Variations of Soil Physical Properties As Affected By Conventional Tillage in Rainfed Lands in Semi-Arid Region
Subject Areas : Optimal management of water and soil resourcesAli Reza Vaezi 1 * , Khadijeh Sahandi 2 , Fereshteh Haghshenas 3
1 - professor, Department of Soil Science and Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zanjan.
2 - Master student, Department of Soil Science and Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zanjan.
3 - Ph.D. student, Department of Soil Science and Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zanjan.
Keywords: Aggregate stability, Conservation tillage, Hydraulic conductivity, Medium-textured soils, Organic matter content, Rangland,
Abstract :
Introduction: Soil structure is an important soil physical property that influences soil productivity and resistance to water erosion. Land use change is the most human activity in nature that can affect various soil properties, as well as soil productivity. The change of pastures to agricultural lands has been increasing rapidly in the semi-arid regions. Most of wheat farms are tilled and cultivated using conventional method. This method can destruct different soil physicochemical properties. Limited information is available on the effects of land use change and performing conventional tillage on soil physical properties in semi-arid regions. Therefore this study was conducted to find effects of conventional tillage on soil physical properties in rainfed lands of a semi-arid region in Iran..
Materials and Methods: The experiment was done in seven areas covering the two land uses (pasture and rainfed lands) in a semi-arid region in Zanjan located,north west of Iran. Mean annual precipitation and temperature are 340 mm and 11.7 °C, respectively. The area covers about 320000 hectare rainfed lands which about 90% from it is cultivated for winter wheat production with an average yield of 100 kg per hectare. In each area, soil particle size distribution was the same in the two land uses but it was different among the areas. Three Soil samples were taken from 0-30 cm depth in each land uses. In total, soil samples were collected from seven points in each area and forty two points in the study area. Soil physical properties consist of macropores volume, porosity, bulk density, water-holding capacity, saturated point, aggregate size, aggregate stability and saturated hydraulic conductivity were determined in the soil samples by laboratory methods. Comparisons among different areas in soil properties were done with means comparison procedure using the Tukey’s test. In order to effects of conventional tillage on soil physical properties, a paired t-test was used for comparing each soil property between the two land uses (pasture and rainfed lands).
Results and Discussion: Based on the results, soil texture of the areas were clay loam, silty clay loam, sandy clay loam, silt loam, loam, sandy loam and loamy sand. Moreover there were significant differences among the areas in other soil properties (structure, porosity, water retention and hydraulic conductivity). Effect of conventional tillage on deterioration of soil physical properties was considerable, so that significant difference was found for each soil physical property between the two land uses. A considerable decline was found in macropores volume (41%), porosity (22%), mean aggregate size (60%), aggregate stability (71%) and saturated hydraulic conductivity (71%) in rainfed lands under conventional tillage, while bulk density (28%) and water-holding capacity (11%) increased by conventional tillage as compared to pastures soil. Decreases in saturated soil moisture (about 4%) weren’t significant in most areas. Mean deterioration of soil physical properties was computed and varied from 34% in silty clay loam to 50% in loam which was associated with higher soil organic matter content and aggregate stability in this soil.
Conclusions: Soil physical properties are strongly affected by conventional tillage in wheat rainfed lands in semi-arid region. The rate of physical destruction is different among the soil properties. Aggregate stability and saturated hydraulic conductivity are the most susceptible soil physical properties by conventional tillage. The sensitivity of soils of the semi-arid region to physical destruction by conventional tillage is different. Medium-textured soils such as loam which relatively well aggregated are the most sensitive soils to physical destruction in the area. Prevention of land use change in areas with Medium-textured soils is the first step and performing conservation tillage is the second strategy to control physical destruction of semi-arid soils.
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