Traffic and tillage effects on wheat production on the Loess Plateau of China: 1. Crop yield and SOM

Soil Research ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Chen ◽  
Yuhua Bai ◽  
Qingjie Wang ◽  
Fu Chen ◽  
Hongwen Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Field Experiment ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Soil Profile ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Controlled Traffic

Challenges for dryland farming on the Loess Plateau of China are continuous nutrient loss, low soil organic matter and crop yield, and soil degradation. Controlled traffic, combined with zero or minimum tillage and residue cover, has been proposed to improve soil structure and crop yield. From 1998 to 2006, we conducted a field experiment comparing soil organic matter and wheat productivity between controlled traffic and conventional tillage farming systems. The field experiment was conducted using 2 controlled traffic treatments (zero tillage with residue cover and no compaction, shallow tillage with residue cover and no compaction) and a conventional tillage treatment. Results showed that controlled traffic treatments significantly increased soil organic matter and microbial biomass in the 0–0.30 m soil profile. Controlled traffic with zero tillage significantly increased total N in the 0–0.05 m soil profile. The mean yield over 8 years of controlled traffic treatments was >10% greater than that of conventional tillage. Controlled traffic farming appears to be a solution to the cropping problems faced on the Loess Plateau of China.

Traffic and tillage effects on wheat production on the Loess Plateau of China: 2. Soil physical properties

Soil Research ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 652 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuhua Bai ◽  
Fu Chen ◽  
Hongwen Li ◽  
Hao Chen ◽  
Jin He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Properties ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Total Porosity ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Soil Physical Properties ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Wheat Production ◽  
Controlled Traffic

Controlled traffic zero and minimum tillage management with residue cover has been proposed as a solution to erosion and other soil degradation challenges to the sustainability of dryland farming on the Loess Plateau of China. This was assessed between 1998 and 2007 in a field experiment involving a conventional tillage treatment, and 2 controlled traffic treatments, no tillage and shallow tillage, with full straw cover in both cases. This paper reports the soil physical properties after 9 years of dryland wheat production under these treatments, and the substantial improvements seen in soils under controlled traffic. Compared with conventional tillage, controlled traffic significantly reduced soil bulk density in the 0–0.15 m soil layer, and increased total porosity in the 0–0.60 m soil layer, where macroporosity (>60 µm) and mesoporosity (0.2–60 µm) increased at the expense of microporosity (<0.2 µm). Readily available water content and saturated hydraulic conductivity were greater in controlled traffic treatments. Controlled traffic farming appears to be an improvement on current farming systems on the Loess Plateau, and valuable for the sustainable development agriculture in this region.

scholarly journals Impacts of Relative Elevation on Soil Nutrients and Apple Quality in the Hilly-Gully Region of the Loess Plateau, China

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1293
Author(s):  
Lei Hua ◽  
Jianen Gao ◽  
Meifang Zhou ◽  
Shilun Bai
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Nutrients ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Apple Orchards ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Phosphorus And Potassium ◽  
Apple Quality ◽  
The Impact

Relative elevation, as one of the decisive factors to the redistribution of soil water, nutrients, sunshine, and temperature in a region influences apple yield and quality by adjusting soil water and nutrients. To explore the impact of relative elevation on apple quality, this research investigated the conditions of soil moisture and nutrients at different elevations of terrace apple orchards in the hilly-gully region of the Loess Plateau. The results showed that soil water content decreases when the elevation increased, whereas soil nutrients fluctuated significantly at different elevations of terrace orchards and the contents were lower than the standard level of the Loess Plateau, especially soil organic matter, but total potassium was higher. The apple firmness increased when the elevation increased and had a good linear relationship with elevation. Apple vitamin C content in weed-covered orchards was higher than in the ploughing and weeding management orchards. The impact of soil nutrients, including soil water, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium on apple quality were concentrated in soluble solid and total acid. Irrational irrigation or partial use of nutrients, such as more use of nitrogen and less use of phosphorus and potassium, may deteriorate the apple quality. Therefore, we suggested that the amount of irrigation be increased appropriately with the raising of elevation. Moreover, part of the weed should be kept to cover the orchard, as well as mowing regularly and covering the surface. This would not only improve water use efficiency and increase soil organic matter content, it would also maintain apple quality and ensure sustainable development of the apple orchards.

Influence of tillage and cropping system on soil organic matter, structure and infiltration in a rolling landscape

1999 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 457-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Elliott ◽  
A. A. Efetha
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Infiltration Rate ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Infiltration Rates

The influence of tillage and cropping system on soil organic matter, structure and infiltration was studied in a rolling, glaciolacustrine landscape in Saskatchewan with slopes ranging from 6 to 30%. A field that had been continuously cropped using zero tillage (ZTCC) for 11 yr was compared with conventional tillage in a crop–summerfallow rotation (CTCF) on an adjacent field. Soils in each field were sampled according to their position in the landscape. Soil organic C, aggregrate size and aggregate stability were significantly greater on the ZTCC plot than the CTCF. Infiltration rates averaged 74 and 52 mm h−1 on the ZTCC and CTCF plots, respectively. Differences between treatments were most pronounced at the shoulder positions. Increased soil strength was measured on the CTCF plot at depths corresponding to the action of tillage implements (0.05 m and 0.15 m). On the CTCF plot, infiltration rates correlated with initial moisture, aggregate stability and bulk density but on the ZTCC plot consistent correlations were only found between infiltration and bulk density. When measured infiltration rates were compared with expected storm intensities, the differences in infiltration rates between treatments and their distribution in the landscape resulted in substantially more runoff from the CTCF plot than the ZTCC. Key words: Zero tillage, cropping frequency, infiltration rate, aggregation, organic carbon, landscape

Soil microbial biomass and carbon dioxide flux under wheat as influenced by tillage and crop rotation

1999 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Z. Lupwayi ◽  
W. A. Rice ◽  
G. W. Clayton
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Soil Microbial Biomass ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Total Soil ◽  
Northern Alberta

Soil organic matter is important both from an agronomic and an environmental perspective because it affects the capacity of the soil to sustain crop growth, and it is a source and sink of atmospheric CO2-C. Soil microbial biomass comprises a small proportion of total soil organic matter, but it is more dynamic than total soil organic matter. Therefore, measurements of soil microbial biomass may show the effects of soil management on potential changes in soil organic matter before such effects can be detected by measuring total soil organic matter. The effects of tillage and crop rotation on soil microbial biomass and activity were studied in 1995–1997 in the wheat phase of different cropping rotations that had been established in 1992 under zero tillage or conventional tillage in northern Alberta. Soil microbial biomass was often significantly (P < 0.05) higher, but never significantly lower, under zero tillage than under conventional tillage. However, CO2 evolution (basal respiration) was usually higher under conventional tillage than under zero tillage, resulting in higher specific respiration (qCO2) under conventional tillage than under zero tillage. The higher additions but lower losses of labile C under zero tillage mean that more C is sequestered in the soil in the zero-tillage system. Thus, this system contributes less to atmospheric CO2 than conventional tillage, and that soil organic matter accumulates more under zero tillage. Plots preceded by summerfallow, especially under conventional tillage, usually had the lowest microbial biomass and CO2 evolution, and plots preceded by legume crops had higher microbial biomass and lower qCO2 than other treatments. Tillage and rotation had little effect on total soil organic matter 5 yr after the treatments had been imposed, probably because of the cold climate of northern Alberta, but the results confirm that the labile forms of soil C are more sensitive indicators of soil organic C trends than total soil organic C. These effects of tillage and rotation on soil microbial biomass were similar to those on microbial diversity reported previously. These results confirm that zero tillage and legume-based crop rotations are more sustainable crop management systems than conventional tillage and fallowing in the Gray Luvisolic soils of northern Alberta. Key words: Carbon sequestration, carbon mineralization, microbial activity, soil organic matter

Root production, mortality and turnover in soil profiles as affected by clipping in a temperate grassland on the Loess Plateau

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1059-1072
Author(s):  
Lin Wei ◽  
Pengwei Yao ◽  
Guanghua Jing ◽  
Xiefeng Ye ◽  
Jimin Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Soil Profile ◽  
Root Length ◽  
Root Biomass ◽  
Turnover Rate ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Root Production ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Soil Layers ◽  
Root Mortality

Abstract Aims Clipping or mowing for hay, as a prevalent land-use practice, is considered to be an important component of global change. Root production and turnover in response to clipping have great implications for the plant survival strategy and grassland ecosystem carbon processes. However, our knowledge about the clipping effect on root dynamics is mainly based on root living biomass, and limited by the lack of spatial and temporal observations. The study aim was to investigate the effect of clipping on seasonal variations in root length production and mortality and their distribution patterns in different soil layers in semiarid grassland on the Loess Plateau. Methods Clipping was performed once a year in June to mimic the local spring livestock grazing beginning from 2014. The minirhizotron technique was used to monitor the root production, mortality and turnover rate at various soil depths (0–10, 10–20, 20–30 and 30–50 cm) in 2014 (from 30 May to 29 October) and 2015 (from 22 April to 25 October). Soil temperature and moisture in different soil layers were also measured during the study period. Important Findings Our results showed that: (i) Clipping significantly decreased the cumulative root production (P < 0.05) and increased the cumulative root mortality and turnover rates of the 0–50 cm soil profile for both years. (ii) Clipping induced an immediate and sharp decrease in root length production and an increase in root length mortality in all soil layers. However, with plant regrowth, root production increased and root mortality decreased gradually, with the root production at a depth of 30–50 cm even exceeding the control in September–October 2014 and April–May 2015. (iii) Clipping mainly reduced root length production and increased root length mortality in the upper 0–20 cm soil profile with rapid root turnover. However, roots at deeper soil layers were either little influenced by clipping or exhibited an opposite trend with slower turnover rate compared with the upper soil profile, leading to the downward transport of root production and living root biomass. These findings indicate that roots in deeper soil layers tend to favour higher root biomass and longer fine root life spans to maximize the water absorption efficiency under environmental stress, and also suggest that short-term clipping would reduce the amount of carbon through fine root litter into the soil, especially in the shallow soil profile.

scholarly journals The Use of Radiocarbon to Measure the Effects of Earthworms On Soil Development

Radiocarbon ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 892-896 ◽  
Author(s):  
J D Stout ◽  
K M Goh
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Profile ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Soil Development ◽  
Plant Debris ◽  
Grassland Soils ◽  
Fresh Plant

Δ14C and δ13C values for organic matter in forest and grassland soils, in the presence or absence of earthworms, indicate that it should be possible to quantify the effects of earthworms on soil organic matter by this means. Without earthworms, both in forest and grassland soils, plant debris tends to accumulate on the surface of the mineral soil and little organic matter is incorporated into or is translocated down the soil profile. Where earthworms are present, there is much more marked incorporation of fresh plant debris in the mineral soil. This is shown especially by the pulse of ‘bomb’ carbon and also by the δ13C values.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document