Water Stability of Soil Aggregates in a 50-Year-Old Soil Formation Experiment on Calcareous Glacial Till

Are, Mihkel; Kauer, Karin; Kaart, Tanel; Selge, A.; Astover, Alar; Reintam, Endla

doi:10.1134/s1064229320050026

Cited by 3 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The other possible explanation could be the relocation of dissolved organic matter from the topsoil into the subsoil [28], which could contribute to improvements in the soil structure. The reason why the WSA content among crops, except in potato, was higher in the topsoil than in the subsoil can be primarily associated with the decline of the SOC content by depth [17], as in the present study a positive correlation (r = +0.27; p < 0.001; N = 240) between the SOC content and the WSA content occurred (Table 8).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

“…However, in the present study, the positive correlation could be related to the low clay content (9.5%) of the soil, as potassium has been found to affect the inter-particle bonds in clays by dispersing clay particles [45]. Thus, in the present context, the benefits of potassium by the increased biomass production and thus in the carbon sequestration [17], as between the K A and SOC content, a significant correlation occurred (r = +0.44; p < 0.001; N = 240), which likely outweighed the dispersing effects of clay particles. Compared to the other crops, the lowest K A content, found under potato, was due to the known fact that this crop has a high potassium requirement [46], and therefore, a great amount of K A was removed from the soil along with the potato tubers [46].…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 47%

“…The positive correlations of the P A and K A content between the WSA and SOC content (Table 8) can be explained in multiple ways. At first, as both those soil nutrient are essential for plant growth, they helped to increase the biomass production and enhanced the root system [17], by which a greater degree of root exudes were released, which acted as transient and temporary binding agents for the aggregates [16]. The second reason can be explained by the complex dynamics and interactions between the soil nutrients, SOC and WSA content [40,41].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, their contribution to aggregate binding could, therefore, be lower [16]. However, their nitrogen-fixing ability, in the Baltic pedo-climatic conditions, can increase the soil fertility and thus increase the root biomass production in the subsequent crops, which, in turn, can increase the soil's organic matter content and, thereby, the WSA content [17]. Additionally, as legumes are known to stimulate the soil microbial activity, they contribute to the abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi [18], which has positive effects on the soil aggregate stability [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Those assumed effects could be even more profound with the use of perennial forage legumes like white clover (Trifolium repens L.) or hybrid alfalfa (Medicago sativa subsp. x varia Martyn), as the soil is undisturbed for a longer period than it is with an annual crop [17]. Both winter and spring cereals, are highly profitable crops and are thus preferred by farmers in the crop rotation, while their effects from a soil structural perspective are not completely clear.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Effects of Crops Together with Winter Cover Crops on the Content of Soil Water-Stable Aggregates in Organic Farming

et al. 2021

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The stability of the soil aggregates is an important soil quality indicator, as it affects the soil’s overall functionality. As the soil aggregates are highly affected by agricultural practices, it is essential to know how crops interact with the aggregation process. Therefore, for obtaining more knowledge, this research was conducted in Estonia in an organic crop rotation field experiment from 2012/2013 through 2015/2016 to study the effects of crops (potato → spring barley undersown with red clover → red clover → winter wheat → pea) under different treatments (TC—control; TW—winter cover crops; TW+M—TW with farmyard manure 40 Mg ha−1 per crop rotation). The results showed that in the topsoil (5–10 cm), the soil water-stable aggregate (WSA) content (determined by the wet sieving method) from highest to lowest was following: pea (61.7%), winter wheat (61.6%), spring barley (61.5%), red clover (59.3%), potato (57.1%); whereas in the subsoil (30–35 cm): potato (50.6%), pea (48.5%), red clover (47.9%), spring barley (47.7%), winter wheat (46.4%). Therefore, potato was a noticeable crop, as among the crops, it had the lowest WSA content in the topsoil, while highest in the subsoil. The results shown gave an assumption that the after-effects of some crops (foremost with pea) were noticeable in the soil properties during the following crop. In the topsoil, the differences between crops were significant among crops just for TW and TW+M treatments. In TW, potato was lower than spring barley and winter wheat, but not significantly lower than pea or red clover. In the subsoil, significant differences between crops were observed for TC and TW treatments: in TC, potato was just significantly greater than red clover (but similar to other crops), and in TW, significantly greater than winter wheat. Furthermore, in the topsoil the soil organic carbon (SOC) content was not significantly affected by crops, and the use of winter cover crops generally increased the SOC content while concurrently decreased the WSA content and the soil maximum water holding capacity. This was probably caused by the additional tillage operations which cancelled out the possible benefits for the soil aggregates. As a consequence of the constantly declining SOC content, caused by the weakened soil aggregates, the plant-available P and K contents, especially in the absence of manure applications, decreased as well, probably due to the combination of fixation and removal of plant biomass. Therefore, it is expected that by continuing this trend, the plant growing conditions decline, which in turn will have a negative effect for the aggregate formation and carbon sequestration, which are essential for plant growth.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 47%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Effects of Crops Together with Winter Cover Crops on the Content of Soil Water-Stable Aggregates in Organic Farming

et al. 2021

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Water and carbon balances in a hemi-boreal forest

Mercuri,

Tamm,

Noe

2023

Forestry Studies

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The carbon and water fluxes and their inter-relations are key aspects of ecosystem dynamics. In this study, regionalization was used in transferring parameters from the GR4J-Cemaneige model calibrated in Reola hydrographic basin to predict daily flows in Kalli basin; both watersheds are located in the southeast of Estonia. Evapotranspiration data was collected from the MODIS sensor of the Terra satellite and from the Station for Measuring Ecosystem-Atmosphere Relations (SMEAR Estonia). Precipitation data was collected from Tartu–Tõravere and SMEAR Estonia stations and river flow from Reola hydrometric station. The year 2011 was used for model warm-up, model calibration was done in 2012–2017 and the 2018–2020 period was used for validation. The GR4J-Cemaneige model was calibrated at Reola Basin, with a Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency index of 0.73. The 6 constants of Reola subbasin were transferred to Kalli subbasin for river flow simulation. Net ecosystem exchange (NEE) was measured at the 70 m SMEAR tower with the eddy covariance technique. The balances indicate that the ecosystem at Kalli watershed is slowly becoming a source of carbon and less water is available at the catchment reservoir. NEE has increased from -1.23 μmol m-2 s-1 in 2015 to -0.62 μmol m-2 s-1 in 2020, while the delta water storage decreased from 0.24 mm in 2015 to -0.05 mm in 2020. This behavior may increase soil drying and oxidation, and it will probably release more carbon in the future. This research allows a better understanding of the Järvselja hemi-boreal forest water-carbon dynamics.

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Soil aggregation with various cover crops in Ginkgo biloba L. plantations

Ярощук,

Захарченко,

Коваленко

et al. 2020

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Ginkgo biloba is an exotic plant for Ukraine that is nowadays becoming popular for parks and landscape gardening. Raw materials (leaves) of these plants are used as medicinal, and in the context of organic production has pharmaceutical significance. At Sumy National Agrarian University fields Ginkgo biloba is grown by seedling method, young seedlings are transplanted into the open ground, in an area where the plants are grown without chemical synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Row spacing between Ginkgo plants is 3 m and in case of high temperature and dry growing season the survival rate is reduced. The use of cover crops in the rows of Ginkgo biloba can help the plant cope with temperature stress, regulate the structural and nutrient status of the soil. We conducted one experiment with some common cover crops for Forest-steppe of Ukraine such as a phacelia, white clover, red clover, ryegrass, sainfoin, white mustard during growing seasons 2019‒2020. Sites planted in the spring between the rows of Ginkgo. At the end of August, soil samples to a depth of 0‒10, 10‒20, 20‒30 cm were collected to determine the structural and aggregate composition. These samples after reaching the air-dry state were sieved (dry method) and determined the percentage of soil particles with different diameters and structural coefficient soil. The percentage of agronomically valuable structure depended on the mechanical tillage on the site without and with cover crops, weather conditions. In the site without cover crops with mechanical tillage for weed control, the highest percentage of aggregates with a diameter of 10‒0.25 mm and coefficient of structure in layers of 0‒10 and 20‒30 cm was obtained. White mustard and white clover cover crops have shown the best result in good soil aggregation in the 0‒10 cm layer. In the layer of 10‒20 cm, the coefficient of structure was the highest in sites with white clover, respectively agronomically valuable structure was 69.6 %, slightly less with mustard 68.3 % and sainfoin 68.8 %. In a layer of 20‒30 cm sainfoin and clover among other cover crops showed the best result, the coefficient of structure was 2.7. Lastly, further research is needed to choose the best cover crop for Ginkgo biloba young plantations which help the plants to pass strongly through to environmental stressful condition. Additional researches are needed for cover crops selection and their mixtures, terms of sowings, times of cutting should be studied.

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Water Stability of Soil Aggregates in a 50-Year-Old Soil Formation Experiment on Calcareous Glacial Till

Cited by 3 publications

References 34 publications

The Effects of Crops Together with Winter Cover Crops on the Content of Soil Water-Stable Aggregates in Organic Farming

The Effects of Crops Together with Winter Cover Crops on the Content of Soil Water-Stable Aggregates in Organic Farming

Water and carbon balances in a hemi-boreal forest

Soil aggregation with various cover crops in Ginkgo biloba L. plantations

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