Intermittent Deep Tillage on Improving Soil Physical Properties and Crop Performance in an Intensive Cropping System
Soil management practices are important parts of sustainable agriculture. Improving tillage practice is important for alleviating soil degradation and promoting sustainable grain production. A four year field experiment was conducted to examine the effects of deep tillage (DT), incorporated into the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/12/3/688 |
| _version_ | 1797473299859505152 |
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| author | Lu Li Jiexi Guan Suying Chen Xiying Zhang |
| author_facet | Lu Li Jiexi Guan Suying Chen Xiying Zhang |
| author_sort | Lu Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Soil management practices are important parts of sustainable agriculture. Improving tillage practice is important for alleviating soil degradation and promoting sustainable grain production. A four year field experiment was conducted to examine the effects of deep tillage (DT), incorporated into the minimum tillage (MT), on soil physical properties and crop performance. The field experiments included continuous rotary tillage (RT), continuous DT, and intermittent DT every three years, every two years, and every other year, into RT. The results showed that the introduction of DT into continuous RT reduced the soil bulk density of the 20–30 cm soil layer by 5.6% and reduced nutrient stratification rates by 20–30%, which favored more uniformly distributed soil nutrients in the top soil layer. The root growth for treatments with DT in the deep soil layers (1–1.5 m) was significantly improved, which resulted in a higher soil water depletion. Under deficit irrigation scheduling, the improved root growth and soil water uptake in the deep soil layer improved crop growth and grain production. Overall, a 10.5% increase in yield and 18.3% increase in water productivity were observed when intermittent DT was introduced during the four years. The effects of DT could be maintained for two continuous years. Therefore, it was suggested that after two or three years of RT, DT should be applied to improve soil physical properties and ensure high grain production. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:13:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9b6b57a1ea864981870a584292332411 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:13:45Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-9b6b57a1ea864981870a5842923324112023-11-24T00:08:05ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952022-03-0112368810.3390/agronomy12030688Intermittent Deep Tillage on Improving Soil Physical Properties and Crop Performance in an Intensive Cropping SystemLu Li0Jiexi Guan1Suying Chen2Xiying Zhang3Key Laboratory of Agricultural Water Resources, Hebei Laboratory of Agricultural Water-Saving, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Road, Shijiazhuang 050021, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Water Resources, Hebei Laboratory of Agricultural Water-Saving, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Road, Shijiazhuang 050021, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Water Resources, Hebei Laboratory of Agricultural Water-Saving, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Road, Shijiazhuang 050021, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Water Resources, Hebei Laboratory of Agricultural Water-Saving, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Road, Shijiazhuang 050021, ChinaSoil management practices are important parts of sustainable agriculture. Improving tillage practice is important for alleviating soil degradation and promoting sustainable grain production. A four year field experiment was conducted to examine the effects of deep tillage (DT), incorporated into the minimum tillage (MT), on soil physical properties and crop performance. The field experiments included continuous rotary tillage (RT), continuous DT, and intermittent DT every three years, every two years, and every other year, into RT. The results showed that the introduction of DT into continuous RT reduced the soil bulk density of the 20–30 cm soil layer by 5.6% and reduced nutrient stratification rates by 20–30%, which favored more uniformly distributed soil nutrients in the top soil layer. The root growth for treatments with DT in the deep soil layers (1–1.5 m) was significantly improved, which resulted in a higher soil water depletion. Under deficit irrigation scheduling, the improved root growth and soil water uptake in the deep soil layer improved crop growth and grain production. Overall, a 10.5% increase in yield and 18.3% increase in water productivity were observed when intermittent DT was introduced during the four years. The effects of DT could be maintained for two continuous years. Therefore, it was suggested that after two or three years of RT, DT should be applied to improve soil physical properties and ensure high grain production.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/12/3/688conservation tillagedeep tillagesoil plough layersoil propertieswater productivity |
| spellingShingle | Lu Li Jiexi Guan Suying Chen Xiying Zhang Intermittent Deep Tillage on Improving Soil Physical Properties and Crop Performance in an Intensive Cropping System Agronomy conservation tillage deep tillage soil plough layer soil properties water productivity |
| title | Intermittent Deep Tillage on Improving Soil Physical Properties and Crop Performance in an Intensive Cropping System |
| title_full | Intermittent Deep Tillage on Improving Soil Physical Properties and Crop Performance in an Intensive Cropping System |
| title_fullStr | Intermittent Deep Tillage on Improving Soil Physical Properties and Crop Performance in an Intensive Cropping System |
| title_full_unstemmed | Intermittent Deep Tillage on Improving Soil Physical Properties and Crop Performance in an Intensive Cropping System |
| title_short | Intermittent Deep Tillage on Improving Soil Physical Properties and Crop Performance in an Intensive Cropping System |
| title_sort | intermittent deep tillage on improving soil physical properties and crop performance in an intensive cropping system |
| topic | conservation tillage deep tillage soil plough layer soil properties water productivity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/12/3/688 |
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