Raising Soil Organic Matter Content to Improve Water Holding Capacity

Bhadha, Jehangir H.; Capasso, Jay; Khatiwada, Raju; Swanson, Stewart; LaBorde, C. M.

doi:10.32473/edis-ss661-2017

Cited by 45 publications

(31 citation statements)

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“…Suppose that organic amendments are used to treat salt-affected soils. In that case, they have several benefits to improve the quality of soil, such as increased water holding capacity [72], enhanced soil fertility [73], increased organic carbon [74,75], improved cation exchange capacity (CEC), decreased electrical conductivity [9,76,77], structural stability, [78,79], reduction in soil compaction [80], and enhancement of different enzymatic activities such as urease, alkaline phosphatase, and catalase activities [81,82].…”

Section: Post-harvest Soil Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Organic Amendments in Soil on Physiological and Biochemical Attributes of Vachellia nilotica and Dalbergia sissoo under Saline Stress

Yousaf

Nawaz

Yasin

et al. 2022

Plants

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Vachellia nilotica (L.) P.J.H. Hurther & Mabb. and Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. are two of the most important multipurpose agroforestry tree species of the Indian sub-continent, but their growth in saline soils is greatly reduced. Recently, organic amendments have showed the potential to increase plant growth in salt-affected soils; however, the influence of using these amendments for growing the above-mentioned tree species under saline conditions is not yet quantified. Therefore, an experiment was devised to analyze the interactive effects of organic amendments in saline soils on the growth of V. nilotica and D. sissoo. Under controlled conditions, a pot experiment was conducted in sandy loam saline soils (EC = 20.5 dSm−1). Organic amendments from four diverse sources: farmyard manure (FYM), poultry manure (PM), slurry (SL), and farmyard manure biochar (FYMB) were employed in this study. At the harvesting time, data regarding morphological, physiological, ionic, and biochemical parameters were obtained. The current study results indicated that both tree species reacted differently, but positively, to diverse applied amendments. The maximum increment in total above-ground biomass, total below-ground biomass, and shoot length for V. nilotica (163.8%, 116.3%, and 68.2%, respectively) was observed in FYM amended soils, while the maximum increment for D. sissoo (128%, 86%, and 107%, respectively) was observed in FYMB amended soils, as compared to control. Minimum plant growth of both species was observed in untreated soils (saline soils). Likewise, the maximum potassium ion and minimum sodium ion concentrations were present in the root and shoots of plants (both species) treated with FYMB. The use of organic amendments resulted in decreased concentrations of malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide, and increased concentrations of antioxidant enzymes such as SOD, POD, and CAT. Moreover, higher photosynthetic rates and stomatal conductance were observed in the plants grown in amended soils. The findings of this study can be used to include the above-mentioned high-value tree species for future afforestation programs under saline conditions.

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Section: Post-harvest Soil Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Organic Amendments in Soil on Physiological and Biochemical Attributes of Vachellia nilotica and Dalbergia sissoo under Saline Stress

Yousaf

Nawaz

Yasin

et al. 2022

Plants

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“…Due to its hydrophilic nature, OM can hold and retain a sufficient amount of water; thus, it can be an important factor that enhances soil WHC [27,42,46,185]. Therefore, soils with high OM can absorb and hold water during rainfall/irrigation, then release it to plants when the soil starts to dry up [28,29]. Moreover, SOM raises water content at FC more than at PWP, thus positively correlating to AWHC [185,186].…”

Section: Soil Organic Matter Contribution To Water Holding Capacity Of the Soilmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation Agriculture Effects on Soil Water Holding Capacity and Water-Saving Varied with Management Practices and Agroecological Conditions: A Review

et al. 2021

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Improving soil water holding capacity (WHC) through conservation agriculture (CA)-practices, i.e., minimum mechanical soil disturbance, crop diversification, and soil mulch cover/crop residue retention, could buffer soil resilience against climate change. CA-practices could increase soil organic carbon (SOC) and alter pore size distribution (PSD); thus, they could improve soil WHC. This paper aims to review to what extent CA-practices can influence soil WHC and water-availability through SOC build-up and the change of the PSD. In general, the sequestered SOC due to the adoption of CA does not translate into a significant increase in soil WHC, because the increase in SOC is limited to the top 5–10 cm, which limits the capacity of SOC to increase the WHC of the whole soil profile. The effect of CA-practices on PSD had a slight effect on soil WHC, because long-term adoption of CA-practices increases macro- and bio-porosity at the expense of the water-holding pores. However, a positive effect of CA-practices on water-saving and availability has been widely reported. Researchers attributed this positive effect to the increase in water infiltration and reduction in evaporation from the soil surface (due to mulching crop residue). In conclusion, the benefits of CA in the SOC and soil WHC requires considering the whole soil profile, not only the top soil layer. The positive effect of CA on water-saving is attributed to increasing water infiltration and reducing evaporation from the soil surface. CA-practices’ effects are more evident in arid and semi-arid regions; therefore, arable-lands in Sub-Sahara Africa, Australia, and South-Asia are expected to benefit more. This review enhances our understanding of the role of SOC and its quantitative effect in increasing water availability and soil resilience to climate change.

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“…With a production area of over 2 million acres and a crop value of almost 5 billion dollars annually, vegetable, fruit and field crop production comprise major agricultural activities in Florida. Most of the state's soils possess little organic matter (<2%) and exhibit poor water and nutrient retention capacity, especially those experiencing regular disturbances through tillage and low inputs of organic matter (Bhadha et al, 2017a). Conventional cropping systems on such soils therefore require continuous application of large amounts of external nutrients and irrigation water yet remain vulnerable to large losses of these inputs.…”

Section: Rational and Justificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

On-farm Soil Health Assessment of Cover-cropping in Florida

Bhadha¹,

Nan²,

Rabbany³

et al. 2021

SAR

Self Cite

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Conventional cropping systems on sandy soils require continuous application of large amounts of external nutrients and irrigation water yet remain vulnerable to loses of these inputs. Within the state of Florida, need exists to provide farmers with economically viable alternatives that harness ecological processes and improve soil health and biodiversity. Cover crops are proving to be vital in the development of soil health. As part of this study we conducted a comprehensive on-farm assessment involving nine collaborative growers (ten farms) across the state; with each individual farm following its unique cover-cropping practice. Our goal was to shadow their practice and determine its effect on soil health indicators such as soil pH, bulk density (BD), maximum water holding capacity (MWHC), organic matter (OM), active carbon, cation exchange capacity, soil protein, Total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), total phosphorus (TP), Mehlich-3 P (M3P) and potassium (M3K). Compared to fallow, soil OM, MWHC, and soil protein showed increases in cover crop fields for most farms, which presented a positive change towards building up soil health. Although soil TKN level was significantly decreased due to cover crops, soil protein level building up over time was the most positive change for soil health. M3K decreased in cover-crop fields, which indicated that supplementary K would be necessary prior to planting subsequent cash crops.

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Raising Soil Organic Matter Content to Improve Water Holding Capacity

Cited by 45 publications

References 0 publications

Effect of Organic Amendments in Soil on Physiological and Biochemical Attributes of Vachellia nilotica and Dalbergia sissoo under Saline Stress

Effect of Organic Amendments in Soil on Physiological and Biochemical Attributes of Vachellia nilotica and Dalbergia sissoo under Saline Stress

Conservation Agriculture Effects on Soil Water Holding Capacity and Water-Saving Varied with Management Practices and Agroecological Conditions: A Review

On-farm Soil Health Assessment of Cover-cropping in Florida

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