Effect of different agricultural management practices on soil quality in maize intensive production.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Luísa ◽  
carlos oliveira ◽  
Isabel Campos ◽  
Oscar Pelayo ◽  
Dalila Serpa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Urease Activity ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Agricultural Management ◽  
Chemical Parameters ◽  
No Till ◽  
Soil Sustainability ◽  
Biodiversity Preservation

<p>Potential changes in soil quality as result of intensive agriculture are increasingly raising concerns about associated impacts and the need to implement more sustainable agricultural practices. Among several intensive crops, maize, an important human food source, is one of the most intensely produced around the world, representing harmful consequences for soil quality. Therefore, it is fundamental to understand how different agricultural management practices can influence soil quality. Hence, the main objective of this study was to compare the implications of the conventional tillage versus non-tillage in soil quality. Additionally, it was also an objective to evaluate how the implementation of herbage strips, non-irrigated and fallow areas, contribute to soil sustainability and biodiversity preservation, compensating the impacts of intensive maize cultivation. For this purpose, an integrative approach was adopted including physical-chemical parameters (e.g. bulk density, pH, electrical conductivity, field capacity, organic matter, nutrients) and biological parameters (e.g. phosphatase activity, urease activity, ecotoxicological tests with soil organisms).</p><p>The obtained results revealed the existence of differences between the analyzed practices, mainly associated with chemical parameters and nutrients. When comparing no-till and conventional sowing, higher mean values for no-till were observed for the following parameters: organic matter, cation exchange capacity, nitrogen, phosphorus, nitrates, calcium, copper, zinc, iron, manganese, urease activity and invertase activity. Hence, this study highlights the importance of the implementation of nonconventional agricultural practices, as is the case of no-till, as promoters of productivity and soil sustainability. Additionally, different management practices as herbage strip, non-irrigated and fallow areas around conventional areas play an additional role in soil quality and biodiversity preservation.</p>

Soil Quality and Soil Sustainability

2019 ◽  
pp. 46-58
Author(s):  
Ashok Kumar Rathoure
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Agricultural Soils ◽  
Dynamic Properties ◽  
Infiltration Rate ◽  
Quality Work ◽  
Complex Part ◽  
Soil Sustainability ◽  
Soil Structures

Soil is an important and complex part of our environment. The agro-ecosystem is made up of many interacting components with multiple goals. Soil quality is one important part of sustainable agro-ecosystem management, analogous to water and air quality. Assessing soil quality may help managers identify practices that could be adapted to become more sustainable. Soil quality is the ability of a soil to perform functions that are essential to people and the environment. Soil quality is not limited to agricultural soils, although most soil quality work has been done in agricultural systems. Soil quality definitions emphasize several features. Dynamic properties include organic matter, soil structure, infiltration rate, bulk density, and water and nutrient holding capacity. Changes in dynamic properties depend both on land management practices and the inherent properties of the soil. Here, the author has presented for intrinsic and vigorous properties, soil structures and macrophores, soil quality management, etc.

scholarly journals Impact of Sustainable Land Management Practices on Soil Properties: Example of Organic and Integrated Agricultural Management

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Rok Mihelič ◽  
Jure Pečnik ◽  
Matjaž Glavan ◽  
Marina Pintar
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Visual Assessment ◽  
Agricultural Management ◽  
Vegetable Production ◽  
Modified Method ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
River Terraces ◽  
Food And Agriculture Organization

Maintaining good soil quality is crucial for the sustainability of agriculture. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the visual soil assessment (VSA) method by testing it on two soil types and two agricultural management practices (AMP) (organic and integrated) that are considered to protect soil quality. We selected two farms with plots on two river terraces with different soil properties. The test was based on the modified method Annual Crops Visual Quality Assessment developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and supported by a standardized soil physical and chemical analysis. This study showed that the assessed score is highly dependent on the type of farming practice and how soils are managed. The soil type also plays an important role. The results for Calcaric Fluvisol showed that the effects of selected agricultural management practices on the visual assessment of soil quality could be almost undetectable. The time of assessment also plays a significant role in VSA scoring. Different crops and agricultural activities with significant impacts on the soil occur throughout the year (especially in vegetable production). It was observed that a higher score for the soil cover indicator had a beneficial effect on the total VSA rating.

scholarly journals Analysis of Soil Enzymes During the Cyclic Process of Vineyard Management

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-73
Author(s):  
Dastigir Sayyad Mundaganur ◽  
Yasmin Dastigir Mundaganur ◽  
Ashokan K.V.
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Soil Enzymes ◽  
Simple Procedure ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
Cyclic Process ◽  
Living Things ◽  
Additional Support

Keeping soil quality at par is one of the needed things for sustainable development and the existence of millions of living things in biosphere. Soil enzymes are used as soil quality indicators for quick response of changes for environmental stress, pollution and agricultural practices much more sooner (1–2 year) than other soil properties (organic matter); easy to measure (relatively simple procedure), having relations with plant productivity, soil quality parameters (organic matter, soil physical properties, microbial activity, and microbial biomass), and biogeochemical cycle; and being integrative. To assess the detrimental effect of the soil in grape cultivating field we selected four farming sites and various soil enzymes like protease. Urease, cellulose, chitinase, beta glocosidase, phosphatase, amylase, aryl sulphatase and dehydrogenase. As an additional support, we estimated the microbial population in all these fields and in all the stages of the cyclic process of the vine cultivation. Our study showed that the extensive use of the chemical pesticide badly affect the soil microorganism and which in turn badly affect the quality and quantity of the soil enzymes and subsequently the quality of the soil. Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol 4(1): 67-73

scholarly journals Enzymatic biofilm detachment causes a loss of aggregate stability in a sandy soil

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Büks ◽  
M. Kaupenjohann
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Extracellular Polymeric Substances ◽  
Soil Aggregates ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Enzyme Treatment ◽  
Rooting Depth ◽  
Experimental Proof ◽  
Biofilm Detachment

Abstract. The stability of soil aggregates against shear and compressive forces as well as water caused dispersion is an integral marker of soil quality. High stability results in less soil compactibility and erodibility, enhanced water retention, a dynamic water transport and aeration regime, increased rooting depth and protection of soil organic matter (SOM) against microbial degradation. For decades the importance of biofilm extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) regarding aggregate stability has been canonical because of its distribution, geometric structure and ability to link primary particles. However, experimental proof is still missing. This lack is mainly due to methodological reasons. Thus, the objective of this work is to develop a method of enzymatic biofilm detachment for studying the effects of EPS on soil aggregate stability. The method combines an enzymatic pre-treatment with different activities of α-glucosidase, β-galactosidase, DNAse and lipase, which preserves aggregate structure, with a subsequent sequential ultrasonic treatment for disaggregation and density-fractioning. Soil organic carbon (SOC) releases of treated samples were compared to an enzyme-free control. To test the effectivity of biofilm detachment the ratio of bacterial DNA from sessile and suspended cells after enzymatic treatment was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. Although the enzyme treatment was not sufficient for total biofilm removal, our results confirm, that EPS stabilizes soil aggregates predominantly by a strong intra-aggregate fixation, and enzymatic biofilm digestion caused a shift of occluded particulate organic matter (POM) to more fragile binding patterns. This suggests that an effect of agricultural practices on soil microbial populations could influence aggregate stability and thereby soil quality.

scholarly journals Sustainability/resilience of soil organic matter components in an Argentinean arid region .

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Vázquez ◽  
Laura Noe ◽  
Adriana Abril ◽  
Carolina Merlo ◽  
Carlos Romero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Humic Substances ◽  
Humic Acids ◽  
Arid Region ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Agricultural Soils ◽  
Fulvic Acids ◽  
Soil Sustainability ◽  
Undisturbed Site

This short communication presents a novel approach to determining the soil sustainability of productive practices in an Argentinean arid region, using the resilience degree of soil organic matter components. The study was conducted in four sites of the Arid Chaco region of the Cordoba province: one undisturbed site, two sites with livestock (with total and with selective clearing) and one site with agriculture. In each site three soil samples were taken and total soil organic matter, fulvic and humic acids, and non-humic substances were analyzed. Variations of each component (%) between each productive practice and the undisturbed site were calculated in order to establish the resilience degree. The livestock soils showed: a) moderate resilience for non-humic substances, b) low resilience for organic matter and humic acids, and c) no resilience for fulvic acids. The agricultural soils showed: a) low resilience for total organic matter and non-humic substances, and b) no resilience for fulvic and humic acids. We conclude that this approach is a powerful tool for establishing management practices according to each particular situation, allowing improved productivity in arid regions.

scholarly journals Stacking Agricultural Management Tactics to Promote Improvements in Soil Structure and Microbial Activities

Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 539 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Michael Lehman ◽  
Shannon L. Osborne ◽  
Kimberly McGraw
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Soil Structure ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Agricultural Management ◽  
Residue Management ◽  
No Till ◽  
Management Tactics

Linking agricultural management tactics to quantifiable changes in soil health-related properties is a key objective for increasing adoption of the most favorable management practices. We used two long-term, no-till cropping studies to illustrate the variable patterns of response of soil structure indices and microbial activity to additional management tactics, including crop rotational diversity, residue management and cover cropping. We found that observable effects of management tactics on soil properties were often dependent on the current crop phase sampled, even though the treatments were well-established. In some cases, a single additional management tactic produced a response, two tactics each produced a response and sometimes there were interactions between tactics. However, importantly, we never observed a negative effect for any of the response variables when stacking soil health building practices in no-till cropping systems. The collective results from the two field studies illustrate that soil health improvements with stacking management tactics are not always simply additive and are affected by temporal relationships inherent to the treatments. We conclude that the implementation of multiple positive management tactics increases the likelihood that improvements in soil properties can be documented with one or more of the proxy measures for soil health.

scholarly journals Effects of agricultural management on soil organic matter and carbon transformation – a review

2011 ◽  
Vol 52 (No. 12) ◽  
pp. 531-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Liu ◽  
S.J. Herbert ◽  
A.M. Hashemi ◽  
X. Zhang ◽  
G. Ding
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Crop Rotation ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Farmyard Manure ◽  
Major Effect ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Tillage Practices ◽  
The Impact

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the most often reported attribute and is chosen as the most important indicator of soil quality and agricultural sustainability. In this review, we summarized how cultivation, crop rotation, residue and tillage management, fertilization and monoculture affect soil quality, soil organic matter (SOM) and carbon transformation. The results confirm that SOM is not only a source of carbon but also a sink for carbon sequestration. Cultivation and tillage can reduce soil SOC content and lead to soil deterioration. Tillage practices have a major effect on distribution of C and N, and the rates of organic matter decomposition and N mineralization. Proper adoption of crop rotation can increase or maintain the quantity and quality of soil organic matter, and improve soil chemical and physical properties. Adequate application of fertilizers combined with farmyard manure could increase soil nutrients, and SOC content. Manure or crop residue alone may not be adequate to maintain SOC levels. Crop types influence SOC and soil function in continuous monoculture systems. SOC can be best preserved by rotation with reduced tillage frequency and with additions of chemical fertilizers and manure. Knowledge and assessment of changes (positive or negative) in SOC status with time is still needed to evaluate the impact of different management practices.

Impact of land use changes and of agricultural management in vineyards to shallow landslides susceptibility in a representative area of northern Italian Apennines

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimiliano Bordoni ◽  
Alberto Vercesi ◽  
Michael Maerker ◽  
Claudia Meisina
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Shallow Landslides ◽  
Agricultural Management ◽  
Grass Cover ◽  
Root Reinforcement ◽  
Italian Apennines ◽  
Slope Instabilities

<p>Land use is one of the most important factor which can promote or reduce the susceptibility of an area towards shallow slope instabilities. Different plant species guarantee different amounts of additional reinforcement to unstable soil covers, thank to the mecahanical effects of their roots as a function of their density and shear strength properties. Furthermore, land use changes and modifications of management practices in cultivated slopes could cause an increase in the proneness towards these phenomena, due to modification on vegetational types and on farming and tillage operations that could reduce the root additional reinforcement in soil. Hilly areas vocated to viticulture are one of the most affected landscapes that suffere of shallow slope instabilities as a consequence of modification in agricultural management and of land use changes for the abandonement of previously cultivated hillslopes. Therefore, this work aims to analyze the effects of the land use changes and of the different agronomical practices occurring in an area vocated to viticulture prone to shallow landslides triggering. From the point-of-view of land use changes, we analyzed especially the linkage between the location of past shallow landslides events and the possible temporal variations of land cover or of agricultural practices in still cultivated areas. For the effect of agricultural practices in vineyards, we quantified the root reinforcement and the probability of occurrence of shallow landslides on vineyards managed with traditional agricultural techniques of tillage and permanent grass cover as well as the alternation of these two practices between adjacent inter-rows. The research was conducted in several test-sites of the Oltrepò Pavese (Lombardy region, north-western Italy), one of the most important Italian zones for wine production in northern Italian Apennines. The results show that the test-site was characterised by pronounced land abandonment and important changes in agricultural practices. In particular, abandoned cultivated lands that gradually recovered through natural grasses, shrubs and woods were identified as the land use change classes that were most prone to shallow landslides. Regarding the features of the grapevine root system, vineyards with alternation management of inter-rows had the highest root density and the strongest root reinforcement, of up to 45% in comparison to permanent grass cover, and up to 67-73% in comparison to tilled vineyards. As a consequence, slopes with medium steepness (10-18°) were unstable if inter-rows of vineyards were tilled, while vineyards with permanent grass cover or alternation in the inter rows promoted the stability of slopes with higher steepness (>21-25° for vineyards with permanent grass cover in the inter rows, 28-33° for vineyards with alternation). The results of this study yielded important information to establish effective land use management practices able to reduce shallow slope instabilities. This work was supported by the project Oltrepò BioDiverso, funded by Fondazione Cariplo in the frame of AttivAree Program.</p>

scholarly journals Cropland soil organic matter content change in Northeast China, 1985-2005

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanmin Yao ◽  
Liming Ye ◽  
Huajun Tang ◽  
Pengqin Tang ◽  
Deying Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Northeast China ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Productive Capacity ◽  
Content Change

AbstractSoil organic matter (SOM) content is one of the most important indicators of soil quality and hence the productive capacity of soils. Northeast China (NEC) is the most important region in grain production in China. In this study,we assessed the spatiotemporal change of cropland SOM content in NEC using sampling data of 2005 and survey data of 1985. We also analysed the driving forces behind the SOM content change. Our results showed that SOM content decreased in 39% of all the cropland in NEC, while increase in SOM content was only detected on 16% of the cropland. SOM remained unchanged in nearly half (i.e. 45%) of the cropland. Our results also revealed that cropping intensity and fertilizer application were the two most important factors driving SOM change. Overall, results from this research provided novel details of the spatiotemporal patterns of cropland SOM content change in NEC which was not revealed in earlier assessments. The datasets presented here can be used not only as baselines for the calibration of process-based carbon budget models, but also to identify regional soil quality hotspots and to guide spatial-explicit soil management practices.

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