Long-term effect of soil conservation tillage on soil water content, penetration resistance, crumb ratio and crusted area

Abstract

Conservation tillage harmonizes soil protection with demands of the crop, soil and climate. The continuous conservation tillage improves soil properties and modifies impact of weather extremes. The aim of the paper was to investigate the changes in four soil physical states affected by soil conservation tillage and to evaluate soil water content in a critical period. The study was carried out on Chernozems applying six tillage treatments, that are loosening, ploughing, tine tillage (a deeper, and a shallower), disk tillage and direct drilling. The investigation suggested that soil conservation was the major solution resulting in the balanced water content (SWC) and penetration resistance values in both treatments under peculiar weather conditions. However, the crumb ratio and the crusted area resulted in significant differences between the treatments, presumably due to the level of surface preservation. Soil water content differed significantly between months, with higher contents in spring and lower values in the end of summer. The higher SWC expected at the beginning of the growing season was reliably fulfilled, but the SWC level for workabilty differed from the optimum.

Soil quality with traditional management in the Chambira native community

“…According to Bogunović et al (2019) the preservation of the surface layer of the soil is important. Chemical indicators.…”

“…Management in NC has been studied with a cultural and conservation approach to the diversity of flora and fauna (Álvarez and Shany 2012, Orantes et al 2013, Magnussen 2015, Gutiérrez et al 2016, Saturno and Zent 2016, as well as systems that offer species diversity, food security and substances to maintain good health. However, they are conservation farming systems with long-term advantages for the soil and, in general, for the agroecosystem (Kaci et al 2018, Bogunović et al 2019, Faligowska et al 2019. Therefore, the present study identifies traditional management developed in the native community of Chambira and evaluates behaviour of quality physicochemical indicators in different soil strata in the crop rotation area, mixed fruit (MF) and native forest as reference.…”

“…Agricultural practices such as monoculture, mechanisation and use of agrochemicals degrade soil structure and lead to changes in soil fertility and quality (Stehlíková et al 2016). Conservation tillage with agroforestry system and crop rotation improves yield, soil fertility and optimises the plots (Bogunović et al 2019, Ahmed et al 2020, turning them into environmentally sustainable areas. In the NCCh agriculture begins with cutting and burning of forests; according to natives' worldview, burning offers multiple benefits.…”

“…Therefore, these areas are ecologically, socially and economically important (Valladolid 2015). Furthermore, native forest (NF) and crop rotation (CR) are parts of conservation tillage, which offers multiple benefits, improving density and penetrability of the surface layer, supply of organic matter and nitrogen and availability of bases, among others (Verhulst et al 2015, Bogunović et al 2019, Ahmed et al 2020.…”

Long Term Effects of Ploughing and Conservation Tillage Methods on Earthworm Abundance and Crumb Ratio

“…Moreover, Kalmár et al [30] observed an effective water retention in soil under 55% and 75% cover ratios. Reviewing the literature concerned, the ratio of surface cover was found to be a key factor in reduction water loss from soil [31][32][33][34]. It was found, that an incomplete cover (≤22.5%) promoted lower meanwhile optimal cover (≥32.5%) induced higher SWC retention in soils.…”