Soil cone index and bulk density of a sandy loam under no-till and conventional tillage in a corn-soybean rotation

doi:10.1016/j.still.2020.104842

Soil and Tillage Research

Volume 206, February 2021, 104842

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2020.104842 Get rights and content

Highlights

•
Tillage practices may have a profound impact on soil environment and agricultural productivity.
•
Soil cone index significantly influenced by tillage type.
•
Tillage had inconsistent effect on soil bulk density and gravimetric soil water content.
•
Compacted soils restrict water movement as well as cause water and nutrient stress.
•
Previous research showed that soil compaction could potentially reduce yield up to 50 %.

Abstract

Tillage practices may have a profound impact on both soil environment and agricultural productivity. A field study was carried out from 2013 to 2019 to investigate the effect of no-till (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) on soil cone index (CI), bulk density (ρ_b), and gravimetric water content (θ_m) in a 2-yr corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean (Glycine max [L.]) rotation on a Lihen sandy loam. The study was arranged in a randomized complete block design with five replications. Soil CI was measured with a digital penetrometer to a depth of 0−30-cm after planting in crop rows within each plot. Undisturbed soil cores were sampled at 0–15 and 15–30 cm depths to measure ρ_b and θ_m under each tillage. Soil CI was significantly impacted by tillage in the 0–30 cm depth for the period of the study under both corn and soybean. Averaged across 0–30 cm, soil CI values were smaller in CT compared with NT in all 7 years. Soil CI averaged across 0–30 cm depth and 7 years resulted in greater CI of 2.027 and 2.030 MPa for NT compared to 1.118 and 1.137 MPa for CT under corn and soybean, respectively. Tillage had inconsistent effect on bulk density and gravimetric water content at 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm depths under both corn and soybean over a period of six years. Averaged over a 7-year period (2013−19), soil ρ_b values in the 0–30 cm layer were significantly lower in CT (1.557, 1.578 Mg m^–3) that in NT (1.631, 1.635 Mg m^–3) under corn and soybean, respectively. There were no differences in soil θ_m between two tillage systems under both corn and soybean. Smaller CI and ρ_b values in CT under both corn and soybean may be related to soil disturbance caused by intensive tilling compared to NT management practices.

Introduction

Tillage may considerably influence soil physical properties, plant growth and crop productivity. Soil compaction is the reduction in total volume and macroporosity due to driving heavy farm equipment on wet soils (Jabro et al., 2014). Compaction caused by field operations and wheel traffic from heavy machinery is an acknowledged problem worldwide (Lal and Shukla, 2004; Nawaz et al., 2013; Antille et al., 2019) and may occur during various farming activities (Jabro et al., 2014; Tulberg et al., 2019).

In recent years, soil compaction due to farming operations has also been recognized as a form of soil degradation by farmers in the northern Great Plains (Jabro et al., 2014). Compacted soils restrict water movement, cause water and nutrient stress, slow seedling emergence, decrease root growth, development and penetration into the subsoil, and reduce plant growth, which results in decreased crop yield (Hakansson and Reeder, 1994; Hamza and Anderson, 2005; Lal and Shukla, 2004; Hyatt et al., 2007; Jabro et al., 2014, 2015). Previous research showed that soil compaction could reduce yield up to 50 % in some areas depending on the depth and level of compaction (Lal and Shukla, 2004; Sidhu and Duiker, 2006). There are 68.3 million hectares of compacted soils affected by farm machinery traffic alone worldwide (Nawaz et al., 2013). The adoption of better farming practices that minimize soil compaction is essential for sustaining crop productivity while maintaining environmental quality and soil health.

Soil penetration resistance expressed as the cone index, an indicator of compaction, which has been used to characterize tillage-induced changes in soil strength as a function of depth. The common tool to quantify the cone index of soils in the field is using a sensor-based cone penetrometer (Kogelbauer et al., 2013), which is a direct mechanical indicator to measure the depth and level of soil compaction, and is mainly impacted by moisture content, bulk density and type of soil (Jabro et al., 2015). A cone index of 2 MPa and larger can potentially restrict water movement and impede root growth and depth through soil profile (Taylor and Gardner, 1963).

To date, the effect of tillage on soil strength and bulk density is still unclear. Generally, tillage practices reduced soil strength and bulk density (Jabro et al., 2016; Celik, 2011). Others concluded that no differences in soil penetration resistance and bulk density were found among tillage systems (Carefoot et al., 1990; Ferreras et al., 2000; Hao et al., 1987; Afzalinia and Zabihi., 2014). Other studies showed that soil strength and bulk density increased in reduced tillage and no-tillage practices compared to conventionally tilled systems (Steyn et al., 1995; Celik, 2011; Jabro et al., 2014, 2016; Oduma et al., 2017; Blanco-Canqui and Ruis, 2018). However, Pikul and Asae (1995); Amuri and Brye (2008) indicated that soil bulk density decreased under no-till due to an increase in amounts of residue and organic matter.

Hammel (1989) observed that bulk density measurements in the top 30 cm of silt loam were higher with zero tillage than minimum tillage or conventional tillage, who also found that soil penetration resistance was greater in the top 25 cm in minimum tillage than conventional tillage. Mahboubi et al. (1993); Afzalinia and Zabihi (2014); Jabro et al. (2015, 2016) reported greater soil strength and bulk density in no-till than conventional tillage. Hussain et al. (1998) observed higher soil bulk density and moisture content under no-till system than under conventional tillage due to greater crop residues at the soil surface and lower proportion of soil macropores. Anken et al. (2004) found that tillage did not affect soil bulk density after 14 years of tillage management practices. Meanwhile, conventional tillage decreased soil strength and bulk density in a clayey soil under semi-arid conditions (Celik, 2011).

The uncertainty of these research findings suggests the necessity for additional studies; therefore, a long-term study was carried out to evaluate the effect of no-till (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) systems in an irrigated corn-soybean rotation on soil cone index (CI), bulk density (ρ_b) and gravimetric moisture content (θ_m) in sandy loam soil.

Section snippets

Materials and methods

The study was conducted from 2013 to 2019 at the irrigated research farm in western North Dakota (48.1640 N, 103.0986 W) ND, USA. The soil at the research site is classified as Lihen sandy loam (sandy, mixed, frigid Entic Haplustoll), with nearly level topography of 0–2 % slope. Amounts of sand, silt, and clay were 66.5, 16.0, and 17.5 % for the 0−30-cm layer (Jabro et al., 2016).

Research plots were arranged as a split-plot of rotation and tillage treatments in a randomized complete block

Results and discussion

Since there were no significant differences in soil cone index (CI) measurements between after planting and post-harvest, only after planting CI measurements were included in this manuscript.

The results of the analysis of variance for the top 0–30 cm depth, showed that soil CI and bulk density (ρ_b) were significantly affected by year and tillage. The gravimetric water content (θ_m) was significantly affected by year and crop. Interactions were not significant for all three parameters (Table 1).

Summary and conclusions

Based on the results of this study, no-till (NT) tended to increase soil cone index (CI) and bulk density (ρ_b) in the top 0–30 cm layer compared with conventional tillage (CT) practices under both corn and soybean over seven years in corn-soybean rotation. Smaller CI and ρ_b measurements in CT were related to maximum soil disturbance produced by intensive tillage and incorporation of crop residues into the surface layer.

Overall, the NT system resulted in similar or slightly lower water content (θ

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors report no declarations of interest.

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to express their appreciation to Dale Spracklin at the Northern Plain Agricultural Research Lab in Sidney, MT, USA for his help with collecting data and managing the experiment.

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Published by Elsevier B.V.

Soil cone index and bulk density of a sandy loam under no-till and conventional tillage in a corn-soybean rotation☆

Highlights

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Materials and methods

Results and discussion

Summary and conclusions

Declaration of Competing Interest

Acknowledgments

Soil Till. Res.

Soil Till. Res.

Geoderma

Soil Till. Res.

Soil Till. Res.

Soil Till. Res.

Soil Till. Res.

Soil Till. Res.

Soil Till. Res.

Soil Till. Res.

Geoderma

Residue management practice effects on soil penetration resistance in a wheat-soybean double-crop production system

Soil Sci.

Review: soil compaction and controlled traffic farming in arable and grass cropping systems

Agron. Res.

Predicting soil density using cone penetration resistance and moisture profile

ASAE Trans.

Moisture and density effects on cone index

ASAE Trans.

Bulk Density. In Klute, ed. Methods of Soil Analysis. Part I- Physical and Mineralogical Methods

Tillage-induced soil changes and related grain yield in a semi-arid region

Can. J. Soil Sci.

Effects of tillage methods on penetration resistance, bulk density and saturated hydraulic conductivity in a clayey soil conditions

J. of Agricultural Science

The effects of tillage systems and crop sequences on bulk density and penetration resistance on a clay soil in southern Saskatchewan

Can. J. Soil Sci.

Long-term tillage and crop rotation effects on bulk density and soil impedance in Northern Idaho

Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J.