The Effects of Catch Crops and Tillage Systems on Selected Physical Properties and Enzymatic Activity of Loess Soil in a Spring Wheat Monoculture

Abstract

This study was aimed at comparing physical soil quality parameters and soil enzymatic activity in a three-year spring wheat monoculture affected by the incorporation of biomass of selected catch crops into the soil using two systems of tillage (conventional plough tillage and conservation tillage). We tested the suitability of the following catch crop plants: white mustard, lacy phacelia, and mixed legumes (faba bean + spring vetch) and compared these to the control treatment. This research was carried out in the period 2014–2016 in Czesławice (central Lublin region, Poland). Catch crops promoted improved soil structure, soil particle-size distribution, soil bulk density, and soil moisture content. Tillage systems had a smaller impact on the soil physical parameters. Plough tillage contributed to improved soil moisture content in a deeper layer (15–20 cm). On the other hand, the above-mentioned tillage system influenced adversely soil compaction and bulk density. Catch crops caused an improvement in the soil particle size distribution, resulting in a higher percentage of the finer soil fractions. Moreover, the catch crops positively affected soil bulk density and soil compaction. The study has proven that enzymatic tests are good indicators to discriminate between soil sites under study in dependence on the catch crop and tillage system. Conservation tillage significantly stimulated the activities of the studied enzymes, especially in the topsoil layers. A particularly wide range of dehydrogenase and urease activity was obtained in the soil sown with the white mustard catch crop. The other catch crops (lacy phacelia and faba bean + spring vetch) also stimulated enzymatic activity. The obtained results show the positive role of catch crops and conservation tillage in bringing about positive changes occurring in the soil environment.

Legume Cover Crops as One of the Elements of Strategic Weed Management and Soil Quality Improvement. A Review

“…Some authors found that a CC intercrop stimulated higher soil moisture only in the top layer (0-10 cm), while their effect on moisture in deeper layers turned out to be insignificant [249,250]. On the other hand, Harasim et al [218] proved an increase in soil moisture at a depth of 15 to 20 cm with legume CCs cultivated as intercrops. RIL directly affects the availability of water for cultivated plants during the growing season, especially at a depth of 90 cm [251].…”

“…Residues of CC plants, including legume CCs, improve soil structure by influencing soil strength, porosity and hydraulic properties. They also increase the diffusion capacity of soil air, as well as the formation of soil aggregates (basic units of soil structure) [217][218][219] (Table 3). [222] no legume CCs mixture of S. cereale L., P.…”

“…The use of legume CCs as dead mulch contributes to reducing water loss by evapotranspiration. This improves water infiltration and moisture retention, inhibiting surface runoff, reducing soil degradation, slow nutrient release and delivering them to the rhizosphere of the plant, which ultimately improves resource efficiency [218,238,[240][241][242][243]. Many authors have reported the beneficial effect of legume CCs on increasing soil moisture [195,244,245].…”

“…Numerous authors have confirmed that legume CCs used as mulch increases light reflection due to the lighter color of the soil surface. This in turn lowers the soil temperature and ultimately improves resource efficiency [218,[240][241][242][243]. It was shown that residues of legume CCs reduce daily fluctuations in soil temperature in no-till systems, lowering its maximum and increasing the minimum, compared to conventional tillage systems.…”

Perception of the Relevance of Soil Compaction and Application of Measures to Prevent It among German Farmers

“…Agronomic measures include, for example, the cultivation of cover crops, direct seeding, or no or no-turn tillage without ploughing. These measures have a rather indirect effect on the prevention of soil compaction by stimulating soil biota, thereby improving aggregate stability and thus the resilience of soils [2,[23][24][25]. As a further side effect, the number of machine passes is reduced and the generation of a so-called "plough sole" is avoided.…”