Abstract
Natural resources are the most limiting factors for sustainable agriculture in Iran. Traditional practices are intensive tillage that leads to a negative impact on crop productivity and soil properties. Conservation agriculture including tillage reductions, better agronomy, and improved varieties, showed encouraging results. The goal of this study was to test combined effect of tillage practices and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes on soil properties as well as crop and water productivity. The experiment was conducted at Zarghan, Fars, Iran during 2014–2016. Experimental treatments were three-tillage practices—conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT), and no tillage (NT)—and four wheat genotypes were randomized in the main and subplots, respectively using split-plot randomized complete block design with three replications. Results showed NT had higher soil bulk density at surface soil, thereby lower cumulative water infiltration. The lowest soil organic carbon and total nitrogen were obtained under CT that led to the highest C:N ratio. Reduced tillage produced higher wheat yield and maize (Zea mays L.) biomass. Maximum irrigation water was applied under CT, which leads lower water productivity. The findings are based on short-term results, but it is important to evaluate medium- and long-term effects on soil properties, crop yields and water use in future.
Highlights
Water and soil resources are the most constraining factors for sustainable agriculture in the arid and semiarid climatic conditions
The higher surface soil bulk density under no tillage (NT) practice related to minimum soil disturbance by eliminating prior tillage, which leads surface soil compactness and it could be associated with low crop residue retention which leads rain drop beating effects on top soil [11,12,15]
Greater difference in soil bulk density between two depths under reduced tillage (RT) practice compared to conventional tillage (CT) practice was related to shallow tillage and soil disturbance up to 10 cm, which was attributed to subsurface soil compaction at plough pan
Summary
Water and soil resources are the most constraining factors for sustainable agriculture in the arid and semiarid climatic conditions. The effect of tillage and crop residue mulch on soil bulk density is mainly confined to the top 20 cm of soil [7,8,9]. Evidences of some short- to medium-term studies on wheat- based systems, showed that conservation tillage practices (no and reduced tillage) either with partial crop residue or removed, increased soil bulk density on surface soil compared with conventional tillage practices [10,11,12,13,14,15]. Li et al [16] investigated the influence of no tillage and conventional tillage on soil bulk density in a 15-year field experiment. In the first six years, the surface soil’s bulk density was significantly lower under conventional tillage. Soil bulk density of both treatments were similar, and in the last two years, bulk density became slightly lower under no-till
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