Longevity of deep ripping effects on Solonetzic and associated soils

Abstract

Mathison, M. N., Chanasyk, D. S. and Naeth, M. A. 2002. Longevity of deep ripping effects on Solonetzic and associated soils. Can. J. Soil Sci. 82: 259-264. The longevity of deep ripping effects on Solonetzic soils was investigated at 11 field sites in eastcentral Alberta after a period of 15 to 20 yr. Select soil properties and crop yield of deep-ripped and non-ripped control plots were analyzed. Dryland yield data of wheat, barley, oats and canola were assessed for 10 of the 11 sites over a 16-yr time period. Select soil properties were analyzed once in 1998 with penetration resistance (PR) evaluated again in 1999. A significant difference in penetration resistance was found between the deep ripped versus control treatments (P ≤ 0.05). There were no significant treatment differences for soil texture, bulk density (Db), pH, electrical conductivity (EC) or sodium adsorption ratio (SAR). A significant yield difference between the deep ripping and control treatments (for all crop species) was found for 6 of 10 sites (P ≤ 0.10), with all sites having an increase in mean yield for the majority of years evaluated. Generally, sites in the drier ecoregions had smaller yield increases than those in the wetter ones. Hence some beneficial effects from deep ripping remain for a long time period. On remarque une différence significative entre la résistance à la pénétration des sols défoncés et des sols intacts (P ≤ 0,05). Le défonçage n'entraîne aucune variation significative au niveau de la texture du sol, de la masse volumique apparente, du pH, de la conductivité électrique et du ratio d'adsorption du sodium. Le rendement varie de façon significative entre les sols défoncés et intacts (pour toutes les cultures) à six endroits sur dix (P ≤ 0,10), le rendement moyen étant plus élevé à tous les sites, la majorité des années de l'évaluation. Dans l'ensemble, la hausse de rendement dans les régions écologiques plus arides est inférieure à celle observée dans les régions plus humides. Les bienfaits du défonçage en profondeur durent donc relativement longtemps.

Soil science at the University of Alberta: a century of service to science and society

“…Chanasyk continued the deep plowing research in the 1990s (Travis et al 1991). He led investigations into effects of deep ripping and organic matter amendments on reclaimed coal mine soils (Bateman 1992;Bateman andChanasyk 1992a, 1992b;Harrison et al 1992), and longevity of deep ripping and subsoiling effects on Solonetzic soils on agricultural lands (Goddard and Chanasyk 1990;Watson and Chanasyk 1992;Mathison 2000).…”

Soil reclamation and reforestation at oil and gas well sites in northeastern British Columbia.

“…Many areas in northeastern BC are characterized by clay-rich soils (Lord and Green 1986), and limited information is available about how these soils will respond (i.e., puddling versus persistence of introduced structure) subsequent to tillage (Bulmer 1998). Mathison et al (2002) demonstrated that even more than 15 years following treatment, penetration resistance was significantly lower in deep ripped soils, despite a lack in significantly different bulk densities between soils.…”

“…Where Solonetzic soils are concerned, increased clay content in the A horizon along with an increase in elements such as sodium may result from tillage and can affect soil productivity (Mathison et al 2002).…”