High subsoil chloride concentrations reduce soil water extraction and crop yield on Vertosols in north-eastern Australia

2008 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. P. Dang ◽  
R. C. Dalal ◽  
D. G. Mayer ◽  
M. McDonald ◽  
R. Routley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Durum Wheat ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Bread Wheat ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Ridge Regression ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Winter Crops

Salinity, sodicity, acidity, and phytotoxic levels of chloride (Cl) in subsoils are major constraints to crop production in many soils of north-eastern Australia because they reduce the ability of crop roots to extract water and nutrients from the soil. The complex interactions and correlations among soil properties result in multi-colinearity between soil properties and crop yield that makes it difficult to determine which constraint is the major limitation. We used ridge-regression analysis to overcome colinearity to evaluate the contribution of soil factors and water supply to the variation in the yields of 5 winter crops on soils with various levels and combinations of subsoil constraints in the region. Subsoil constraints measured were soil Cl, electrical conductivity of the saturation extract (ECse), and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP). The ridge regression procedure selected several of the variables used in a descriptive model, which included in-crop rainfall, plant-available soil water at sowing in the 0.90–1.10 m soil layer, and soil Cl in the 0.90–1.10 m soil layer, and accounted for 77–85% of the variation in the grain yields of the 5 winter crops. Inclusion of ESP of the top soil (0.0–0.10 m soil layer) marginally increased the descriptive capability of the models for bread wheat, barley and durum wheat. Subsoil Cl concentration was found to be an effective substitute for subsoil water extraction. The estimates of the critical levels of subsoil Cl for a 10% reduction in the grain yield were 492 mg cl/kg for chickpea, 662 mg Cl/kg for durum wheat, 854 mg Cl/kg for bread wheat, 980 mg Cl/kg for canola, and 1012 mg Cl/kg for barley, thus suggesting that chickpea and durum wheat were more sensitive to subsoil Cl than bread wheat, barley, and canola.

Water use, competition, and crop production in low rainfall, alley farming systems of south-eastern Australia

2003 ◽  
Vol 54 (8) ◽  
pp. 751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murray Unkovich ◽  
Kerrin Blott ◽  
Alex Knight ◽  
Ivan Mock ◽  
Abdur Rab ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Alley Farming ◽  
Annual Crop ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Annual Crops ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Perennial Shrubs

Annual crops were grown in alleys between belts of perennial shrubs or trees over 3–4 years at 3 sites across low rainfall (<450 mm) south-eastern Australia. At the two lower rainfall sites (Pallamana and Walpeup), crop grain yields within 2–5 m of shrub belts declined significantly with time, with a reduction equivalent to 45% over 9 m in the final year of cropping. At the third, wetter site (Bridgewater), the reduction in crop grain yields adjacent to tree belts was not significant until the final year of the study (12% over 11 m) when the tree growth rates had increased. The reductions in crop yield were associated with increased competition for water between the shrub or tree belts and the crops once the soil profile immediately below the perennials had dried. At all 3 sites during the establishment year, estimates of water use under the woody perennials were less than under annual crops, but after this, trends in estimates of water use of alley farming systems varied between sites. At Pallamana the perennial shrubs used a large amount of stored soil water in the second summer after establishment, and subsequently were predominantly dependent on rainfall plus what they could scavenge from beneath the adjacent crop. After the establishment year at the Walpeup site, water use under the perennial shrubs was initially 67 mm greater than under the annual crop, declining to be only 24 mm greater in the final year. Under the trees at Bridgewater, water use consistently increased to be 243 mm greater than under the adjacent annual crop by the final year. Although the shrub belts used more water than adjacent crop systems at Walpeup and Pallamana, this was mostly due to the use of stored soil water, and since the belts occupied only 7–18% of the land area, increases in total water use of these alley farming systems compared with conventional crop monocultures were quite small, and in terms of the extent of recharge control this was less than the area of crop yield loss. At the wetter, Bridgewater site, alley farming appeared to be using an increasing amount of water compared with conventional annual cropping systems. Overall, the data support previous work that indicates that in lower rainfall environments (<350 mm), alley farming is likely to be dogged by competition for water between crops and perennials.

scholarly journals Traffic and Tillage Effects on Soil Water Conservation and Winter Wheat Yield in the Loess Plateau, China

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 507-517
Author(s):  
Hao Chen
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Wheat Yield ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Yearly Variation ◽  
Controlled Traffic

Abstract In semi-humid Loess Plateau of northern China, water is the limiting factor for rain-fed crop yields. In this region, long-term traditional ploughing with straw removal has resulted in poor soil structure, water conservation and crop yield. Controlled traffic, combined with no-till and straw cover has been proposed to improve soil water conservation and crop yield. From 1999 to 2007, a field experiment on winter wheat was conducted in the dryland area of Loess Plateau of northern China, to investigate the effects of traffic and tillage on soil water conservation and crop yield. The field experiment was conducted using two controlled traffic treatments, no tillage with residue cover and no compaction (NTCN), shallow tillage with residue cover and no compaction (STCN) and one conventional tillage treatment (CK). Results showed that controlled traffic system reduced soil compaction in the top soil layer, increased soil water infiltration. The benefit on soil water infiltration translated into more soil conservation (16.1%) in 0-100 cm soil layer in fellow period, and achieved higher soil water availability at planting (16.5%), with less yearly variation. Consequently, controlled traffic system increased wheat yield by 12.6% and improved water use efficiency by 5.2%, both with less yearly variation, compared with conventional tillage. Within controlled traffic treatments, no tillage treatment NTCN showed better overall performance. In conclusion, controlled traffic combined with no-tillage and straw cover has higher performance on conserving water, improving yield and water use efficiency. It is a valuable system for soil and water conservation for the sustainable development of agriculture in dryland China.

Advances in precision agriculture in south-eastern Australia. III. Interactions between soil properties and water use help explain spatial variability of crop production in the Victorian Mallee

2009 ◽  
Vol 60 (9) ◽  
pp. 870 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Armstrong ◽  
J. Fitzpatrick ◽  
M. A. Rab ◽  
M. Abuzar ◽  
P. D. Fisher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Root Growth ◽  
Grain Yield ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Crop Growth ◽  
Management Zones ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Supplementary Irrigation

A major barrier to the adoption of precision agriculture in dryland cropping systems is our current inability to reliably predict spatial patterns of grain yield for future crops for a specific paddock. An experiment was undertaken to develop a better understanding of how edaphic and climatic factors interact to influence the spatial variation in the growth, water use, and grain yield of different crops in a single paddock so as to improve predictions of the likely spatial pattern of grain yields in future crops. Changes in a range of crop and soil properties were monitored over 3 consecutive seasons (barley in 2005 and 2007 and lentils in 2006) in the southern section of a 167-ha paddock in the Mallee region of Victoria, which had been classified into 3 different yield (low, moderate, and high) and seasonal variability (stable and variable) zones using normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) and historic yield maps. The different management zones reflected marked differences in a range of soil properties including both texture in the topsoil and potential chemical-physical constraints in the subsoil (SSCs) to root growth and water use. Dry matter production, grain yield, and quality differed significantly between the yield zones but the relative difference between zones was reduced when supplementary irrigation was applied to barley in 2005, suggesting that some other factor, e.g. nitrogen (N), may have become limiting in that year. There was a strong relationship between crop growth and the use of soil water and nitrate across the management zones, with most water use by the crop occurring in the pre-anthesis/flowering period, but the nature of this relationship appeared to vary with year and/or crop type. In 2006, lentil yield was strongly related to crop establishment, which varied with soil texture and differences in plant-available water. In 2007 the presence of soil water following a good break to the season permitted root growth into the subsoil where there was evidence that SSCs may have adversely affected crop growth. Because of potential residual effects of one crop on another, e.g. through differential N supply and use, we conclude that the utility of the NDVI methodology for developing zone management maps could be improved by using historical records and data for a range of crop types rather than pooling data from a range of seasons.

scholarly journals Subsoil constraints to grain production in the cropping soils of the north-eastern region of Australia: an overview

2006 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. P. Dang ◽  
R. C. Dalal ◽  
R. Routley ◽  
G. D. Schwenke ◽  
I. Daniells
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Nutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Potential Yield ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
North Eastern

In dryland agricultural systems of the subtropical, semi-arid region of north-eastern Australia, water is the most limiting resource. Crop productivity depends on the efficient use of rainfall and available water stored in the soil during fallow. Agronomic management practices including a period of fallow, stubble retention, and reduced tillage enhance reserves of soil water. However, access to stored water in these soils may be restricted by the presence of growth-limiting conditions in the rooting zone of the crop. These have been termed as subsoil constraints. Subsoil constraints may include compacted or gravel layers (physical), sodicity, salinity, acidity, nutrient deficiencies, presence of toxic elements (chemical) and low microbial activity (biological). Several of these constraints may occur together in some soils. Farmers have often not been able to obtain the potential yield determined by their prevailing climatic conditions in the marginal rainfall areas of the northern grains region. In the past, the adoption of soil management practices had been largely restricted to the top 100 mm soil layer. Exploitation of the subsoil as a source of water and nutrients has largely been overlooked. The key towards realising potential yields would be to gain better understanding of subsoils and their limitations, then develop options to manage them practically and economically. Due to the complex nature of the causal factors of these constraints, efforts are required for a combination of management approaches rather than individual options, with the aim to combat these constraints for sustainable crop production, managing natural resources and avoiding environmental damage.

Soil–water relationships in the upper soil layer in a Mediterranean Palexerult as affected by no-tillage under excess water conditions – Influence on crop yield

2015 ◽  
Vol 146 ◽  
pp. 303-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clara Gómez-Paccard ◽  
Chiquinquirá Hontoria ◽  
Ignacio Mariscal-Sancho ◽  
Juana Pérez ◽  
Paloma León ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Excess Water ◽  
Water Conditions

Available water storage in a range of soils in north-eastern Queensland

1971 ◽  
Vol 11 (50) ◽  
pp. 343 ◽  
Author(s):  
RL McCown
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Total Porosity ◽  
Water Entry ◽  
Water Storage Capacity ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Poorly Drained Soils

A comparative study of the available water storage capacity of three soils under Townsville stylograss vegetation is reported. Two of the soils were selected as representing solodized-solonetz and solodic soils typical of extensive areas of eastern Australia, yet differing greatly in their demonstrated productivity after fertilization. The third selection was a well-drained, highly productive soil. After fuli recharge, available soil water in the three soils above 1.5 m was 80, 150, 180f mm. Subsequent root density and soil water content profiles indicated that differences in water entry, and not in completeness of withdrawal, accounted for differences in storage. The difficulties of estimating the storage capacity of poorly drained soils is discussed. A technique is described which uses total porosity for estimation of the upper limit of the available water range and the distribution of total soluble salts as an indicator of the depth of water entry.

Effect of preceding crop management on crop yield and soil properties assessed using standard erosion plots

2008 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
pp. 553-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linnell Edwards ◽  
Jack Burney
Keyword(s):  
Physical Properties ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Crop Management ◽  
Red Clover ◽  
Soil Physical Properties ◽  
Straw Mulch ◽  
Compost Amendment

Using blanket crops of ryegrass and under-seeded barley (with red clover) super-imposed on standard erosion plots just coming out of potatoes, this study assessed the influence of preceding soil-and-crop management treatments viz., straw mulch, compost and liquid pig manure (LPM) (antecedent input variables) on crop yield, soil physical properties and erosion amounts (subsequent response variables). There were no significant carry-over effects on erosion amounts, and effects on yield were limited to red clover. However, soil properties (reflecting compactability, structure and soil water retention) were affected throughout - showing general improvements of up to 46%. Thus, soil water content (SWC) was 9.4% greater with compost amendment than it was for the control. SWC with compost was also greater than it was with straw mulch by 7.9%. Soil organic matter (SOM) showed a 13% increase with compost amendment relative to the control. SOM also showed a 5% increase with compost relative to straw mulch. Compost uniquely gave yield increases in red clover, double that of the control, while LPM gave unique increases in hydraulic conductivity and SOM under red clover to the extent of 60 and 24% (respectively) relative to the control. Key words: Soil physical properties, soil erosion, organic amendments, potatoes, barley, red clover

Impact of subsoil physicochemical constraints on crops grown in the Wimmera and Mallee is reduced during dry seasonal conditions

Soil Research ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 125 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. G. Nuttall ◽  
R. D. Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Continuous Cropping ◽  
Alkaline Soils ◽  
Yield Variation ◽  
Eastern Australia

Subsoil physicochemical constraints can limit crop production on alkaline soils of south-eastern Australia. Fifteen farmer paddocks sown to a range of crops including canola, lentil, wheat, and barley in the Wimmera and Mallee of Victoria and the mid-north and Eyre Peninsula of South Australia were monitored from 2003 to 2006 to define the relationship between key abiotic/edaphic factors and crop growth. The soils were a combination of Calcarosol and Vertosol profiles, most of which had saline and sodic subsoils. There were significant correlations between ECe and Cl– (r = 0.90), ESP and B (r = 0.82), ESP and ECe (r = 0.79), and ESP and Cl– (r = 0.73). The seasons monitored had dry pre-cropping conditions and large variations in spring rainfall in the period around flowering. At sowing, the available soil water to a depth of 1.2 m (θa) averaged 3 mm for paddocks sown to lentils, 28 mm for barley, 44 mm for wheat, and 92 mm for canola. Subsoil constraints affected canola and lentil crops but not wheat or barley. For lentil crops, yield variation was largely explained by growing season rainfall (GSR) and θa in the shallow subsoil (0.10–0.60 m). Salinity in this soil layer affected lentil crops through reduced water extraction and decreased yields where ECe exceeded 2.2 dS/m. For canola crops, GSR and θa in the shallow (0.10–0.60 m) and deep (0.60–1.20 m) layers were important factors explaining yield variation. Sodicity (measured as ESP) in the deep subsoil (0.80–1.00 m) reduced canola growth where ESP exceeded 16%, corresponding to a 500 kg/ha yield penalty. For cereal crops, rainfall in the month around anthesis was the most important factor explaining grain yield, due to the large variation in rainfall during October combined with the determinant nature of these crops. For wheat, θa in the shallow subsoil (0.10–0.60 m) at sowing was also an important factor explaining yield variation. Subsoil constraints had no impact on cereal yield in this study, which is attributed to the lack of available soil water at depth, and the crops’ tolerance of the physicochemical conditions encountered in the shallow subsoil, where plant-available water was more likely to occur. Continuing dry seasonal conditions may mean that the opportunity to recharge soil water in the deeper subsoil, under continuous cropping systems, is increasingly remote. Constraints in the deep subsoil are therefore likely to have reduced impact on cereals under these conditions, and it is the management of water supply, from GSR and accrued soil water, in the shallow subsoil that will be increasingly critical in determining crop yields in the future.

scholarly journals Comparison of the monitored and modeled soil water storage of the upper soil layer: the influence of soil properties and groundwater table level

2010 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 279-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Július Šútor ◽  
Vlasta Štekauerová ◽  
Viliam Nagy
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Balance ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Groundwater Table ◽  
Soil Water Balance ◽  
Soil Water Storage

Comparison of the monitored and modeled soil water storage of the upper soil layer: the influence of soil properties and groundwater table levelIn the study ofTomlain(1997) a soil water balance model was applied to evaluate the climate change impacts on the soil water storage in the Hurbanovo locality (Southwestern Slovakia), using the climate change scenarios of Slovakia for the years 2010, 2030, and 2075 by the global circulation models CCCM, GISS and GFD3. These calculations did not take into consideration neither the various soil properties, nor the groundwater table influence on soil water content. In this study, their calculated data were compared with those monitored at the same sites. There were found significant differences between resulting soil water storage of the upper 100 cm soil layer, most probably due to cappilary rise from groundwater at sites 2 and 3. It was shown, that the soil properties and groundwater table depth are importat features strongly influencing soil water content of the upper soil layer; thus the application of the soil water balance equation (Eq. (1)), neglecting the above mentioned factors, could lead to the results far from reality.

scholarly journals Impact of subsoil constraints on wheat yield and gross margin on fine-textured soils of the southern Victorian Mallee

2006 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 355 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Rodriguez ◽  
J. Nuttall ◽  
V. O. Sadras ◽  
H. van Rees ◽  
R. Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Salinity ◽  
Economic Effect ◽  
Wheat Yield ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Boron Toxicity ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Gross Margin ◽  
Eastern Australia

The APSIM-Wheat module was used to investigate our present capacity to simulate wheat yields in a semi-arid region of eastern Australia (the Victorian Mallee), where hostile subsoils associated with salinity, sodicity, and boron toxicity are known to limit grain yield. In this study we tested whether the effects of subsoil constraints on wheat growth and production could be modelled with APSIM-Wheat by assuming that either: (a) root exploration within a particular soil layer was reduced by the presence of toxic concentrations of salts, or (b) soil water uptake from a particular soil layer was reduced by high concentration of salts through osmotic effects. After evaluating the improved predictive capacity of the model we applied it to study the interactions between subsoil constraints and seasonal conditions, and to estimate the economic effect that subsoil constraints have on wheat farming in the Victorian Mallee under different climatic scenarios. Although the soils had high levels of salinity, sodicity, and boron, the observed variability in root abundance at different soil layers was mainly related to soil salinity. We concluded that: (i) whether the effect of subsoil limitations on growth and yield of wheat in the Victorian Mallee is driven by toxic, osmotic, or both effects acting simultaneously still requires further research, (ii) at present, the performance of APSIM-Wheat in the region can be improved either by assuming increased values of lower limit for soil water extraction, or by modifying the pattern of root exploration in the soil profile, both as a function of soil salinity. The effect of subsoil constraints on wheat yield and gross margin can be expected to be higher during drier than wetter seasons. In this region the interaction between climate and soil properties makes rainfall information alone, of little use for risk management and farm planning when not integrated with cropping systems models.

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