Journal ArticleDOI
The role of soil organic matter in maintaining soil quality in continuous cropping systems
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In this paper, the authors focus on lessons learned from long-term continuous cropping experiments, focusing on the importance of maintaining and improving soil quality in a continuous crop system, which is critical to sustaining agricultural productivity and environmental quality for future generations.Abstract:
Maintenance and improvement of soil quality in continuous cropping systems is critical to sustaining agricultural productivity and environmental quality for future generations. This review focuses on lessons learned from long-term continuous cropping experiments. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the most often reported attribute from long-term studies and is chosen as the most important indicator of soil quality and agronomic sustainability because of its impact on other physical, chemical and biological indicators of soil quality. Long-term studies have consistently shown the benefit of manures, adequate fertilization, and crop rotation on maintaining agronomic productivity by increasing C inputs into the soil. However, even with crop rotation and manure additions, continuous cropping results in a decline in SOC, although the rate and magnitude of the decline is affected by cropping and tillage system, climate and soil. In the oldest of these studies, the influence of tillage on SOC and dependent soil quality indicators can only be inferred from rotation treatments which included ley rotations (with their reduced frequency of tillage). The impact of tillage per se on SOC and soil quality has only been tested in the ‘long-term’ for about 30 yrs, since the advent of conservation tillage techniques, and only in developed countries in temperate regions. Long-term conservation tillage studies have shown that, within climatic limits: Conservation tillage can sustain or actually increase SOC when coupled with intensive cropping systems; and the need for sound rotation practices in order to maintain agronomic productivity and economic sustainability is more critical in conservation tillage systems than conventional tillage systems. Long-term tillage studies are in their infancy. Preserving and improving these valuable resources is critical to our development of soil management practices for sustaining soil quality in continuous cropping systems.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Soil organic carbon sequestration rates by tillage and crop rotation : A global data analysis
Tristram O. West,Wilfred M. Post +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors quantify potential soil organic carbon sequestration rates for different crops in response to decreasing tillage intensity or enhancing rotation complexity, and to estimate the duration of time over which sequestration may occur.
Journal ArticleDOI
A synthesis of carbon sequestration, carbon emissions, and net carbon flux in agriculture: comparing tillage practices in the United States
Tristram O. West,Gregg Marland +1 more
TL;DR: In this paper, a full C cycle analysis has been completed for agricultural inputs, resulting in estimates of net C flux for three crop types across three tillage intensities, including primary fuels, electricity, fertilizers, lime, pesticides, irrigation, seed production, and farm machinery.
Journal ArticleDOI
Development of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) as a bioenergy feedstock in the United States.
S.B. McLaughlin,L.A. Kszos +1 more
TL;DR: A 10-year US Department of Energy sponsored research program designed to evaluate and develop switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum ), a native perennial warm-season grass, as a dedicated energy crop is reviewed in this paper.
Journal ArticleDOI
Using winter cover crops to improve soil and water quality
TL;DR: In this article, the authors review literature about the impacts of cover crops in cropping systems that affect soil and water quality and present limited new information to help fill knowledge gaps and to provide knowledge gaps.
Journal ArticleDOI
Soil Quality for Sustainable Land Management
TL;DR: In this paper, the importance of soil organic matter (SOM) in Canadian describe quality for that specific use or function is traced. But, it is not possible to make a perfect match and aggregation in sustaining soil functions.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Long-term effects of tillage, stubble, and nitrogen management on properties of a red-brown earth
NA Fettell,HS Gill +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the results of 14 and 15 years of different tillage, stubble, and fertiliser N management practices were measured for a red-brown earth at Condobolin in western New South Wales.
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Cultivation and nitrogen requirements for continuous winter barley on a gleysol and a cambisol
TL;DR: In this article, a long-term tillage experiment for spring barley was conducted on a cambisol (15% clay in topsoil) and a gleysol (17% claysol) in south-east Scotland.
Journal ArticleDOI
Evaluation of Soil. Loss after 100 Years of Soil and Crop Management
Journal ArticleDOI
Long Term Tillage Effects on Grain Yield and Soil Properties in a Soybean/Grain Sorghum Rotation
TL;DR: In this article, six tillage and planting systems selected for evaluation were: no-tilI, no-till with row-crop cultivation, disk, double disk, chisel, and plow.
Journal ArticleDOI
Long-term tillage and wheel traffic effects on a poorly drained mollic ochraqualf in northwest Ohio. 2. Infiltrability, surface runoff, sub-surface flow and sediment transport
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of tillage on the Mollic Ochraqualf for corn-soybean rotation in northwestern Ohio were studied for four tillage treatments: (A) continuous no-till for 12 years, (B) continuous No-Till for 10 years followed by plow-to-plow-thill for 2 years; (C) No-To-Plow for 2 months; (D) Continuous Plow-Toil for 12 months.
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