Conservation tillage: best management practice for nonpoint runoff

Decisionmakers are in the process of selecting remedial measures for controlling nonpoint pollution runoff. Conservation tillage (CT) is being looked to as one of the major recommended practices. Many different systems exist and vary in the amount of crop residue left and soil roughness produced. Therefore, varying results occur in terms of yield and potential water quality impacts. Differences vary with type of tillage system, soils, geographic region, and the farmer's management. The purpose of this review is to provide material to decisionmakers that points out the assets and liabilities of the various CT systems. Tillage effects on soil characteristics and plant growth are presented and include a discussion of soil moisture and temperature, weed and insect control, nutrient availability, and yields. Water quality aspects are addressed through a discussion of the effects CT systems have on sediment, water, pesticide, and phosphorus loss.This work was supported by the Soil Science Department, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region V, Chicago, Illinois. (Grant No. G005139-01).     

Conservation practices in U.S. agriculture and their impact on carbon sequestration

Increase in the use of conservation practices byagriculture in the United States will enhance soilorganic carbon and potentially increase carbonsequestration. This, in turn, will decrease the netemission of carbon dioxide. A number of studies existthat calibrate the contribution of various individual,site-specific conservation practices on changes insoil organic carbon. There is a general absence,however, of a comprehensive effort to measureobjectively the contribution of these practicesincluding conservation tillage, the ConservationReserve Program, and conservation buffer strips to anchange in soil organic carbon. This paper fills thatvoid. After recounting the evolution of the use ofthe various conservation practices, it is estimatedthat organic carbon in the soil in 1998 in the UnitedStates attributable to these practices was about 12.2million metric tons. By 2008, there will be anincrease of about 25%. Given that there is asignificant potential for conservation practices tolead to an increase in carbon sequestration, there area number of policy options that can be pursued.     

PHOSPHORUS LOSSES FROM CROPLAND AS AFFECTED BY TILLAGE SYSTEM AND FERTILIZER APPLICATION METHOD1

ABSTRACT: A rainfall simulator was used to study the effectiveness of no-till and fertilizer application method on reducing phosphorus (P) losses from agricultural lands. Simulated rainfall was applied to 12 experimental field plots, each 0.01 ha in size. The plots were divided into no-till and conventional tillage systems. Two fertilizer application methods, subsurface injection and surface application, were investigated for the two tillage systems. Phosphorus fertilizer was applied at a rate of 46 kg/ha, 24 to 48 hours before the start of rain simulation. Water samples were collected from the base of each plot and analyzed for sediment and P content. No-till was found to be very effective in reducing runoff and sediment losses. No-till reduced sediment loss and total runoff volume by 92 and 67 percent, respectively. Subsurface injection of fertilizer, as compared to surface application, reduced PO₄ losses by 39 percent for no-till and by 35 percent for conventional tillage. The effect of tillage system on PO₄ losses was not significant. Reductions in total-P (P_T) losses due to no-till compared to the conventional tillage system were 89 and 91 percent for surface application and subsurface injection methods, respectively. Averaged across all fertilizer treatments, an equivalent of 0.9 and 8.9 percent of the P applied to the plots were lost from the no-till and conventional tillage plots, respectively.     

保护性耕作对农田土壤有机碳库的影响

农田土壤有机碳库是陆地生态系统碳库的重要组成部分,对维持全球碳平衡具有重要意义。有机碳库的储量除了受气候和环境因素的影响外,还受农业耕作措施的影响。综述了保护性耕作对土壤有机碳库的影响,并从碳输入、碳分解和碳固持3个方面讨论了保护性耕作影响有机碳库的途径。大量实验结果表明,保护性耕作在表层土壤中能提高作物根系生物量1.0%~142.9%;增加土壤微生物的生物量2.2%~140%。免耕还显著降低土壤的呼吸强度,在0.9%~72.6%之间,从而减少碳的损失。免耕还提高了土壤团聚体数量,从而有利于有机碳在土壤中的固持。今后的研究应该在如下几方面加强：（1）加强区域性对比研究;（2）加强长期定位研究;（3）加强对固碳机理的研究;（4）建立模型加强对多种因子综合效应的研究。     

不同耕作方式对土壤性质与玉米生长的影响研究

通过种植前对土壤进行不同耕作处理试验,探讨不同耕作方式和耕作深度（30 cm,35 cm,45 cm）对土壤理化性状及玉米（Zea mays L）根系生长的影响。结果表明,三种耕作方式对土壤容重、土壤含水量、土壤微生物总量、玉米根系生长的影响表现为：深松耕作〉传统耕作〉免耕。其中,深松耕作对表层土壤（0～25 cm）容重降低作用大于深层土壤（25～45 cm）;对增加土壤含水量、增加土壤微生物总量、促进玉米根系生长方面的作用,深层土壤大于表层土壤;从不同耕作深度进行比较,深松45 cm〉深松35 cm〉深松30 cm〉传统耕作,即耕作越深,对土壤物理性状和作物根系生长影响越大。不同耕作处理间玉米产量无显著性差异。综合研究区的土壤性质、作物生长、自然环境等因素,雨养农区可采用免耕—深松的循环耕作模式,改良土壤性质,提高经济效益。     

保护性耕作对土壤有机碳、氮储量的影响

以辽宁彰武县保护性耕作示范推广基地土壤为研究对象,通过实地调查和取样分析,对比研究了传统犁耕和6年免耕秸秆覆盖条件下的土壤有机碳、氮储量,为广泛评价保护性耕作的土壤碳、氮截获功能和合理选择农业耕作方式提供科学依据。研究结果表明,与犁耕相比,免耕覆盖不同程度地提高了0-5cm和5～15cm土层的有机碳、氮储量,对15cm以下土层没有影响,从而增加了0～100em土体总的有机碳、氮储量,证明了免耕覆盖的土壤碳、氮截获功能,年均截获率分别为1．37Mg·hm-2和0．84Mg·hm-2有机碳、氮在犁耕土壤0～30cm剖面的垂直分布较为均匀,免耕覆盖后则发生明显的分层,产生表聚现象。     

保护性耕作对土壤结构体碳氮分布的影响

以7年不同耕作的定位试验为研究对象,研究了深松、旋耕、免耕等保护性耕作对关中塿土小麦-玉米轮作条件下土壤结构体分布以及结构体中有机碳和全氮含量、储量的影响。结果表明,与传统耕作相比,深松、旋耕、免耕以及秸秆还田+传统耕作均提高了5 mm粒级结构体的含量。随着土壤结构体粒径的增大,结构体有机碳含量逐渐减小,有机碳含量在0.25 mm结构体中平均含量为10.87 g/kg,在5 mm结构体中平均含量为9.57 g/kg。在0.25 mm的各粒级结构体中,全氮含量也随着结构体粒径的增加而减小。深松和旋耕处理较免耕和传统耕作更有利于结构体中有机碳、氮含量的增加;深松和旋耕比较,深松更有利于2 mm结构体碳氮含量的增加。相关分析表明,土壤碳氮含量和较小粒级(2 mm)结构体的碳氮含量之间的相关性最好。从有利于结构体保持和有机碳、氮储量增加的角度考虑,深松和旋耕是当地较理想的耕作方式。     

Soil temperature and moisture sensitivities of soil CO2 e ux before and after tillage in a wheat field of Loess Plateau, China

As a conventional farming practice, tillage has lasted for thousands of years in Loess Plateau, China. Although recent studies show that tillage is a prominent culprit to soil carbon loss in croplands, few studies have investigated the influences of tillage on the responses of soil CO2 e ux (SCE) to soil temperature and moisture. Using a multi-channel automated CO2 e ux chamber system, we measured SCE in situ continuously before and after the conventional tillage in a rain fed wheat field of Loess Plateau, China. The changes in soil temperature and moisture sensitivities of SCE, denoted by the Q10 value and linear regression slope respectively, were compared in the same range of soil temperature and moisture before and after the tillage. The results showed that, after the tillage, SCE increased by 1.2–2.2 times; the soil temperature sensitivity increased by 36.1%–37.5%; and the soil moisture sensitivity increased by 140%–166%. Thus, the tillage-induced increase in SCE might partially be attributed to the increases in temperature and moisture sensitivity of SCE.     

耕作方式对太湖地区冬小麦生长季N_2O排放的影响

采用静态暗箱-气相色谱法对2009年11月至2010年6月冬小麦(Triticum aestivum L.)生长季N2O排放通量进行田间原位观测,研究不同耕作方式(免耕、少耕、传统耕作)对太湖地区稻麦轮作系统麦季土壤N2O排放的影响。结果表明:有植株参与下免耕、少耕和传统耕作的冬小麦生长季N2O平均排放通量分别为63.75μg·m-2·h-1、39.94μg·m-2.h-1和48.83μg·m-2·h-1,无植株参与下分别为73.48μg·m-2·h-1、52.97μg·m-2·h-1和63.60μg·m-2·h-1,麦季N2O排放通量的季节变化与5 cm、10 cm土壤温度呈显著或极显著线性正相关(r=0.400*～0.654**,n=28)。小麦种植对N2O的排放影响较大,无植株参与的N2O季节总排放量显著高于有植株参与的处理(P<0.05);耕作方式显著影响冬小麦农田N2O季节总排放量(P<0.05),有植株参与下麦季N2O总排放量少耕较免耕和传统耕作分别减少37.3%和17.9%,无植株参与下分别减少28.0%和16.7%。研究表明太湖地区冬小麦采用少耕措施可减少麦季N2O的排放。     

氮肥运筹和少免耕对麦田氮素径流流失的影响

采用田间小区定位试验研究了自然降雨条件下氮肥运筹和少免耕措施对稻麦两熟农田麦季氮素径流流失特征的影响。结果表明：自然降雨后麦田耕层土壤平均水分质量分数26.34%为径流事件发生的临界土壤水分质量分数。常规施肥（T0）条件下,麦季径流水量达2185.05 m3·hm-2,径流侵蚀泥沙量达716.08 kg.hm-2,少免耕（T2）处理增加麦田径流水量达29.67%,减少径流侵蚀泥沙量达13.96%,而肥料运筹（T1）与T0处理差异不显著;就整个麦季而言,T0处理条件下,径流水全氮（TN）平均质量浓度和径流侵蚀泥沙TN平均质量分数分别为10.51 mg·L-1和1.19 g·kg-1,T1处理显著降低径流水TN质量浓度和侵蚀泥沙TN质量分数分别达11.63%和5.93%,T2处理显著降低径流侵蚀泥沙TN质量分数达7.95%;麦季氮素径流流失主要集中在小麦生育前期,包括径流水氮素流失量和径流侵蚀过程中由泥沙流失的氮素量。T0处理条件下,氮素流失总量达31.76 kg·hm-2,其中,径流水氮素流失量占麦季氮素总流失量95%以上,T1处理减少麦季氮素总流失量达9.25%,而T2处理则增加麦季氮素总流失量达16.75%。