Chapter 17 Case studies of soil quality in the Canadian Prairies: Long-term field experiments

Campbell, Carol; Janzen, H. H.; Juma, N. G.

doi:10.1016/s0166-2481(97)80044-x

Cited by 63 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 54 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Correlations between C min and LFOC were higher for coarse-and fine-textured soils than for mediumtextured soils. These results support the findings of Campbell et al (1997b), Bremer et al (1994) and Janzen et al (1992). The results suggest that LFOC is directly associated with the short-term turnover of C by soil microbial and enzyme activity.…”

Section: Effect Of Tillagesupporting

confidence: 90%

“…These results suggest that tillage effects on LFOC and C min are more likely to become apparent in the more subhumid conditions where weed growth requires more frequent tillage operations. Further, crop yields are higher, as are residue inputs to the soil, in the more subhumid soils (Campbell et al 1997b(Campbell et al , 2001). …”

Section: Effect Of Tillagementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Various factors are known to influence soil quality attributes (Campbell et al 1997b). These include cropping frequency, tillage intensity and soil texture.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Effect of tillage and crop rotations on the light fraction organic carbon and carbon mineralization in Chernozemic soils of Saskatchewan

Liang¹,

McConkey²,

Schoenau³

et al. 2003

Can. J. Soil. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

H. 2003. Effect of tillage and crop rotations on the light fraction organic carbon and carbon mineralization in Chernozemic soils of Saskatchewan. Can J. Soil Sci. 83: 65-72. Light fraction of soil organic C (LFOC) represents a major portion of labile soil organic C (SOC) and is a key attribute of soil quality. Soil respiration (C min ) is an important index depicting the potential activity of the labile SOC. Six field experiments, varying in duration (8 to 25 yr), in location (Brown, Dark Brown and Black Chernozemic soil zones of Saskatchewan) and soil texture, were conducted to evaluate the impact of tillage and crop rotations on crop production and soil quality. We sampled the 0-7.5-cm depth of soil in these experiments to determine the treatment effects on LFOC, the proportion of LFOC in the SOC (LFOC/SOC) and C min . Increasing the frequency of summer fallow in cropping systems decreased the LFOC in all soil zones; it also decreased the proportion of LFOC in SOC and C min . Tillage had little impact on LFOC in the Brown and Dark Brown Chernozemic soil zones, although it significantly decreased LFOC in the Black Chernozemic soil zone. Thus, crop rotation had a greater impact on LFOC than tillage. Tillage did not influence C min in any soil zone. Because adoption of no-till management increased SOC in all soil zones, we concluded that LFOC was not a sensitive indicator of the impact of tillage on this soil quality attribute for these Chernozemic soils in Saskatchewan. We also found that LFOC/SOC is directly proportional to sand content. This relationship may assist us in partitioning SOC pools with differing turnover times when modeling SOC dynamics.Key words: Soil organic C, light fraction organic C, tillage, crop rotations, texture, mineralizable C Liang, B. C., McConkey, B. G., Schoenau, J., Curtin, D., Campbell, C. A., Moulin, A. P., Lafond, G. P., Brandt, S. A. et Wang, H. 2003. Incidence du travail du sol et de l'assolement sur la fraction légère du carbone organique et sur la minéralisation du carbone dans les sols tchernozémiques de la Saskatchewan. Can. J. Soil Sci. 83: 65-72. La fraction légère du C organique du sol (FLCO) constitue une part importante du C organique du sol (COS) labile et elle figure parmi les principaux paramètres qualitatifs du sol. La respiration (C min ) est un indice important caractérisant l'activité potentielle du COS labile. Les auteurs ont entrepris six expériences d'une durée variable (de 8 à 25 ans), à divers endroits (zones de sols bruns, de sols brun foncé et de sols noirs tchernozémiques de la Saskatchewan) et sur des sols de texture différente, afin d'évaluer l'incidence du travail du sol et de l'assolement sur la production végétale et la qualité du sol. Ils ont prélevé des échantillons de sol à une profondeur de 0 à 7,5 cm et déterminé l'effet des traitements sur la FLCO, la proportion de FLCO dans le COS (FLCO/COS) et la C min . Des jachères d'été plus fréquentes réduisent la FLCO dans toutes les zones de sols; elles diminuent aussi le rapport FLCO/COS et la C m...

show abstract

Section: Effect Of Tillagesupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Effect Of Tillagementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Effect of tillage and crop rotations on the light fraction organic carbon and carbon mineralization in Chernozemic soils of Saskatchewan

Liang¹,

McConkey²,

Schoenau³

et al. 2003

Can. J. Soil. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This has encouraged producers to use crop rotations that include a high proportion of summerfallow (fallow) in systems where the main crop grown is usually Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Although fallowing helps to conserve water, it has been shown to promote soil degradation, impair soil quality and may eventually lead to reduced yield and grain quality (Campbell et al 1997a). Even though the proportion of arable land being fallowed on the prairies is decreasing steadily, this trend has been slowest in the more arid Brown soil zone (Campbell et al 2002).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, Cont W was the most environmentally friendly system (Campbell et al 1997a). Even if producers were to move from F-W to F-W-W, it would still involve a high frequency of fallow and, because of its negative impact on soil quality, could prove unsustainable in the long run.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cropping frequency, wheat classes and flexible rotations: Effects on production, nitrogen economy, and water use in a Brown Chernozem

Zentner¹,

Campbell²,

Selles³

et al. 2003

Can. J. Plant Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Producers in the semiarid Canadian prairies rely on frequent summerfallowing (F) to conserve water, control weed infestations, and maximize soil mineral N reserves, but this practice often results in soil degradation. A crop rotation experiment was initiated in 1987 on a medium-textured, Orthic Brown Chernozem at Swift Current, Saskatchewan, to determine the most ideal cropping frequency for wheat in this region and whether a fixed rotation such as fallow-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) - wheat (F-W-W) or F-W-W-W would be more effective than flexible rotations in which fallowing is decided each spring based on criteria such as available soil water (if water), or the need to control perennial weed infestations (if weeds). The study also compared the production of traditional Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat class with the newer higher-yielding (Hy), Canada Prairie Spring (CPS) wheat class. We analyzed results of six rotations over the first 12 yr of the study. The rotations included F-W-W, F-W-W-W, F-Hy-Hy, Continuous wheat (Cont W), Cont W (if weeds), and Cont W (if water). Reduced tillage management was used and stubble was cut tall to enhance snowtrap. Fertilizer N was applied based on soil tests and fertilizer P was applied based on the general recommendations for the region. Over the 1988–1999 period, weather conditions were generally favourable and yields were above average for this region. Canada Prairie Spring wheat outyielded CWRS by 32% when grown on fallow and by 17% when grown on stubble; however, straw yields of the two wheat classes were similar on fallow and CPS was 11% less than CWRS on stubble. Harvest index (HI) averaged 44% for CPS and 37% for CWRS wheat. Water use efficiency for CWRS wheat grown on fallow averaged 7.2 kg ha-1 mm-1 and for CPS 9.4; when grown on stubble the respective values were 6.3 and 7.5 kg ha-1 mm-1. Grain N concentration for CWRS was slightly higher for wheat grown on fallow (25.7 g kg-1) than on stubble (24.5 g kg-1), but was similar for CPS wheat on grown on fallow and stubble (21.9 g kg-1). Straw N concentration averaged 3.8 g kg-1 for CWRS and 4.4 g kg-1 for CPS. Nitrogen yield for grain from CPS was 9% greater than from CWRS when grown on fallow, but there was no effect of wheat class when grown on stubble. Nitrogen yield of CPS straw was 15% greater than for CWRS when grown on fallow, but on stubble N yield was generally not affected by wheat class. Nitrogen harvest index (NHI) averaged about 80% for both wheat classes, whether grown on fallow or stubble. On a rotation basis, grain produced with F-W-W was 1502 kg ha-1 yr-1. The F-W-W-W and Cont W (if weeds) rotations produced 9% more grain than F-W-W, while Cont W (if water) produced 24% more, F-Hy-Hy produced 26% more, and Cont W produced 30% more than F-W-W. Nitrogen production in the grain, straw and aboveground plant material was lowest in F-W-W, highest in Cont W, and intermediate for other rotations. Although the economic and soil quality assessments have yet to be completed, a preliminary conclusion based on crop production characteristics alone suggests that a flexible cropping system in which available soil water in spring is used as the determining criterion is superior to a fixed F-W-W or F-W-W-W rotation. Key words: Yield, N concentration, N yield, water deficit, wheat classes, regressions

show abstract

Long‐term effects of manure and fertilization on soil organic matter and quality parameters of a calcareous soil in NW China

Yang

Malhi

et al. 2007

Z. Pflanzenernähr. Bodenk.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Long‐term applications of inorganic fertilizers and farmyard manure influence organic matter as well as other soil‐quality parameters, but the magnitude of change depends on soil‐climatic conditions. Effects of 22 annual applications (1982–2003) of N, P, and K inorganic fertilizers and farmyard manure (M) on total organic carbon (TOC) and nitrogen (TON), light‐fraction organic C (LFOC) and N (LFON), microbial‐biomass C (MB‐C) and N (MB‐N), total and extractable P, total and exchangeable K, and pH in 0–20 cm soil, nitrate‐N (NO$ _3^- $‐N) in 0–210 cm soil, and N, P, and K balance sheets were determined using a field experiment established in 1982 on a calcareous desert soil (Orthic Anthrosol) at Zhangye, Gansu, China. A rotation of irrigated wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)‐wheat‐corn (Zea mays L.) was used to compare the control, N, NP, NPK, M, MN, MNP, and MNPK treatments. Annual additions of inorganic fertilizers for 22 y increased mass of LFON, MB‐N, total P, extractable P, and exchangeable K in topsoil. This effect was generally enhanced with manure application. Application of manure also increased mass of TOC and MB‐C in soil, and tended to increase LFOC, TON, and MB‐N. There was no noticeable effect of fertilizer and manure application on soil pH. There was a close relationship between some soil‐quality parameters and the amount of C or N in straw that was returned to the soil. The N fertilizer alone resulted in accumulation of large amounts of NO$ _3^- $‐N at the 0–210 cm soil depth, accounting for 6% of the total applied N, but had the lowest recovery of applied N in the crop (34%). Manure alone resulted in higher NO$ _3^- $‐N in the soil profile compared with the control, and the MN treatment had the highest amount of NO$ _3^- $‐N in the soil profile. Application of N in combination with P and/or K fertilizers in both manured and unmanured treatments usually reduced NO$ _3^- $‐N accumulation in the soil profile compared with N alone and increased the N recovery in the crop as much as 66%. The N that was unaccounted for, as a percentage of applied N, was highest in the N‐alone treatment (60%) and lowest in the NPK treatment (30%). In the manure + chemical fertilizer treatments, the unaccounted N ranged from 35% to 43%. Long‐term P fertilization resulted in accumulation of extractable P in the surface soil. Compared to the control, the amount of P in soil‐plant system was surplus in plots that received P as fertilizer and/or manure, and the unaccounted P as percentage of applied P ranged from 64% to 80%. In the no‐manure plots, the unaccounted P decreased from 72% in NP to 64% in NPK treatment from increased P uptake due to balanced fertilization. Compared to the control, the amount of K in soil‐plant system was deficit in NPK treatment, i.e., the recovery of K in soil + plant was more than the amount of applied K. In manure treatments, the recovery of applied K in crop increased from 26% in M to 61% in MNPK treatment, but the unaccounted K decreased from 72% in M to 37% in MNPK treatment. The findings indicated that integrated application of N, P, and K fertilizers and manure is an important strategy to maintain or increase soil organic C and N, improve soil fertility, maintain nutrients balance, and minimize damage to the environment, while also improving crop yield.

show abstract

Chapter 17 Case studies of soil quality in the Canadian Prairies: Long-term field experiments

Cited by 63 publications

References 54 publications

Effect of tillage and crop rotations on the light fraction organic carbon and carbon mineralization in Chernozemic soils of Saskatchewan

Effect of tillage and crop rotations on the light fraction organic carbon and carbon mineralization in Chernozemic soils of Saskatchewan

Cropping frequency, wheat classes and flexible rotations: Effects on production, nitrogen economy, and water use in a Brown Chernozem

Long‐term effects of manure and fertilization on soil organic matter and quality parameters of a calcareous soil in NW China

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About