Abstract
A better understanding of the effect of long-term tillage management on soil properties and yield is essential for sustainable food production. This research aimed to evaluate the 37-year impact of different tillage systems and cover cropping on soil hydro-physical properties at 0–15 and 15–30 cm, as well as on soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] yield. The long-term experiment was located in Jackson, TN, and the different treatments involved in this study were no-tillage (NT), disk (DP), chisel (CP), moldboard plow (MP), and no-tillage with winter wheat [Triticum aestivum (L.)] cover crop (NTW). Forty-five days after the tillage operation, MP showed a comparable bulk density (BD) with NT, NTW, and CP at 0–15 cm depth. At surface depth, No-tillage systems increased cone penetration resistance (PR) by 12% compared with the reduced tillage systems, and 47% relative to MP. Wet aggregate stability (WAS) at surface depth was 27% and 36% greater for NT systems than for reduced and conventional tillage systems, respectively. Similarly, the geometric mean diameter (GMD) of aggregates was significantly higher under NT and NTW. However, water infiltration and field-saturated hydraulic conductivity (Kfs) did not differ significantly among tillage systems. The greatest soybean yield was obtained from CP and DP, producing 10% higher yield than NTW. Overall, 37 years of no-tillage, with or without simplified cover cropping did not result in a consistent improvement in soybean yield and soil physical properties with the exception of having improved soil aggregation.
Highlights
By 2050, agricultural food production is projected to increase by seventy percent globally to sustain food security for the growing population [1]
The effect of long-term tillage systems including no-tillage, chisel plow, disk plow and moldboard plow with winter fallow, and no-tillage with winter wheat cover crop on soil hydro-physical properties and soybean yield was evaluated on a silt loam soil in Jackson, TN, USA
Results showed that 37 years of no-till on a continuous soybean had a positive effect on soil macroaggregation and aggregate stability, both at surface and subsurface soil layers
Summary
By 2050, agricultural food production is projected to increase by seventy percent globally to sustain food security for the growing population [1]. The effect of tillage practices on soil properties, depends on the frequency and intensity of soil disturbance, quantity, and quality of crop residues left on the field after harvest and redistribution of plant residues within the soil profile [5] Soil properties such as aggregate stability and size distribution, soil strength and penetrability, and water infiltration and hydraulic conductivity are important indicators of soil structural quality as influenced by agricultural management systems. Soil structural quality in turn is closely tied to the soil’s ability to maintain its vital functions under climatic tensions, such as storing and supplying water in dry periods and quickly infiltrating and percolating water in wet periods while remaining stable [6] Maintaining such soil characteristics is important for rainfed cropping systems in hot and humid climates, such as the Midsouth USA, due to the torrent winter, spring rainfalls, and periodic severe droughts in summer
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