scholarly journals Impact of long term soil management practices on the fertility andweed flora of an almond orchard

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 194-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanna CUCCI ◽  
Giovanni LACOLLA ◽  
Carmine CRECCHIO ◽  
Silvia PASCAZIO ◽  
Donato DE GIORGIO
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Almond Orchard

scholarly journals Effects of Management and Hillside Position on Soil Organic Carbon Stratification in Mediterranean Centenary Olive Grove

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 650
Author(s):  
Jesús Aguilera-Huertas ◽  
Beatriz Lozano-García ◽  
Manuel González-Rosado ◽  
Luis Parras-Alcántara
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Olive Grove ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Degradation Degree

The short- and medium—long-term effects of management and hillside position on soil organic carbon (SOC) changes were studied in a centenary Mediterranean rainfed olive grove. One way to measure these changes is to analyze the soil quality, as it assesses soil degradation degree and attempts to identify management practices for sustainable soil use. In this context, the SOC stratification index (SR-COS) is one of the best indicators of soil quality to assess the degradation degree from SOC content without analyzing other soil properties. The SR-SOC was calculated in soil profiles (horizon-by-horizon) to identify the best soil management practices for sustainable use. The following time periods and soil management combinations were tested: (i) in the medium‒long-term (17 years) from conventional tillage (CT) to no-tillage (NT), (ii) in the short-term (2 years) from CT to no-tillage with cover crops (NT-CC), and (iii) the effect in the short-term (from CT to NT-CC) of different topographic positions along a hillside. The results indicate that the SR-SOC increased with depth for all management practices. The SR-SOC ranged from 1.21 to 1.73 in CT0, from 1.48 to 3.01 in CT1, from 1.15 to 2.48 in CT2, from 1.22 to 2.39 in NT-CC and from 0.98 to 4.16 in NT; therefore, the soil quality from the SR-SOC index was not directly linked to the increase or loss of SOC along the soil profile. This demonstrates the time-variability of SR-SOC and that NT improves soil quality in the long-term.

Soil quality indices for evaluation of long-term land use and soil management practices in semi-arid sub-tropical India

2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 516-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Masto ◽  
P. K. Chhonkar ◽  
T. J. Purakayastha ◽  
A. K. Patra ◽  
D. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Quality Indices ◽  
Semi Arid

Influence of different soil management practices on ground-flora vegetation in an almond orchard

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 300-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Fracchiolla ◽  
M. Terzi ◽  
L. Frabboni ◽  
D. Caramia ◽  
C. Lasorella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Soil Tillage ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Ground Flora ◽  
Weed Flora ◽  
Natural Flora ◽  
Almond Orchard

AbstractThis paper reports a survey on the weed flora and seed bank in an almond orchard sited in Apulia region (Southern Italy), where the following soil management practices have been compared for over 30 yrs: no-tillage, keeping the soil totally weed-free throughout the year by using pre-emergence herbicides to prevent plant emergence or post-emergence herbicides in case of weeds already emerged; no-tillage, with post-emergence herbicides; no-tillage, with mowing of natural weed flora in spring; cover cropping, with faba bean sown in November and green manured in springtime; conventional soil tillage. The different management techniques influenced significantly the weed flora in experimental plots, both in terms of quantity and quality. The seed bank was clearly impoverished after the long-term applications of pre-emergence herbicides, both in terms of richness and of diversity. During the fall period, the plots of conventional tillage or pre-emergence herbicides had less natural ground-flora than the others. During springtime, prior to the sward control practices, the plots treated by foliar herbicides or mowing had the highest total weed cover. We conclude that post-emergence weed control by mowing or using chemical herbicides or the green manure of the cover crop may be proposed to reduce impact to the soil and to promote the growth of abundant and sufficiently diversified and balanced flora. If appropriately managed, this flora can provide potential ecological services, without competing with the orchard, as suggested by the literature. During the autumn, natural flora can uptake soil nitrogen thus preventing leaching in the rainy season. In springtime, after the sward has been destroyed, natural flora can supply a substantial amount of biomass to the soil. Indicator species analysis was also used to find the species characterizing each treatment and some of their combinations. Weeds belonging to thePoaceaebotanical family were significantly associated with post-emergence herbicides and mowing treatments. These species produce a substantial amount of biomass and have bunched roots; consequently, they supply beneficial effects by improving porosity and structure of the soil and reducing erosion hazard.

A pragmatic method to determine the parameters that characterize ponded infiltration

Soil Research ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 111 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Collis-George
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Soil Physical Properties ◽  
Transmission Zone ◽  
Theoretical Significance ◽  
Actual Field ◽  
Infiltration Parameter ◽  
Field Behaviour ◽  
Different Soils

A procedure is outlined to define those parameters which characterize the infiltration behaviour of a ponded soil. The parameters derive from actual field behaviour and are closely related to but not identical with soil physical properties of established theoretical significance, such as sorptivity and hydraulic conductivity of the transmission zone. For some soils an 'instantaneous' infiltration parameter is required as well as the long-term integral of the sorptivity phenomenon. Results are presented to illustrate the use of these parameters: (1) to distinguish between the infiltration behaviour of different soils; (2) to distinguish changes in the behaviour of a soil under different seasonal conditions; and (3) to test whether soil management practices affect infiltration behaviour. The advantages of the procedure are briefly discussed

A quantitative approach of the slake test for assessing soil structural stabilty

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédéric Vanwindekens ◽  
Brieuc Hardy ◽  
Christian Roisin ◽  
Fabienne Delporte
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Field Experiment ◽  
Soil Sample ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
No Tillage

<p>Soils are at the heart of agro-ecosystems. In various parts of Europe, soils, their structure and function are under pressure from intensive farming practices and global changes. The main consequences are a loss of biodiversity, a decrease in organic matter content, an increase in their susceptibility to erosion. In this context, some farmers are adopting innovative practices to increase the quality of their soils. Among innovative practices, those related to conservation agriculture are particularly highlighted.</p><p>Conservation Agriculture practices are based on the threefold principles of (i) minimizing mechanical soil disturbance (e.g. no tillage), (ii) permanent soil cover, and (iii) diversification of crop species grown in the plots. These practices are encouraged by the farmers who adopt them and some stakeholders (ASBLs, advisors, etc.). Some related practices raise questions (use of herbicides) and the effects of the practices on the soil are subject to debate within the scientific communities.</p><p>The physical properties of soils are traditionally estimated by a series of laboratory tests that are resource-, time- and money-intensive. We propose to present a new pragmatic approach to assess the functioning and quality of agricultural soils, the 'slake test'. In the development phase, this approach has been tested for contrasting fertilisation and tillage modalities in various long-term trials at the Walloon Agricultural Research Centre (CRA-W).</p><p>A slake test is a simple and visual experiment shown by promoters of conservation agriculture. It consists of immersing a metal basket containing a soil sample and observing how this sample decomposes. It is done qualitatively, in two glass cylinders to compare soil samples from ploughed and no-till plots. Although this test is a quick way to assess the structural stability of a soil, its protocol has not been formalized and its results objectified by a quantitative method. We developed an original approach, the ©QuantiSlakeTest, aimed at continuously measuring the disintegration of the soil sample.</p><p>This original experimental design was first tested by comparing two contrasted treatments of a long term field experiment in Chastres (Belgium). This field experiment was conducted between 2004 and 2018 by the CRA-W for comparing soil management practices. Samples were taken from plots of treatment T (tillage) and treatment NT (no-tillage) in five repetitions (10 plots). In each plot, seven samples were taken in the superficial layer using Kopecky rings. The samples were dried 48 hours at 50°C before being tested. </p><p>The application of ©QuantiSlakeTest highlights significant differences between tilled and non tilled plots. After one minute, the relative residual weight are significantly different between treatments (T: 0.76±0.16, NT: 0.95±0.06, p<0.001). At stabilisation, after 20 min, samples from tilled plots have lost more than 50% of their weight, while those from no-tilled plots have lost less than 30% (T: 0.49±0.32, NT: 0.71±0.22, p<0.001).</p><p>These early results confirm that ©QuantiSlakeTest is a credible approach for assessing the effect of soil management practices on soil stability, in controlled experimental conditions. We are now finetuning the protocol, trying the approach with room temperature dried samples and comparing other modalities (fertilisation, organic matter amendment).</p>

EFFECT OF LONG-TERM USE OF TILLAGE, RESIDUES AND N LEVELS IN SORGHUM (SORGHUM VULGARE (L)) – CASTOR (RICINUS COMMUNIS) CROPPING SYSTEM UNDER RAINFED CONDITIONS – CROP RESPONSES AND ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE – PART I

2013 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 395-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. KUSUMA GRACE ◽  
K. L. SHARMA ◽  
D. SUMACHANDRIKA ◽  
K. SRINIVAS ◽  
U. K. MANDAL ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Ricinus Communis ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Fertilizer N ◽  
Long Term Effect

SUMMARYThis experiment was conducted to study the long-term effect of soil management treatments on crop yields, sustainability yield indices (SYI) and soil fertility in rainfed semi-arid tropical Alfisol at Hayathnagar Research Farm, Hyderabad, India, during the period 1995 to 2009. The experiment was conducted in a split–split plot design with conventional tillage (CT) and minimum tillage (MT) as main factors, surface application of sorghum stover @ 2 t ha−1 (SS), fresh Gliricidia loppings @ 2 t ha−1 (GL) and ‘no’ residue (NR) as sub-factors and levels of N viz. 0 (N0), 30 (N30), 60 (N60) and 90 (N90) kg N ha−1 as sub–sub factors in a castor–sorghum two-year rotation. On an average, CT maintained 30.4 and 57.0% higher grain yields of sorghum and castor, respectively, over MT. Between two residues, GL performed well in both the crops. The highest yields of sorghum (1425 kg ha−1) and castor (876 kg ha−1) were recorded at 90 kg N ha−1. CT maintained higher SYI of 0.44 compared to MT (0.38) and higher agronomic efficiency (AE) of 13.5 and 6.76 kg grain kg−1 N for sorghum and castor crop, respectively. Use of crop residue as mulch had an advantage in increasing the yield of both the crops with increase in rainfall under CT even without N application (control), probably by making the soil more receptive to water infiltration, better moisture storage and by reducing the evaporative losses. Using response functions, the optimum fertilizer N requirement was also computed for a given set of tillage and residue combinations. The revised optimum fertilizer N doses for sorghum and castor varied from 45 to 56 kg ha−1 and 46 to 74 kg ha−1, respectively, under different tillage and residue combinations and could be recommended depending upon the soil management practices.

Monitoring Effects of Catchment Management Practices on Phosphorus Loads into the Eutrophic Peel-Harvey Estuary, Western Australia

1986 ◽  
Vol 18 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 53-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. B. Birch ◽  
G. G. Forbes ◽  
N. J. Schofield
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Major Change ◽  
High Flow ◽  
Catchment Management ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Early Results ◽  
Phosphorus Loads ◽  
Time Of Year ◽  
High Runoff

Early results from monitoring runoff suggest that the programme to reduce application of superphosphate to farmlands in surrounding catchments has been successful in reducing input of phosphorus to the eutrophic Peel-Harvey estuary. In the estuary this phosphorus fertilizes algae which grow in abundance and accumulate and pollute once clean beaches. The success of the programme has been judged from application of an empirical statistical model, which was derived from 6 years of data from the Harvey Estuary catchment prior to a major change in fertilizer practices in 1984. The model relates concentration of phosphorus with rate of flow and time of year. High phosphorus concentrations were associated with high flow rates and with flows early in the high runoff season (May-July). The model predicted that the distribution of flows in 1984 should have resulted in a flow-weighted concentration of phosphorus near the long-term average; the observed concentration was 25% below the long-term average. This means that the amount of phosphorus discharged into the Harvey Estuary could have been about 2 5% less than expected from the volume of runoff which occurred. However several more years of data are required to confirm this trend.

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