Comparative study of soil properties under various cultivation regimes of different crops

Soil Research ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 49 (7) ◽  
pp. 595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Binh Thanh Nguyen ◽  
Hai Thien Hoa ◽  
Van Thi Hong Ngo ◽  
Tra Thanh Duong ◽  
Brian R. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
The Other ◽  
P Availability ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Brachiaria Ruziziensis

Establishment of cover crops is an effective way to reverse the soil fertility decline, which can be caused by a range of inappropriate traditional agriculture practices, particularly tillage and inorganic fertiliser application. In this study, soil properties were assessed under various cultivation regimes of different crops, including legumes, grass, and nursery natural rubber (NR) trees (Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg.), in southern Vietnam. The crops studied had all been growing for 7 years commencing in 1999, on light-textured Acrisols. Soils under the cultivation regime of creeping legumes including Calopogonium caeruleum, Pueraria phaseoloides, and Stylosanthes gracilis had significantly higher carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) concentrations and porosity than soils under the other management types studied. Soils under Brachiaria ruziziensis and P. phaseoloides had the highest aggregate stability. Cultivation regimes with tillage, field traffic, and inorganic fertilisers applied to nursery NR trees increased phosphorus (P) availability, but this was accompanied by increased soil compaction and reductions in most of the other soil properties analysed. Relative to the nursery NR cultivation, creeping-legume cultivation increased soil C concentration (by 95%), soil pHH2O (by 19%), macro-aggregates (by 29%), and porosity (by 8%). From principal component analysis, three soil properties—soil organic carbon (SOC), porosity, and P availability—were selected as key indicators suitable for the evaluation of the effects of cultivation on soils. Establishment of C. caeruleum and B. ruziziensis was most effective in improving soil C content, and soil porosity was significantly higher under C. caeruleum and P. phaseoloides. These findings suggest that each cover crop had its own dominant agro-characteristics and that selection of a cover crop to either improve soil fertility or reduce compaction should be considered by farmers in this region.

Growth Characteristics of Summer Cover Crop Grasses and their Relation to Soil Aggregate Stability and Wind Erosion Control in Arid Southwest

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-23
Author(s):  
Murali K. Darapuneni ◽  
Omololu J. Idowu ◽  
Bilgi Sarihan ◽  
David DuBois ◽  
Kulbhushan Grover ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Wind Erosion ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Erosion Control ◽  
Soil Aggregate Stability ◽  
Irrigation Regimes ◽  
Arid Southwest ◽  
Wind Erosion Control ◽  
Better Than

HighlightsFour summer cover crops under two irrigation regimes were tested for soil wind erosion control.Soil aggregate stability and wind erosion losses were improved with plant cover in the peak summer.Sorghum sudan is a prominent summer species for wind erosion control in the arid southwest. Abstract. Cover crops can have significant impacts on minimizing soil erosion by wind, which is a common problem in the arid southwest. A study was conducted at NMSU Leyendecker Plant Science Center, Las Cruces, New Mexico, to evaluate the impacts of selected summer cover crops on soil loss during wind erosion events. Four summer grass species [Japanese millet (Echinochloa esculenta), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), brown top millet (Urochloa ramosa (L.) Nguyen), and sorghum sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor × S. bicolor var. Sudanese)] were randomly assigned to four blocks under two irrigation regimes (full-irrigation and deficit-irrigation). Results showed significant effect of grasses on horizontal soil flux compared to control under both irrigation regimes. When comparing the grasses, sorghum sudan grass performed better than the other tested summer cover crops for soil surface protection from wind erosion with its higher ground coverage, higher plant density, taller plant height and higher amount of biomass, while brown top millet was least effective in terms of plant and erosion control characteristics (P=0.05). Pearl millet and Japanese millet performed better than brown top millet, but was as effective as sorghum sudan as barriers against the wind erosion. Therefore, sorghum sudan is a prominent cover crop for summer in the arid zones of desert southwest. Producers of this region can be significantly benefited from the current research recommendations about cover crops choices for summer season. Keywords: Arid climates, Cover cropping, Summer grasses, Wind erosion control.

scholarly journals Effects of Organic Fertilization and Cover Crops on an Organic Pepper System

2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Delate ◽  
C. Cambardella ◽  
A. McKern
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Soil Analysis ◽  
Organic Fertilizer ◽  
The United States ◽  
Organic Fertilizers ◽  
Organic Farm

With the continuing 20% growth rate in the organic industry, organic vegetable crop production has increased to 98,525 acres in the United States. The requirement for certified organic vegetable producers to implement a soil-building plan has led to the development of soil fertility systems based on combinations of organic fertilizers and cover crops. To determine optimal soil fertility combinations, conventional and organic bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) production was evaluated from 2001 to 2003 in Iowa, comparing combinations of two synthetic fertilizers and three compost-based organic fertilizers, and a cover crop treatment of hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) and rye (Secale cereale) in a strip-tilled or fully incorporated cover crop system. Organic pepper growth and yields equaled or surpassed conventional production when nitrogen (N) was provided at 56 or 112 kg·ha−1 from compost-based organic fertilizer. Soil analysis revealed higher N in plots where cover crops were tilled compared with strip-tilled plots, leading to recommendations for sidedressing N in strip-tilled organic pepper production. Increased incidence of disease was also detected in strip-tilled plots. Postharvest weight loss after 6 weeks in storage was similar in organic and conventional peppers. The addition of calcium and sulfur products in conventional or organic fertilizer regimes did not increase pepper production or postharvest storage potential. Despite application challenges, cover crops will remain as critical components of the organic farm plan for their soil-building benefits, but supplementation with approved N sources may be required for optimal pepper production. Organic growers should conduct their own tests of organic-compliant soil amendments to determine cost effectiveness and value for their site before large-scale application.

scholarly journals Under-vine Management Impacts Soil Properties and Leachate Composition in a New York State Vineyard

HortScience ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (7) ◽  
pp. 941-949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam D. Karl ◽  
Ian A. Merwin ◽  
Michael G. Brown ◽  
Rebecca A. Hervieux ◽  
Justine E. Vanden Heuvel
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
New York State ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Physical Structure ◽  
The Other ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Annual Total ◽  
Leachate Water ◽  
Leachate Composition

Four under-vine management treatments were established in 2011 in a Vitis vinifera L. ‘Cabernet Franc’ vineyard in the Finger Lakes region of New York: cultivation (CULT), native vegetation (NV), white clover Trifolium repens L. (WC), and glyphosate herbicide (GLY) as the control. Previously installed drainage lysimeters were used to monitor nutrient and pesticide concentrations in leachate water samples. Differences in the physical structure of soils among treatments were only observed in the 4th year of the study when the top 6 cm of CULT soils had greater bulk density than the other treatments, and less porosity and available water capacity than WC soils. WC soils had 17% greater organic matter than CULT soils, and 46% greater aggregate stability than GLY soils. Soil microbial respiration was generally greater in NV and WC treatments than GLY and CULT. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) leachate concentrations were greater in GLY and CULT compared with NV and WC, having annual mean DOC leachate concentrations as much as 36% greater than the cover crop samples. Mean annual total nitrogen (TN) leachate concentrations of CULT and NV were less than GLY and WC samples by as much as 86%. In 2012, GLY soils leached greater concentrations of imidacloprid insecticide and more imidacloprid metabolites than the other three treatments, with the proportion of samples testing positive for measurable concentrations of imidacloprid or imidacloprid metabolites at least five times greater in GLY than the other treatments. Cumulatively, these factors demonstrate the potential of under-vine cover crops to maintain soil quality and decrease the leaching of nutrients and agrochemicals in vineyards in comparison with conventional practices.

scholarly journals Morphostructural characterization of soil conventionally tilled with mechanized and animal traction with and without cover crop

2010 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 1795-1802 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Ralisch ◽  
Edinei de Almeida ◽  
Adriana Pereira da Silva ◽  
Osvaldo Coelho Pereira Neto ◽  
Maria de Fátima Guimarães
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Soil Structure ◽  
Soil Analysis ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Family Farms ◽  
Jack Bean ◽  
Southern Central ◽  
Soil Preparation

The structural stability and restructuring ability of a soil are related to the methods of crop management and soil preparation. A recommended strategy to reduce the effects of soil preparation is to use crop rotation and cover crops that help conserve and restore the soil structure. The aim of this study was to evaluate and quantify the homogeneous morphological units in soil under conventional mechanized tillage and animal traction, as well as to assess the effect on the soil structure of intercropping with jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis L.). Profiles were analyzed in April of 2006, in five counties in the Southern-Central region of Paraná State (Brazil), on family farms producing maize (Zea mays L.), sometimes intercropped with jack bean. The current structures in the crop profile were analyzed using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and subsequently principal component analysis (PCA) to generate statistics. Morphostructural soil analysis showed a predominance of compact units in areas of high-intensity cultivation under mechanized traction. The cover crop did not improve the structure of the soil with low porosity and compact units that hamper the root system growth. In areas exposed to animal traction, a predominance of cracked units was observed, where roots grew around the clods and along the gaps between them.

Growth of Legume Cover Crops under Cassava and Its Effect on Soil Properties

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suwarto . ◽  
Retno Asih
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Legume Cover Crops ◽  
Calopogonium Mucunoides ◽  
Legume Cover Crop

Background: Low soil organic carbon is a constraint to cassava tuber formation. Some legume cover crops could be an alternative to provide organic matter on the cassava field as a source of soil organic carbon. The study was aimed to evaluate the growth of some legume cover crops under cassava and their effects on soil properties. Methods: During September 2017-July 2018 legume cover crops (Calopogonium mucunoides, Centrosema pubescens, Pueraria javanica and the mixed) were planted under cassava variety of Mangu and UJ-5. The land coverage by the legume cover crops was measured monthly from 2 to 10 months after planting. Cassava growth was observed weekly from 8 to 32 weeks after planting. Soil properties were analyzed before planting and at harvesting of cassava. Result: Pueraria javanica was tolerant toward cassava shading. The land coverage was linearly increased along with the growth of cassava. At the end of cassava growth, the land area coverage by this legume cover crop was 98.08%. It produced more organic matter and could maintain soil moisture content than other legume cover crops. P. javanica could consider being a suitable legume cover crop under cassava to improve soil quality.

scholarly journals Alternative Fertility Management for Establishing New Apple Orchards in the Mid-Atlantic

HortScience ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (9) ◽  
pp. 1313-1319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley A. Thompson ◽  
Gregory M. Peck
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Calcium Nitrate ◽  
The Other ◽  
N Leaching ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
The Third ◽  
Full Rate ◽  
Chicken Litter ◽  
Compost Treatment

In the Mid-Atlantic, mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizers are applied in high-density apple (Malus ×domestica Borkh.) orchards to increase tree vegetative growth and achieve earlier fruiting. However, when applied in excess of plant needs, N fertilizer applications are an unnecessary expense and may lead to N leaching and groundwater pollution. Therefore, it is necessary to develop orchard fertilization programs that simultaneously provide adequate crop nutrition and minimize N loss into the environment. Nitrogen was applied in each of 3 years to newly planted ‘Red Delicious cv Schlect’/‘M.26’ trees at 67 kg N/ha/year in six fertilizer treatments: 1) two equal applications of granular calcium nitrate [Ca(NO3)2]; 2) chicken litter compost; 3) yardwaste compost; 4) a combination of chicken litter compost and granular Ca(NO3)2 with equal amounts of N from each fertilizer; 5) a combination of yardwaste compost and granular Ca(NO3)2 with equal amounts of N from each fertilizer; and 6) fertigation which consisted of eight weekly applications of solubilized Ca(NO3)2. Nonfertilized trees served as the control. In the third year of this experiment, the two chicken litter compost treatments had the greatest soil extractable P, the yardwaste compost treatment had the greatest soil extractable K, both full-rate compost treatments had greater soil extractable Mg than the other treatments, and all four compost treatments had greater soil extractable Mn than the treatments without compost. The four compost treatments also had greater soil extractable Ca and B than treatments without compost. By the third year of the experiment, the four compost treatments also had greater soil organic matter (OM) and soil C (with the integrated chicken litter compost treatment having similar soil C to the other treatments). Potentially mineralizable nitrogen and soil microbial biomass were similar among the treatments over the course of this experiment. The full rate chicken litter compost treatment and both yardwaste compost treatments had greater soil microbial respiration in 2015. The fertigation treatment performed similarly to the treatment where Ca(NO3)2 was applied as a granular product to the soil. Treatment differences found for the soil properties did not translate to increased tree size or leaf N content, suggesting that the trees were able to acquire sufficient N from the soil under all of the treatments. Our results suggest that applying fertilizers to fine textured soil with relatively high OM may not increase apple tree growth or productivity within the first 3 years after planting. In addition, compost applications can improve many soil properties, but these differences may not result in improved orchard productivity within 3 years.

Residual Dry Matter, Weeds and Soil Aggregates after Winter Cover Crop

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Edleusa Pereira Seidel ◽  
João Henrique Silva Caetano ◽  
Arthur Schafer Karpinski ◽  
Willian Dos Reis
Keyword(s):  
Crop Rotation ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Soil Aggregates ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Common Vetch ◽  
Winter Cover

Soil quality maintenance in a no-tillage system (NTS) depends on cover crops. They are essential for crop rotation, affect several soil attributes, and contribute to phytosanitary control. However, cover crop efficacy is influenced by their root function and the presence of plant straw on soil surfaces. The objective of this study was to compare various winter cover crops in terms of their effects on dry mass yield, straw persistence after 40 d, weed incidence, and soil aggregate stability. The soil tested was an Oxisol Ustox Hapludox in Western Paraná State, southern Brazil. A randomized block design was used with four replicates and six treatments (fallow, black oat, fodder turnip, field pea, common vetch, and fodder turnip + black oat). Cover crops were managed 88 d after sowing. Dry mass (DM) and residual dry mass (RDM) were measured at 20 d and 40 d after harvest. Aggregate stability and weed type and density were evaluated after 40 d of management (DAM). The results showed that black oat obtained the lowest decomposition; therefore, a potential species to be used in the system of crop rotation in the no-tillage. The consorted of fodder turnip and black oat provided relatively higher dry mass yields and improved soil aggregation. Cover crops reduced the incidence of weeds, being important for no-till sustainability.

scholarly journals Cropping System and Rotational Grazing Effects on Soil Fertility and Enzymatic Activity in an Integrated Organic Crop-Livestock System

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 803
Author(s):  
Fernando Shintate Galindo ◽  
Kathleen Delate ◽  
Bradley Heins ◽  
Hannah Phillips ◽  
Andrew Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Soil Ph ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
C:N Ratio ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Cattle Grazing ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Microbial Decomposition

Alternative grazing systems that incorporate cover crops may be useful to achieve a longer grazing season and maximize forage production. However, little is known about their impact on soil properties, especially in the presence or absence of cattle grazing in the early spring. The aim of this study was to evaluate the interacting effects of cropping systems with and without cattle grazing in rotation with corn or soybean on the balance and dynamics of soil fertility and enzyme activity. This study was conducted as a system experiment between 2015 and 2019 in Minnesota and Pennsylvania, USA. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with four replications. Treatments included presence or absence of cattle grazing and two types of cropping systems (pasture-rye-soybean-pasture [P-R-SB-P] and pasture-wheat/vetch-corn-pasture [P-W/V-C-P]. Soil samples were collected six times during the study. Soil properties analyzed were soil pH, organic matter, salinity, K, Ca, Mg, cation exchange capacity (CEC), P, β-glucosidase, alkaline phosphatase, aryl-sulfatase, fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis, ammonium, nitrate, permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC), N%, C%, S%, and C:N ratio. Grazing increased glucosidase activity, available Ca, Mg, NO3−, NH4+, soil pH, soil C%, S%, and the C:N ratio. In the P-W/V-C-P cropping system, soil pH, available Ca, NO3−, and sulfatase activity were found to increase compared with the P-R-SB-P cropping system. In contrast, soil OM, available K, Mg, CEC, glucosidase, phosphatase, POXC, and total C%, N%, and S% were greater in the P-R-SB-P cropping system compared with the P-W/V-C-P cropping system. The results of this study suggested that rotational grazing can increase soil quality and microbial decomposition under the P-W/V-C-P cropping system, and that this result was greater than under the P-R-SB-P cropping system, leading to a faster nutrient cycling. These results show promise for producers who are seeking methods to diversify their farming operation and reduce the need for external inputs.

scholarly journals Establishing management zones using soil electrical conductivity and other soil properties by the fuzzy clustering technique

2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 567-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Paulo Molin ◽  
Cesar Nunes de Castro
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Management Zones ◽  
Physical Attributes ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Specific Management

The design of site-specific management zones that can successfully define uniform regions of soil fertility attributes that are of importance to crop growth is one of the most challenging steps in precision agriculture. One important method of so proceeding is based solely on crop yield stability using information from yield maps; however, it is possible to accomplish this using soil information. In this study the soil was sampled for electrical conductivity and eleven other soil properties, aiming to define uniform site-specific management zones in relation to these variables. Principal component analysis was used to group variables and fuzzy logic classification was used for clustering the transformed variables. The importance of electrical conductivity in this process was evaluated based on its correlation with soil fertility and physical attributes. The results confirmed the utility of electrical conductivity in the definition of management zones and the feasibility of the proposed method.

scholarly journals Association of the Occurrence of Ant Species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with Soil Attributes, Vegetation, and Climate in the Brazilian Savanna Northeastern Region

Sociobiology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 442
Author(s):  
Edison Fernandes da Silva ◽  
José Eduardo Corá ◽  
Ana Yoshi Harada ◽  
Ivan Barbosa Machado Sampaio
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Stability Index ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Importance Value ◽  
Northeastern State ◽  
Vegetation And Climate

Ants occur in all strata of tropical forest by nesting, foraging and interacting with plants and other resident in these habitats. It is know that a large number of ant species live in the leaflitter and soil. This study aim to know if the occurrence of the species of ants from Cerrado of the Northeastern State of Maranhão depends on the attributes of soils and climatic factors. We found 48 species of ants, and ten of them had highest importance value, and are correlated with the soil properties, litter biomass, basal area, humidity and temperature, by using principal component analysis (PCA). The soil properties (density, porosity, particle size, aggregate stability index, and levels of Mg2+, Ca2+, carbon and potential acidity); vegetation (basal area and dry mass of litter) and temperature and humidity at soil level affect the occurrence of the following ants species Camponotus comatulus Mackay, 2010, Ectatomma muticum Mayr, 1870, Pseudomyrmex boopis (Roger, 1863), Pseudomyrmex termitarius (Smith, 1855), Dinoponera gigantea (Peerty, 1833), Ochetomyrmex neopolitus Fernández, 2003, Crematogaster cf acuta, Pheidole casta Wheeler, 1908, Solenopsis bruesi Creighton, 1930 and Solenopsis. Substituta Santschi, 1925.

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