Soil and alfalfa response after amelioration of subsoil acidity in a fine sandy loam Podzol in Prince Edward Island

2000 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 607-615 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Carter ◽  
J. E. Richards
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Medicago Sativa ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Root Penetration ◽  
Deep Placement ◽  
Fine Sandy Loam ◽  
Subsoil Acidity ◽  
Medicago Sativa L ◽  
Over Time

Subsoils in Prince Edward Island have poor chemical and often physical quality for root growth that may present a barrier to development of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). This study was conducted to characterise the response or benefit, on soil properties and alfalfa growth, of chemical amelioration and loosening of the subsoil. In 1987, the following three treatments were imposed on an acidic, fine sandy loam, Humo-Ferric Podzol: control (no subsoiling or lime), subsoiling alone, and subsoiling plus lime (5 Mg ha−1 dry CaCO3) mixed into the subsoil. The subsoiler was a Wye Double-Digger, a combined plough and rotary cultivator that facilitated the mixing of lime into the soil over the 230–480 mm depth. Management of the 0–200 mm soil depth was the same for all treatments. Growth of alfalfa and change in soil properties were monitored over time. In 2 of 4 yr (1991–1994), alfalfa yield was significantly (P < 0.05) increased by the subsoil plus lime treatment, compared with subsoiling alone or the control. Yield increases were related to periods of low growing season precipitation. Subsoil amelioration increased alfalfa root penetration (by 90 mm) and reduced leaf Mn concentration. Over an 8-yr period (1987–1994), soil exchangeable Ca was increased over fourfold, while exchangeable Al was decreased threefold in the ameliorated subsoil, compared with the control. Soil pH (in water) was increased from 4.8 to near 6.0. There was some evidence that liming of the topsoil improved the subsoil chemistry over time. Bulk density and penetrometer resistance contours, measured over time, indicated that the soil loosening effect was sustained throughout the soil profile over the duration of the study. Soil biological properties were not changed by the subsoil treatments. Key words: Subsoil acidity, podzol, lime, deep placement, alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), cool-humid climate

Influence of tillage and liquid swine manure on productivity of a soybean-barley rotation and some properties of a fine sandy loam in Prince Edward Island

2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 741-748 ◽  
Author(s):  
M R Carter ◽  
A J Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Swine Manure ◽  
Residual Effect ◽  
Crop Response ◽  
Fine Sandy Loam ◽  
Liquid Swine Manure ◽  
Second Year

Interactions between tillage management for manure incorporation and rate of manure application may influence crop productivity and soil properties. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of liquid swine (Sus scrofa L.) manure (LSM) applied at three N rates (40, 80, 160 kg ha-1), compared with mineral N fertilizer, in a 2-yr barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)-soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) rotation, incorporated by two tillage methods (chisel plough and disc), on crop yield and quality and some soil properties, especially C parameters. The LSM was applied every second year in the spring, prior to barley seeding. The study was conducted over a 5-yr period on a Charlottetown fine sandy loam (Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol) in Prince Edward Island. The experimental design was a split-plot with four replicates. Soil samples (0–60 cm) were obtained at the termination of the study to determine residual effects of the LSM on soil properties. The two methods of LSM incorporation had no differential effect on crop response. Generally, increasing the application rate of LSM increased the barley yield, but had no effect on grain N concentration. A residual effect on crop grain yield for the high rate of LSM was evident in the soybean year. Crop response to LSM was similar to that of mineral fertilizer. Application operations for LSM had no adverse effect on soil strength or soil bulk density. Soil properties (microbial biomass C, carbohydrates, water-stable aggregates) were not greatly influenced by LSM application, however, increases in particulate C (POM-C) were evident for the high LSM rate at the 10- to 30-cm soil depth. The study showed that for fine sandy loams in Prince Edward Island low to medium rates of LSM applied every second year could serve as a source of N for barley in barley-soybean rotations. Key words: Barley, soybean, liquid swine manure, fine sandy loam, soil properties, tillage incorporation, eastern Canada

THE EFFECT OF ANTECEDENT FREEZE-THAW FREQUENCY ON RUNOFF AND SOIL LOSS FROM FROZEN SOIL WITH AND WITHOUT SUBSOIL COMPACTION AND GROUND COVER

1989 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 799-811 ◽  
Author(s):  
LINNELL M. EDWARDS ◽  
J. R. BURNEY
Keyword(s):  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Winter Rye ◽  
Rainfall Simulator ◽  
Fine Sandy Loam ◽  
Freeze Thaw ◽  
Sediment Loss ◽  
Freezing Period ◽  
Subsoil Compaction

Three soils from Prince Edward Island (a loam, a fine sandy loam, and a sandy loam) were tested under a laboratory rainfall simulator to examine the effects of frequency of freezing and thawing, winter rye cover, incorporated cereal residue, and subsoil compaction on runoff volume and sediment loss. Wooden soil boxes were subjected to simulated rain (i) at the end of a 10-d freezing period, and (ii) at the end of the 5th 24-h freezing period of a 10-d alternating freeze-thaw cycle (freeze/thaw). Where the soil was continuously frozen for 10 d, there was 178% greater sediment loss and 160% greater runoff than with daily freeze/thaw over the same period, but there was no difference in sediment concentration. Incorporated cereal residue decreased sediment loss to 50% and runoff to 77% of that from bare soil. Winter rye cover decreased sediment loss to 73% of that from bare soil. Simulated soil compaction caused a 45% increase in sediment loss. The loam soil showed 16.5% greater loss of fine sediment fractions <0.075 mm than the fine sandy loam which showed 23.4% greater loss than the sandy loam. Key words: Freeze-thaw, erosion, compaction, winter rye, cereal residue, rainfall simulator, Prince Edward Island soils

REDUCTION OF SECONDARY TILLAGE IN MOULDBOARD-PLOUGHED SYSTEMS FOR SILAGE CORN AND SPRING CEREALS IN MEDIUM-TEXTURED SOILS

1990 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. CARTER ◽  
R. P. WHITE ◽  
R. G. ANDREW
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Slight Reduction ◽  
Hordeum Vulgare L ◽  
Spring Cereals

Minimum tillage for soils that require regular cultivation consists of reducing the degree of secondary tillage and number of passes over the field. This study was conducted to determine whether one-pass mouldboard-ploughed systems were suitable for production of silage corn (Zea mays L.) and spring cereals (Hordeum vulgare L., Triticum aestivum L.) on loam to sandy loam soils (Humo-Ferric Podzol and Gray Luvisol) in the perhumid soil climate of Prince Edward Island. The effects of reduction in secondary tillage were gauged by characterizing crop yield and nutrient content, soil properties and structure, and relative economics. Plant growth, crop yield, and nutrient content were similar in all the mouldboard-ploughed systems. Soil chemical properties were not affected by reduction in secondary tillage, but the one-pass plough system did result in a macro-aggregate distribution with a greater proportion of large soil aggregates (9.5–16 mm) and a slight reduction in soil strength over the 10- to 25-cm soil depth. Macroporosity and soil density in the top 8 cm of soil were similar between tillage systems. Reducing both the degree of secondary tillage and number of tillage operations decreased both estimated cultivation costs and time of tillage per hectare by 26 and 39%, respectively. One-pass mouldboard-ploughed systems appear suitable for annual crop production on medium-textured soils under the soil environment of Prince Edward Island. Key words: One-pass tillage, soil properties, crop growth

EFFECTS OF SEED INOCULATION METHODS WITH PEAT-BASED RHIZOBIUM MELILOTI ON ALFALFA

1975 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 555-563 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. T. KUNELIUS ◽  
UMESH C. GUPTA
Keyword(s):  
Soil Ph ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Rhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Good Growth ◽  
Seed Treatments ◽  
Fine Sandy Loam ◽  
Seed Inoculation ◽  
Medicago Sativa L ◽  
Uniform Manner

Saranac alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) was grown on Charlottetown fine sandy loam (CHFSL) and Culloden sandy loam (CSL) in the greenhouse and field. Uninoculated, inoculated with peat-based rhizobia (I), inoculated and molybdenum-treated (IMo), inoculated and lime-coated (ILC), and inoculated, lime-coated and Mo-treated (ILCMo) seeds were included. At soil pH 5.0 and 5.3 in the greenhouse, the dry weights of alfalfa ranged from 214 to 727 mg/plant in the four cuttings from the ILC and ILCMo seed. The dry weights of alfalfa from the I and IMo seed were 1.3 to 99.7% of those from the ILCMo seed. Alfalfa from the ILC and ILCMo seed was well nodulated, whereas I and IMo seed resulted in poor nodulation. The 1973 field experiment showed that ILC and ILCMo seed at soil pH 5.5 and 5.6 resulted in alfalfa dry matter (DM) yields of 4,050 and 4,830 kg/ha which were equal to DM yields from plots with a pH of 6.0 and 6.1 seeded with inoculated seed. In plots with pH 5.5 and 5.6, total DM yields from I and IMo seed were 26.0–49.7% lower than those from ILCMo seed. In 1972, seed treatments on CHFSL at pH 5.6 did not influence the DM yields of alfalfa, whereas on CSL at pH 5.2 the crop failed to establish except from ILC and ILCMo seed and in limed plots at pH 5.9. In the first cutting, high N concentrations of alfalfa tissue coincided with good growth and good nodulation. The Mo concentrations of alfalfa tissue were not influenced in a uniform manner by seed treatments and varied from 0.11 to 0.49 ppm in the first cut tissue.

Rill sediment transport on a Prince Edward Island (Canada) fine sandy loam

1995 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.M. Edwards ◽  
J.R. Burney ◽  
P.A. Frame
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Transport ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Fine Sandy Loam

Characterizing the soil physical condition in reduced tillage systems for winter wheat on a fine sandy loam using small cores

1992 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 395-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Carter
Keyword(s):  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Physical Properties ◽  
Physical Condition ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Air Permeability ◽  
Soil Physical Properties ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
Fine Sandy Loam ◽  
Direct Drilling

A tillage study was conducted in Prince Edward Island with winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) over two seasons on a Gowanbrae light fine sandy loam, a Humo-Ferric Podzol. One-pass mouldboard ploughing, shallow tillage using a rotary harrow, and direct drilling were evaluated for their effects on crop productivity and soil physical properties. Direct drilling increased plant survival but not grain yield in the first year compared to the other tillage systems. Leaf diseases significantly reduced crop performance under shallow tillage and direct drilling in the second year. None of the tillage systems had adverse effects on soil strength at field capacity over the 0- to 350-mm soil profile depth, as penetrometer resistance values were < 1.5 MPa. Differences in soil macro-aggregation and organic carbon distribution between tillage systems were noted in the Ap horizon. Sequential measurements on soil cores equilibrated at 6 kPa tension for macropore volume, air permeability at low air pressure (0.25 kPa), oxygen diffusion rate (ODR) at 0.65 mV, and shear strength indicated that the soil physical condition was within the optimum range for root growth, over the 0- to 240-mm depth, in each tillage system. In addition, relative compaction was maintained at a low level in all systems. The quotient of air permeability and macropore volume, as an index of pore continuity, indicated that the relatively large macropore volumes under mouldboard ploughing were less efficient in conducting air than the macropores under direct drilling. These differences in pore continuity were most prevalent at the lower soil depth.Key words: Soil physical properties, soil compaction, Podzolic soil, winter cereals

The effects of soil freeze–thaw on soil aggregate breakdown and concomitant sediment flow in Prince Edward Island: A review

2013 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
pp. 459-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linnell M. Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Aggregate Size ◽  
Soil Aggregate ◽  
Soil Productivity ◽  
Primary Concern ◽  
Fine Sandy Loam ◽  
Freeze Thaw ◽  
Aggregate Breakdown ◽  
Sediment Flow

Edwards, L. M. 2013. The effects of soil freeze–thaw on soil aggregate breakdown and concomitant sediment flow in Prince Edward Island: A review. Can. J. Soil Sci. 93: 459–472. The importance of aggregate size and integrity in soil productivity and crop production is paramount, and aggregate size reduction or increase invariably becomes a primary concern in such soil management practices as tillage and organic matter manipulation. In this regard, therefore, the present review looks particularly at the consequence of freeze–thaw cycling (FTC) on agricultural lands in Prince Edward Island (PEI) where an annual average of 40 cycles induce measurable aggregate breakdown with mixed consequences. On the one extreme, the consequences are manifest in increased soil erosion. On the other extreme, reduced (or reversed) soil compaction and improved seedbed conditions are welcomed consequences where temperature alternation breaks up hard pans or soil clods, or where the predominance of smaller aggregates can be an asset in seedbed environments, favouring improved crop emergence and early-spring establishment. In the PEI soils studied, the greatest changes in aggregate size distribution with FTC occurred in the largest and smallest size fractions wherein fractions <0.5 mm showed a 33% average increase while, simultaneously, the 4.75–9.5 mm fractions showed a 28% average decrease. This breakdown is reflected most contrastingly where FTCs to maximum (asymptotic) breakdown averaged up to 3.5 times for a loam as it did for a sandy loam or a fine sandy loam soil. This review also examines FTC in a broader agricultural and environmental context where it can potentially impact agro-sustainability. Where FTC effects on a fine sandy loam were measured in terms of erosion, there was a sediment mass increase of about 90% in interrill flow and about 25% in rill flow. Further, this review emphasizes methodology that has proven to be workable under the circumstances of PEI's dominant agricultural soils and the FTC research objectives that they helped to shape. It was considered important in this review, also, to highlight the need for expanded research (commencing with regional cooperation), particularly on frost depth, to feed into moisture-availability modelling towards improved clarity for end-user benefit.

scholarly journals Effects of Soil Properties and Illumination Intensities on Matric Suction of Vegetated Soil

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 6475
Author(s):  
Qi Liu ◽  
Lijun Su ◽  
Zhenyao Xia ◽  
Daxiang Liu ◽  
Wennian Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Matric Suction ◽  
Practical Significance ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Silty Clay ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Plant Transpiration ◽  
Fine Sandy Loam ◽  
Sandy Silt

Matric suction induced by evapotranspiration is an important parameter for determining the hydraulic mechanisms of vegetation on slope stability. Despite evapotranspiration closely associated with atmospheric parameters and soil conditions, the influence of soil properties and illumination intensities on matric suction of vegetated soil has so far received the least research attention. In this paper, three kinds of soil, namely, fine sandy loam, sandy silt, and silty clay, were selected as experimental soils, and Indigofera amblyantha was chosen as the test plant. The test conditions were controlled, such as the use of homogeneous soil and uniform plant growth conditions. Each specimen was exposed to identical atmospheric conditions controlled in a laboratory for monitoring matric suction responses over 10 days. The results showed that illumination intensities play an important role in evapotranspiration, and the thermal energy from lighting had a direct impact on plant transpiration, whereas the lighting only affected plant photosynthesis. Plant roots in vegetated soil can effectively improve the air intake value of soil, and matric suction induced by plant transpiration in vegetated soil was 1.5–2.0 times that of un-evapotranspirated soil. There is a correlation between matric suction and the silt and clay contents, and the matric suction of silty clay was sensitive to changes in the soil moisture content. Compared to fine sandy loam, the water retention of sandy silt and silty clay was high, and a high level of matric suction was maintained in the corresponding time. The results for predicting soil water evapotranspiration based on matric suction have theoretical and practical significance for preventing soil erosion and shallow landslides. In addition, these results have great guiding significance for agricultural production, such as irrigation.

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