Effect of snow fence or trimming seed heads or stems of Russian wildrye on April soil water content, forage and beef production

1995 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. W. Holt
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Average Daily Gain ◽  
Forage Quality ◽  
Forage Yield ◽  
Snow Fence ◽  
Russian Wildrye

Russian wildrye [Psathyrostachys juncea (Fisch.) Nevski] is an introduced forage, used for season-long grazing in the northern plains. Trimming the heads may improve forage quality but may reduce snow trapping and the amount of moisture conserved. The purpose of this grazing study was to examine the effects of trimming seed heads, trimming seed stems or erecting snow fences on spring soil water content and spring and summer pasture productivity of Russian wildrye at Swift Current, Saskatchewan. From 1985 to 1988, a period of below-normal November to April precipitation, treatments had no effect on soil water content in spring or annual carrying capacity of Russian wildrye pastures. From 1989 to 1994, soil water content in April averaged 74, 64 and 50 mm for treatments of: stems intact (but with added snow fence in 1988); heads trimmed in June, but stems standing; and stems trimmed, respectively. For this 6-yr period, annual carrying capacity of yearling Hereford steers was 153, 143 and 131 animal unit d−1, respectively, for the three treatments. Average daily gain of 0.94 kg d−1, or total gain of 92 kg per steer, was unaffected. Average forage yields (1989–1993) were 2030 kg ha−1, of which 77–86% was consumed by the steers. There was no evidence that trimmed seed heads increased forage yield or quality. The only benefits were related to soil and water conservation, which increased carrying capacity by 15% because of improved snow trapping and water management. Key words:Psathyrostachys juncea, grazing steers, forage quality, soil water

scholarly journals Enhancing Soil Water Content for Increased Food Production in Semi-Arid Areas of Kenya Results From an On-Farm Trial in Mwala District, Kenya

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Karuma ◽  
Peter Mtakwa ◽  
Nyambilila Amuri ◽  
Charles K. Gachene ◽  
Patrick Gicheru
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Tillage Methods

Soil water conservation through tillage is one of the appropriate ways of addressing soil moisture deficit in rainfed agriculture. This study evaluated the effects of tillage practices on soil moisture conservation and crop yields in Mwala District, Eastern Kenya during the long rains (LR) and short rains (SR) of 2012/13. Six tillage systems: Disc plough (MB), Disc plough and harrowing (MBH), Ox-ploughing (OX), Subsoiling – ripping (SR), Hand hoe and Tied Ridges (HTR) and Hand hoe only (H) and, three cropping systems namely, sole maize, sole bean and maize - bean intercrop, were investigated in a split-plot design with four replicates. Data on soil water content was monitored at different weeks after planting and the crop yields at end of each growing season. A three-season average shows that soil water content and crop yields were higher in conventional tillage methods compared to the conservation tillage methods. Long term tillage experiments are thus required at different locations, under various environmental and soil conditions to validate the study findings.

scholarly journals Penerapan Zero Runoff System (ZROS) dan Efektivitas Penurunan Limpasan Permukaan Pada Lahan Miring di DAS Cidanau, Banten

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanuar Chandra Wirasembada ◽  
Budi Indra Setiawan ◽  
Satyanto Krido Saptomo
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Water Balance Model ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Coefficient Of Determination ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Zero Runoff

Runoff is one of flood and erosion causal factor in Indonesia. Runoff occurred when rainfall cannot be infiltrated and flowed on the ground surface. Cidanau watershed has quite high rainfall average (2573 mm/year) so it has high runoff potential. Zero Runoff System (ZROS) is one of water conservation way which can infiltrate runoff to the ground using permeation structures. ZROS’s successful parameter in order to decreasing runoff rate can be observed by the soil water content differences before and after ZROS application. Soil water content estimation was conducted by water balance model with and without runoff and then it is compared with soil water content from measuring. The simulation results indicated that soil water content in the research field before and after ZROS application is 0.476 and 0.569 m3/m3 respectively. The simulation is also conducted for past 10 years (2004-2013) and resulted higher soil water content if ZROS were applied. This results indicates that ZROS capable to decrease and permeate runoff to the ground and then increase soil water content level. Water balance model with and without runoff has coefficient of determination (R2) 0.606. It means that this model could simulate the soil water content differences before and after ZROS application valid relatively.

scholarly journals Efficient organic mulch thickness for soil and water conservation in urban areas

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bing Wang ◽  
Jianzhi Niu ◽  
Ronny Berndtsson ◽  
Linus Zhang ◽  
Xiongwen Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Heavy Rainfall ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Rainfall Simulation ◽  
Organic Mulch ◽  
Arid And Semiarid

AbstractThe use of organic mulch is important for urban green applications. For urban areas in arid and semiarid regions receiving short high-intensive rainfall, rainfall characteristics, and soil slope play an important role for mulch functioning. These properties of mulch were studied. For this purpose, rainfall simulation experiments using organic mulching were conducted in Jiufeng National Forestry Park to analyze the influence of organic mulch under different slope and heavy rainfall events. The results showed that soil water content displayed a decreasing tendency with increasing mulch application. Compared to bare soil, a mulch application of 0.25 kg/m2 and 0.50 kg/m2 led to maximum soil water content and maximum runoff decrease occurred for 0.50 kg/m2 mulch. Higher application rate of mulch displayed less soil water content and greater runoff. The runoff amount and runoff generation rate decreased by 28–83% and 21–83%, respectively, as compared to bare soil. With a mulch application of 0.25–1.00 kg/m2, soil drainage accounted for 56–60% of total rainfall. Overall, an efficient mulch application was found to be 0.25–0.50 kg/m2. The results of this study are relevant for arid and semiarid urban regions that experience heavy rainfall.

scholarly journals Tall Fescue Rooting as Affected by Deficit Irrigation

HortScience ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 688-691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinmin Fu ◽  
Jack Fry ◽  
Bingru Huang
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Tall Fescue ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Deficit Irrigation ◽  
Imaging System ◽  
Conservation Strategy ◽  
Growth Enhancement ◽  
Root Characteristics

Deficit irrigation is increasingly used to conserve water, but its impact on turfgrass rooting has not been well documented. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of deficit irrigation on ‘Falcon II’ tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) root characteristics in the field using a minirhizotron imaging system. The experiment was conducted on a silt loam soil from the first week of June to mid-Sept. 2001 and 2002 using a mobile rainout shelter under which turf received applications of 20%, 60%, or 100% of actual evapotranspiration (ET) twice weekly. Neither soil water content (0 to 25 cm) nor tall fescue rooting between 4.1- and 50.1-cm depths was affected by irrigation at 60% compared with 100% ET. Despite consistently lower soil water content, tall fescue irrigated at 20% ET exhibited an increase in root parameters beginning in July or August. Tall fescue subjected to 20% ET irrigation had greater total root length and surface area on two of five monitoring dates in 2002 compared with that receiving 100% ET. Evaluation of tall fescue rooting by depth indicated that root proliferation at 20% ET was occurring between 8.7- and 36.3-cm depths. As evaluated under the conditions of this experiment, turfgrass managers using deficit irrigation as a water conservation strategy on tall fescue should not be concerned about a reduction in rooting deep in the soil profile, and irrigation at 20% ET may result in root growth enhancement.

Spatial Analysis of Soil Water Content in Newly Implemented Agricultural Bench Terraces in the Ethiopian Plateau

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulio Castelli ◽  
Shimbahri Mesfin ◽  
Lucas Allan Almeida Olivera ◽  
Elena Bresci ◽  
Eyasu Yazew
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Soil Aggregates ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Northern Ethiopia ◽  
Ethiopian Plateau ◽  
The World

<p>In arid areas prone to desertification and soil erosion, the effectiveness of agricultural bench terraces in increasing soil moisture is dependent on their correct implementation. However, despite its relevance for securing food production in many areas of the world, the relationship between proper terracing implementation and the landscape capacity of holding soil moisture is still not understood. Moreover, spatial patterns of Soil Water Content (SWC) within the same terraced hillslope are weakly studied. The present work analyses SWC variations in four newly implemented terraced sites in Tigray Region, Ethiopia: Teshi, Ruba Feleg, Michael Emba and Enda Chena. Field SWC data were collected for the dry season of 2017 (February, March and April) from the upper, middle and lower part of each terraced site, including a non-terraced benchmark area. In all sites, terraced areas show SWC significantly higher than non-terraced ones (p < 0.05), with the lower part of the terraced hillslope more humid than the others for the whole period analyzed. A Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) analysis of SWC was conducted in order to highlight possible dependencies of SWC values. MLR highlighted significant dependency of SWC from the date of analysis, the position of the sample in the terraced slope, as well as a significant positive correlation of SWC with the percent of Water Stable Aggregates (WSA) analyzed at the study sites. Since high soil disturbance induces low soil aggregates stability, this result shows how measures to reduce soil disturbance during implementation can significantly increase SWC of radical terraces. Overall, the results of the present paper testify the good performances of bench terraces in Northern Ethiopia in terms of water conservation, and this first benchmark study can inform future terracing implementation in some arid and semi-arid agricultural areas of the world.</p><p>The abstract is based on Mesfin, S.; Almeida Oliveira, L.A.; Yazew, E.; Bresci, E.; Castelli, G. Spatial Variability of Soil Moisture in Newly Implemented Agricultural Bench Terraces in the Ethiopian Plateau. Water 2019, 11, 2134.</p>

scholarly journals Effects of terracing on soil water and canopy transpiration of Chinese pine plantation in the Loess Plateau, China

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Handan Zhang ◽  
Wei Wei ◽  
Liding Chen ◽  
Lixin Wang
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Water Dynamics ◽  
Canopy Conductance ◽  
Canopy Transpiration ◽  
Terrace Site

Abstract. Terracing has long been considered one of the most effective measures for soil water conservation and site improvement. However, the quantitative effects of terracing on soil water dynamics and vegetation water use have not been reported. To fill these knowledge gaps, in this study, soil water content and canopy transpiration were monitored in both terrace and slope environments in the semiarid Loess Plateau of China in 2014 and 2015. Results showed that terracing increased soil water content of different soil layers. Mean soil water content of the terrace site was 25.4 % and 13.7 % higher than that in the slope site in 2014 and 2015, and canopy transpiration at the terrace site increased by 9.1 % and 4.8 %, respectively. Canopy conductance at the terrace site was 3.9 % higher than that at the slope site and it decreased logarithmically with vapor pressure deficit. This study highlighted the critical role of terracing in increasing the soil water content and mitigating water stress in semiarid environments. Thus, terracing has the potential to enhance sustainable vegetation restoration in water-limited regions.

Productivity of Russian wildrye as fall pasture with and without non-protein nitrogen supplementation

1993 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. W. Holt ◽  
J. E. Knipfel
Keyword(s):  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Average Daily Gain ◽  
Forage Yield ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Protein Nitrogen ◽  
Yield And Quality ◽  
Russian Wildrye ◽  
Forage Intake ◽  
Daily Gain

Russian wildrye (Psathyrostachys junceus) is recommended for fall pasture but little data are available from grazing trials to substantiate this advice. This study was initiated to evaluate forage yield and quality, and carrying capacity of Russian wildrye as fall pasture. The experiment was conducted at Swift Current, Saskatchewan from 1983 to 988 with Hereford cows and calves as the grazing units. Stockpiled yields of forage, available for grazing, averaged 650 kg ha−1 when determined in September. In vitro organic matter (OM) digestibility averaged 53% and nitrogen content of the forage averaged 1.3%. Yield of forage supported 34 animal-unit grazing days per hectare, when grazed with Hereford cows (540 ± 60 kg) and calves (190 ± 30 kg) for 4–7 wk in September and October. Cows weights were maintained, and calves gained, on average, 0.95 kg d−1. Supplementation with liquid urea-molasses, provided free choice in lick tanks, had no effect on stocking rate or average daily gain of cows or calves. Daily forage intake (OM basis), as measured by chromic oxide dilution, was 2.8% of cow body weight (BW). Daily forage intake by the calves was 1.6% of BW in 1987 and 2.2% of BW in 1988 when OM digestibility of the forage was 54 and 63%, respectively. Forage intake was not affected by supplementation. However, cows allowed access to the supplement grazed 1 h less each day than cows receiving no supplement (7.7 vs. 8.7 h). Russian wildrye provided excellent fall pasture for cows and calves but its production and, consequently carrying capacity, were below levels reported previously. Key words: Psathyrostachys junceus, forage intake, stocking rate

SOIL WATER CONTENT AFFECTS THE AVAILABILITY OF PHOSPHATE

1985 ◽  
pp. 185-189
Author(s):  
M.C.H.Mouat Pieter Nes
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Soil Solution ◽  
Equivalent Reduction

Reduction in water content of a soil increased the concentration of ammonium and nitrate in solution, but had no effect on the concentration of phosphate. The corresponding reduction in the quantity of phosphate in solution caused an equivalent reduction in the response of ryegrass to applied phosphate. Keywords: soil solution, soil water content, phosphate, ryegrass, nutrition.

Effect of inter-row cultivation on soil carbon dioxide emission in a peach plantation

2010 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Tóth ◽  
Cs. Farkas
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emission ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Soil Tillage ◽  
Favourable Effect ◽  
Volumetric Soil Water Content

Soil biological properties and CO2emission were compared in undisturbed grass and regularly disked rows of a peach plantation. Higher nutrient content and biological activity were found in the undisturbed, grass-covered rows. Significantly higher CO2fluxes were measured in this treatment at almost all the measurement times, in all the soil water content ranges, except the one in which the volumetric soil water content was higher than 45%. The obtained results indicated that in addition to the favourable effect of soil tillage on soil aeration, regular soil disturbance reduces soil microbial activity and soil CO2emission.

Evaluation of a Multi-Rod Probe Performance for Accurate Measurements of Soil Water Content

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justyna Szerement ◽  
Aleksandra Woszczyk ◽  
Agnieszka Szyplowska ◽  
Marcin Kafarski ◽  
Arkadiusz Lewandowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content
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