Zero Tillage Improves Soil Properties, Reduces Nitrogen Loss and Increases Productivity in a Rice Farmland in Ghana

Abstract

Soil fertility in Ghana continues to decline due to the overdependency on farm machinery to till the land coupled with the continuous application of mineral fertilizer, which has a resultant effect on agricultural non-point source (AgNPS) pollution. A two-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different tillage methods on soil properties, nitrogen loss reduction and rice productivity of a gleysol, developed over granite. Five tillage methods—namely, zero tillage direct seeding (ZTDS), zero tillage transplanting (ZTTS), reduced tillage direct seeding (RTDS), reduced tillage transplanting (RTTS), and conventional tillage (CT)—were studied in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates. After two cropping seasons, soil bulk density was in the order of (ZTTS = ZTDS) ˃ RTDS ˃ RTTS ˃ CT. ZTDS and ZTTS were associated with significantly higher levels of nutrients in the top soil (0–20 cm) as compared with the rest of the treatments. Plant height was in the order of CT > RTTS = ZTTS > RTDS > ZTDS. The highest grain yield was recorded by both CT and ZTTS significantly different from the rest of the treatments. ZTDS recorded the highest stover yield for both years. Subsequently, CT was associated with high release of potential pollutant loads which could lead to AgNPS pollution, as is evident from the high nutrient loss. Considering the high nutrient concentration at 0–20 cm, the reduced nutrient movement and the corresponding yield improvement, ZTDS and ZTTS are recommended for farmers in Ghana to ensure sustainable rice production, reduce AgNPS pollutant movement and ultimately provide an eco-protective and friendly environment for sustainable rice production.

Removal of Biomass and Nutrients by Weeds and Direct-Seeded Rice under Conservation Agriculture in Light-Textured Soils of North-Western India

“…This can lead to nutrient release in bioavailable form and their sooner losses and soil depletion. [26]. Thus, the plot under DSR-CT showed the least nutrient uptake.…”

Soil nitrogen and carbon storages and carbon pool management index under sustainable conservation tillage strategy

“…According to the statistics of FAO, conservation tillage has been promoted in more than 70 countries, with a cultivated area of more than 1.7 × 10 8 hm 2 , which has also been widely popularized in China (Chen et al, 2009). Previous studies have shown that conservation tillage such as no tillage and straw mulching can significantly affect the content of organic carbon and nutrients in the surface and deep soil, promote the formation of soil water stable aggregates, improve soil erosion resistance and carbon and nitrogen sequestration, so as to achieve carbon pool stability (Issaka et al, 2019;Zhang et al, 2021). Kushwa et al (2016) studied the farmland soil in central India, they found that the conservation tillage based on no tillage and less tillage was more conducive to the accumulation of soil organic carbon, total nitrogen (TN) and available phosphorus content than traditional tillage, but it would not have a significant impact on the yield of soybean wheat rotation system, but saved energy and time.…”

Runoff Losses in Nitrogen and Phosphorus From Paddy and Maize Cropping Systems: A Field Study in Dongjiang Basin, South China

“…Thus, there is a considerable scope for improving crop use efficiencies of agricultural N and P in China, which, in turn, could reduce N and P losses that adversely affect the environment (Liu et al, 2018 ). Various controlled management strategies have been shown to be effective in improving the crop use efficiencies of N and P. These strategies can be broadly divided into three categories, namely, water-saving irrigation (Peng et al, 2015 ; Qi et al, 2020 ), fertilization especially for nitrogen management (Peng et al, 2017 ; Liu et al, 2020 ; Zhan et al, 2020 ), and sustainable conservation tillage modes (Issaka et al, 2019a ). The application of water-saving irrigation has advantages in reducing water use and the likelihood of surface runoff discharge.…”

“…An optimization of fertilization is beneficial on saving fertilizer usage, reducing N and P losses, and improving N and P use efficiencies (Cui et al, 2018 ; Qi et al, 2020 ). Moreover, conservation tillage possesses advantages over conventional tillage in controlling N and P losses through: (i) improving soil properties thereby decreasing nutrient mobility (Issaka et al, 2019a ); (ii) reducing surface runoff velocity and increasing the retention time of the fertilizer in the top soil (Ali et al, 2007 ); and (iii) mitigating the extent of soil erosion by decreasing soil turbulence (Wang et al, 2019 ).…”