Response of soil structure and hydraulic conductivity to reduced tillage and animal manure in a temperate loamy soil

• Published in: Soil use and management 2013-09, Vol.29 (3), p.401-409
• Main Authors: Bottinelli, N., Menasseri-Aubry, S., Cluzeau, D., Hallaire, V.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Composting; Cropping systems. Cultivation. Soil tillage; Environmental Sciences; Fluid flow; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; Hydraulics; image analysis; Life Sciences; Loamy soils; macroporosity; Manure; Manures; micromorphology; No-tillage; organic fertilization; Other nutrients. Amendments. Solid and liquid wastes. Sludges and slurries; Physical properties; Physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biology of agricultural and forest soils; Poultry; Soil (material); Soil science; Soil tillage; Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility. Fertilization. Amendments; Structure, texture, density, mechanical behavior. Heat and gas exchanges; Tillage; Tillage. Tending. Growth control
• ISSN: 0266-0032; 1475-2743
• DOI: 10.1111/sum.12049

We studied the combined effects of reduced tillage and animal manure on soil structure and hydraulic conductivity (K) in the 2–10 and 12–20 cm layers in a loamy soil. The study was performed at the end of a 7‐yr field trial and included three tillage treatments (mouldboard ploughing until 25 cm depth: MP, shallow tillage until 12 cm depth: ST, no‐till: NT) and two fertilizer application treatments (mineral or poultry manure). Soil structure was assessed through bulk density (ρb), micromorphological and macropore‐space characteristics. K was measured in situ at −0.6, −0.2 and −0.05 kPa. Untilled layers had a vermicular microstructure resulting from earthworm activity, whereas tilled layers displayed a mixture of crumb and channel microstructures. Untilled layers had the highest ρb and twice as much lower total macroporosity area (pores > 240 μm in equivalent diameter) than tilled layers, reflected by the smallest area of macropores 310–2000 μm in diameter and the smallest area of large complex macropores. K under untilled layers was 12–62% lower than that under tilled layers, but differences were statistically significant only at −0.05 kPa in the 2–10 cm. No significant interaction between tillage and nutrient application treatments was detected for all properties. Compared with mineral fertilizer, poultry manure resulted in a similar ρb but 20% greater total macroporosity area and 30% higher K at −0.2 kPa. Overall, the sensitivity of soil structure and K to poultry manure were relatively small compared with tillage. We suggest that cultivation practices other than animal manure application are needed to improve physical properties under reduced tillage.