WATER-STABLE AGGREGATION IN RELATION TO VARIOUS CROPPING ROTATIONS AND SOIL CONSTITUENTS

1965 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. N. Malik ◽  
D. S. Stevenson ◽  
G. C. Russell

The effects of four cropping systems on water-stable aggregation were compared. Two methods of wetting the soil, (1) by capillarity and (2) under vacuum prior to wet-sieving, were also compared. Various soil constituents were determined to assess their roles in the promotion of granulation and stability. Water-stable aggregation in grassland was significantly higher than in the other three long-term rotations, corn once in 9 years, continuous wheat, and 4 years alfalfa in 10 years. No significant differences in water-stable aggregation were found among the other three rotations.Wetting the soil by capillarity was judged to give a better index of soil aggregate stability than wetting under vacuum. Organic carbon and stable aggregation were positively correlated in the grassland soil and in the soil of the cultural treatments combined over all depths, suggesting an important role of organic matter in stabilization of soil aggregates. It is pointed out, however, that in cultivated soils the cultivation or the type of root system of the crops may override the influence of the organic carbon. Total soluble salts were positively correlated with aggregation in a few treatments.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1541
Author(s):  
Xiaolin Shen ◽  
Lili Wang ◽  
Qichen Yang ◽  
Weiming Xiu ◽  
Gang Li ◽  
...  

Our study aimed to provide a scientific basis for an appropriate tillage management of wheat-maize rotation system, which is beneficial to the sustainable development of agriculture in the fluvo-aquic soil areas in China. Four tillage treatments were investigated after maize harvest, including rotary tillage with straw returning (RT), deep ploughing with straw returning (DP), subsoiling with straw returning (SS), and no tillage with straw mulching (NT). We evaluated soil organic carbon (SOC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and particulate organic carbon (POC) in bulk soil and soil aggregates with five particle sizes (>5 mm, 5–2 mm, 2–1 mm, 1–0.25 mm, and <0.25 mm) under different tillage managements. Results showed that compared with RT treatment, NT treatment not only increased soil aggregate stability, but also enhanced SOC, DOC, and POC contents, especially those in large size macroaggregates. DP treatment also showed positive effects on soil aggregate stability and labile carbon fractions (DOC and POXC). Consequently, we suggest that no tillage or deep ploughing, rather than rotary tillage, could be better tillage management considering carbon storage. Meanwhile, we implied that mass fractal dimension (Dm) and POXC could be effective indicators of soil quality, as affected by tillage managements.


Biologia ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Radka Kodešová ◽  
Marcela Rohošková ◽  
Anna Žigová

AbstractSoil structure stability was studied in every diagnostic horizons of six soil types (Haplic Chernozem, Greyic Phaeozem, two Haplic Luvisols, Haplic Cambisol, Dystric Cambisol) using different techniques investigating various destruction mechanisms of soil aggregates. Soil aggregate stability, assessed by the index of water stable aggregates (WSA), varied depending on the organic matter content, clay content and pHKCl. The presence of clay and organic matter coatings and fillings, and presence of iron oxides in some soils increased stability of soil aggregates. On the other hand periodical tillage apparently decreased aggregate stability in the Ap horizons. Coefficients of aggregate vulnerability resulting from fast wetting (KV 1) and slow wetting (KV 2) tests showed similar trends of the soil aggregate stability as the WSA index, when studied for soils developed on the similar parent material. There was found close correlation between the WSA index and the KV 1 value, which depended also on the organic matter content, clay content and pHKCl. Less significant correlation was obtained between the WSA index and the KV 2 value, which depended on the organic matter content and clay content. Coefficients of vulnerability resulting from the shaking after pre-wetting test (KV 3) showed considerably different trends in comparison to the other tests due to the different factors affecting aggregate stability against the mechanical destruction. The KV 3 value depended mostly on cation exchange capacity, pHKCl and organic matter content.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 951
Author(s):  
Huayan Zhang ◽  
Ling’an Niu ◽  
Kelin Hu ◽  
Jinmin Hao ◽  
Fan Li ◽  
...  

Agricultural management, such as tillage and straw-returning, affect soil fertility and nutrient cycling in agroecosystems. With the increasing food demand and challenges imposed by climate change, these effects on soil fertility need to be closely monitored, so that short-term agricultural intensification should not threaten the long-term productivity of the land. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to examine the long-term effects of different management practices on soil aggregate stability and associated organic carbon (OC) and nitrogen (N) over a 33-year period in the croplands of the North China Plain. Bulk soils from the surface and subsurface layers were fractionated using the wet sieving approach. The results showed that the silt + clay (SC) fractions (<0.053 mm) were predominant, accounting for 32–56% of the mass at the 0–20 cm depth, and accounting for 41–55% of the mass at the 20–40 cm depth. Additionally, long-term (33 years) no-tillage management and straw-returning at different application rates increased the mass of large soil macroaggregates (LMA), the LMA- and macroaggregate-associated OC content, but decreased the SC-associated OC content. Mineral N and P fertilizers had a minor effect on the stabilization of soil aggregates. The treatment with straw significantly increased the mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric mean diameter (GWD), compared with the treatment without straw. Our results indicate that carefully regulated management practices would enhance soil aggregate stability, associated OC and N content in the intensive agroecosystem.


Soil Research ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. E. Cotching ◽  
J. Cooper ◽  
L. A. Sparrow ◽  
B. E. McCorkell ◽  
W. Rowley

Attributes of 15 Tasmanian sandy tenosols were assessed using field and laboratory techniques to determine differences under 3 typical forms of agricultural management: long-term pasture, cropping with shallow tillage using discs and tines, and cropping (including potatoes) with more rigorous and deeper tillage including deep ripping and powered implements. Soil organic carbon in the surface 75 mm was 2.6&percnt; under long-term pasture compared with 1.1&percnt; in rigorously tilled cropping paddocks. Readily oxidisable carbon concentrations were 2.3 mg&sol;g and 1.0 mg&sol;g, respectively. These differences were negatively correlated with the number of years cropped, which we viewed with concern. Infiltration rate was greater and shear strength less in cropped paddocks compared with long-term pasture. Dry bulk density was greater and total porosity and macroporosity were less in rigorously tilled paddocks. Subsoil compaction was apparent in paddocks which had grown potatoes. Cropping was not clearly associated with smaller or less stable aggregates. A survey of farmers' perceptions found that they identified more healthy than unhealthy soil attributes under all management histories. Significant negative correlations were found between the number of unhealthy attributes identified in a farmer survey and laboratory-determined water-stable aggregates and mean weight diameter of dry soil aggregates. The effects of cropping are not associated with a broad range of degraded soil attributes on these Tasmanian tenosols. tenosols, sandy soils, organic carbon, soil strength, aggregate stability, land management, cropping.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinxin He ◽  
Yongzhen Huang ◽  
Qianchun Zhang ◽  
Shaoming Ye ◽  
Shengqiang Wang

Abstract Background Revealing the variations in soil aggregate-related organic carbon (OC) and labile organic carbon (LOC) fractions in a chronosequence of Chinese fir plantations plays an important role in better understanding the impact of soil carbon sink or source on the Chinese fir plantation ecosystem. In this study, soil samples in a depth of 0–20 cm were collected from Chinese fir plantations at different stand ages (0, 9, 17, and 26 years old) in Guangxi, China. With the optimal moisture sieving method adopted, the soil aggregates of 4 different sizes were obtained, including > 2-mm, 2–1-mm, 1–0.25-mm, and < 0.25-mm aggregates. Soil OC and LOC fractions were measured in the aggregates of different sizes. The LOC fractions included readily oxidizable carbon (ROC), particulate organic carbon (POC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), water-soluble organic carbon (WOC), and mineralized organic carbon (MOC). Results Soil aggregate stability, as indicated by the mean weight diameter (MWD), was the highest in the 17-year-old Chinese fir plantations and was significantly positively related (p < 0.05) to the concentrations of OC and LOC fractions (except for the ROC and MOC), with the POC in particular. As for all stand ages of Chinese fir plantations, the concentrations of soil OC and LOC fractions were significantly increased as the aggregate size decreased. Consequently, there were more OC and LOC fractions distributed in the < 0.25-mm aggregates. During the stand development, the concentrations of soil OC and LOC fractions first increased and then decreased, with the highest levels detected in the 17-year-old Chinese fir plantations, indicating that the 17-year-old Chinese fir plantations were conducive to the accumulation of soil OC and LOC fractions. Conclusion After 17 years of planting, promoted soil carbon (especially for the POC) accumulation contributes significantly to enhancing soil aggregate stability for the Chinese fir plantations in Guangxi, China.


2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karsten Schacht ◽  
Bernd Marschner

Abstract The use of treated wastewater (TWW) for agricultural irrigation becomes increasingly important in water stressed regions like the Middle East for substituting fresh water (FW) resources. Due to elevated salt concentrations and organic compounds in TWW this practice has potential adverse effects on soil quality, such as the reduction of hydraulic conductivity (HC) and soil aggregate stability (SAS). To assess the impact of TWW irrigation in comparison to FW irrigation on HC, in-situ infiltration measurements using mini disk infiltrometer were deployed in four different long-term experimental orchard test sites in Israel. Topsoil samples (0-10 cm) were collected for analyzing SAS and determination of selected soil chemical and physical characteristics. The mean HC values decreased at all TWW sites by 42.9% up to 50.8% compared to FW sites. The SAS was 11.3% to 32.4% lower at all TWW sites. Soil electrical conductivity (EC) and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) were generally higher at TWW sites. These results indicate the use of TWW for irrigation is a viable, but potentially deleterious option, as it influences soil physical and chemical properties.


Author(s):  
Neuro Hilton Wolschick ◽  
Fabrício Tondello Barbosa ◽  
Ildegardis Bertol ◽  
Bárbara Bagio ◽  
Danieli Schneiders Kaufmann

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