Changes in Soil Hydro-Physical Properties by Cover Crops Relative to Tillage Management
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OIL PHYSICS
Changes in Soil Hydro-Physical Properties by Cover Crops Relative to Tillage Management M. Çerçioğlu* Department of Laboratory Technology, Vocational College of Simav, Kutahya Dumlupinar University, Simav, Kutahya, 43500 Turkey *e-mail: [email protected] Received December 17, 2019; revised March 26, 2020; accepted April 28, 2020
Abstract– Cover crop management practices have a critical impact for long-term sustainable soil productivity due to their positive effects on soil hydro-physical properties. The aim of the study was to evaluate the changes of water retention, pore-size distributions, saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks), and bulk density values of soil samples collected before and after tillage in response to cover crop (CC) and no-cover crop (NCC) treatments. Research was conducted on a silt loam soil in Chariton County, Missouri, United States. Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth.), red clover (Trifolium pretense), turnips (Brassica rapa L.), buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), cereal rye (Secale cereals L.), winter peas (Lathryrus hirsutus L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), triticale (Triticale hexaploide Lart.), radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. longipinnatus), and cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) were used as the CCs. Soil sampling was performed in two different periods (spring/summer) from six replicate locations for each treatment using a grid sample design. Results showed that CC treatment had significantly greater water content in first samples for some pressures (0.0, –2.5 and –1500 kPa) and in second soil samples for all pressures. Total pores and macropores were significantly greater under CC treatment compared to no-cover crop (NCC) treatment for both sampling period. Ks and bulk density values of first and second soil samples were not significantly affected by cover crop treatment. Longer term studies are needed to compare effects of cover crop and tillage on soil hydro-physical properties. Keywords: bulk density, cover crop, Ks, soil pores, tillage, water content DOI: 10.1134/S1064229320100051
INTRODUCTION Soil resilience is the ability of soil environment to sustain its important roles under internal and climatic tensions. Hence, a good soil physical quality is essential for resilient soils [8, 30]. Agricultural management practices may have direct and indirect impacts on soil hydro-physical properties and can affect soil structure. Tillage is one of the management practices has been performed to incorporate manures, fertilizers, and residuals into the soil, to prepare ground for seedling, and to control weeds. However, tilling the soil is disruptive and can promote high moisture loss rates, degradation of soil structure and depletion of soil nutrients and carbon stocks [20–22, 28]. It has been very widely accepted that no-tillage amends soil quality parameters and offers many agroecosystem services [9]. Soil hydro-physical properties that are agronomically important for bulk density, pore size distribution, water retention [23, 38, 42], and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) [2
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