Soil properties and corn (Zea mays L.) production under manure application combined with deep tillage management in solonetzic soils of Songnen Plain, Northeast China

• Published in: Journal of Integrative Agriculture 2016-04, Vol.15 (4), p.879-890
• Main Authors: MENG, Qing-feng, LI, Da-wei, ZHANG, Juan, ZHOU, Lian-ren, MA, Xian-fa, WANG, Hong-yan, WANG, Guang-cheng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: cattle manure; corn yield; deep tillage; solonetz
• ISSN: 2095-3119
• DOI: 10.1016/S2095-3119(15)61196-0

Poor soil structure and nutrients, excessive exchangeable Na+, high pH as wel as low enzyme activities are common in the solonetz, and signiifcantly restrict corn (Zea mays L.) production. Cattle manure application combined with deep tilage is an important management practice that can affect soil physico-chemical properties and enzyme activities as wel as corn yield in the solonetz. Field experiments were carried out in a randomized complete block design comprising four treatments: Corn with conventional tilage was used as a control, and corn with manure application combined with deep tilage as wel as iflm mulching and aluminium sulfate were used as the experimental treatments, respectively. The relationship between corn yield and measured soil properties was determined using stepwise regression analysis. Manure application combined with deep tilage management was more effective than conventional tilage for increasing corn yield and for improving soil properties in the solonetz. The highest corn yield was obtained in the treatments with manure application+deep tilage+plastic iflm mulching (11472 and 12228 kg ha–1), and increased by 38 and 43% comparing with the control treatment (8343 and 8552 kg ha–1) both in the 2013 and 2014 experiments, respectively. Using factor analysis, three factors were obtained, which represented soil fertility status, soil saline-alkaline properties and soil structural properties both in the 2013 and 2014 experiments, respectively. Manure and deep tilage management resulted in two distinct groups of soil properties: (1) soils with manure application combined with deep tilage and (2) soils with conventional tilage. Stepwise regression analysis showed that corn yield was signiifcantly and positively correlated to urease and available P, as wel as negatively correlated to pH, electrical conductivity (EC), exchange sodium percentage (ESP), and bulk density (ρb). We concluded that ρb was dominant factor for corn yield on the basis of discriminant coefifcient. Manure application combined with deep tilage man-agement resulted in an increase in corn yield mainly owing to improved soil structural properties, folowed by decreased soil saline-alkaline obstacle as wel as increased urease activity and available P. This result is likely that the improvement in soil organic matter (SOM) from manure application greatly and positively contributed to better soil physico-chemical properties and enzyme activities, especialy decrease in ρb. Suggesti