Strategy for The Transition Towards Conservation Agriculture Practices in Rice Cultivation Systems in Cuba

Cuban agriculture to achieve the sustainability of agricultural systems needs to initiate a transition process towards conservation agriculture practices, which implies a change in production systems and the technologies they use. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is considered a staple food for more than half of the world's population. However, the adverse effects of climate change, together with soil degradation and the scarcity of irrigation water threaten the sustainability of rice production under irrigated conditions [1, 2]. Intensive tillage practices have been shown to increase environmental pollution, deteriorate the soil and involve high water consumption [3, 4]. Therefore, conservation agriculture (CA) practices have been recommended to conserve resources and increase ecosystem services [2, 5]. The CA is an agricultural system that is characterized by the interrelation of three fundamental principles: to keep the soil permanently covered with crop residues or plant covers at least 30%, a minimum disturbance of the land and diversification of the species cultivated in rotation [6]. Some 140 thousand hectares of rice are planted in Cuba [7-9]. However, the low yields obtained require the importation of 400,000 tons of rice annually. A roadmap for the transition towards CA practices was recently adopted as the country's policy. But the current conditions of rice soils (characterized by low organic matter content, compaction and poor drainage), subjected to intensive (traditional) tillage practices for long periods of time (between 30 and 50 years), put at risk the implementation of the basic principles of CA and its adoption as an accepted practice by farmers.

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Soil preparation and nutrient losses by erosion in the culture cucumber

Scientia Agricola ◽

10.1590/s0103-90162005000600010 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 62 (6) ◽

pp. 572-577 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nelson Moura Brasil do Amaral Sobrinho ◽

Nelson Mazur

Keyword(s):

Crop Residues ◽

Total Concentration ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Soil Surface ◽

Crop Productivity ◽

Matter Content ◽

Nutrient Losses ◽

Cucumis Sativus L ◽

Minimum Tillage ◽

Fine Sediments

Minimum tillage reportedly reduce erosion, avoid soil degradation and improve crop productivity. This study aimed to determine how tillage operations may affect either nutrient accumulation or nutrient losses by erosion. The study was, carried out from December, 2000 to March, 2001, in the watershed of the Caetés River, in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil (22º25'43"S, 43º25'07"W). The experiment was set up in sandy clay Kandiudult soil, 60% slope, under cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) crop. Soil samples were collected before planting and after harvest, on 22.0 X 4.0 m Greeoff plots. After each rainfall, fine sediments carried by runoff were deposited into two collecting tanks in a row, installed at the end of each plot, and were later dried, weighed and stored for analyses. Treatments (n = 4) were characterized by different tillage systems: (i) downhill plowing followed by the burning of crop residues (DPB); (ii) downhill plowing with no burning of the crop residues (DPNB); (iii) animal traction contour plowing, with strips of guinea grass planted at a spacing of 7.0 m (AT); and (iv) minimum tillage (MT). Samples of the soil-plowed layer were collected before planting and after harvest, between the rows and from the plants. Total concentration of Ca, Mg, K and P were determined after extraction with nitric perchloride digestion. Labile P and exchangeable K were extracted with the Mehlich 1 extractant solution. The MT system reduced losses of both exchangeable bases (15%) and P (8%), and affected the distribution of labile and organic P. Crop residues left on soil surface in the MT system, resulted in increased organic matter content. Downhill plowing, the most used tillage operation in the region, resulted in the greatest losses of Ca, Mg, K, and P.

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Soil structure after 18 years of long-term different tillage systems and fertilisation in Haplic Luvisol

Soil and Water Research ◽

10.17221/38/2017-swr ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 13 (No. 3) ◽

pp. 140-149 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Šimanský Vladimír ◽

Lukáč Martin

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Structure ◽

Management Practices ◽

Crop Residues ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Matter Content ◽

Soil Tillage ◽

Arable Soils ◽

Water Stable Aggregates

Soil structure is a key determinant of many soil environmental processes and is essential for supporting terrestrial ecosystem productivity. Management of arable soils plays a significant role in forming and maintaining their structure. Between 1994 and 2011, we studied the influence of soil tillage and fertilisation regimes on the stability of soil structure of loamy Haplic Luvisol in a replicated long-term field experiment in the Dolná Malanta locality (Slovakia). Soil samples were repeatedly collected from plots exposed to the following treatments: conventional tillage (CT) and minimum tillage (MT) combined with conventional (NPK) and crop residue-enhanced fertilisation (CR+NPK). MT resulted in an increase of critical soil organic matter content (St) by 7% in comparison with CT. Addition of crop residues and NPK fertilisers significantly increased St values (by 7%) in comparison with NPK-only treatments. Soil tillage and fertilisation did not have any significant impact on other parameters of soil structure such as dry sieving mean weight diameters (MWD), mean weight diameter of water-stable aggregates (MWDWSA), vulnerability coefficient (Kv), stability index of water-stable aggregates (Sw), index of crusting (Ic), contents of water-stable macro- (WSAma) and micro-aggregates (WSAmi). Ic was correlated with organic matter content in all combinations of treatments. Surprisingly, humus quality did not interact with soil management practices to affect soil structure parameters. Higher sums of base cations, CEC and base saturation (Bs) were linked to higher Sw values, however higher values of hydrolytic acidity (Ha) resulted in lower aggregate stability in CT treatments. Higher content of K+ was responsible for higher values of MWDWSA and MWD in CT. In MT, contents of Ca2+, Mg2+ and Na+ were significantly correlated with contents of WSAmi and WSAma. Higher contents of Na+ negatively affected St values and positive correlations were detected between Ca2+, Mg2+ and Na+ and Ic in NPK treatments.

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Sorption of clopyralid, dicamba and MCPA by two soils with conventional and no-till management

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/s97-051 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 78 (1) ◽

pp. 181-186 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

C. Shang ◽

M. A. Arshad

Keyword(s):

Crop Production ◽

Sandy Loam ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Conventional Tillage ◽

Matter Content ◽

Tillage Systems ◽

Soil Matrix ◽

Tillage Practices ◽

Soil Systems ◽

The Difference

Sorption is one of the key processes controlling the fate of agrochemicals in soil systems. The sorption of agrochemicals on a soil matrix can be affected by changes in chemical and physical properties caused by different tillage practices. Clopyralid (3,6-dichloro-2-pyridinecarboxylic acid), dicamba (3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid), and MCPA ((4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy)acetic acid), weakly acidic herbicides, are commonly used to control broadleaf weeds in crop production. The sorption of the three herbicides by surface soils (0–5 cm) from different tillage systems was studied by batch equilibrium. Of the herbicides used, MCPA was sorbed on soil in the greatest quantity, dicamba was the least sorbed, and the sorption was dependent on the pKa values of herbicides. In a sandy loam soil, more herbicide was sorbed under no-tillage (NT) than conventional tillage (CT). However, in a clay soil the difference in herbicide sorption between the two tillage systems was not consistent. The results can be explained in terms of changes in soil pH and organic matter content. The presence of clopyralid and MCPA lowered the sorption of dicamba, and MCPA was more effective than clopyralid in competing for sorption sites with dicamba. Key words: Herbicide sorption, clopyralid, dicamba, MCPA, tillage

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Effect of crop rotations and fertilization on soil organic matter and some biochemical properties of a thick Black Chernozem

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/cjss91-036 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 71 (3) ◽

pp. 377-387 ◽

Cited By ~ 115

Author(s):

C. A. Campbell ◽

R. P. Zentner ◽

K. E. Bowren ◽

L. Townley-Smith ◽

M. Schnitzer

Keyword(s):

Amino Acids ◽

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Crop Residues ◽

Cultural Practices ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Biochemical Properties ◽

Matter Content ◽

Organic C ◽

Cropping Frequency

The effects of crop rotation and various cultural practices on soil organic matter and some biochemical characteristics of a heavy-textured, Orthic Black Chernozem with a thick A horizon were determined after 31 yr at Melfort, Saskatchewan. Treatments investigated included: fertilization, cropping frequency, green manuring, and inclusion of grass-legume hay crops in predominantly spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) systems. The results showed that neither soil organic C nor N in the top 15 cm of soil, nor hydrolyzable amino acids, nor C mineralized in 14 d at 20 °C were influenced by fertilization. However, the relative molar distribution (RMD) of the amino acids reflected the influence of fertilization and the phase (Rot-yr) of the legume green manure rotation sampled. Some characteristics assessed increased marginally with increasing cropping frequency but differences were less marked than results obtained earlier in a heavy-textured Black Chernozem with a thin A horizon at Indian Head, Saskatchewan. The relationship between soil organic matter or C mineralization versus estimated crop residues, residue C, or residue N returned to the land over the 31-yr period, were not significant in the Melfort soil. This contrasts with our findings for the thin Black soil. We speculate that the lack of soil organic matter response in the Melfort soil was due to its very high organic matter content (about 64 t ha−1C and 6.5 t ha−1N in the top 15 cm). We also hypothesized that the amino acid RMD results, which differed from most of those reported in the literature, may be reflecting the more recent cropping history of the soil. This aspect requires further research into the composition and distribution of the humic materials in this soil. Key words: Amino acids, relative molar distribution, C respiration, green manures, fertilization

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The variability of phosphorus fractions in sediments of a shallow, restored Antoninek Reservoir (Poznań, Poland)

Limnological Review ◽

10.2478/v10194-011-0007-3 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 59-65 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Renata Dondajewska

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

High Water ◽

Matter Content ◽

Phosphorus Fractions ◽

Phosphorus Loading ◽

Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽

P Fraction ◽

Study Sites ◽

Sediment Layers

The variability of phosphorus fractions in sediments of a shallow, restored Antoninek Reservoir (Poznań, Poland) Spatial and temporal variability of phosphorus (P) fractions content in bottom sediments of a shallow preliminary reservoir was studied in Antoninek, situated in Poznań. Fractions were analyzed at least once in a season (more often in spring and summer) between August 2004 and November 2005 according to the fractioning protocol proposed by Psenner et al. (1988). Circa 10 cm thick sediment layers were collected from three study sites, situated along the main axis of the reservoir. The contribution of NH4Cl-P and BD-P, i.e. the most accessible fractions biologically was similar at all stations (usually below 10%). The share of other fractions increased according to the sequence NaOH-RP < NaOH-NRP < HCl-P < Res-P. Only at station 1 the amount of phosphorus related to organic matter was lower than with aluminum. The domination of Res-P fraction indicated that the main part of phosphorus in sediment is biologically unavailable, therefore the intensity of phosphorus loading from sediments shall be low. However, high organic matter content, noted in sediments of Antoninek Reservoir, determined great amount of NaOH-NRP fraction. Both parameters remained under the influence of mats of macroalgae, growing intensively in the reservoir during vegetation season. The role of sediments as a source of phosphorus for water column enlarged, due to increased organic matter decomposition, especially in periods of high water temperature in this shallow reservoir.

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Ecohydrological effectiveness of litter crusts in sandy ecosystem

10.5194/hess-2018-579 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Yu Liu ◽

Zeng Cui ◽

Ze Huang ◽

Hai-Tao Miao ◽

Gao-Lin Wu

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽

Infiltration Rate ◽

High Water ◽

Matter Content ◽

Water Infiltration ◽

Desert Ecosystems ◽

Positive Effects

Abstract. Litter crusts are integral components of the water budget in terrestrial ecosystems, especially in arid areas. This innovative study is to quantify the ecohydrological effectiveness of litter crusts in desert ecosystems. We focus on the positive effects of litter crusts on soil water holding capacity and water interception capacity compared with biocrusts. Litter crusts significantly increased soil organic matter, which was 2.4 times the content in biocrusts and 3.84 times the content in bare sandy lands. Higher organic matter content resulted in increased soil porosity and decreased soil bulk density. Meanwhile, soil organic matter can help to maintain maximum infiltration rates. Litter crusts significantly increased the water infiltration rate under high water supply. Our results suggested that litter crusts significantly improve soil properties, thereby influencing hydrological processes. Litter crusts play an important role in improving hydrological effectiveness and provide a microhabitat conducive to vegetation restoration in dry sandy ecosystem.

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Impact of Crop Residues on Soil Organic Matter Content and the Production of Late Jute Seed

Journal of Biological Sciences ◽

10.3923/jbs.2001.1124.1126 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 1 (12) ◽

pp. 1124-1126 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Md. A. Alim . ◽

M. M. Alam . ◽

S. Khandker . ◽

S. A. Ahmed . ◽

Ahsanul Haque . ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Crop Residues ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Matter Content ◽

Soil Organic Matter Content

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Aggregate stability as affected by short and long-term tillage systems and nutrient sources of a hapludox in southern Brazil

Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo ◽

10.1590/s0100-06832009000400003 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 33 (4) ◽

pp. 767-777 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Milton da Veiga ◽

Dalvan José Reinert ◽

José Miguel Reichert

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Crop Residues ◽

Geometric Mean ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Aggregate Stability ◽

Matter Content ◽

Tillage Systems ◽

Soil Layers ◽

Nutrient Sources ◽

Mean Diameter

The ability of a soil to keep its structure under the erosive action of water is usually high in natural conditions and decreases under frequent and intensive cultivation. The effect of five tillage systems (NT = no-till; CP = chisel plowing and one secondary disking; CT = primary and two secondary distings; CTb = CT with crop residue burning; and CTr = CT with removal of crop residues from the field), combined with five nutrient sources (C = control, no nutrient application; MF = mineral fertilizers according to technical recommendations for each crop; PL = 5 Mg ha-1 y-1 fresh matter of poultry litter; CM = 60 m³ ha-1 y-1 slurry cattle manure; and SM = 40 m³ ha-1 y-1 slurry swine manure) on wet-aggregate stability was determined after nine years (four sampled soil layers) and on five sampling dates in the 10th year (two sampled soil layers) of the experiment. The size distribution of the air-dried aggregates was strongly affected by soil bulk density, and greater values of geometric mean diameter (GMD AD) found in some soil tillage or layer may be partly due to the higher compaction degree. After nine years, the GMD AD on the surface was greater in NT and CP compared to conventional tillage systems (CT, CTb and CTr), due to the higher organic matter content, as well as less soil mobilization. Aggregate stability in water, on the other hand, was affected by the low variation in previous gravimetric moisture of aggregates, which contributed to a high coefficient of variation of this attribute. The geometric mean diameter of water-stable aggregates (GMD WS) was highest in the 0.00-0.05 m layer in the NT system, in the layers 0.05-0.10 and 0.12-0.17 m in the CT, and values were intermediate in CP. The stability index (SI) in the surface layers was greater in treatments where crop residues were kept in the field (NT, CP and CT), which is associated with soil organic matter content. No differences were found in the layer 0.27-0.32 m. The effect of nutrient sources on GMD AD and GMD WS was small and did not affect SI.

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Movement of Pesticides to Groundwater in an Irrigated Soil

Water Quality Research Journal ◽

10.2166/wqrj.1987.010 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 129-146 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Bert P. Krawchuk ◽

G. R. Barrie Webster

Keyword(s):

Ground Water ◽

Pesticide Residues ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

High Water ◽

Matter Content ◽

Pesticide Formulations ◽

Field Samples ◽

Commercial Operation ◽

Pesticide Usage

Abstract The movement of pesticide residues to ground water was studied on a commercial farm southwest of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. The site had sandy soil with low organic matter content, a high water table, a tile drain system and an irrigation system using river water. Records were available from the beginning of commercial operation in 1979 describing pesticide usage on a field by field basis. A total of 21 different pesticide formulations were used in the 5 years of operation. An initial (1981) random sampling of the tile drain water did not detect any pesticide residues in the outflow at the 0.02 ug/L level. A subsequent extensive sampling (1982) detected residues of chlorothalonil on eight occasions ranging from 0.06 to 3.66 ug/L in the tile drain outflow. Ground water from one of two wells in the northwest quarter was found to contain chlorothalonil at a level of 10.1 to 272.2 ug/L in 1982 and 0.4 to 9.0 ug/L in 1983, carbofuran at a level of 11.5 to 158.4 ug/L in 1982 and < 0.5 to 1.0 ug/L in 1983, and carbofuran phenol (not quantified) in 1982 and 1983. RP-HPLC Kow data indicated that a number of the pesticides used on the farm could be as mobile or more mobile than chlorothalonil which had been detected in the ground water in two consecutive years; however, of the other pesticides only carbofuran was detected in the ground water. With a Kow lower than that of chlorothalonil, carbofuran was expected to be more mobile than chlorothalonil, and to appear in the water sooner, but this was not observed in the field samples.

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A Farmer’s Experience of Conservation Agriculture in the UK

The Oxford Handbook of Food, Water and Society ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190669799.013.8 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 708-724

Author(s):

Anthony J. Reynolds

Keyword(s):

Crop Yields ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Conservation Agriculture ◽

Matter Content ◽

Sustainable Food ◽

Cover Cropping ◽

Farming Community ◽

Beneficial Impact ◽

The Uk

Conservation agricultural practices have been widely adopted across the world in the past 30 years. Farmers recognized that their soils had been degraded by deep ploughing and by dependence on chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Conservation agriculture, involving the agronomic and technological practices of no-till, cover cropping, and rotation, can be a sustainable alternative to conventional farming both economically and environmentally. While improving soil and crop health, it also has a dramatic and beneficial impact on the soil structure and on organic matter content that in turn can improve drainage and the availability of water. Costs are greatly reduced and crop yields—after an initial decline—return to former levels. Increasing interest and uptake by the global farming community shows that the system can be adapted in a variety of farming situations and significantly aid both the environment and sustainable food production.

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