Soil Structural Quality and Relationships With Root Properties in Single and Integrated Farming Systems

Abstract

Single farming systems (SFS) such as monocultures may negatively affect soil structural quality. This study tested the hypothesis that integrated farming systems (IFS), i.e., the combination of cropping and forestry and/or livestock farming, improves soil structural quality, root development and soil organic carbon. An experimental area was set up in 2012 at the Canguiri experimental farm belonging to the Federal University of Paraná, Southern Brazil. The soils are predominantly Ferralsols. The experimental treatments representing different farming systems, organized in a random block design with three replicates, were: Forestry (F), Conventional Crop Production (C), Livestock (L), and integrated Crop-Forestry (CF), Crop-Livestock (CL), Livestock-Forestry (LF), and Crop-Livestock-Forestry (CLF). In situ measurements and sampling were carried out in the 0–0.3 m layer during summer 2019/20, and included soil penetration resistance (PR), soil structural quality based on visual evaluation of soil structure (SqVESS scores), root length (RL), root volume (RV) and soil organic carbon content (SOC). Soil structural quality, penetration resistance, root length and volume, and SOC varied between farming systems, but no significant differences were found between single (C, L, F) and integrated farming systems (CF, CL, LF, CLF). The single system Forestry (F) and the integrated systems including forestry (LF, CF, CLF) tended to have higher SqVESS scores, i.e. poorer soil structural quality, and higher PR, which we associate with the generally drier soil conditions that are due to higher soil water uptake and higher interception and reduce the frequency of wetting-drying cycles. Roots were concentrated in the shallow soil layer (0–0.1 m depth), and this was especially pronounced in the Crop (C) single farming system. Based on the measured values, our results suggest an acceptable soil structural quality in all farming systems. Our data revealed strong, significant relationships between soil structural quality, penetration resistance, root growth and SOC, demonstrating that improvements in soil structure results in lower soil penetration resistance, higher root volumes and higher SOC, and vice versa. Soil PR was positively correlated with SqVESS (R2 = 0.84), indicating that better soil structural quality resulted in lower soil mechanical resistance. This, in turn, increased root length and volume, which increases carbon input to soil and therefore increases SOC in the long run.

Crop-Livestock Integration Improves Physical Soil, Agronomic and Environmental Aspects in Soybean Cultivation

“…On the other hand, there was a differentiated effect of forage systems on the soil structure through Bd (Figure 2A), with a higher efficiency of biological loosening in Brachiaria brizantha forages (Xaraes and Paiaguas), even with a small variation in the amplitude of this attribute (1.26 to 1.34 kg dm −3 ), in the following order: maize in monocropping ≥ Ruziziensis grass in monocropping = Ruziziensis grass intercropped ≥ Paiaguas palisadegrass intercropped > Paiaguas in monocropping = Xaraes in monocropping = Xaraes palisadegrass intercropped with maize. Due to the multifactorial nature of LLWR, it has been considered the biophysical soil indicator that best correlates with plant growth [12,22], being that Figure 2B shows an amplitude of 3.5 times (0.04 to 0.14 dm 3 dm −3 ) and demonstrates its high sensitivity to structural changes in the soil of these Brachiaria plants.…”

“…Crop-livestock integration (CLI), when associated with the cultivation of Brachiaria brizantha (syn. Urochloa), is a promising technique for biological soil loosening and improving the structural quality of the soil [16,[21][22][23], particularly in intensive agricultural production systems where machine traffic is intense [24]. Thus, the development of these plants can mitigate the deleterious effects caused to the soil structure [11].…”

Impacts of the tillage systems on the production of green corn (Zea mays L.) in long‐term plots in Northeastern Brazil

“…Furthermore, green corn NBS stresses the importance of preserving soil organic matter, enhancing soil structure, increasing root volume, boosting Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) levels, and reducing soil compaction and Mechanical Resistance to Penetration (MRP) (Blanco‐Canqui, 2023; Cavalieri‐Polizeli et al., 2022; Liu et al., 2022). SOC serves multiple vital functions, including stabilizing soil structure, protecting microaggregates, regulating nutrient release, decreasing soil bulk density, and optimizing water infiltration and retention.…”

Visual evaluation of soil structure in low‐intensity land use systems of steppe zone of Ukraine

“…A quick and comprehensive characterization of soil quality can be provided by visual structure assessment methods (Ball et al, 2016; Emmet‐Booth et al, 2016), which statistically correlate with physical and chemical soil properties (Çelik et al, 2020; Cherubin et al, 2018; Guimarães et al, 2013; Lin et al, 2022; Mutuku et al, 2021). A correlation of visual assessments with biological activity has also been established (Cavalieri‐Polizeli et al, 2022; Demétrio et al, 2022); however, there are no statistical studies of the relationship between VESS scores and earthworm casts content, as the most accurate indicator of earthworm bioturbation. Currently, the methods of visual evaluation of soil (VESS) and subsoil (SubVESS) structure are being validated in different natural zones of the world, and mainly in the systems characterized by contrast land use with intensive agricultural impact on soils (arable lands, orchards, pastures) (Franco et al, 2019; Olivares et al, 2023).…”