Chapter 8 Tillage and cultural practices

Yule, D. F.; Willcocks, T.F.

doi:10.1016/s0166-2481(96)80010-9

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Almost every developing country in Africa has important areas of Vertisols that are generally regarded as inherently fertile and potentially productive (Syers et al ., ). The African Vertisols are, however, largely uncultivated as cultivation of this soil type is often not well suited to the socioeconomic environment of small scale African farming systems, especially because ploughing of Vertisols to the typical depths requires a high input of draft power (Yule and Willcocks, ). It has been suggested that increased cultivation of African Vertisols could make a significant and much needed contribution to food production for the continent, and efforts are being made to bring larger areas of this soil type under plough (Syers et al ., ); however, little is known about the effects of cultivation on SOC dynamics in Vertisols.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic Carbon Dynamics in Different Soil Types After Conversion of Forest to Agriculture

et al. 2013

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State‐of‐the‐art predictive models of soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics associated with land use changes are unable to reflect the diversity of tropical soil types as the knowledge of contrasting site‐specific factors in mediating the response of the SOC pool is sparse. This paper examines the influence of soil type and management on SOC dynamics following the conversion of forests to annual cropping in Ghana. Soil from primary forests and from areas with short (2–7 years) and long (20 years) histories of maize cultivation was sampled from a Vertisol dominated by smectite and Ultisol dominated by kaolinite. Wet sieving was used to separate soil fractions below and above 250 µm. SOC concentrations and δ13C signatures of SOC in soil fractions and bulk soil were determined. SOC stocks were calculated by the commonly used fixed depth approach and by the equivalent soil mass approach. After 20 years of cultivation of the Vertisol, the total SOC content was 40 per cent lower than under forest, and about 95 per cent of the forest‐derived SOC had been lost. After 20 years of cultivation of the Ultisol, total SOC content was only about 20 per cent lower than under forest and merely 30 per cent of the forest‐derived SOC had been lost. Both soil types were managed as they would typically be in small scale farming systems, thus the higher SOC losses and the substantial loss of forest‐derived SOC from the Vertisol question the conventional concept of smectite having a higher SOC‐stabilizing potential than kaolinite under field conditions. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic Carbon Dynamics in Different Soil Types After Conversion of Forest to Agriculture

et al. 2013

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“…However, the accompanying increased herbicide application with no‐tillage practices is already discussed in the literature (Jayaraman et al., 2021; Kanthal et al., 2020). On the contrary, as a short‐term measure, ploughing may also create altered soil properties such as roughness, aggregate change, and loosening that increase infiltration by increasing near‐surface porosity and thereby water storage capacity (El‐Swaify et al., 1985; Yule & Willcocks, 1996;). Otherwise, ploughing leads to a decrease in soil cover and thus greater susceptibility to erosion (Potter et al., 1995; Yule & Willcocks, 1996).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the contrary, as a short‐term measure, ploughing may also create altered soil properties such as roughness, aggregate change, and loosening that increase infiltration by increasing near‐surface porosity and thereby water storage capacity (El‐Swaify et al., 1985; Yule & Willcocks, 1996;). Otherwise, ploughing leads to a decrease in soil cover and thus greater susceptibility to erosion (Potter et al., 1995; Yule & Willcocks, 1996). Because of the high influence of the LS factor on the erosion rates of Pelosols, particular care should be taken for agricultural management in slopes, for example, by contour farming, to reduce long runoff paths.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occurrence and erosion susceptibility of German Pelosols and international equivalents

Scheper

Meusburger

Borrelli

et al. 2022

J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci.

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Background: Pelosols are the Soil of the Year 2022 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.They represent soils with a high clay content (≥45%) in the diagnostic P horizon. Pelosols are nutrient-rich, have a strong capacity for swelling and shrinking, have a challenging water balance with a high portion of nonplant available water and are affected by high traction. Such special characteristics make them challenging soils under agricultural management. Aims:The occurrence, land use management and soil erosion risk of Pelosols in Germany were investigated and compared to their clay-rich soil counterparts on a global scale. Methods:We intersected soil maps of the German and international digital soil mapping with soil erosion data.Results: A high percentage (63%) of Pelosols in Germany are under agricultural use, from which two-thirds are arable farming. Simultaneously, Pelosols have a high risk for soil erosion by water and are the fourth most endangered soil type compared to all soil types in Germany. The average soil erosion loss of Pelosols used for agricultural practices assessed by the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) is 2.24 t ha −1 y −1 compared to an average erosion loss of all agriculturally used soils in Germany of 1.65 t ha −1 y −1 . From an international perspective, Pelosols in Germany are mostly mapped as haplic Cambisols or haplic Luvisols, as they do not necessarily meet the diagnostic properties of the clay-rich Vertisol soil type. Most Vertisols are classified as Pelosols, but Pelosols do not necessarily fulfil the diagnostic criteria of Vertisols. Vertisols on a global scale have an even higher soil erosion risk than Pelosols in Germany (3.5 t ha −1 y −1 ).Conclusions: Pelosols and Vertisols, despite their high percentages for agricultural use, have a high soil erosion risk compared to other soil types and thus need special care under agricultural use and adapted protective land use management.

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Vertisols

2017

Encyclopedia of Soil Science, Third Edition

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Chapter 8 Tillage and cultural practices

Cited by 4 publications

References 40 publications

Organic Carbon Dynamics in Different Soil Types After Conversion of Forest to Agriculture

Organic Carbon Dynamics in Different Soil Types After Conversion of Forest to Agriculture

Occurrence and erosion susceptibility of German Pelosols and international equivalents

Vertisols

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