Twenty two years of tillage and mulching impacts on soil physical characteristics and carbon sequestration in Central Ohio

► Long term use of conservation tillage and crop residue application enhances soil structural stability and carbon sequestration. ► Water transmission characteristics i.e. infiltration capacity and saturated hydraulic conductivity were significantly higher under no till than plow till. ► Soil mechan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Soil & tillage research 2013-01, Vol.126, p.151-158
Main Authors: Kahlon, Meharban Singh, Lal, Rattan, Ann-Varughese, Merrie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions
Biological and medical sciences
C sequestration
Conservation tillage
Cropping systems. Cultivation. Soil tillage
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General agronomy. Plant production
Mulch rate
Soil aggregation
Soil erosion, conservation, land management and development
Soil physical quality
Soil science
Soil tillage
Tillage. Tending. Growth control
Total C
Total N
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Summary:► Long term use of conservation tillage and crop residue application enhances soil structural stability and carbon sequestration. ► Water transmission characteristics i.e. infiltration capacity and saturated hydraulic conductivity were significantly higher under no till than plow till. ► Soil mechanical properties including bulk density and penetration resistance were lower under no till than plow till. ► Higher total C and N concentration was observed in no till along with mulching than plow till. ► Proportion of macroaggregates increases under no till than plow till. Macroaggregates retains more C than microaggregates. Knowledge about the changes in carbon (C) concentration and mechanical and hydrological properties under different tillage and mulch treatments is necessary to assess the feasibility of adoption of conservation practices for sustaining productivity and protecting the environment. It is widely recognized that no-till (NT) farming conserves soil and water, saves energy, improves the environment and enhances soil quality. However, the magnitude and direction of tillage and mulch-induced changes are soil and site specific. Therefore, a field study was conducted on a long-term on-going experiment to evaluate the effects of three tillage {NT, ridge till (RT) and plow till (PT)} and three mulch rates (0, 8 and 16Mgha−1yr−1) on soil physical properties and total C concentrations in macro (250–2000μm) and micro (
ISSN:0167-1987
1879-3444
DOI:10.1016/j.still.2012.08.001