Effect of conservation agriculture practices on the resilience of Mediterranean soils to the predicted seasonal drought events

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Morales ◽  
María T Domínguez ◽  
Mª Belén Herrador ◽  
Engracia Madejón ◽  
Elena Fernández-Boy
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Soil Dna ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Respiration Rates ◽  
Soil Functioning ◽  
Soil Resilience

<p>How climate change will affect soil functioning is a major concern, especially in Mediterranean agrosystems, where, according to climate change projections, the occurrence of extreme temperatures and drought events will be increased. The main objective of our experiment was to evaluate the effect of land management (tillage system) on soil resilience against a simulated dry-rewetting cycle. Soil samples were collected from an in-situ field experiment established in 2008 in the Guadalquivir Valley, where conservation agriculture practices have been tested. Three different land management practices under a typical Mediterranean wheat-legume rotation system were compared: 1) traditional tillage (TT), 2) minimum tillage (MT) and 3) no-tillage (NT). Following our hypothesis, conservation agriculture practices (reduced tillage and no-tillage) may allow a more mature soil microbial community by reducing soil perturbation, and this would result in higher resistance of soil functioning against drought periods. Soil enzyme activities (β-glucosidase, phosphatase, acetylglucosaminidase, aminopeptidase, and dehydrogenase activities), microbial functional diversity (Microresp method), and soil DNA concentration (as an index of microbial biomass) were analyzed in a base-line sampling. Afterwards, a dry-rewetting cycle was simulated under controlled conditions. 8 subsamples of 50g from each soil sample were hydrated to reach 70% of each soil water holding capacity (WHC) and kept in those conditions for a pre-incubation period of 15 days. After this period, half of the replicates were let dry for 12 days (drought), while the others were maintained at 70% WFC (controls). Finally, all replicates were rehydrated again to the initial water content during a 14 days rewetting period. During this cycle, soil respiration rates were periodically measured to study the evolution of soil microbial activity. Our results showed that initial respiration rates were slightly higher in MT compared to NT (p<0.1), likely due to higher organic C and N content in the MT soils. Drought extremely reduced respiration rates in the three treatments, but the results did not show a clear pattern among treatments. During the rewetting period, respiration rates were significantly higher in drought samples in comparison with the controls, while no significant differences were found for the land management treatments. Besides, land management practices did not have a significant effect on soil DNA concentration, functional diversity of the microbial community, or enzyme activities. To conclude, the absence of a clear effect of land management practices on soil resilience to drought may be due to the experimental conditions. An in-situ experiment will allow us to determine if tillage reduction enhances soil resilience to moisture stress.</p>

scholarly journals Bioactive Properties of Fruits and Leafy Vegetables Managed with Integrated, Organic, and Organic No-Tillage Practices in the Mediterranean Area: A Two-Year Rotation Experiment

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Costanza Ceccanti ◽  
Marco Landi ◽  
Daniele Antichi ◽  
Lucia Guidi ◽  
Luigi Manfrini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bioactive Compounds ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Leafy Vegetables ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Cash Crops ◽  
Starting Point

The sustainability of current farming systems has been questioned in the last decades, especially in terms of the environmental impact and mitigation of global warming. Also, the organic sector, which is supposed to impact less on the environment than other more intensive systems, is looking for innovative solutions to improve its environmental sustainability. Promisingly, the integration of organic management practices with conservation agriculture techniques may help to increase environmental sustainability of food production. However, little is known about the possible impact of conservation agriculture on the content of bioactive compounds in cash crops. For this reason, a two-year rotation experiment used 7 cash crops (4 leafy vegetables and 3 fruit crops) to compare integrated (INT), organic farming (ORG), and organic no-tillage (ORG+) systems to evaluate the possible influence of cropping systems on the nutritional/nutraceutical values of the obtained fruits and leafy vegetables. The results pointed out specific responses based on the species as well as the year of cultivation. However, cultivation with the ORG+ cropping system resulted in effective obtainment of fruits and vegetables with higher levels of bioactive compounds in several cases (11 out 16 observations). The ORG+ cropping system results are particularly promising for leafy vegetable cultivation, especially when ORG+ is carried out on a multi-year basis. Aware that the obtained data should be consolidated with longer-term experiments, we conclude that this dataset may represent a good starting point to support conservation agriculture systems as a possible sustainable strategy to obtain products with higher levels of bioactive compounds.

scholarly journals Yield and Quality Performance of Traditional and Improved Bread and Durum Wheat Varieties under Two Conservation Tillage Systems

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (17) ◽  
pp. 4522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Ruiz ◽  
Encarna Zambrana ◽  
Rosario Fite ◽  
Aida Sole ◽  
Jose Luis Tenorio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Durum Wheat ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Wheat Varieties

The increasing spread of conservation agriculture demands that the next generation of wheat varieties includes cultivars capable of maintaining satisfactory yields with lower inputs and under uncertain climate scenarios. On the basis of the genetic gains achieved during decades of selection oriented to yield improvements under conventional crop management, it is important that novel breeding targets are defined and addressed. Grain yield, yield-related traits, and phenological and morphological characteristics, as well as functional quality parameters have been analyzed for six varieties each of bread and durum wheat, under minimum tillage and no-tillage. During the three-year experiment, the climatic conditions at the field trial site were characterized by low rainfall, although different degrees of aridity—from moderate to severe—were experienced. Differences were found between these two soil management practices in regard to the varieties’ yield stability. A positive influence of no-tillage on traits related to grain and biomass yield was also evidenced, and some traits among the examined seemed involved in varietal adaptation to a particular non-conventional tillage system. The study also confirmed some breeding targets for improved performance of wheat genotypes in conservation agroecosystems. These traits were represented in the small set of traditional varieties analysed.

scholarly journals Conservation agriculture increases the soil resilience and cotton yield stability in climate extremes of the southeast US

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amin Nouri ◽  
Daniel C. Yoder ◽  
Mohammad Raji ◽  
Safak Ceylan ◽  
Sindhu Jagadamma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Synergistic Effects ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Climate Extremes ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Yield Stability ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Cotton Yield ◽  
Climate Data

AbstractClimate extremes pose a global threat to crop security. Conservation agriculture is expected to offer substantial climate adaptation benefits. However, synergistic effects of conservation practices on yield during normal versus extreme climates and underlying regulatory mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we analyze 29-years of climate data, cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) yield, and soil data under 32 management practices in Tennessee, USA. We find that long-term no-tillage enhanced agroecosystem resilience and yield stability under climate extremes and maximized yield under favorable climate. We demonstrate that no-tillage benefits are tied with enhanced soil structural stability and organic carbon. No-tillage enhanced the effectiveness of legume cover crop in stabilizing cotton yield during relatively dry or wet, and dry years, while nitrogen fertilizer rate and precipitation timing, controlled yield stability in wetter years. Our findings provide evidence-based insights into how management strategies can enhance agroecosystem resilience and production stability in climate extremes.

scholarly journals Effect of land management practices on soil moisture storage characteristics

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 386-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karittika Chawala ◽  
Meharban Singh Kahlon
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Soil Profile ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Residue Management ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Deep Tillage ◽  
Moisture Storage

A field study was conducted to evaluate moisture storage in soil profile under four tillage-residue management practices namely conventional tillage, no-tillage without residue, no-tillage with residue and deep tillage along with three irrigation regime based on IW/PAN-E ratio 1.2, 0.9 and 0.6 in maize with three replications in split plot design. Significant differences were observed in steady state infiltration rate and cumulative infiltration among different land management practices with maximum value in deep tillage (4.9 cm hr-1 and 33.1 cm) followed by no tillage with residue (4.1cm hr-1 and 28.6 cm), no tillage without residue (4.0 cm hr-1 and 23.0 cm) and conventional tillage (2.8 cm hr-1 and 19.4 cm), respectively. The highest mean weight diameter and water stable aggregates were found under no tillage with residue (0.64 mm and 49.7%) and lowest under deep tillage (0.3 mm and 21.8%), respectively. Higher volumetric soil water content and soil profile moisture storage were recorded under no tillage with residue at different days after sowing. Among different tillage-residue management practices, maximum leaf area index and relative leaf water content were observed in no-tillage with residue. Under moisture stress conditions, no-tillage with residue retention was suitable land management option for reducing evaporation losses and enhancing moisture storage in the soil profile.

scholarly journals Biological Impact of Divergent Land Management Practices on Tomato Crop Health

2012 ◽  
Vol 102 (6) ◽  
pp. 597-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan O. Chellemi ◽  
Tiehang Wu ◽  
Jim H. Graham ◽  
Greg Church
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Fusarium Wilt ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Marketable Yield ◽  
Soil Microbial Community Structure ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Tomato Roots ◽  
Meloidogyne Spp

Development of sustainable food systems is contingent upon the adoption of land management practices that can mitigate damage from soilborne pests. Five diverse land management practices were studied for their impacts on Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici), galling of roots by Meloidogyne spp. and marketable yield of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and to identify associations between the severity of pest damage and the corresponding soil microbial community structure. The incidence of Fusarium wilt was >14% when tomato was cultivated following 3 to 4 years of an undisturbed weed fallow or continuous tillage disk fallow rotation and was >4% after 3 to 4 years of bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum) rotation or organic production practices that included soil amendments and cover crops. The incidence of Fusarium wilt under conventional tomato production with soil fumigation varied from 2% in 2003 to 15% in 2004. Repeated tomato cultivation increased Fusarium wilt by 20% or more except when tomato was grown using organic practices, where disease remained less than 3%. The percent of tomato roots with galls from Meloidogyne spp. ranged from 18 to 82% in soil previously subjected to a weed fallow rotation and 7 to 15% in soil managed previously as a bahiagrass pasture. Repeated tomato cultivation increased the severity of root galling in plots previously subjected to a conventional or disk fallow rotation but not in plots managed using organic practices, where the percentage of tomato roots with galls remained below 1%. Marketable yield of tomato exceeded 35 Mg ha–1 following all land management strategies except the strip-tillage/bahiagrass program. Marketable yield declined by 11, 14, and 19% when tomato was grown in consecutive years following a bahiagrass, weed fallow, and disk rotation. The composition of fungal internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) and bacterial 16S rDNA amplicons isolated from soil fungal and bacterial communities corresponded with observed differences in the incidence of Fusarium wilt and severity of root galling from Meloidogyne spp. and provided evidence of an association between the effect of land management practices on soil microbial community structure, severity of root galling from Meloidogyne spp., and the incidence of Fusarium wilt.

scholarly journals Effect of land management on soil properties in flood irrigated citrus orchards in Eastern Spain

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Morugán-Coronado ◽  
F. García-Orenes ◽  
A. Cerdà
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Microbial Properties ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Citrus Orchards

Abstract. Agricultural land management greatly affects soil properties. Microbial soil communities are the most sensitive and rapid indicators of perturbations in land use and soil enzyme activities are sensitive biological indicators of the effects of soil management practices. Citrus orchards frequently have degraded soils and this paper evaluates how land management in citrus orchards can improve soil quality. A field experiment was performed in an orchard of orange trees (Citrus Sinensis) in the Alcoleja Experimental Station (Eastern Spain) with clay-loam agricultural soils to assess the long-term effects of herbicides with inorganic fertilizers (H), intensive ploughing and inorganic fertilizers (P) and organic farming (O) on the soil microbial properties, and to study the relationship between them. Nine soil samples were taken from each agricultural management plot. In all the samples the basal soil respiration, soil microbial biomass carbon, water holding capacity, electrical conductivity, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, aggregate stability, cation exchange capacity, pH, texture, macronutrients (Na, Ca and Mg), micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu), calcium carbonate equivalent, calcium carbonate content of limestone and enzimatic activities (urease, dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase and acid phosphatase) were determined. The results showed a substantial level of differentiation in the microbial properties, which were highly associated with soil organic matter content. The management practices including herbicides and intensive ploughing had similar results on microbial soil properties. O management contributed to an increase in the soil biology quality, aggregate stability and organic matter content.

scholarly journals Use of Field-Based Stable Isotope Probing To Identify Adapted Populations and Track Carbon Flow through a Phenol-Degrading Soil Microbial Community

2005 ◽  
Vol 71 (12) ◽  
pp. 7858-7865 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. DeRito ◽  
Graham M. Pumphrey ◽  
Eugene L. Madsen
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Soil Microbial Community ◽  
Stable Isotope Probing ◽  
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Soil Dna ◽  
Soil Microbial

ABSTRACT The goal of this field study was to provide insight into three distinct populations of microorganisms involved in in situ metabolism of phenol. Our approach measured 13CO2 respired from [13C]phenol and stable isotope probing (SIP) of soil DNA at an agricultural field site. Traditionally, SIP-based investigations have been subject to the uncertainties posed by carbon cross-feeding. By altering our field-based, substrate-dosing methodologies, experiments were designed to look beyond primary degraders to detect trophically related populations in the food chain. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS), it was shown that 13C-labeled biomass, derived from primary phenol degraders in soil, was a suitable growth substrate for other members of the soil microbial community. Next, three dosing regimes were designed to examine active members of the microbial community involved in phenol metabolism in situ: (i) 1 dose of [13C]phenol, (ii) 11 daily doses of unlabeled phenol followed by 1 dose of [13C]phenol, and (iii) 12 daily doses of [13C]phenol. GC/MS analysis demonstrated that prior exposure to phenol boosted 13CO2 evolution by a factor of 10. Furthermore, imaging of 13C-treated soil using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) verified that individual bacteria incorporated 13C into their biomass. PCR amplification and 16S rRNA gene sequencing of 13C-labeled soil DNA from the 3 dosing regimes revealed three distinct clone libraries: (i) unenriched, primary phenol degraders were most diverse, consisting of α-, β-, and γ-proteobacteria and high-G+C-content gram-positive bacteria, (ii) enriched primary phenol degraders were dominated by members of the genera Kocuria and Staphylococcus, and (iii) trophically related (carbon cross-feeders) were dominated by members of the genus Pseudomonas. These data show that SIP has the potential to document population shifts caused by substrate preexposure and to follow the flow of carbon through terrestrial microbial food chains.

A quantitative approach of the slake test for assessing soil structural stabilty

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédéric Vanwindekens ◽  
Brieuc Hardy ◽  
Christian Roisin ◽  
Fabienne Delporte
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Field Experiment ◽  
Soil Sample ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
No Tillage

<p>Soils are at the heart of agro-ecosystems. In various parts of Europe, soils, their structure and function are under pressure from intensive farming practices and global changes. The main consequences are a loss of biodiversity, a decrease in organic matter content, an increase in their susceptibility to erosion. In this context, some farmers are adopting innovative practices to increase the quality of their soils. Among innovative practices, those related to conservation agriculture are particularly highlighted.</p><p>Conservation Agriculture practices are based on the threefold principles of (i) minimizing mechanical soil disturbance (e.g. no tillage), (ii) permanent soil cover, and (iii) diversification of crop species grown in the plots. These practices are encouraged by the farmers who adopt them and some stakeholders (ASBLs, advisors, etc.). Some related practices raise questions (use of herbicides) and the effects of the practices on the soil are subject to debate within the scientific communities.</p><p>The physical properties of soils are traditionally estimated by a series of laboratory tests that are resource-, time- and money-intensive. We propose to present a new pragmatic approach to assess the functioning and quality of agricultural soils, the 'slake test'. In the development phase, this approach has been tested for contrasting fertilisation and tillage modalities in various long-term trials at the Walloon Agricultural Research Centre (CRA-W).</p><p>A slake test is a simple and visual experiment shown by promoters of conservation agriculture. It consists of immersing a metal basket containing a soil sample and observing how this sample decomposes. It is done qualitatively, in two glass cylinders to compare soil samples from ploughed and no-till plots. Although this test is a quick way to assess the structural stability of a soil, its protocol has not been formalized and its results objectified by a quantitative method. We developed an original approach, the ©QuantiSlakeTest, aimed at continuously measuring the disintegration of the soil sample.</p><p>This original experimental design was first tested by comparing two contrasted treatments of a long term field experiment in Chastres (Belgium). This field experiment was conducted between 2004 and 2018 by the CRA-W for comparing soil management practices. Samples were taken from plots of treatment T (tillage) and treatment NT (no-tillage) in five repetitions (10 plots). In each plot, seven samples were taken in the superficial layer using Kopecky rings. The samples were dried 48 hours at 50°C before being tested. </p><p>The application of ©QuantiSlakeTest highlights significant differences between tilled and non tilled plots. After one minute, the relative residual weight are significantly different between treatments (T: 0.76±0.16, NT: 0.95±0.06, p<0.001). At stabilisation, after 20 min, samples from tilled plots have lost more than 50% of their weight, while those from no-tilled plots have lost less than 30% (T: 0.49±0.32, NT: 0.71±0.22, p<0.001).</p><p>These early results confirm that ©QuantiSlakeTest is a credible approach for assessing the effect of soil management practices on soil stability, in controlled experimental conditions. We are now finetuning the protocol, trying the approach with room temperature dried samples and comparing other modalities (fertilisation, organic matter amendment).</p>

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document