Long-term crop management and formation of plow pan: its consequences on soil physico-chemical properties

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, soil science department Faculty of Agriculture, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

2 Professor, soil science department Faculty of Agriculture, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

Abstract

Soil compaction and formation of plow pan in Iranian agricultural soils became a serious problem, which threatens regional productivity. The formation of plow pan due to the long-term use of tillage tools at a constant depth, is a common consequence of conventional tillage, which limits crop growth. In order to prove the existence of plow pan and its effect on physical and chemical soil characteristics, 32 soil profiles (eight soil profiles in each region) were analyzed in Qazvin, Golestan, Markazi and Khuzestan provinces. In all four regions and in 70% of the soils, plow pan with an average thickness of 24 cm was observed at 16 to 64 cm below the surface. Total porosity and the amount of bulk density showed respectively about 7-19% decrease and 5-14% increase in the plow pan compared to other horizons. The depth of the formation of this layer and its vertical expansion as well as the intensity of compaction in the soils of the studied areas have been different. The presence of the plow pan (except for Abyek region of Qazvin) had caused the accumulation of 14 to 40% of dissolved salts and the creation of a relatively saline layer under the surface horizon (Ap). The most important reason for the high compaction of the plow pan in the Gonbad agricultural area compared to the other three areas, was the high average percentage of silt (about 60%) in this area. In addition to the effect of soil texture, the predominance of submerged irrigation, despite the aridity of the climate, intensifies the compaction and resistance to root penetration especially in the agricultural areas of Golestan, Khuzestan and Markazi provinces, because annual plowing at constant depths along with heavy irrigation with a large volume of water leads to the eluviation of clay and silt particles from the surface and illuviation in depth. 

Keywords

Main Subjects

EXTENDED ABSTRACT

 

Introduction

 Soil compaction and formation of plow pan in Iranian agricultural soils became a serious problem, which threatens regional productivity. The formation of plow pan due to the long-term use of tillage tools at a constant depth, is a common consequence of conventional tillage, which limits crop growth due to decline soil physical quality. The aim of the present work was to prove the existence of plow pan in selected agricultural soils and its effect on physical and chemical soil characteristics as well as sustainable crop production.

 

Materials and Methods

thirty-two soil profiles (eight soil profiles in each region) were analyzed on irrigated agriculture fields in Qazvin, Golestan, Markazi and Khuzestan provinces.

 

Results and Discussion

Presence of plow pan was observed in about 70% of the studied profiles, which is an active process and soon or later will be found in all other studied soils if the current land management is ongoing. The average thickness of the plow pan was 24 cm, which was usually extended between 16 to 64 cm below the surface. Total porosity and the amount of bulk density showed respectively about 7-19% decrease and 5-14% increase in the plow pan compared to other horizons. The depth of the formation of this layer and its vertical expansion as well as the intensity of compaction in the soils of the studied areas have been different.

 

Conclusion

 The presence of the plow pan in the studied agricultural lands except for the Abyek region in Qazvin province (due to the less compaction of this layer and proper agricultural management) caused the accumulation of soluble salts and formation of a relatively saline layer below the surface horizon (Ap). The relatively high compaction in the plow pan of Gonbad agricultural area, Golestan province, compared to other regions was related to an average of about 60% silt. Because silty soils have a greater tendency to form crusts than other types of soils, and agricultural operations in unsuitable moisture conditions of this region, create crusts that cause soil compaction after drying. In addition, the predominance of submerged irrigation, despite the aridity of the climate, intensifies the compaction and resistance to root penetration especially in the agricultural areas of Golestan, Khuzestan and Markazi provinces. Because annual plowing at constant depths along with heavy irrigation with a large volume of water and relatively wet soil leads to the eluviation of clay and silt particles from the surface and illuviation in depth. The agricultural management applied in the Abyek region (including the modification of the irrigation method, the application of appropriate crop rotation, sub-soiling operation and optimal use of organic fertilizers) reduced the problems of plow pans.

 

 

 

 

References

Abbasian, A., Bakhshipour, S. & Fotoukian, M. H. (2016). Effect of Type of Tools, Time and Number of Puddling on Yield and Yield Components of Rice. Applied Field Crops Research (Pajouhesh & Sazandegi), 109, 93-99. (in persian).
Alamouti, M., Solhjou, A. A., Sharifi, A., Javadi, A., Ashrafizadeh, S. R. & Taki, O. (2019). Guide to conservation tillage and its application. Agriculture Education Publication, 86p. (in persian).
Arvidsson, J. (2001). Subsoil compaction caused by heavy sugarbeet harvesters in southern Sweden: I. Soil physical properties and crop yield in six feld experiments. Soil Tillage Res, 60(1-2), 67-78.
Azimzadeh, S. M., Koochakie, A. & Pala, M. (2002). Effect of Different Tillage Methods on Soil Bulk Density, Soil Porosity, Soil Moisture Content and Yield of Wheat Under Dryland Condition. Iranian Journal of Crop Sciences, 4 (3), 218-233. (in persian).
Bertolino, A. V., Fernandes, N. F., Miranda, J. P., Souza, A. P., Lopes, M. R. & Palmieri, F. (2010). Efects of plough pan development on surface hydrology and on soil physical properties in Southeastern Brazilian plateau. J Hydrol, 393, 94-104.
Biazin, B., Stroosnijder, L., Temesgen, M., AbdulKedir, A. & Sterk, G. (2011). The effect of long-term Maresha ploughing on soil physical properties in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Soil Tillage Res, 111(2), 115-122.
Brennan, J., Hackett, R., Mccabe, T., Grant, J., Fortune, R. A. & Forristal, P. D. (2014). The effect of tillage  system and residue management on grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency in winter wheat in a cool Atlantic climate. Eur. J. Agron, 54, 61-69.
Brussaard, L. & Van Faassen, H. G. (1994). Effects of compaction on soil biota and soil biological processes. In Soane, B. D. and Van Ouwerkerk, C. (eds.) Developments in Agricultural Engineering, Elsevier, vol 11, pp 215-235.
Buol, S. W., Southard, R. J., Graham, R. C. & McDaniel, P. A. (2011). Soil Genesis and Classification (6th ed.). New York: Wiley.
Cai, H., Ma, W., Zhang, X., Ping, J., Yan, X., Liu, J., Yuan, J., Wang, L. & Ren, J. (2014). Effect of subsoil tillage depth on nutrient accumulation, root distribution, and grain yield in spring maize. Crop J, 2, 297-307.
Cassel, D. K. & Edwards, E. C. (1985). Effects of subsoiling and irrigation on corn production. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J, 49 (4), 996-1001.
Carter, M. R. & Gregorich, E. G. (2008). Soil Sampling and Methods of Analysis (2nd ed.). Canadian Society of Soil Science.
Colombi, T., Braun, S., Keller, T. & Walter, A. (2017). Artificial macropores attract crop roots and enhance plant productivity on compacted soils. Sci. Total Environ, 574, 1283-1293.
Dong, W. C., Fu, Q., Wang, Q. J. & Cao, C. P. (2017). Effect of plough pans on the growth of soybean roots in the black-soil region of northeastern China. J. Integr. Agric, 16, 2191-2196.
Ghahramanpoor, R., Gorji, M., Pourbabaee, A. A. & Farahbakhsh, M. (2019). Investigating the effects of conservation and reduced tillage systems on soil quality indices. Iranian Journal of Soil and Water Research, 49(6), 1355-1364. (in persian).
Gronle, A., Lux, G., Böhm, H., Schmidtke, K., Wild, M., Demmel, M. & Heß, J. (2015). Effect of ploughing depth and mechanical soil loading on soil physical properties, weed infestation, yield performance and grain quality in sole and intercrops of pea and oat in organic farming. Soil Tillage Res, 148, 59-73.
Heidari, A (2015). Soil genesis and Classification According to World Reference Base For Soil Resources 2014. Tehran: Academic Jihad Publications.
Jat, R. K., Singh, R. G. Kumar, M., Jat, M. L., Parihar, C. M., Bijarniya, D., Sutaliya, J. M., Jat, M. K., Parihar, M. D., Kakraliya, S. K. & et al. (2019). Ten years of conservation agriculture in a rice-maize rotation of Eastern Gangetic Plains of India: Yield trends, water productivity and economic profitability. Field Crops Res, 232, 1-10.
Javadi, A. & Shahidzadeh, M. (2005). The effect of a combined moldboard plow to break plow pan. J Agri. Engin. Res, 24(6), 95-110. (in persian).
Jeřábek, J., Zumr, D. & Dostál, T. (2017). Identifying the plough pan position on cultivated soils by measurements of electrical resistivity and penetration resistance. Soil Tillage Res, 174, 231-240.
Kunze, G. W. & Dixon, J. B. (1986). Pretreatments for Mineralogical Analysis. In Klute, A. (ed.), Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 1, Physical and Mineralogical Methods. 2nd Ed. American Society of Agronomy, Madison, Wisconsin. pp 91-100.
Li, H. W., Gao, H. W., Wu, H. D., Li, W. Y., Wang, X. Y. & He, J. (2007). Effects of 15 years of conservation tillage on soil structure and productivity of wheat cultivation in northern China. Aust. J. Soil Res, 45, 344-350.
Li, Y., Zhai, Z., Cong, P., Zhang, Y., Pang, H., Dong, G. & Gao, J. (2019). Effect of plough pan thickness on crop growth parameters, nitrogen uptake and greenhouse gas (CO2 and N2O) emissions in a wheat-maize double-crop rotation in the Northern China Plain: A one-year study. Agric. Water Manag, 213, 534-545.
Lin, P., Qi, H., Li, C. & Zhao, M. (2016). Optimized tillage practices and row spacing to improve grain yield and matter transport efficiency in intensive spring maize. Field Crop Res, 198, 258-268.
Lipiec, J., Horn, R., Pietrusiewicz, J. & Siczek, A. (2012). Effects of soil compaction on root elongation and anatomy of different cereal plant species. Soil Tillage Res, 121, 74-81.
Liu, X. W., Zhang, X. Y., Chen, S. Y., Sun, H. Y. & Shao, L. W. (2015). Subsoil compaction and irrigation regimes affect the root-shoot relation and grain yield of winter wheat. Agric. Water Manage, 154, 59-67.
Ma, S. Y., Yu, Z. W., Shi, Y., Gao, Z. Q., Luo, L. P., Chu, P. F. & Guo, Z. J. (2015). Soil water use, grain yield and water use efficiency of winter wheat in a long-term study of tillage practices and supplemental irrigation on the North China Plain. Agric. Water. Manage, 150, 9-17.
Martínez, E., Fuentes, J. P., Silva, P., Valle, S. & Acevedo, E. (2008). Soil physical properties and wheat root growth as affected by no-tillage and conventional tillage systems in a Mediterranean environment of Chile. Soil Tillage Res, 99(2), 232-244.
Motavalli, P. P., Anderson, S. H. & Pengthamkeerati, P. (2003). Surface compaction and poultry litter effects on corn growth, nitrogen availability, and physical properties of a claypan soil. Field crops Res, 84, 303-318.
Pagliai, M., Marsili, A., Servadio, P., Vignozzi, N. & Pellegrini, S. (2003). Changes in some physical properties of a clay soil in central Italy following the passage of rubber tracked and wheeled tractors of medium power. Soil Tillage Res, 73, 119-129.
Pagliai, M., Vignozzi, N. & Pellegrini, S. (2004). Soil structure and the effect of management practices. Soil Tillage Res, 79, 131-143.
Peng, Z., Wang, L., Xie, J., Li, L., Coulter, J. A., Zhang, R. & Choudhary, S. (2019). Conservation tillage increases water use efficiency of spring wheat by optimizing water transfer in a semi-arid environment. Agronomy, 9(10), 583.
Radford, B. J., Bridge, B. J., Davis, R. J., McGarry, D., Pillai, U. P., Rickman, J. F., Walsh, P. A. & Yule, D. F. (2000). Changes in the properties of a Vertisol and responses of wheat after compaction with harvester traffic. Soil Tillage Res, 54(3-4), 155-170.
Raheb, A. R (2021). Soil and Land Evaluation Studies with Fertility Maps (case study: North Sustainable Misagh Agricultural Development Co.-Golestan Province). 221 p. (in persian).
Sabzevari, A., Rajabipour, A., Bagheri N. & Omid, M. (2020). Determining the Cropping Pattern of Agricultural Products as a Strategy to Reduce Food Security Disaster in Iran, Journal of environmental hazards and management, 7 (1), 23-38. (in persian).
Sadeghi, S., Kiani, F., Asadi, M. E., Kamkar, B. & Ebrahimi, S. (2019). Effect of different tillage systems on the biological and enzymatic activity of soil. Journal of Soil Management and Sustainable Production, 9(2), 151-164. (in persian).
Sang, X. G., Wang, D. & Lin, X. (2016). Effects of tillage practices on water consumption characteristics and grain yield of winter wheat under different soil moisture conditions. Soil Tillage Res, 163, 185-194.
Schneider, F., Don, A., Hennings, I., Schmittmann, O. & Seidel, S. J. (2017). The effect of deep tillage on crop yield - What do we really know? Soil Tillage Res, 174, 193-204.
Sharifi, A. & javadi, A. (2016). Soil compaction-problems, solutions and measurement methods. Agriculture Education Publication, 32 p. (in persian).
Sip, V., Vavera, R., Chrpova, J., Kusa, H. & Ruzek, P. (2013). Winter wheat yield and quality related to tillage practice, input level and environmental conditions. Soil Tillage Res, 132, 77-85.
Solhjou, A. & Niazi, J. (2001). Investigating the effect of subsoiling operations on the production of wheat products. Research report of Agricultural Engineering and Technical Research Institute, Agricultural Research and Education Organization, No. 195. (in persian).
Solhjou, A. (2005). Investigating the effect of subsoiler, continuity of effect and irrigation cycle on sugar beet production. Research report of Agricultural Engineering and Technical Research Institute, Agricultural Research and Education Organization, No. 1053. (in persian).
Soil Science Division Staff. (2017). Soil survey manual. USDA handbook 18.
Soil Survey Staff. (2022). Keys to Soil Taxonomy (13nd ed.). United States Department of Agriculture. NRCS.
Sparks, D. L. (1996). Method of Soil Analysis. Part 3. Chemical Methods. American Society of Agronomy.
Strudley, M. W., Green, T. R. & Ascough, J. C. (2008). Tillage effects on soil hydraulic properties in space and time: state of the science. Soil Tillage Res, 99, 4-48.
Temesgen, M. (2007). Conservation tillage systems and water productivity implications for smallholder farmers in semi-arid Ethiopia. Ph.D. Thesis. Taylor and Francis/Balkema, Leiden, Netherlands.
Uossef Gomrokchi, A. (2021). Estimation of Potential Yield and Yield Gap of Major Crops in Qazvin Irrigation Network. Water Resources Engineering Journal, 14 (50), 75-88. (in persian).
Usaborisut, P., & Ampanmanee, J. (2015). Compaction properties of silty soils in relation to soil texture, moisture content and organic matter. Am. J. Agri. Bio. Sci., 10, 178-185.
USDA-NRCS. (2012). jNSM: Java Newhall Simulation Model. Version 1.6.0. User guide-part 1. National Soil Survey Center.
Wang, Q. L., Bai, Y. H., Gao, H. W., He, J., Chen, H., Chesney, R. C., Kuhn, N. J. & Li, H. W. (2008). Soil chemical properties and microbial biomass after 16 years of no-tillage fanning on the Loess Plateau, China. Geoderma, 144, 502-508.
Xiong, X., Araya, A., Zhang, H., Araya, K., Teramoto, C., Ohmiya, K. & Zhang, Z. (2012). Improvement of Salt-affected Soils by Deep Tillage- Part 1: Large-scale Field Tests in a Saline Soil (Solonchak) Region.  Eng. Agric. Environ. Food., 5(1), 20-28.
Xu, D. &Mermoud, A. (2001). Topsoil properties as afected by tillage practices in North China. Soil Tillage Res, 60, 11-19.
Ying, Z., Cui, Y.  J., Benahmed, N. & Duc, M. (2021). Salinity effect on the compaction behaviour, matric suction, stiffness and microstructure of a silty soil. J. Rock Mech. Geotech. Eng., 13(4), 855-863.
Zhai, L. C., Xu, P., Zhang, Z. B., Li, S. K., Xie, R. Z., Zhai, L. F. & Wei, B. H. (2017). Effects of deep vertical rotary tillage on dry matter accumulation and grain yield of summer maize in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China. Soil Tillage Res, 170, 167-174.
Iranian Journal of Soil and Water Research
Volume 54, Issue 1
April 2023
Pages 33-48

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics