Long-term tillage effects on spring wheat production on three soil textures in the Brown soil zone

1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 747-756 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. G. McConkey ◽  
C. A. Campbell ◽  
R. P. Zentner ◽  
F. B. Dyck ◽  
F. Selles
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Spring Wheat ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Silt Loam ◽  
Grain Yields ◽  
Wheat Production ◽  
Brown Soil ◽  
Soil Zone ◽  
Tillage System

The adoption of reduced tillage practices has increased markedly on the Canadian prairies in recent years. Producers in the semiarid Brown Chernozemic soil zone require information on how the intensity of tillage will affect moisture conservation and grain yields in the long term. A 12-yr study was conducted in the Brown soil zone of southwestern Saskatchewan on Swinton silt loam (Orthic Brown), Hatton fine sandy loam (Orthic Brown), and Sceptre heavy clay (Rego Brown) to determine the influence of tillage on the production of hard red spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (on the silt loam and clay) and durum (Triticum turgidum L.) (on the sandy loam). The study was conducted with fallow-wheat (F–W) and continuous wheat (Cont W) rotations. The tillage systems were no-tillage (NT), minimum tillage (MT) and conventional tillage (CT). On the sandy soil with its low water-holding characteristics, tillage system did not affect stored spring soil moisture (SSM), nor grain yields, nor grain N. On the silt loam and clay, there were several instances when NT increased stored moisture in the soil, especially on the clay, but the extra moisture conserved was not always associated with increased grain yields. Generally, when significant increases in stored moisture for F–W were accompanied by below-average growing season precipitation (GSP), an advantage in yield accrued to NT. However, when GSP was above average, CT and MT often had greater yields than NT. We rarely observed yield advantages favouring NT on Cont W on the silt loam or on the clay. Our results suggest that wheat grown under NT on the clay has a higher lower limit of available soil moisture than under CT. Generally, grain N concentration was lower for F–W (NT) on the silt loam and clay. This study has shown that mono-culture wheat production in the Brown soil zone was influenced little by tillage system. Key words: Crop rotations, grain protein, soil water, grain production

Crop and soil nitrogen status of tilled and no-tillage systems in semiarid regions of Saskatchewan

2002 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 489-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
B G McConkey ◽  
D. Curtin ◽  
C A Campbell ◽  
S A Brandt ◽  
F. Selles
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Protein Concentration ◽  
Grain Protein ◽  
Soil N ◽  
Grain Protein Concentration ◽  
Brown Soil ◽  
Semiarid Regions ◽  
Soil Zone ◽  
Tillage System ◽  
Loam Soil

We examined 1990-1996 crop and soil N data for no-tillage (NT), minimum tillage (MT) and conventional tillage (CT) systems from four long-term tillage studies in semiarid regions of Saskatchewan for evidence that the N status was affected by tillage system. On a silt loam and clay soil in the Brown soil zone, spring what (Triticum aestivum L.) grain yield and protein concentration were lower for NT compared with tilled (CT or MT) systems for a fallow-wheat (F-WM) rotation. Grain protein concentration for continuous wheat (Cont W) was also lower for NT than for MT. For a sandy loam soil in the Brown soil zone, durum (Triticum durum L.) grain protein concentration was similar for MT and NT for both Cont W and F-W, but NT had higher grain yield than MT (P < 0.05 for F-W only). For a loam soil in the Dark Brown soil zone, wheat grain yield for NT was increased by about 7% for fallow-oilseed-wheat (F-O-W) and wheat-oilseed-wheat (W-O-W) rotations. The higher grain yields for NT reduced grain protein concentration by dilution effect as indicated by similar grain N yield. However, at this site, about 23 kg ha-1 more fertilizer N was required for NT than for CT. Elimination of tillage increased total organic N in the upper 7.5 cm of soil and N in surface residues. Our results suggest that a contributing factor to decreased availability of soil N in medium- and fine-textured soils under NT was a slower rate of net N mineralization from organic matter. Soil nitrates to 2.4 m depth did not indicate that nitrate leaching was affected by tillage system. Current fertilizer N recommendations developed for tilled systems may be inadequate for optimum production of wheat with acceptable grain protein under NT is semiarid regions of Saskatchewan. Key words: Tillage intensity, N availability, soil N fractions, N mineralization, crop residue decomposition, grain protein

Impact of tillage and landscape position on nitrogen availability and yield of spring wheat in the Brown soil zone in southwestern Saskatchewan

1998 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 563-572 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Jowkin ◽  
J. J. Schoenau
Keyword(s):  
Spring Wheat ◽  
Nitrogen Availability ◽  
N Uptake ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
N Availability ◽  
Inorganic N ◽  
Brown Soil ◽  
Soil Zone ◽  
No Till ◽  
Crop N Uptake

Nitrogen availability to a spring wheat crop was examined in the cropping season in a side-by-side comparison of no-till (first year) and tillage fallow in an undulating farm field in the Brown soil zone in southwestern Saskatchewan. Thirty different sampling points along a grid in each tillage landscape were randomly selected, representing 10 each of shoulder, footslope and level landscape positions. Nitrogen availability was studied i) by profile inorganic N content ii) by crop N uptake and yield of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and iii) by 15N tracer technique and in situ burial of anion exchange resin membranes (AEM).Pre-seeding available moisture content of the surface soil samples was significantly higher under no-till compared with tillage fallow. However, no significant differences in pre-seeding profile total inorganic N, crop N uptake and yield were observed between the treatments. At the landform scale, shoulder positions of the respective tillage systems had lower profile inorganic N, crop N uptake and yield compared with other slope positions. Soil N supply power, as determined by 15N tracer and AEM techniques, was not significantly different between the tillage treatments, indicating that N availability is not likely to be greatly affected in initial years by switching to no-till fallow in these soils under normal moisture conditions. Key words: Summerfallow, landscape, nitrogen, wheat

scholarly journals Stabilization of soil hydraulic properties under a long term no-till system

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 1281-1292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Alberto Lozano ◽  
Carlos Germán Soracco ◽  
Vicente S. Buda ◽  
Guillermo O. Sarli ◽  
Roberto Raúl Filgueira
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Physical Properties ◽  
Hydraulic Properties ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Soil Physical Properties ◽  
Water Retention Curve ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Tillage System ◽  
Crop Sequence

The area under the no-tillage system (NT) has been increasing over the last few years. Some authors indicate that stabilization of soil physical properties is reached after some years under NT while other authors debate this. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of the last crop in the rotation sequence (1st year: maize, 2nd year: soybean, 3rd year: wheat/soybean) on soil pore configuration and hydraulic properties in two different soils (site 1: loam, site 2: sandy loam) from the Argentinean Pampas region under long-term NT treatments in order to determine if stabilization of soil physical properties is reached apart from a specific time in the crop sequence. In addition, we compared two procedures for evaluating water-conducting macroporosities, and evaluated the efficiency of the pedotransfer function ROSETTA in estimating the parameters of the van Genuchten-Mualem (VGM) model in these soils. Soil pore configuration and hydraulic properties were not stable and changed according to the crop sequence and the last crop grown in both sites. For both sites, saturated hydraulic conductivity, K0, water-conducting macroporosity, εma, and flow-weighted mean pore radius, R0ma, increased from the 1st to the 2nd year of the crop sequence, and this was attributed to the creation of water-conducting macropores by the maize roots. The VGM model adequately described the water retention curve (WRC) for these soils, but not the hydraulic conductivity (K) vs tension (h) curve. The ROSETTA function failed in the estimation of these parameters. In summary, mean values of K0 ranged from 0.74 to 3.88 cm h-1. In studies on NT effects on soil physical properties, the crop effect must be considered.

Factors influencing grain N concentration of hard red spring wheat in the semiarid prairie

1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. Campbell ◽  
F. Selles ◽  
R. P. Zentner ◽  
B. G. McConkey ◽  
R. C. McKenzie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Spring Wheat ◽  
Soil Test ◽  
Fertilizer N ◽  
Degree Days ◽  
Hard Red Spring Wheat ◽  
Brown Soil ◽  
Soil Zone ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
N Concentration

Prairie producers are now being rewarded with significant premiums for producing wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) of high protein concentration. We analyzed data from two 12-yr experiments conducted on a medium-textured Orthic Brown Chernozem at Swift Current, Saskatchewan, to determine and quantify factors influencing grain N concentration of hard red spring wheat grown on stubble land. Results of one of the 12-yr studies, a snow management × fertilizer N, zero-tillage experiment, showed that under hot, dry conditions, grain N concentration was very high and increased with moderate rates of fertilizer N (FN), then levelled off at higher rates of N. Under cool, wet conditions, grain N first decreased (due to N dilution by yield) then increased with further addition of FN. Under warm intermediate moisture conditions, grain N concentration increased at moderate rates in response to FN. Data for the two 12-yr experiments were pooled and multiple regression, with backward elimination, and stepwise selection used to develop the relationship:Grain N (g kg−1) = −7.63 + 0.05 WU − 0.000094 WU2 + 0.30 SN − 0.0022 SN2 − (0.0010 SN × WU) + (0.0017 FN × SN) + 0.0189 DD (R2 = 0.64, P = 0.001, n = 262)where WU = water use (mm), SN = soil test N (kg ha−1), FN = (kg ha−1), and DD = degree-days >5 °C (°C-days) from 1 May to 31 August. WU was available spring soil water in 0- to 1.2-m depth plus 1 May to 31 July precipitation, and SN was NO3-N in the 0- to 0.6-m depth, measured in the fall. We attempted to validate this model using data from a long-term crop rotation and a fertilizer trial experiment in the Brown soil zone, a tillage × rotation experiment in the Dark Brown soil zone in Saskatchewan, and an irrigation × N fertilizer experiment in the Brown soil zone of southern Alberta. Validation met with only modest success (R2 up to 0.70, P = 0.001). Generally, estimated grain N concentrations were lower than the measured values. Water use (negatively related) and temperature (DD) (positively related) were the most important factors influencing grain N, while FN and SN (positively related) were much less important. Because of the complexity of response in grain N to the aforementioned factors, and since farmers cannot predict weather conditions, fertilizer management to achieve high protein remains a challenge under dryland conditions. Key words: Soil test N, fertilizer N, available water, degree-days

scholarly journals Sensitivity of Near-Surface Temperature Forecasts to Soil Properties over a Sparsely Vegetated Dryland Region

2014 ◽  
Vol 53 (8) ◽  
pp. 1976-1995 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey D. Massey ◽  
W. James Steenburgh ◽  
Sebastian W. Hoch ◽  
Jason C. Knievel
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Silt Loam ◽  
Soil Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Ground Heat Flux ◽  
Loam Soil

AbstractWeather Research and Forecasting Model forecasts over the Great Salt Lake Desert erroneously underpredict nocturnal cooling over the sparsely vegetated silt loam soil area of Dugway Proving Ground in northern Utah, with a mean positive bias error in temperature at 2 m AGL of 3.4°C in the early morning [1200 UTC (0500 LST)]. Positive early-morning bias errors also exist in nearby sandy loam soil areas. These biases are related to the improper initialization of soil moisture and parameterization of soil thermal conductivity in silt loam and sandy loam soils. Forecasts of 2-m temperature can be improved by initializing with observed soil moisture and by replacing Johansen's 1975 parameterization of soil thermal conductivity in the Noah land surface model with that proposed by McCumber and Pielke in 1981 for silt loam and sandy loam soils. Case studies illustrate that this change can dramatically reduce nighttime warm biases in 2-m temperature over silt loam and sandy loam soils, with the greatest improvement during periods of low soil moisture. Predicted ground heat flux, soil thermal conductivity, near-surface radiative fluxes, and low-level thermal profiles also more closely match observations. Similar results are anticipated in other dryland regions with analogous soil types, sparse vegetation, and low soil moisture.

Long-term effect of biochar on soil physical properties of agricultural soils with different textures

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Zanutel ◽  
Sarah Garré ◽  
Charles Bielders
Keyword(s):  
Physical Properties ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Particle Density ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Soil Physical Properties ◽  
Term Effect ◽  
Silt Loam ◽  
Long Term Effect

&lt;p&gt;In the context of global soil degradation, biochar is being promoted as a potential solution to improve soil quality, besides its carbon sequestration potential. Burying biochar in soils is known to effect soil physical quality in the short-term (&lt;5 years), and the intensity of these effects depends on soil texture. However, the long-term effects of biochar remain largely unknown yet and are important to quantify given biochar&amp;#8217;s persistency in soils. The objective of this study was therefore to assess the long-term effect of biochar on soil physical properties as a function of soil texture and biochar concentration.&amp;#160; For this purpose, soil physical properties (particle density, bulk density, porosity, water retention and hydraulic conductivity curves) were measured in the topsoil of three fields with former kiln sites containing charcoal more than 150 years old in Wallonia (southern Belgium).&amp;#160; The fields had a silt loam, loam and sandy loam texture.&amp;#160; Samples were collected along 3 transects in each field, from the center of the kiln sites outwards.&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Particle density and bulk density slightly decreased as a function of charcoal content. Because particle density and bulk density were affected to a similar extent by charcoal content, total porosity was not affected by the presence of century-old charcoal. Regarding the soil water retention curve, charcoal affected mostly water content in the mesopore range. This effect was strongest for the sandy loam. On the other hand, the presence of century-old charcoal increased significantly the hydraulic conductivity at pF between 1.5 and 2 for the silt loam, while no effect of charcoal was observed for the loamy soil.&amp;#160; The study highlights a limited effect of century-old charcoal on the pore size distribution (at constant porosity) and on the resulting soil physical properties for the range of soils and charcoal concentrations investigated here.&amp;#160; Further research may be needed to confirm the observed trends over a wider range of soil types.&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;

Yield and water use of paired-row versus equidistant-row seeded spring wheat in a semiarid environment

1992 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 459-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. W. Cutforth ◽  
F. Selles
Keyword(s):  
Triticum Aestivum ◽  
Grain Yield ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Spring Wheat ◽  
Triticum Aestivum L ◽  
Row Spacing ◽  
Semiarid Environment ◽  
Brown Soil ◽  
Soil Zone ◽  
Days To Maturity

A field study was carried out to determine the effects of seed row configuration on days to maturity, water use and grain yield of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L. ’Leader’) grown in a semiarid environment. From 1986 to 1989, Leader spring wheat was seeded at Swift Current, Saskatchewan in north-south equidistant-rows (25-cm row spacing) and paired-rows (two rows 10 cm apart with 50 cm between the centre of each paired row). Seed and fertilizer were applied at recommended rates for the Brown soil zone. There were no significant differences (P > 0.10) in grain yield, water use or days to maturity between equidistant-row and paired-row seeding. The data suggest that under the environmental conditions of the Brown soil zone paired-row seeding may have no agronomic advantage over equidistant-row seeding.Key words: Paired-row seeding, water use, grain yield, spring wheat

Soil water drying and recharge rates as affected by tillage under continuous barley and barley-canola cropping systems in northwestern Canada

2001 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
R H Azooz ◽  
M A Arshad
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Time Domain Reflectometry ◽  
Sandy Loam Soil ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Silt Loam ◽  
Silt Loam Soil ◽  
Loam Soil ◽  
The Impact

In areas of the northwestern Canadian Prairies, barley and canola are grown in a short growing season with high rainfall variability. Excessively dry soil in conventional tillage (CT) in dry periods and excessively wet soil in no-tillage (NT) in wet periods could cause a significant decrease in crop production by influencing the availability of soil water. The effects of CT, NT and NT with a 7.5-cm residue-free strip on the planting rows (NTR) on soil water drying (–dW/dt) and recharge (dW/dt) rates were studied in 1992 and 1993 during wet and dry periods to evaluate the impact of NTR, NT and CT systems on soil moisture condition. The soils, Donnelly silt loam and Donnelly sandy loam (both Gray Luvisol) were selected and soil water content by depth was measured by time domain reflectometry. Water retained at 6 matric potentials from –5 to –160 kPa were observed. In the field study, –dW/dt was significantly greater in CT than in NT in the silt loam for the 0- to 30-cm layer during the first 34 d after planting in 1992. The 0- to 30-cm soil layer in CT and NTR dried faster than in NT during a period immediately following heavy rainfall in the silt loam in 1993. The drying coefficient (–Kd ) was significantly greater in CT and NTR than in NT in the silt loam soil in 1993 and in the sandy loam soil in 1992 in the top 30-cm depth. The recharge coefficient (Kr) was significantly greater in NT and NTR than in CT for the silt loam soil. The NTR system increased the –dW/dt by 1.2 × 10-2 to 12.1 × 10-2 cm d-1 in 1992 and 1993 in the silt loam soil and by 10.2 × 10-2 cm d-1 in 1993 in the sandy loam soil as compared with NT. The dW/dt was 8.1 × 10-2 cm d-1 greater in NTR in 1992 and 1993 in the silt loam soil and was 1.9 × 10-2 greater in NTR in 1992 than in CT in the sandy loam soil. The laboratory study indicated that NT soils retained more water than the CT soils. The NTR practice maintained better soil moisture conditions for crop growth than CT in dry periods than NT in wet periods. Compared with NT, the NTR avoided prolonged near-saturated soil conditions with increased soil drying rate under extremely wet soil. Key words: Water drying, water recharge, water depletion, wet and drying periods, hydraulic properties, soil capacity to retain water

Variability in soil moisture and infiltration on two Riverina soils

1951 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 126 ◽  
Author(s):  
AL Tisdall
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Brown Soil ◽  
Soil Group ◽  
Coefficients Of Variation ◽  
Irrigated Soils

Studies of variability in soil moisture and of a method for determining infiltration were conducted on two irrigated soils in the Riverina region, a sandy loam of the red-brown earth group and a clay of the grey and brown soil group respectively. Coefficients of variation were high in all cases. It is concluded that the use of 16 replicates gives adequate precision in the estimate of infiltration (C.V. of 8 and 12 per cent, for the two soils studied). Similarly, the use of 16 gravimetric determinations, each bulked from four sites, would give a satisfactory estimate for soil moisture (C. V. of less than 10 per cent. for the two soils studied). This number of samples is not excessive from practical considerations. Sampling for soil-moisture increment, following the type of irrigation used on these soils, should be carried out to a depth of two feet, but the duplication of gravimetric determinations is not warranted by the small increase in precision obtained.

scholarly journals Recharge estimation and soil moisture dynamics in a Mediterranean karst aquifer

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 8803-8844 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Ries ◽  
J. Lange ◽  
S. Schmidt ◽  
H. Puhlmann ◽  
M. Sauter
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Unsaturated Soil ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Climatic Gradient ◽  
Soil Moisture Dynamics ◽  
Soil Zone ◽  
Moisture Dynamics ◽  
Hydrus 1D

Abstract. Knowledge of soil moisture dynamics in the unsaturated soil zone provides valuable information on the temporal and spatial variability of groundwater recharge. This is especially true for the Mediterranean region, where a substantial fraction of long-term groundwater recharge is expected to occur during high magnitude precipitation events of above-average wet winters. To elucidate process understanding of infiltration processes during these extreme events, a monitoring network of precipitation gauges, meteorological stations, and soil moisture plots was installed in an area with a steep climatic gradient in the Jordan Valley region. In three soil moisture plots, Hydrus-1D was used to simulate water movement in the unsaturated soil zone with soil hydraulic parameters estimated by the Shuffled Complex Evolution Metropolis algorithm. To generalize our results, we modified soil depth and rainfall input to simulate the effect of the pronounced climatic gradient and soil depth variability on percolation fluxes and applied the calibrated model to a time series with 62 years of meteorological data. Soil moisture measurements showed a pronounced seasonality and suggested rapid infiltration during heavy rainstorms. Hydrus-1D successfully simulated short and long-term soil moisture patterns, with the majority of simulated deep percolation occurring during a few intensive rainfall events. Temperature drops in a nearby groundwater well were observed synchronously with simulated percolation pulses, indicating rapid groundwater recharge mechanisms. The 62 year model run yielded annual percolation fluxes of up to 66% of precipitation depths during wet years and of 0% during dry years. Furthermore, a dependence of recharge on the temporal rainfall distribution could be shown. Strong correlations between depth of recharge and soil depth were also observed.

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