to 3.01 in CT1, from 1.15 to 2.48 in CT2, from 1.22 to 2.39 in NT-CC and from 0.98 to 4.16 in NT; therefore, the soil quality from the SR-SOC index was not directly linked to the increase or loss of SOC along the soil profile. This demonstrates the time-variability of SR-SOC and that NT improves soil quality in the long-term.


2011 ◽  
Vol 183-185 ◽  
pp. 1190-1194
Author(s):  
Jun Ke Zhang ◽  
Qing Ju Hao ◽  
Chang Sheng Jiang ◽  
Yan Wu

The impact of conservation tillage practices on carbon sequestration has been of great interest in recent years. This experiment analyzed the organic carbon status of soils sampled at depth increments from 0 to 60 cm after 20 years in a purple paddy soil. The tillage experiment was established in the Key Field Station for Monitoring of Eco-Environment of Purple Soil of the Ministry of Agriculture of China, located in the farm of Southwest University (30°26′N, 106°26′E), Chongqing. In this paper, five tillage treatments including conventional tillage with rice only system (DP), conventional tillage with rotation of rice and rape system (SL), no-till and ridge culture with rotation of rice and rape system (LM), no-till and plain culture with rotation of rice and rape system (XM) and tillage and ridge culture with rotation of rice and rape system (LF) were selected as research objectives to measure SOC storage and stratification ratio of SOC (CSR). The SOC storage under different tillage systems was calculated based on an equivalent soil mass. The CSR can be used as an indicator of soil quality because surface organic matter is essential to erosion control, water infiltration, and the conservation of nutrients. Results showed that in soil under no-till SOC was concentrated near the surface, while in tilled soil SOC decreased equably with the increase of soil depth. The difference of SOC contents between the five tillage systems was the largest in the top soil and the lowest in the bottom soil. The order of SOC storage was LM (158.52 Mg C•ha-1) >DP (106.74 Mg C•ha-1) >XM (100.11 Mg C•ha-1) >LF (93.11 Mg C•ha-1) >SL (88.59 Mg C•ha-1), LM treatment was significantly higher than the other treatments. The CSR of 0-10/50-60 cm was 2.65, 2.70 and 2.14 under LM, XM and LF treatments, while 1.54 and 1.92 under DP and SL treatments. We considered CSR>2 indicate an improvement in soil quality produced by changing from tillage to no-tillage, as well as changing from plane to ridge. Overall, long-term LM treatment is a valid strategy for increasing SOC storage and improving soil quality in a purple paddy soil in Southwest China.


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.


Weed Science ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 417-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vince M. Davis ◽  
Kevin D. Gibson ◽  
Thomas T. Bauman ◽  
Stephen C. Weller ◽  
William G. Johnson

Horseweed is an increasingly common and problematic weed in no-till soybean production in the eastern cornbelt due to the frequent occurrence of biotypes resistant to glyphosate. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of crop rotation, winter wheat cover crops (WWCC), residual non-glyphosate herbicides, and preplant application timing on the population dynamics of glyphosate-resistant (GR) horseweed and crop yield. A field study was conducted from 2003 to 2007 in a no-till field located at a site that contained a moderate infestation of GR horseweed (approximately 1 plant m−2). The experiment was a split-plot design with crop rotation (soybean–corn or soybean–soybean) as main plots and management systems as subplots. Management systems were evaluated by quantifying in-field horseweed plant density, seedbank density, and crop yield. Horseweed densities were collected at the time of postemergence applications, 1 mo after postemergence (MAP) applications, and at the time of crop harvest or 4 MAP. Viable seedbank densities were also evaluated from soil samples collected in the fall following seed rain. Soybean–corn crop rotation reduced in-field and seedbank horseweed densities vs. continuous soybean in the third and fourth yr of this experiment. Preplant herbicides applied in the spring were more effective at reducing horseweed plant densities than when applied in the previous fall. Spring-applied, residual herbicide systems were the most effective at reducing season-long in-field horseweed densities and protecting crop yields since the growth habit of horseweed in this region is primarily as a summer annual. Management systems also influenced the GR and glyphosate-susceptible (GS) biotype population structure after 4 yr of management. The most dramatic shift was from the initial GR : GS ratio of 3 : 1 to a ratio of 1 : 6 after 4 yr of residual preplant herbicide use followed by non-glyphosate postemergence herbicides.


2013 ◽  
Vol 131 ◽  
pp. 28-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irfan Aziz ◽  
Tariq Mahmood ◽  
K. Rafiq Islam

2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 516-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Masto ◽  
P. K. Chhonkar ◽  
T. J. Purakayastha ◽  
A. K. Patra ◽  
D. Singh

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna W.-H. Wong ◽  
Jonathan M. Plett

A major goal in agricultural research is to develop ‘elite’ crops with stronger, resilient root systems. Within this context, breeding practices have focussed on developing plant varieties that are, primarily, able to withstand pathogen attack and, secondarily, able to maximise plant productivity. Although great strides towards breeding disease-tolerant or -resistant root stocks have been made, this has come at a cost. Emerging studies in certain crop species suggest that domestication of crops, together with soil management practices aimed at improving plant yield, may hinder beneficial soil microbial association or reduce microbial diversity in soil. To achieve more sustainable management of agricultural lands, we must not only shift our soil management practices but also our breeding strategy to include contributions from beneficial microbes. For this latter point, we need to advance our understanding of how plants communicate with, and are able to differentiate between, microbes of different lifestyles. Here, we present a review of the key findings on belowground plant–microbial interactions that have been made over the past decade, with a specific focus on how plants and microbes communicate. We also discuss the currently unresolved questions in this area, and propose plausible ways to use currently available research and integrate fast-emerging ‘-omics’ technologies to tackle these questions. Combining past and developing research will enable the development of new crop varieties that will have new, value-added phenotypes belowground.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1949
Author(s):  
Eleonora Cataldo ◽  
Linda Salvi ◽  
Sofia Sbraci ◽  
Paolo Storchi ◽  
Giovan Battista Mattii

Soil management in vineyards is of fundamental importance not only for the productivity and quality of grapes, both in biological and conventional management, but also for greater sustainability of the production. Conservative soil management techniques play an important role, compared to conventional tillage, in order to preserve biodiversity, to save soil fertility, and to keep vegetative-productive balance. Thus, it is necessary to evaluate long-term adaptation strategies to create a balance between the vine and the surrounding environment. This work sought to assess the effects of following different management practices on Vitis vinifera L. cv. Cabernet Sauvignon during 2017 and 2018 seasons: soil tillage (T), temporary cover cropping over all inter-rows (C), and mulching with plant residues every other row (M). The main physiological parameters of vines (leaf gas exchange, stem water potential, chlorophyll fluorescence, and indirect chlorophyll content) as well as qualitative and quantitative grape parameters (technological and phenolic analyses) were measured. Significant differences in gas exchanges related to the different season and inter-row management were observed. C showed more negative values of water potential, due to the grass–vine competition, especially when water availability was lower. The competition exerted by C led to differences in fruit setting with impact on yield; therefrom, significant differences also in sugar and anthocyanic content were observed.


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