Long-Term Effects of Alternative Residue Management Practices on Soil Water Retention in a Wheat-Soybean, Double-Crop System in Eastern Arkansas

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.

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Development of a new long-term drought resilient soil water retention technology

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation ◽

10.2489/jswc.69.5.154a ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 69 (5) ◽

pp. 154A-160A ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Y. Kavdir ◽

W. Zhang ◽

B. Basso ◽

A. J. M. Smucker

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Water Retention ◽

Soil Water Retention

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Relationship of soil water retention characteristics and soil properties: a case study from the Colombian Andes

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.1139/cjss-2020-0066 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Clara Roa García ◽

Sandra Brown ◽

Maja Krzic ◽

Les Lavkulich ◽

María Cecilia Roa-García

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Water ◽

Water Retention ◽

Management Practices ◽

Principal Component ◽

Total Carbon ◽

Soil Types ◽

Soil Water Retention ◽

Colombian Andes

Differences in soil water retention (SWR) characteristics between soil types and the factors driving those differences provide important information for land management, particularly in regions such as the Colombian Andes, which have limited water-storage infrastructure and where soils provide plant-available water and other ecosystem services. The objective of this study was to explore relationships between SWR and physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties of Andisols and Inceptisols through a case study of two watersheds in the Colombian Andes. This study identified a complex relationship between total carbon (TC), short-range order (SRO) minerals, and SWR. Both soil types had high SWR, with volumetric water content at permanent wilting point between 39% and 53%. Principal component analysis showed association of SWR with TC, SRO minerals, and % clay in both soil types. The Andisols of this study were coarse textured, allophanic (rich in allophane and imogolite — up to 17% in the B horizon), and with up to 15% TC in the A horizon. In contrast, the Inceptisols were fine textured (>30% clay) and higher in ferrihydrite than the Andisols. The formation of organo-metallic complexes was observed in A horizons; however, TC was lower under pasture than forest in both soil types. The addition of organic matter to soils with SRO minerals, such as the soils of this study, may foster the formation of organo-metallic complexes, stabilize soil C, and enhance SWR. Consequently, both study sites may benefit from management practices that increase soil organic matter.

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Changes in the Structure of a Nigerian Soil under Different Land Management Practices

Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo ◽

10.1590/01000683rbcs20140017 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 830-840 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole ◽

Luiz Fernando Pires ◽

Bello Muhammed Shehu

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Land Management ◽

Water Retention ◽

Management Practices ◽

Cropping System ◽

Retention Data ◽

Soil Water Retention ◽

Physical Quality ◽

Bush Fallow ◽

Fallow System

Quantification of soil physical quality (SPQ) and pore size distribution (PSD) can assist understanding of how changes in land management practices influence dynamics of soil structure, and this understanding could greatly improve the predictability of soil physical behavior and crop yield. The objectives of this study were to measure the SPQ index under two different land management practices (the continuous arable cropping system and natural bush fallow system), and contrast the effects of these practices on the structure of PSD using soil water retention data. Soil water retention curves obtained from a pressure chamber were fitted to van Genuchten’s equation, setting m (= 1-1/n). Although values for soil bulk density were high, soils under the continuous arable cropping system had good SPQ, and maintained the capacity to support root development. However, soils under the natural bush fallow system had a worse structure than the continuous arable system, with restrictions in available water capacity. These two management systems had different PSDs. Results showed the inferiority of the natural bush fallow system with no traffic restriction (which is the common practice) in relation to the continuous arable cropping system in regard to physical quality and structure.

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Effect of long-term organic amendments on the full-range soil water retention characteristics of a Vertisol

Soil and Tillage Research ◽

10.1016/j.still.2020.104663 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 202 ◽

pp. 104663

Author(s):

Hu Zhou ◽

Chong Chen ◽

Daozhong Wang ◽

Emmanuel Arthur ◽

Zhongbin Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Water Retention ◽

Full Range ◽

Organic Amendments ◽

Soil Water Retention ◽

Retention Characteristics

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Soil Water Retention as Affected by Management Induced Changes of Soil Organic Carbon: Analysis of Long-Term Experiments in Europe

Land ◽

10.3390/land10121362 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 1362

Author(s):

Ioanna S. Panagea ◽

Antonio Berti ◽

Pavel Čermak ◽

Jan Diels ◽

Annemie Elsen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Water Content ◽

Soil Structure ◽

Water Retention ◽

Management Practices ◽

Soil Water Retention ◽

Long Term Experiments ◽

Induced Changes

Soil water retention (SWR) is an important soil property related to soil structure, texture, and organic matter (SOM), among other properties. Agricultural management practices affect some of these properties in an interdependent way. In this study, the impact of management-induced changes of soil organic carbon (SOC) on SWR is evaluated in five long-term experiments in Europe (running from 8 up to 54 years when samples were taken). Topsoil samples (0–15 cm) were collected and analysed to evaluate the effects of three different management categories, i.e., soil tillage, the addition of exogenous organic materials, the incorporation of crop residues affecting SOC and water content under a range of matric potentials. Changes in the total SOC up to 10 g C kg−1 soil (1%) observed for the different management practices, do not cause statistically significant differences in the SWR characteristics as expected. The direct impact of the SOC on SWR is consistent but negligible, whereas the indirect impact of SOC in the higher matric potentials, which are mainly affected by soil structure and aggregate composition, prevails. The different water content responses under the various matric potentials to SOC changes for each management group implies that one conservation measure alone has a limited effect on SWR and only a combination of several practices that lead to better soil structure, such as reduced soil disturbances combined with increased SOM inputs can lead to better water holding capacity of the soil.

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Long-term influence of compost on available water capacity of a fine sandy loam in a potato rotation

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/cjss06042 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 87 (5) ◽

pp. 535-539 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

M R Carter

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Water Retention ◽

Sandy Loam ◽

Soil Water Retention ◽

Matric Potential ◽

Water Capacity ◽

Available Water ◽

Available Water Capacity ◽

Potato Rotation

An improved soil physical structure, associated with organic amendments in crop rotations, can be viewed as an emergent property. A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of applied compost on soil water retention and available water capacity, and other associative soil properties in a long-term 3-yr potato rotation established on a Charlottetown fine sandy loam (Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol) in Prince Edward Island. Soil samples (0–10 cm) were obtained from two crop phases (barley and potato) during the fourth cycle of the rotation (after four compost applications) in the 12th year of the experiment. Except for particulate N, compost had little effect on soil organic matter. In comparison to the barley phase, a combination of compost and surface tillage in the potato phase was associated with improved soil porosity parameters and increased soil water contents at −33 kPa (“field capacity” ), −100 and −300 kPa matric potential, compared with the no-compost control. These results indicate that compost stabilized the tillage induced soil aggregates and macro-porosity in the potato phase. Regression analysis showed that soil volumetric water content at both −33 and −1500 kPa matric potential was significantly related to soil C concentration, although the soil available water capacity remained unchanged. The results imply that the “non-nutrient” compost effect on potato productivity was related to soil water retention. Key words: Soil water retention, soil physical and biochemical properties, compost amendment, tillage, potato rotation, eastern Canada

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