RESTORING PRODUCTIVITY TO AN ARTIFICIALLY ERODED DARK BROWN CHERNOZEMIC SOIL UNDER DRYLAND CONDITIONS

A field was artificially eroded by levelling in 1957 and then continuously cropped to barley for 7 yr. Subsequently, a wheat-fallow experiment was conducted from 1965 to 1979 to determine the effects of four fertilizer treatments and green manure (yellow sweet clover) on restoring the productivity to soil that had been "eroded" to various depths. After 22 yr and 14 crops, the productivity of the land from which soil was removed has been improved but not fully restored. Although green manuring with yellow sweet clover improved soil structure, wheat yields were not improved because of competition for soil moisture and poorer in-crop weed control in this part of the rotation. The addition of 45 kg N plus 90 kg P2O5 per hectare in each crop year to sites from which 8–10, 10–20, or 46 + cm of soil had been removed resulted in yield increases of 18, 46, and 70%, respectively, over the unfertilized check of each treatment; the average yields were 104, 91, and 70%, respectively, of the undisturbed, unfertilized (check) treatment. On "erosion" treatments where only 8–10 cm of soil were removed, 45 kg N plus 22 kg P2O5 per hectare were sufficient to restore the productivity. Precipitation apparently had a greater effect than fertilizer application on wheat yields. The loss of organic matter and associated soil structure characteristics seemed to be critical factors contributing to yield losses associated with soil erosion. These results show that it is more practical to use management practices that prevent soil erosion than to adopt the practices required to restore eroded soil. Key words: Soil erosion, topsoil loss, water-stable aggregates, soil organic matter, green manure, precipitation

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Soil structure after 18 years of long-term different tillage systems and fertilisation in Haplic Luvisol

Soil and Water Research ◽

10.17221/38/2017-swr ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 13 (No. 3) ◽

pp. 140-149 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Šimanský Vladimír ◽

Lukáč Martin

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Structure ◽

Management Practices ◽

Crop Residues ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Matter Content ◽

Soil Tillage ◽

Arable Soils ◽

Water Stable Aggregates

Soil structure is a key determinant of many soil environmental processes and is essential for supporting terrestrial ecosystem productivity. Management of arable soils plays a significant role in forming and maintaining their structure. Between 1994 and 2011, we studied the influence of soil tillage and fertilisation regimes on the stability of soil structure of loamy Haplic Luvisol in a replicated long-term field experiment in the Dolná Malanta locality (Slovakia). Soil samples were repeatedly collected from plots exposed to the following treatments: conventional tillage (CT) and minimum tillage (MT) combined with conventional (NPK) and crop residue-enhanced fertilisation (CR+NPK). MT resulted in an increase of critical soil organic matter content (St) by 7% in comparison with CT. Addition of crop residues and NPK fertilisers significantly increased St values (by 7%) in comparison with NPK-only treatments. Soil tillage and fertilisation did not have any significant impact on other parameters of soil structure such as dry sieving mean weight diameters (MWD), mean weight diameter of water-stable aggregates (MWDWSA), vulnerability coefficient (Kv), stability index of water-stable aggregates (Sw), index of crusting (Ic), contents of water-stable macro- (WSAma) and micro-aggregates (WSAmi). Ic was correlated with organic matter content in all combinations of treatments. Surprisingly, humus quality did not interact with soil management practices to affect soil structure parameters. Higher sums of base cations, CEC and base saturation (Bs) were linked to higher Sw values, however higher values of hydrolytic acidity (Ha) resulted in lower aggregate stability in CT treatments. Higher content of K+ was responsible for higher values of MWDWSA and MWD in CT. In MT, contents of Ca2+, Mg2+ and Na+ were significantly correlated with contents of WSAmi and WSAma. Higher contents of Na+ negatively affected St values and positive correlations were detected between Ca2+, Mg2+ and Na+ and Ic in NPK treatments.

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How relationships between soil organic matter parameters and soil structure characteristics are affected by the long-term fertilization of a sandy soil

Geoderma ◽

10.1016/j.geoderma.2019.02.020 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 342 ◽

pp. 75-84 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Vladimír Šimanský ◽

Martin Juriga ◽

Jerzy Jonczak ◽

Łukasz Uzarowicz ◽

Wojciech Stępień

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Sandy Soil ◽

Soil Structure ◽

Structure Characteristics

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Soil Erodibility Analysis and Mapping in Gilgel Gibe-I Catchment, Omo-Gibe River Basin, Ethiopia

Applied and Environmental Soil Science ◽

10.1155/2021/8985783 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Gizaw Tesfaye ◽

Tolesa Ameyu

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Catchment Area ◽

Soil Structure ◽

Soil Erodibility ◽

Soil Permeability ◽

Fine Grained ◽

Fine Grained Soil ◽

Texture Class

The soil erosion factor, erodibility, measures the susceptibility of soil particles to transport and detachment by erosive agents. Soil erosion and sedimentation models use soil properties and erodibility as the main input. However, in developing countries such as Ethiopia, data on soil erosion and soil-related properties are limited. For this reason, different researchers use different data sources that are adopted from a large scale and come with very different results. For this reason, the study was proposed to analyze and map the soil erodibility of the catchment area using primary data. 80 mixed soil samples were taken from the catchment with GPS coordinates and analyzed in the laboratory for soil texture class and soil organic matter. Accordingly, sandy clay loam is a dominant soil texture class covering 65% of the catchment area with 2.46% average soil organic matter, which is high in the mountainous part and lower in the lower valley of the catchment area. Most of the catchment area, which accounts for more than 78% of the area, was dominated by medium- or coarse-grained soil structure, and in the upper parts of the catchment area, 21% of the catchment area was covered with fine-grained soil structure. Similarly, 66% of the catchment area was covered with slow to moderate soil permeability, followed by slow soil permeability covering 21% of the area. Finally, the soil erodibility value of the Gilgel Gibe-I catchment was determined to be 0.046 ton h·MJ−1·mm−1 with a range of 0.032 to 0.063 ton·h·MJ−1·mm−1. In general, soils with slow permeability, high silt content, and medium- to fine-grained soil structures are the most erodible. They are conveniently separate; they tend to crust and form high drainage. Knowing this, the catchment has a moderate soil erodibility value. Thus, the study recommends evidence of land cover and the protection of arable land through suitable soil and water protection measures to improve soil permeability and soil structure.

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The nature and management of the poorer tropical latosols

Outlook on Agriculture ◽

10.1177/003072707901000105 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 27-32 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anthony Young

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Rain Forest ◽

Shifting Cultivation ◽

Soil Structure ◽

Fertilizer Application ◽

Population Densities ◽

Climatic Zones ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Tropics

The latosols, or ‘red and yellow’ soils of the tropics, encompass a wide range of properties and fertility. The poorer types occupy large areas both in the rain forest and in savanna climatic zones. The various systems of shifting cultivation traditionally practised are now inadequate with regard to increasing population densities, and management should be based on fertilizer application at moderate levels together with methods of maintaining organic matter and hence soil structure.

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EFFECT OF IRRIGATED CROP ROTATIONS ON YIELD AND SOIL FERTILITY

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.4141/cjps64-025 ◽

1964 ◽

Vol 44 (2) ◽

pp. 139-144 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

S. Dubetz ◽

K. W. Hill

Keyword(s):

Green Manure ◽

Sweet Corn ◽

Crop Yields ◽

Fertilizer Application ◽

The Other ◽

Sweet Clover ◽

Sugar Beets ◽

Irrigated Crops ◽

The One ◽

Soil Constituents

Crop yields and soil analyses were compared from three 4-year, two 5-year, and two 7-year rotations. The yields of potatoes from the seven rotations were not significantly different. Barley was grown in six rotations and the yields from these were not significantly different. The yield of sugar beets from the one rotation that did not receive any manure was significantly lower than those from the other six rotations. In the rotation in which sweet corn followed sweet clover green manure the yields were significantly lower than those from the other six rotations, where the corn followed sugar beets. This presumably was a result of the phytotoxicity of the decomposing clover. Good husbandry practices such as manure and fertilizer application evidently overshadow the effect of rotations on the yields of irrigated crops. The organic matter and nitrogen of the surface 6 in. of soil were maintained in the rotations that included 3 years of alfalfa or alfalfa–brome mixture. These soil constituents were not maintained with a single year of alfalfa or with a partial green manure crop.

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Management-practices and soil biota

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr9950321 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

pp. 321 ◽

Cited By ~ 59

Author(s):

MM Roper ◽

V Gupta

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Structure ◽

Management Practices ◽

Competitive Inhibition ◽

Plant Diseases ◽

Soil Biota ◽

Microbial Populations ◽

Control Mechanisms ◽

No Tillage ◽

Stubble Retention

The soil biota consist of a large number and range of micro- and macro-organisms and are the living part of soils. They interact with each other and with plants, directly providing nutrition and other benefits. They regulate their own populations as well as those of incoming microorganisms by biological control mechanisms. Microorganisms are responsible for organic matter decomposition and for the transformations of organically bound nitrogen and minerals to forms that are available to plants. Their physical structure and products contribute significantly to soil structure. Management practices have a significant impact on micro- and macro-organism populations and activities. Stubble retention, an increasing trend in Australia, provides an energy source for growth and activity. Significant increases in the sizes and activities of microbial biomass, including heterotrophic microorganisms, cellulolytic microorganisms, nitrogen-fixing bacteria and nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria have been observed. In addition, increases in protozoa and meso- and macro-fauna have been seen. Stubble retention provides a means of maintaining or increasing organic matter levels in soils. The way in which stubbles are managed may impact further on the activities of the soil biota and may alter the population balance, e.g. bacterial:fungal ratios. In general, no-tillage results in a concentration of microorganisms closer to the soil surface and causes least disruption of soil structure compared with conventionally tilled soils. Some plant diseases increase with stubble retention and with no-tillage, particularly where the next crop is susceptible to the same disease as the previous crop. However, the general increase in microbial populations resulting from stubble retention can exclude pathogens through competitive inhibition and predatory and parasitic activity. Cropping sequences may be used to break disease cycles. Crop rotations that include legumes may provide additional nitrogen and stimulate mineralization processes. Coupled with no-tillage in stubble retention systems is an increased usage of herbicides to control weeds. Continued herbicide use has been shown to significantly depress some groups of microorganisms and some of their activities but, in Australia, little information is available about the effects of herbicides on microbial populations. Although we know that micro- and macro-organisms are vital in maintaining ecosystem function, our knowledge about them is still very limited. New techniques in molecular microbial ecology promise further advances. Much more detailed information about the effects of specific managements on the size and activities of populations is needed. Soils and their processes are extremely complex and, in order to develop appropriate management practices, integration of new and existing information is necessary. This is now being made possible through computer simulation modelling.

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Short Term Effects of Livestock Manures on Soil Structure Stability, Runoff and Soil Erosion in Semi-Arid Soils under Simulated Rainfall

Geosciences ◽

10.3390/geosciences10060213 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 213 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nurit Goldberg ◽

Uri Nachshon ◽

Eli Argaman ◽

Meni Ben-Hur

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Soil Structure ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Semiarid Region ◽

Structure Stability ◽

Short Term ◽

Manure Application ◽

Erosion Processes ◽

Short Term Effects

The long term effects of applying livestock manures as soil amendment are well known. However, these manures usually contain high soluble salts content, which could increase the soil salinity and sodicity within a short time after their application. The aim of this study was to investigate the short term effects of animal manure application on soil structure stability, infiltration rate (IR), and runoff and soil erosion formation under rainfall conditions. Two soils, a non-calcareous, sandy soil with 0.2% organic matter, and a calcareous, clayey soil with 4.7% organic matter were sampled from a semiarid region. The soils were mixed with raw cattle manure or with compost, and soils with no addition were considered as a control. The two soils with the three treatments were incubated for 21 days, and then subjected to 80 mm of simulated rainstorm. In contradiction to previous works, it was found that the manure reduced soil structure stability, reduced infiltration, increased surface runoff and led to soil loss. The negative impact of the raw manure on soil structure was stronger than that of the mature compost. The findings of this study indicate the high sensitivity of arable soils to erosion processes during the first few weeks following the addition of manure to the soil, and therefore could contribute to the decision-making process of the timing of manure application, namely to make sure that the manure is applied well before the rainy season, in order to avoid the aforementioned soil erosion.

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Slope position and management practices as factors influencing selected properties of topsoil

Soil Science Annual ◽

10.2478/ssa-2019-0012 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 70 (2) ◽

pp. 137-146

Author(s):

Vladimír Šimanský ◽

Martin Juriga ◽

Łukasz Mendyk

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Soil Structure ◽

Management Practices ◽

Soil Management ◽

Slope Position ◽

Structure Parameters ◽

Slope Gradient ◽

Mean Weight Diameter

Abstract An interaction between the slope position and type of soil management practices could be one of the most important factor affecting several soil properties including soil structure. Therefore, we evaluated selected soil properties including soil structure parameters in relation to slope gradient and soil management practices between Trakovice and Bučany villages (western Slovakia). The sampling sites were located in two adjacent, gently sloping fields with a NW-SE orientation. The sites also differ in soil management type: Field No. 1 was used as arable land with intensive cultivation (IC) of crops, while a greening system (GS) had been established on Field No. 2. Soil samples were taken from five geomorphological zones at each slope: summit, shoulder, back-slope, toe slope and flat terrain under the slope. Results showed that soil pH, content of soil organic matter (SOM) and carbonates depended on land use of the slopes. In GS, the water-stable macro-aggregates (WSAma) 0.5–3 mm (favourable size fraction) displayed statistical significant quadratic polynomial trend along the slope gradient. In IC the values of mean weight diameter of dry sieved aggregates (MWDd) decreased significantly along the slope gradient, while in GS the opposite trend was observed. In IC significant correlations between carbonates content (r=-0.775, P<0.01), humic acids (HA) content (r=0.654, P<0.05), colour quotients of humic substances (r=-0.706, P<0.05), colour quotients of HA (r=-0.723, P<0.05) and MWDd were determined. In GS higher content of carbonates was followed by a decrease in content WSAma, MWDd, mean weight diameter of wet sieved aggregates (MWDw) and stability index of aggregates. At the same time stabile and labile soil organic matter improved soil structure parameters in GS.

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PRODUCTIVITY OF GREEN MANURE CROPS DEPENDING ON HYDROTHERMAL CONDITIONS

TAURIDA HERALD OF THE AGRARIAN SCIENCES ◽

10.33952/2542-0720-2021-3-27-144-154 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (27) ◽

pp. 144-154

Author(s):

A.V. Prikhodko ◽

◽

A.V. Cherkashyna ◽

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Green Manure ◽

Field Research ◽

Winter Rye ◽

Sweet Clover ◽

Hydrothermal Conditions ◽

Significance Level ◽

Green Mass ◽

Green Manure Crops

Green manuring can increase biological activity of the soil, enrich it with organic matter, nutrients and improve its agrophysical and agrochemical properties. The aim of the research was to establish the influence of green manure crops species composition on the productivity of agrophytocenoses and the input of soil organic matter under various hydrothermal conditions. The studies were conducted in 2016–2019 on the experimental fields of the Research Institute of Agriculture of Crimea. Soil – chernozems southern low-humus. Average daily air temperature was: in 2016 – 11.8 °С; in 2017 – 12.7 °С; in 2018 – 12.5 °С; in 2019 – 12.6 °С (average long-term values – 10.8 °С). The amount of precipitation over the years was at the level of 162, 67, 129, 108 % of the norm. The experiments were laid according to B. A. Dospekhov “Methods of field research”. Position of the variants is systematic, triple replication. Fields square – 720 m2. The research subject is green manure crops agrocenoses. The object of the research is the process of forming the productivity of green manure crops. On average, over the years of research, the highest yield of green mass was formed by sweet clover and sainfoin (29.1 and 27.1 t/ha, respectively), winter triticale (24.5 t/ha) and winter rye (25.8 t/ha). T. pratense and P. tanacetifolia were low-yielding. The largest amount of accumulated soil organic matter was detected when rye, triticale, sainfoin and sweet clover were used as green manure; it was 5.88, 5.72, 5.56 and 5.52 t/ha, respectively. We established an average correlation (at 5 % significance level) between the amount of precipitation for the period “sowing – ripeness” in 2016–2017 and the yield of green mass of green manure crops (r = 0.52), as well as dry matter yield (r = 0.59). A negative correlation of average strength was also established between the average daily temperature of the period “sowing – ripeness” in 2017–2018 and yield of green mass (r = –0.66), as well as organic matter yield (r = –0.64).

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Wheat Stem Maggot (Diptera: Chloropidae): An Emerging Pest of Cover Crop to Corn Transition Systems

Plant Health Progress ◽

10.1094/php-01-19-0009-s ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 147-154

Author(s):

Gabriela Inveninato Carmona ◽

Jennifer Rees ◽

Ron Seymour ◽

Robert Wright ◽

Anthony Justin McMechan

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Management Practices ◽

Yield Losses ◽

Transition Systems ◽

Field Management ◽

Plant Characteristics ◽

Corn Plants ◽

A Minor

The wheat stem maggot (Meromyza americana Fitch) (WSM) is a minor pest of wheat, rye, and other grasses. In 2017, growers in Nebraska reported dead center whorls and excessive tillering in early-season cornfields that followed wheat or rye terminated after planting corn. A survey was conducted to evaluate the risk factors for this insect in cover crop to corn transition systems. In each field, management practices and the percentage of injured plants were recorded. Symptomatic corn plants were collected from each field and dissected to determine larval and plant characteristics. In a few cases, small patches of a field were planted to a cover crop to manage soil erosion, and injured plants were only found where the cover crop was present. From these observations, the hypothesis is that terminating a cover crop after planting corn allowed the WSM larva to move from the dying cover crop to corn to complete its development. Cornfields infested with WSM had a frequency of injured corn plants from 0 to 60% with yield losses estimated at 30 bushels/acre. This paper provides the first detailed documentation of WSM injury in corn and addresses important management practices that may have influenced this uncommon situation.

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