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Most Cited Soil & Tillage Research Articles
The most cited articles published since 2010, extracted from Scopus.
Temperature- and duration-dependent rice straw-derived biochar: Characteristics and its effects on soil properties of an Ultisol in southern China
Volume 112, Issue 2, April 2011, Pages 159-166
X. Peng | L. L. Ye | C. H. Wang | H. Zhou | B. Sun
Applying biochar to soils may cause a win-win situation resulting in C sequestration and soil fertility improvement. The effect may be more evident in highly weathered and infertile tropical soils, but will be dependent on biochar quality. An Ultisol, typical to southern China, was used to evaluate amendment with biochars produced by a range of temperatures and durations, to investigate its effects on soil properties and plant growth. Rice straw-derived biochars were charred at temperatures from 250 to 450 °C for between 2 and 8. h. The increase of temperature caused smaller less structured (as viewed by SEM) fragments to form with less O, H and aliphatic C functional groups, but more aromatic C as indicated by infrared spectroscopy. The mean residence time of biochars under controlled conditions (25 °C, 40% field capacity) was estimated from 244 to 1700 years, generally increasing with charring temperature and duration. Amendment of 1% biochar increased pH by 0.1-0.46 (P< 0.01) and CEC by 3.9-17.3% (P< 0.05), but had no effect on aggregate stability. In pot trials maize biomass was increased by 64% (without NPK) to 146% (with NPK) after biochar amendment. The study emphasizes that amendment with biochar can improve soil fertility at least in the short term. Future studies focusing on the persistence of biochar fertility in the field must explicitly take into account additional factors to transfer this technology. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.
No-till in northern, western and south-western Europe: A review of problems and opportunities for crop production and the environment
Volume 118, Issue , January 2012, Pages 66-87
B. D. Soane | B. C. Ball | J. Arvidsson | G. Basch | F. Moreno | J. Roger-Estrade
Recent literature on no-till is reviewed with particular emphasis on research on commercial uptake and environmental concerns in northern, western and south-western Europe. Increased interest in no-till, and minimum or reduced tillage, results from changes in the economic circumstances of crop production, the opportunity to increase the area of more profitable autumn-sown crops and increased concern about environmental damage associated with soil inversion by ploughing. Highly contrasting soil and climate types within and between these regions exert a strong influence on the success of no-till. While no-till may often result in crop yields which equal or exceed those obtained after ploughing, modest reductions in yield may be tolerated if production costs are lower than with ploughing. The relative costs of fuel and herbicides have changed appreciably in recent years making no-till more attractive commercially. While effective weed control is an essential aspect of no-till, current herbicide technology may not yet fully achieve this.In northern regions no-till usually allows earlier drilling of winter-sown crops but will give lower soil temperature and higher moisture content in spring, causing delayed drilling of spring-sown crops. No-till soils have greater bulk density and bearing capacity than ploughed soils with a pronounced vertical orientation of macroporosity allowing penetration of roots and water, especially in view of the increased population of deep-burrowing earthworms. Particular care must be taken with no-till to minimise soil damage at harvest and to ensure the even distribution of crop residues prior to drilling.Reduced erosion and runoff after adoption of no-till are widely observed and are of particular importance in southwestern Europe. No-till reduces losses of phosphorus in runoff and, in some cases, reduces the loss of nitrate through leaching. Emissions of greenhouse gases CO 2 and N 2O from no-till soils are highly variable and depend on complex interactions of soil properties. Emission of CO 2 from fuel during machinery usage is always appreciably reduced with no-till. Increased soil organic carbon in surface layers of no-till soils is widely found but may not be associated with increased carbon sequestration throughout the profile. The evaluation of the relative carbon balance for no-till and ploughing depends upon complex inter-relationships between soil and climate factors which are as yet poorly understood. Adoption of no-till could be encouraged by government financial assistance in recognition of environmental benefits, although future restrictions on the use of herbicides may be a deterrent. Opportunities for further research on no-till are outlined. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.
Volume 111, Issue 2, January 2011, Pages 87-98
M. Farooq | M. Farooq | Kadambot H M Siddique | H. Rehman | T. Aziz | Dong Jin Lee | A. Wahid
Rice is one of the most important food crops in the world, and staple for more than half of the global population. Looming water crisis, water-intensive nature of rice cultivation and escalating labour costs drive the search for alternative management methods to increase water productivity in rice cultivation. Direct seeded rice (DSR) has received much attention because of its low-input demand. It involves sowing pre-germinated seed into a puddled soil surface (wet seeding), standing water (water seeding) or dry seeding into a prepared seedbed (dry seeding). In Europe, Australia and the United States, DSR is highly mechanised. The development of early-maturing varieties and improved nutrient management techniques along with increased availability of chemical weed control methods has encouraged many farmers in the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and India to switch from transplanted to DSR culture. This shift should substantially reduce crop water requirements, soil organic-matter turnover, nutrient relations, carbon sequestering, weed biota and greenhouse-gas emissions. Still, weed infestation can cause large yield losses in DSR. In addition, recent incidences of blast disease, crop lodging, impaired kernel quality and stagnant yields across the years are major challenges in this regard. In this review, we discuss the experiences, potential advantages and problems associated with DSR, and suggest likely future patterns of changes in rice cultivation. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
The adoption of non-inversion tillage systems in the United Kingdom and the agronomic impact on soil, crops and the environment-A review
Volume 108, Issues 1-2, May 2010, Pages 1-15
N. L. Morris | P. C H Miller | J. H. Orson | R. J. Froud-Williams
This paper seeks to review the current knowledge on soil cultivation and its effects to both soil physical properties and consideration to soil management to optimise crop productivity and yield when using non-inversion tillage within the United Kingdom (UK). There are many terms used to describe conservation tillage, more commonly referred to within the UK as non-inversion tillage, but it has generally been defined as any tillage system that maintains at least 30% residue cover on the soil surface after drilling to reduce the risk of soil erosion, conserve soil organic matter and improve soil structural stability.Consideration to a number of important factors needs to be given if successful adoption of non-inversion tillage is to be made in the UK. Soil type can have a substantial influence on the relative success of the adoption of non-inversion tillage. For example, on self-structuring clay soils the system can be relatively well suited and allow for timely cultivations that reduces the risk for creating very dry, cloddy seedbeds following ploughing wet soil that are difficult for establishing a successful crop. However, in contrast some unstructured light sand soils tend not to be suitable for non-inversion tillage because the soil aggregates tend to form an angular structure that fit tightly together excluding the movement of air and water through the soil profile that are fundamental requirements for healthy crop growth. Further agronomic management factors including crop residue handling at harvest and the consideration to weed control strategies that seek to reduce the risk to increasing herbicide resistance, in particular grass weeds, from the use of selective herbicide groups, e.g. sulfonylurea herbicides (e.g. Atlantis). If these factors are carefully managed then the opportunities in reducing fuel use, timeliness of cultivations and improved soil erosion control that non-inversion tillage can offer are potentially of great value in adopting sustainable cultivation strategies for maintaining or improving crop performance in a period of increased economic and environmental uncertainty. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
Soil microbial biomass and activity under different agricultural management systems in a semiarid Mediterranean agroecosystem
Volume 109, Issue 2, August 2010, Pages 110-115
F. García-Orenes | C. Guerrero | A. Roldán | J. Mataix-Solera | A. Cerdà | M. Campoy | R. Zornoza | G. Bárcenas | F. Caravaca
A field experiment was carried out in a semiarid agricultural Mediterranean area located at the " El Teularet" experimental field in the Enguera Sierra (Valencia, southeast Spain) to assess the influence of different agricultural management systems on indicators of soil biological quality and activity (microbial biomass C, basal respiration, C mineralization coefficients, metabolic quotient (qCO2), respiratory quotient (RQ: moles CO2 evolved/moles O2 consumed), soluble C and dehydrogenase, urease, protease-BAA, phosphatase and β-glucosidase activities), one year after treatment establishment. The management practices assayed were as follows: application of the herbicides paraquat, glyphosate or oxyfluorfen, addition of olive tree pruning residues, ploughing, sowing of oats+addition of crop residues+ploughing, sowing of Medicago sativa, sowing of oats and vetch+addition of crop residues and addition of oat straw. A non-treated plot was used as control soil and a plot under natural vegetation was used as a standard of local, high quality soil. The plots with addition of oat straw had higher values of enzymatic activity, microbial biomass and respiration, reaching similar values to soil under native vegetation. The lowest levels of soil biological quality indicators were observed in the plots with application of some type of herbicide. Low RQ values were observed in these plots as consequence of the scarce-null inputs of organic matter, suggesting an increase in organic matter recalcitrance. The addition of oat straw to soil can be considered an effective technology, due to the rapid improvement of soil quality, for carrying out sustainable agriculture in semiarid Mediterranean agroecosystems. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
Delineation of management zones using mobile measurements of soil apparent electrical conductivity and multivariate geostatistical techniques
Volume 106, Issue 2, January 2010, Pages 335-343
F. J. Moral | J. M. Terrón | J. R Marques da Silva
Site-specific management promotes the identification and management of areas within the field, which represent subfield regions with homogeneous characteristics (management zones). However, determination of subfield areas is difficult because of the complex combination of factors which could affect crop yield. One possibility to capture yield variability is the use of soil physical properties to define the management zones as they are related to plant available water. With the aim of characterizing the spatial variability of the main soil physical variables and using this information to determine potential management zones, soil samples were taken from 70 locations in a 33-ha field in Badajoz, southwestern Spain. Firstly, accurate spatial distribution maps of the soil attributes were generated by using regression kriging as the most suitable algorithm in which exhaustive secondary information on soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) was incorporated. ECa measurements were carried out with a Veris 3100 operating in both shallow (0-30 cm), ECs, and deep (0-90 cm), ECd, mode. Clay, coarse sand and fine sand were the soil physical properties which exhibited higher correlation with ECa (positively correlated with the finer texture component, clay, and negatively correlated with the coarser ones, coarse and fine sands), particularly with ECs. Thus, this was the secondary variable used to obtain the kriged maps. Later, principal component analysis and fuzzy cluster classification were performed to delineate management zones, resulting in two subfields to be managed separately. This number of subfields was determined using the fuzzy performance index and normalized classification entropy as the way to optimize the classification algorithm. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Volume 107, Issue 2, April 2010, Pages 88-96
Umakant Mishra | David A N Ussiri | Rattan Lal
No-till (NT) agriculture reduces soil disturbance, conserves soil and water, and lowers the cost of agricultural production. However, its role in soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration can be soil and site specific. The applicability of the results from long-term tillage experiments (LTTEs) showing positive rate of carbon (C) sequestration is being questioned under large scale farmers' field conditions. Therefore, this study assessed the soil C dynamics under conventional till (CT) and NT practices using three LTTEs and three farmer's field sites in Ohio, USA with diverse soil types, and environmental and management conditions. The hypothesis tested was that reduced soil disturbance in NT management system enhances soil C sequestration in comparison to CT management. Soils were sampled (0-40 cm) from adjacent CT, NT and woodlot (WL) plots at each site. Total C and nitrogen (N) pools were calculated based on equivalent soil mass basis. The SOC was fractioned into old C and new (corn C) using δ13C natural abundance. The CT soils had 26-55% lower SOC and 7-34% lower N pool compared to forest soils. Most of the historic SOC and N losses in cultivated soils occurred within the plow (0-25 cm) layer. The SOC pool in the top 40 cm was significantly greater under NT than CT at LTTEs and Coshocton farm. There were no significant differences in SOC pool of the top 40 cm among CT and NT at Delaware and Hoytville farms. Old C accounted for 69% and 66% of SOC under CT and NT, respectively at Northwestern Agricultural Research Station. However, at Western Agricultural Research Station, corn-derived C dominated CT and NT soils, accounting for 55% and 66% of SOC in the top 40 cm, respectively. At North Appalachian Experimental watersheds, corn-derived C dominated NT soils (64%), while old C dominated CT soils (64%). Result of this study indicated that a decrease in SOC and N pools occurs when forest soil is cultivated. Conversion of CT to NT restores some of the depleted SOC and N pools. This supports our hypothesis that the reduced soil disturbance in NT system slows the decomposition of SOC which increases soil C sequestration. The quantity and rate of loss or sequestration depends on several factors including soil type, texture and drainage, tillage intensity, and duration of NT practice. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Soil properties and crop yields after 11 years of no tillage farming in wheat-maize cropping system in North China Plain
Volume 113, Issue 1, May 2011, Pages 48-54
Jin He | Hongwen Li | Rabi G. Rasaily | Rabi G. Rasaily | Qingjie Wang | Guohua Cai | Yanbo Su | Xiaodong Qiao | Lijin Liu
Soil deterioration and the accompanying decline in crop yields are the main factors limiting the further development of agriculture in North China Plain. The long-term effects of no tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) on soil properties and crop yields were investigated in annual double cropping system of winter wheat-summer maize in the Gaocheng in Hebei, North China Plain over a 11-year period (1998-2009). Long-term NT significantly (P< 0.05) increased soil organic matter, available N and P in the top 10. cm by 16.1%, 31.0% and 29.6% as compared to CT treatment. Mean percentage of macro-aggregates (>0.25. mm, +8.1%) and macroporosity (>60. μm, +43.3%) was also enhanced statistically (P< 0.05) in the 0-30. cm soil layer. Winter wheat and summer maize yields tended to be 3.5% and 1.4% higher under NT than under CT, particularly in the dry years, suggesting that the change in soil physical properties, soil fertility and moisture has provided a better environment for crop development. These improvements in soil properties and yields are of considerable importance for the degraded soils in semiarid North China Plain, as well as for food security, sustainable agriculture and carbon storage in the annual double cropping areas of China. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.
Volume 109, Issue 2, August 2010, Pages 144-152
K. Regina | L. Alakukku
Consideration of the environmental effects of the no-tillage practice should be made on the basis of its effects on both carbon and nitrogen cycles. There is a lack of data on the effects of the no-till management in the cool and humid climate and typical soil types of Northern Europe. We measured the fluxes of nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) on conventionally ploughed agricultural soils and on respective soils that had been under no-till practice for 5-7 years. Ten chamber measurement investigations were carried out during a 10-month period on six pairs of tilled and no-till fields on clayey (Vertic Cambisols, three pairs), coarse (Eutric Regosols, two pairs), and organic (Dystric Histosols, one pair) soils located between latitudes 60° and 62° N. The results suggest that there is a risk of increased N2O emissions in the first years of no-till practice under small grain spring cereal cultivation in Northern European boreal climate. Carbon dioxide emissions measured as total ecosystem respiration were either unchanged, increased or decreased under no-till. Fluxes of CH4 were negligible and not affected by no-till practice. Dry bulk density and soil moisture were higher in no-till soils compared to annually mouldboard ploughed soils. Variation in the greenhouse gas fluxes was best explained by the content of carbon and nitrogen in the topsoil of 0-20cm. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
Volume 115-116, Issue , October 2011, Pages 1-15
A. Alaoui | J. Lipiec | H. H. Gerke
Compaction and shearing, as well as the rearrangement of soil aggregates and clods due to shrinkage, among other processes, can strongly affect the pore geometry of agricultural soils. These soil structural changes directly affect soil water movement by altering the hydraulic properties that are commonly described by the soil water retention curve (WRC) and the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity function (HCF). This review focuses on recent advances in the understanding and evaluation of changes in hydraulic functions in relation to compacted soil. The development of hydromechanical models due to recent advances with more sophisticated methods enables quantification of the effects of compaction on the hydraulic conductivity functions at the pore scale of aggregated soil. However, it remains unclear how to up-scale the dynamic, in terms of inter-aggregate pore models, into the continuum-scale dual-porosity models in the form of effective parameters, particularly regarding effective hydraulic properties for the preferential flow domain. While hydromechanical models fail to describe water flow and hydraulic conductivity at the relevant scales and water saturation ranges, the continuum-based flow models rely on effective parameters that are mainly empirical or are based on fitting model results to data. Input data usually do not address temporal changes in the arrangement of aggregates induced by soil compaction and shrinkage. This review presents a concept that summarizes the changes in structural and textural porosity upon compaction. It suggests focusing on the extension of existing hydraulic and hydromechanical models to include the pore structural changes that account for the movement and rearrangement of soil aggregates and the resulting changes in the soil hydraulic properties which basically manifest the effects of shearing and compaction on water flow. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.
Temporal dynamics of soil hydraulic properties and the water-conducting porosity under different tillage
Volume 113, Issue 2, June 2011, Pages 89-98
Andreas Schwen | Gernot Bodner | Peter Scholl | Graeme D. Buchan | Willibald Loiskandl
Soil hydraulic properties are subject to temporal changes as a response to both tillage and natural impact factors. As the temporal and spatial variability might exceed cultivation-induced differences, there is a need to better differentiate between those influence factors. Thus, the objective of the present study was to assess the impact of different tillage techniques - conventional (CT), reduced (RT), and no-tillage (NT) - on the soil hydraulic properties and their temporal dynamics. On a silt loam soil, tension infiltrometer measurements were obtained frequently over two consecutive years. The data was analyzed in terms of the near-saturated hydraulic conductivity, inversely estimated parameters of the van Genuchten/Mualem (VGM) model, and the water-conducting porosity. Our results show that the near-saturated hydraulic conductivity was in the order CT>RT>NT, with larger treatment-induced differences where water flow is dominated by mesopores. The VGM model parameterαVG was in the order CT
Volume 109, Issue 2, August 2010, Pages 133-143
Anneke Beylich | Hans Rudolf Oberholzer | Stefan Schrader | Heinrich Höper | Berndt Michael Wilke
Investigations on soil compaction focused mainly on effects on soil physical parameters and on plant growth. Nevertheless, a substantial number of papers deal with effects of soil compaction on soil organisms (soil fauna, soil microorganisms) and biologically driven processes in soils (e.g., macropore formation, respiration rates, N-mineralisation). In view of soil and soil functions protection, there is an essential need to identify soil compaction threshold values with respect to soil biota and soil biological processes. No such values are currently available. Thus the aim of our study was to evaluate literature on the effects of soil compaction mainly in agricultural soils on soil organisms and soil biological processes (e.g., respiration, nitrification); to identify relevant parameters which are helpful for assessing soil compaction from the soil biological point of view; and to find out whether threshold values of soil structure parameters proposed by soil physicists correspond to harmful impacts on soil organisms and biological processes in soils. Our literature review showed that due to the high variability of experimental situations and conditions in the evaluated papers, especially in papers describing field investigations, no general effect of soil compaction was found. Negative and positive effects occurred with slight compaction as well as with strong compaction. A verification of the thresholds published to date for soil compaction was not possible based on the data evaluated. However, the fact that above an effective bulk density of 1.7gcm-3, only negative effects on microbial biomass and C-mineralisation were found confirms this value, proposed by soil physicists, also from the soil biological point of view. In order to provide a scientifically meaningful data base for the assessment of soil compaction, effects on soil biodiversity, related functions and processes, we recommend considering the following site and soil properties as essentials: land use, climate, soil type, texture, bulk density; soil organic matter content; pH value; soil moisture (water content/water tension); pore volume; macroporosity and air and/or water conductivity. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
Volume 112, Issue 1, March 2011, Pages 92-97
Shulan Zhang | Shulan Zhang | Pingru Li | Xueyun Yang | Zhaohui Wang | Xinping Chen
The large dryland area of the Loess Plateau is subject of developing strategies for a sustainable crop production, e.g. by modifications of field management affecting soil water status and crop productivity. A three-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of field management practices on soil water, maize development and yield on the Loess Plateau of China. The field management practices included traditional tillage (CK), no-till with crop residue mulch (SM), alternating ridges mulched with plastic film and bare furrows (PM) and alternating ridges mulched with plastic film and furrows mulched with crop residue (PSM). The soil water storage was higher under SM than the other treatments, except in the first half of the first maize growing season. Higher soil water stimulated maize growth, as indicated by a higher leaf area index and greater biomass accumulation, and thus the highest grain yield (7251kgha-1) and water use efficiency (2.41kgm-3) in the first experimental season was recorded in SM plots. Maize growth and grain yield did not benefit in the other two seasons. Although soil water storage was similar between PM or PSM and CK treatments at sowing and harvest time, consistently better maize development and higher grain yield were observed through three seasons in PM and PSM plots. Under the PM and PSM treatments grain yield was 8-24% and 13-24% higher, respectively, than under the CK treatment, indicating that utilization of water and other resources was better under these treatments. However, significant soil water depletion in deeper (>100cm) soil layers was detected at harvest time under PM compared with CK, implying that higher yields might not be sustained in the long run. In conclusion, crop residue mulching combined with no-tillage is not recommended for spring-sown maize system under these temperate climate conditions. Instead, use of ridges mulched with plastic film combined with crop residues in furrows may be an efficient measure to increase crop yield and maintain or improve soil fertility. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
Organic carbon and total nitrogen stocks in a Vertisol following 40 years of no-tillage, crop residue retention and nitrogen fertilisation
Volume 112, Issue 2, April 2011, Pages 133-139
R. C. Dalal | R. C. Dalal | D. E. Allen | W. J. Wang | S. Reeves | I. Gibson
Conservation agricultural practices such as no-till (NT) and crop residue retention (CRR), and nutrient application, increases soil organic C (SOC) and are considered effective measures of C sequestration in soil. However, long-term effects of individual components of conservation agriculture and their interactions on SOC are rarely evaluated; as a result, conflicting findings of these practices on SOC are reported in the literature. We measured SOC and soil total N in a balanced factorial experiment, conducted on a Vertisol, consisting of tillage practices (conventional mechanical tillage, CT; and no-tillage, NT), crop residue management (crop residue burned, CRB; and crop residue retained, CRR) and N fertiliser application (no N, 30kgNha-1year-1; and 90kgNha-1year-1). The site, in a semiarid subtropical region, was cropped with wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) except for 3 years of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), for 40 years using conservation practices. In general, tillage effects on SOC and soil total N were small. Crop residue and N fertiliser interactively increased SOC and total N stocks at 0-0.1m depth and cumulative stocks at 0-0.2m and 0-0.3m depths; that is, CRR increased SOC and soil total N only when N fertiliser was applied, and fertilisation increased SOC and soil total N only under CRR treatment. Depletion of δ13C values in CRR treatments and δ15N values in N treatments strongly indicated the contribution of crop residue (and root biomass) and N fertiliser to soil organic matter in this Vertisol. From this study and previous findings from this site, it appears, however, the effects of crop residue retention and N fertiliser occurred in early years, and did not continually increase SOC and total soil N with increasing period of conservation practices. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.
Changes in soil organic carbon storage under different agricultural management systems in the Southwest Amazon Region of Brazil
Volume 106, Issue 2, January 2010, Pages 177-184
Stoécio M F Maia | Stephen M. Ogle | Carlos C. Cerri | Carlos E P Cerri
The Cerrado and Amazon regions of Brazil are probably the largest agricultural frontier of the world, and could be a sink or source for C depending on the net effect of land use change and subsequent management on soil organic C pools. We evaluated the effects of agricultural management systems on soil organic C (SOC) stocks in the Brazilian states of Rondônia and Mato Grosso, and derived regional specific factors for soil C stock change associated with different management systems. We used 50 observations (data points) in this study, including 42 dealing with annual cropping practices and 8 dealing with perennial cropping, and analyzed the data in linear mixed-effect models. No tillage (NT) systems in Cerrado areas increased SOC storage by 1.08 ± 0.06 relative to SOC stocks under native conditions, while SOC storage increased by a modest factor of 1.01 ± 0.17 in Cerradão and Amazon Forest conditions. Full tillage (FT) had negative effect on SOC storage relative to NT, decreasing SOC stocks by a factor of 0.94 ± 0.04, but did not significantly reduce SOC stocks relative to native levels when adopted in the Cerrado region. Perennial cropping had a minimal impact on SOC stocks, estimated at a factor value of 0.98 ± 0.14, suggesting these systems maintain about 98% of the SOC stock found under native vegetation. The results suggest that NT adoption may be increasing SOC with land use change from native vegetation to cropland management in the Cerrado region of Brazil. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Some heavy metals distribution in wetland soils under different land use types along a typical plateau lake, China
Volume 106, Issue 2, January 2010, Pages 344-348
Junhong Bai | Zhifeng Yang | Baoshan Cui | Haifeng Gao | Qiuyi Ding
Topsoil (0-20 cm) samples were collected from three sampling plots under different land use types (uncultivated wetland, cultivated wetland and cultivated wetland after abandonment) along the eastern region of the Yilong Lake in October, 2005. Total concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were determined using the inductively coupled plasma atomic absorption spectrometry in order to assess and compare contamination levels of the three sampling plots. Results showed that the average concentrations of these heavy metals were generally higher in wetland soils and abandoned tilled soils than those in conventionally tilled soils. Compared with wetland soils, contamination indices were lower for As and Cd in conventionally tilled soils, as well as lower for As in abandoned tilled soils, while no significant differences were observed for other heavy metals. The integrated contamination indices showed low contamination levels for cultivated soils, and high contamination levels for wetland soils and abandoned tilled soils. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Soil carbon stocks under no-tillage mulch-based cropping systems in the Brazilian Cerrado: An on-farm synchronic assessment
Volume 110, Issue 1, September 2010, Pages 187-195
Marcos Siqueira Neto | Eric Scopel | Eric Scopel | Marc Corbeels | Marc Corbeels | Alexandre Nunes Cardoso | Jean Marie Douzet | Christian Feller | Marisa de Cássia Piccolo | Carlos C. Cerri | Martial Bernoux
No-tillage mulch-based (NTM) cropping systems have been widely adopted by farmers in the Brazilian savanna region (Cerrado biome). We hypothesized that this new type of management should have a profound impact on soil organic carbon (SOC) at regional scale and consequently on climate change mitigation. The objective of this study was thus to quantify the SOC storage potential of NTM in the oxisols of the Cerrado using a synchronic approach that is based on a chronosequence of fields of different years under NTM. The study consisted of three phases: (1) a farm/cropping system survey to identify the main types of NTM systems to be chosen for the chronosequence; (2) a field survey to identify a homogeneous set of situations for the chronosequence and (3) the characterization of the chronosequence to assess the SOC storage potential.The main NTM system practiced by farmers is an annual succession of soybean (Glycine max) or maize (Zea mays) with another cereal crop. This cropping system covers 54% of the total cultivated area in the region. At the regional level, soil organic C concentrations from NTM fields were closely correlated with clay+silt content of the soil (r2=0.64). No significant correlation was observed (r2=0.07), however, between these two variables when we only considered the fields with a clay+silt content in the 500-700gkg-1 range. The final chronosequence of NTM fields was therefore based on a subsample of eight fields, within this textural range. The SOC stocks in the 0-30cm topsoil layer of these selected fields varied between 4.2 and 6.7kgCm-2 and increased on average (r2=0.97) with 0.19kgCm-2year-1. After 12 years of NTM management, SOC stocks were no longer significantly different from the stocks under natural Cerrado vegetation (p<0.05), whereas a 23-year-old conventionally tilled and cropped field showed SOC stocks that were about 30% below this level.Confirming our hypotheses, this study clearly illustrated the high potential of NTM systems in increasing SOC storage under tropical conditions, and how a synchronic approach may be used to assess efficiently such modification on farmers' fields, identifying and excluding non desirable sources of heterogeneity (management, soils and climate). © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
Volume 110, Issue 2, November 2010, Pages 221-229
R. C. Schwartz | R. L. Baumhardt | S. R. Evett
Tillage-induced changes in soil properties are difficult to predict, yet can influence evaporation, infiltration and how water is redistributed within the profile after precipitation. We evaluated the effects of sweep tillage (ST) on near surface soil water dynamics as compared with an untilled (UT) soil during a 7-month period. Plots were established in a fallow field devoid of residue under stubble-mulch tillage management on a clay loam soil. Soil water contents were monitored using time-domain reflectometry at 0.05-0.3m and using a neutron moisture gage to a depth of 2.3m. Soil temperature and net radiation was also monitored. During a 114-day period from April through July, tillage with a sweep (0.07-0.1m) significantly decreased net water storage above 0.3m soil depth by an average of 12mm (P=0.002) as compared with UT plots. After tillage, soil water contents at 0.05 and 0.1m were significantly (P<0.05) lower in ST plots, even following repeated precipitation events. Water contents at soil depths ≥0.2m were not influenced by tillage. Cumulative 3-day evaporation following precipitation events averaged 3.1mm greater under ST compared with UT (P<0.014). After extended dry periods, evaporation rates were similar among both treatments (∼0.3mmd-1) despite the greater near-surface water contents of UT plots. Although ST plots exhibited 19mm greater cumulative evaporation from July through October, this was offset by 26mm greater infiltration compared with UT. A more advanced surface crust development and greater initial water contents were likely responsible for lower cumulative infiltration of UT compared with ST plots. Immediately after tillage, cumulative daily net radiation averaged 22% greater for ST compared with UT surfaces and these differences diminished with time. Increased evaporation under tillage was likely a result of enhanced vapor flow near the surface and greater absorption of radiation by a tilled surface with reduced albedo. © 2010.
Soil quality indicator response to tillage and residue management on semi-arid Mediterranean cropland
Volume 107, Issue 1, March 2010, Pages 17-25
M. J. Imaz | I. Virto | P. Bescansa | A. Enrique | O. Fernandez-Ugalde | D. L. Karlen
No-tillage (NT) practices for rainfed cereal production in semi-arid Mediterranean soils can conserve water and increase crop productivity, but producers are reluctant to adopt NT because of potential increases in penetration resistance and bulk density. We hypothesized that understanding soil quality could encourage NT adoption, but methods for selecting and assessing soil quality indicators needed to be developed for this region. Our objectives were to (1) identify the most sensitive indicators for evaluating long-term tillage and residue management within this region using factor analysis, and (2) compare soil quality assessment using those indicators with traditional evaluations using changes in water retention, earthworm activity and organic matter stratification ratio. Several soil physical, chemical, and biological indicators were measured within conventional tillage, minimum tillage, and NT (with and without stubble burning) treatments that represent a wide agro-climatic area in NE Spain. Sampling depth and management treatments significantly affected several indicators when evaluated individually and collectively. Principal component analysis identified three factors that accounted for 75 and 85% of the variation in soil measurements for 0-5- and 5-15-cm depth increments. Only two factors per depth showed significant differences among the four treatments. For both depth increments, one factor grouped soil physical attributes, and the other organic matter and biological properties. The indicators with the greatest loadings were identified as the most sensitive in each factor. These were penetration resistance, particulate organic matter (POM) and total organic matter within the 0-5 cm layer, and aggregate stability and POM within the 5-15-cm increment. Factor scores were positively correlated to soil water retention, earthworm activity and organic matter stratification, which were all greater in NT, regardless of stubble management. We conclude that (1) multivariate analyses are useful for selecting appropriate soil quality indicators, and (2) that adopting NT on Mediterranean semi-arid cropland can have several positive effects on soil quality within this region. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
Effects of long-term chemical fertilization and organic amendments on dynamics of soil organic C and total N in paddy soil derived from barren land in subtropical China
Volume 106, Issue 2, January 2010, Pages 268-274
Zhongpei Li | Zhongpei Li | Ming Liu | Ming Liu | Xiaochen Wu | Xiaochen Wu | Fengxiang Han | Taolin Zhang | Taolin Zhang
For better understanding the development of infertile paddy soils in subtropical China, a long-term field experiment of paddy soil was developed from barren land in 1990. Experimental treatments including NPK, NPKRS (NPK and rice straw), NPK2RS (NPK and double amount of rice straw), NPKPM (NPK and pig manure), and NPKGM (NPK and green manure (Astragalus sinicus L.)) were employed with rice-rice (Oryza sativa L.) cropping system. Rice yields, soil organic C (SOC) and total N were analyzed. In all of the treatments, early rice yields increased along cultivation years steadily, however late and annual rice yield was fluctuant between different years. From 1991 to 2006, average annual yield ranged from 7795 to 8572 kg ha-1 among different fertilizer treatments. Organic amendments usually enhanced rice yields significantly except for the treatment with NPKRS. SOC and total N contents of surface soil increased linearly with cultivated years from 3.9-5.7 g kg-1 and 0.46-0.57 g kg-1 in initial stage to 7.1-9.2 g kg-1 and 0.87-0.95 g kg-1 in 2005 respectively. Quantity and quality of input organic matter affected soil C dynamics and N balance. SOC sequestration rates were well correlated to modified organic C input, while SOC mineralization rates were related with either organic C input or SOC contents. Annual soil N accumulation was 13-18% of total input. However the net lost N, which was calculated based on fertilizer inputs, crop outputs, and annual N accumulation, was 44-49% in our study. In general, after 17 years' cultivation and fertilization management, rice yield reached a high level equivalent to the average yield of local high productivity paddy soils, whereas SOC and total N content were still less than half of those in high productivity paddy soils in this region. © 2009 Elsevier B.V.
Volume 111, Issue 1, December 2010, Pages 33-40
Jean Roger-Estrade | Jean Roger-Estrade | Christel Anger | Michel Bertrand | Guy Richard
Much of the biodiversity of agroecosystems lies in the soil. The functions performed by soil biota have major direct and indirect effects on crop growth and quality, soil and residue-borne pests, diseases incidence, the quality of nutrient cycling and water transfer, and, thus, on the sustainability of crop management systems. Farmers use tillage, consciously or inadvertently, to manage soil biodiversity. Given the importance of soil biota, one of the key challenges in tillage research is understanding and predicting the effects of tillage on soil ecology, not only for assessments of the impact of tillage on soil organisms and functions, but also for the design of tillage systems to make the best use of soil biodiversity, particularly for crop protection. In this paper, we first address the complexity of soil ecosystems, the descriptions of which vary between studies, in terms of the size of organisms, the structure of food webs and functions. We then examine the impact of tillage on various groups of soil biota, outlining, through examples, the crucial effects of tillage on population dynamics and species diversity. Finally, we tackle the question of the design of tillage systems to enhance biological control in cultivated fields. Identification of the optimal tillage system requires a global consideration of soil management, rather than an analysis focusing on tillage alone, taking into account soil ecology. Organic residue management, the prevention of compaction, crop rotation and the timing of cultivation must all be considered together, taking into account their impact on pest populations and on the natural enemies of pests and ecosystem engineers. This approach requires more detailed research and careful experimental design than traditional comparisons of conventional and reduced tillage systems. We propose the development of population modeling in cultivated fields, as the available ecological models rarely include parameters linked to the soil management system. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
Spatial variation of soil nutrients in a dairy farm and its implications for site-specific fertilizer application
Volume 106, Issue 2, January 2010, Pages 185-193
Weijun Fu | Weijun Fu | Weijun Fu | Hubert Tunney | Chaosheng Zhang
The spatial variation of extractable (Morgan's) soil phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), pH and lime requirement (LR) in a permanent dairy farm in southeastern Ireland, was investigated using conventional statistics, geostatistics and a geographical information system (GIS) to produce nutrient maps and to provide information for site-specific fertilizer application. A total of 537 soil samples were collected based on a 30 m × 30 m grid in the study area. Soil P was very variable, ranging from 1.3 mg/l to 113.5 mg/l, with an average of 6.19 mg/l. Soil Mg ranged from 134.7 mg/l to 685.2 mg/l, with an average of 354.4 mg/l. Soil K ranged from 20.1 mg/l to 433 mg/l, with an average of 174.5 mg/l. Soil Mg followed a normal distribution, while the other soil properties followed neither a normal nor a log-normal distribution. Box-Cox transformation was applied to achieve normality, followed by geostatistical analyses, including variogram surface analysis, calculation of experimental variograms and model fitting. Variograms were markedly anisotropic for the variables of soil Mg, K, pH and LR, implying the directional features of their spatial distribution patterns. For soil P, an omni-directional spherical model was used to describe the spatial autocorrelation. For soil Mg, a nested model (an exponential model combined with a Gaussian model) was used to fit the variogram. GIS mapping for the studied soil variables was achieved using trans-Gaussian kriging. Soil nutrient index information was applied to classify nutrient concentrations in GIS maps to provide guidance for site-specific fertilizer or slurry application. High soil P concentrations (>8 mg/l) were found at the areas surrounding the main farmyard and close to the traffic route, due to high applications of cattle and pig slurry. For these places, no more P fertilizer or slurry was needed to avoid economic loss and environmental pollution. While at the places where soil P concentrations were lower than 5 mg/l, appropriate P fertilizer or slurry was needed to obtain optimal grass output. For soil Mg, pH and LR, the general east-west directional spatial patterns were observed, with soil pH playing an important role. These maps provide useful information for agronomic and environmental management. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Non-invasive 3D analysis of local soil deformation under mechanical and hydraulic stresses by μCT and digital image correlation
Volume 111, Issue 1, December 2010, Pages 3-18
S. Peth | J. Nellesen | G. Fischer | R. Horn
Soil deformation is a perpetual process in the pedosphere where besides physicochemical stresses primarily alternating hydraulic and mechanical stresses continuously re-arrange the configuration of solid particles. In this study we present a local strain analysis and changes in soil structure resulting from hydraulic and mechanical stresses based on X-ray microtomography data. Digital image reconstructions were used to quantify local structural pore space characteristics and local soil deformation by 3D morphological and correlation analysis of grayscale tomograms. Swelling and shrinkage resulted in a complex heterogeneous soil structure which proofed to be very stable when mechanical loads were applied. The mechanism of soil deformation for both structure formation by internal hydraulic stresses and structure degradation by external mechanical stresses were in both cases controlled by pre-existing (micro)-structures. Especially during wetting such structures served as a nucleus for subsequent structure evolution. The results demonstrate the potential of more detailed non-invasive micromechanical analysis of soil deformation processes which could improve the conceptual understanding of the physical behavior of soil systems. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
Volume 109, Issue 2, August 2010, Pages 75-86
Ying Zhao | Ying Zhao | Stephan Peth | Rainer Horn | Julia Krümmelbein | Bettina Ketzer | Yingzhi Gao | Jose Doerner | Christian Bernhofer | Xinhua Peng
Overgrazing is a major cause of grassland degradation in semi-arid regions. To evaluate how soil water and heat fluxes respond to grazing, investigations on soil, plant and meteorological parameters were conducted at four sites with different grazing intensities through three growing periods (2004-2006) in a steppe ecosystem of Inner Mongolia. The grazing intensities were (1) ungrazed since 1979, (2) ungrazed since 1999, (3) moderately grazed, and (4) heavily grazed. In comparison to other treatments, heavy grazing had decreased total pore and macropores volumes. The impacts of these grazing-induced changes of soil pore structure on water and heat fluxes were simulated by the processed-based hydraulic model HYDRUS-1D. To account for the site-specific boundary condition, we partitioned evapotranspiration as a function of dynamic cover area index of green and dead plant materials, used the root growth model related with root length density, and estimated interception using the SHAW model. Furthermore, the uncertainty of soil hydraulic parameters on model results was evaluated using three simulation approaches: (i) laboratory-derived hydraulic properties (LDP), (ii) neural network (NN) analysis, and (iii) inverse optimization (Inverse). On the basis of previous calibrations, HYDRUS-1D was validated with a good agreement between modeled and measured soil moisture and temperature, which provided a basis to evaluate the grazing effects on water and energy balance. Of the three approaches used, the Inverse expressed the best simulation, and the LDP was better than the NN due to more precise reflection of soil structural functions. Model result showed that, due to the changed soil structure and soil surface coverage, grazing increased soil heat fluxes. There was no significant difference on water budget components between the two ungrazed sites and moderate grazing, while heavy grazing significantly decreased interception from 17 to 7. mm and transpiration from 121 to 74. mm, and increased evaporation from 88 to 128. mm. We conclude that intensive grazing in Inner Mongolia grassland deteriorated soil functions and reduced plant available water, and consequently reduced grassland productivity and enhanced the risks for wind and water erosion. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
Long-term impacts of municipal solid waste compost, sewage sludge and farmyard manure application on organic carbon, bulk density and consistency limits of a calcareous soil in central Iran
Volume 108, Issues 1-2, May 2010, Pages 43-50
A. Hemmat | N. Aghilinategh | Y. Rezainejad | M. Sadeghi
Increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) is vital in terms of improving the soil physical and mechanical properties related to conditions for tillage and traffic, and to crop development in arid and semiarid regions. This study was conducted to characterize the SOC, bulk density (BD) and consistency limits (shrinkage limit, SL; plastic limit, PL; liquid limit, LL) of a calcareous soil (Typic Haplargids) in relation to the seven-year application of manures (municipal solid waste compost, MSWC; sewage sludge, SS; farmyard manure, FYM) at three rates (25, 50 and 100Mgha-1) and one inorganic fertilizer (NP) management in irrigated wheat-corn rotation. There was also a control treatment (UNF), i.e. without any organic and/or inorganic fertilizer addition. The SOC, BD, consistency limits, plasticity index (PI=LL-PL) and friability index (FI=PL-SL) were measured for the soil taken from the 0-20cm layer. The SOC in SS, FYM and MSWC treated soils increased on average by 2.5, 2.2 and 2 times of the amount in the UNF, respectively. The BD varied from 1.03 to 1.37Mgm-3. The lowest BD was recorded in 100Mgha-1 application rate of manures, whereas it was the highest in NP treatment. The PL and LL varied from 19% to 30% and 30.1% to 40.9%, respectively. The PL for the SS treated soil was significantly higher than the FYM and MSWC treated soils. However, the LL and PI were not significantly affected by manure type. The SL and PL were increased significantly but in small percentages by the application of NP as compared with the UNF. The optimum water content (WC) for tillage (i.e. 0.9PL) as well as the workable WC range (i.e. FI) was the largest in the soil amended with 100Mgha-1 of SS and the smallest in the UNF. There was a significant relationship between the application rate of the manures and the SOC. The positive relationship between SOC and SL, PL, LL or FI was found to be significantly linear whereas the relationship with the soil BD was significantly negative. For soils amended with SS which the data on cation exchange capacity (CEC) were available, the relationships of PL and LL with CEC were significantly linear as with SOC. This study showed that the manures improved soil WC ranges at which the optimum conditions for tillage and traffic can be obtained. Moreover, the improvement depended on the application rate of the manures. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.