Effects of intensity of agronomic practices on a soil ecosystem

Weil, Ray R.; Lowell, Karen; Shade, H.M.

doi:10.1017/s0889189300004859

Cited by 28 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Disadvantages with crop systems that rely on tillage include increased erosion risk (Edwards et al, 1993; McGregor et al, 1999), loss of soil structure, decrease in soil organic C levels (Studdert and Echeverria, 2000), and increases in machinery and fuel costs (Lu et al, 1999). Weil et al (1993) found that mineralizable N decreased with increasing intensity of tillage in five Maryland cropping systems.…”

supporting

confidence: 90%

Utility of Interseeded Winter Cereal Rye in Organic Soybean Production Systems

2004

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planting density could be used to further reduce the competitive effect of the interseeded winter cereal rye. Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] growers using organic produc-The use of cereal rye in field cropping systems has tion systems have predominately been limited to mechanical cultivamany advantages, including increased surface residue for tion for weed control. Interseeded cover crops such as winter cereal rye erosion control (Kessavalou and Walters, 1997), reduced (Secale cereale L.) have been used in conventional soybean production soil compaction (Raper et al., 2000), and suppressed weed systems in conjunction with herbicides to reduce tillage and cultivation emergence (Blum et al., 1997). In conventional soybean operations. The objective of this study was to determine if high soybean planting populations in drill-planted (19-cm row) systems or a production systems, the availability of herbicides to consingle mechanical cultivation in row-planted (76-cm row) systems trol the interseeded rye affords the grower a managecould facilitate the use of interseeded rye in organic soybean producment option in the event that the rye becomes too comtion systems. Interseeded winter cereal rye decreased soybean grain petitive with interseeded soybean. The objective of this yield in 2 of 3 yr in the drill-planted system by 22 and 17%, respectively, study was to determine if interseeding winter cereal and in all 3 yr of the row-planted system by 23, 27, and 23%, respecrye in the spring with soybean is a viable management tively. Moisture stress from the interseeded rye was a predominate practice in organic drilled and row-planted soybean profactor in soybean grain yield reduction. In 2000, the soybean planting duction systems. population was inversely correlated with late-season biomass of interseeded rye. However, during the drier years of 2001 and 2002, MATERIALS AND METHODS increasing soybean planting density did not significantly reduce lateseason biomass of interseeded rye. The interseeded rye reduced late-Field research was conducted at the W.K. Kellogg Biologiseason weed biomass in both the drill-planted and row systems in cal Station in Hickory Corners, MI. The soil is a mixture of 2001. Removal of the interseeded rye with mechanical cultivation in Kalamazoo (fine-loamy, mixed, mesic Typic Hapludalfs) and the row system when the soybean was at the V4 growth stage was Oshtemo (coarse-loamy, mixed, mesic Typic Hapludalfs) sandy loams. The depth of the Ap horizon is 20 to 25 cm, and pH ineffective in 2000 but increased soybean grain yield by 1142 and 746 ranged from 6.3 to 6.8. The experimental fields are certified kg ha Ϫ1 , respectively, in 2001 and 2002. These results suggest that organic by the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA some means of controlling winter cereal rye growth is necessary for Int., Lincoln, NE). Corn (Zea mays L.) was the previous crop effective management across a range of precipitation levels. Dep. of Crop and Soil Sci., Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI of the study, all plot...

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confidence: 90%

Utility of Interseeded Winter Cereal Rye in Organic Soybean Production Systems

2004

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“…The index derived from contrasting long-term sod and no sod in rotation (SDI SOD ) had the strongest level of agreement with farmer SQ ratings of the three indices. This is not surprising as the positive impact of sod on SQ has been described by many authors [47][48][49] . The index based on farmer ratings (SDI FR ) was calculated as a linear function of two parameters, C NMW and C SIR , which were selected because they optimized discrimination between unpaired good and poor rated soils.…”

Section: Relationships Between Sq Ratings By Farmers and Indices And supporting

confidence: 53%

Farmer perceptions of soil quality and their relationship to management-sensitive soil parameters

Gruver

Weil

2007

Renew. Agric. Food Syst.

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A critical step in the quantification of soil quality (SQ) is the selection of SQ benchmarks. The benchmarks used in this study were SQ ratings made by 32 farmer collaborators representing a range of farming systems, scales of operation and geographic locations in the Mid-Atlantic region of USA. Soils from 45 pairs of sites identified by their farmers as having good and poor SQ were sampled over three seasons and analyzed for 19 soil parameters. Farmer judgments of SQ were based on many factors, most commonly soil organic matter, crop performance, soil water availability and erosion history. Selected individual soil parameters were normalized and integrated into an additive SQ index (SQI). Three additional indices were developed using discriminant analysis. The level of agreement between individual parameters, SQIs and farmer SQ ratings was evaluated using paired t-tests and mean percent difference values. The additive SQI was found to have the highest level of agreement with farmer SQ ratings (P<0.0001), demonstrating that a linear combination of soil parameters can be assembled that is more in agreement with holistic SQ criteria, such as farmer SQ ratings, than individual soil parameters. Extractable C from microwave (MW) sterilized soil (a measure of microbial biomass) was the individual parameter that best agreed with farmer SQ ratings (P<0.0001). Five additional soil C parameters, as well as aggregate stability, also agreed well with farmer SQ ratings (all P values <0.0005). The three parameters with the highest ratio of mean percent difference to coefficient of variation (an indication of parameter reliability) were extractable C from MW sterilized soil, anthrone reactive C and macroaggregate stability (14.2, 7.7 and 3.7, respectively). Mineral fertility parameters (pH, Ca, Ca:Mg ratio, P and K) were not significantly related to farmer SQ ratings (P values >0.05). The strong relationships observed between soil C parameters, soil structural parameters and farmer SQ ratings suggest that efforts to improve SQ in the study region should focus on monitoring and enhancement of soil C and soil structure.

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“…Grass growth has been shown to elevate the values of soil microbiological indices including respiration, decomposition, organic C and N mineralization relative to cultivated crops (Follet and Schimel 1989;Weil et al 1993). In this study, the grass treatment restored the levels of MBC in soil to near or above those found in uncontaminated soil.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 47%

“…Soil microbiology plays a vital role in nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition and pollutant degradation (Weil et al 1993;Turco et al 1994) and contributes heavily to the resiliency of a disturbed soil system (Karlen et al 1992). In a disturbed soil, microorganisms regulate restoration processes which make it possible for floral and faunal life to recolonize the soil.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of a crude oil spill on microbiological indices of soil biological quality

Timmerman¹,

Fuller²,

Burton³

2003

Can. J. Soil. Sci.

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. 2003. The effects of a crude oil spill on microbiological indices of soil biological quality. Can. J. Soil Sci. 83: 173-181. The effects of a crude oil spill and remediation on the biological quality of an agricultural soil were examined based on three microbiological indices: microbial biomass carbon (MBC), dehydrogenase activity (DHA) and microbial metabolic diversity (MMD). The soils in both contaminated and uncontaminated plots were clay loam Gleyed Rego Black Chernozems developed from lacustrine materials overlying till. The four remedial treatments consisted of: meadow bromegrass (Bromus biebersteinii. Rohman and Schult), alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. cv. 'Algonquin'), fallow with wheat straw incorporation (SF) and unamended fallow (UF SP ). An unamended fallow on adjacent uncontaminated land served as a control (UF CON ). The spill had a statistically significant, negative effect on MBC and MMD (P = 0.01 and 0.05, respectively). Although a negative effect on DHA was not significant (P = 0.05), the results show evident trends. The forage treatments were, overall, significantly more effective than the SF treatment in restoring soil biological quality in hydrocarbon contaminated soil to control levels. Based on overall trends only, bromegrass had the greatest effect on soil biological quality relative to the UF SP , followed by alfalfa. The incorporation of wheat straw did not significantly affect any of the examined microbial indices. . Même si les effets négatifs de la pollution sur la DHA n'é-taient pas significatifs (P = 0,05), certaines tendances se dégagent des résultats. Dans l'ensemble, la culture d'espèces fourragères restaure la qualité biologique des sols contaminés par les hydrocarbures à celle de la parcelle témoin sensiblement mieux que le traitement SF. Si l'on ne se fie qu'aux tendances générales, le brome améliore le plus la qualité biologique du sol comparativement à la UF SP , suivi de la luzerne. L'incorporation de paille de blé au sol n'améliore pas significativement les indices de la qualité microbiologique du sol examinés.

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Effects of intensity of agronomic practices on a soil ecosystem

Cited by 28 publications

References 14 publications

Utility of Interseeded Winter Cereal Rye in Organic Soybean Production Systems

Utility of Interseeded Winter Cereal Rye in Organic Soybean Production Systems

Farmer perceptions of soil quality and their relationship to management-sensitive soil parameters

The effects of a crude oil spill on microbiological indices of soil biological quality

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