Conservation Tillage Practices Optimizes Root Distribution and Straw Yield of Spring Wheat and Field Pea in Dry Areas

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of conventional tillage with straw removed (T), no tillage with straw removed (NT), no tillage with straw retained on the soil surface (NTS) and conventional tillage with straw incorporated (TS) on soil moisture, root growth and straw yield under rain-fed conditions. Findings of this research show that NTS and to a lesser extent, TS decreased soil bulk density in the 0-10 cm soil depth by approximately 3.35% and 2.75% compared to T and NT in spring wheat and field pea plots respectively. No tillage with straw retained (NTS) had greater soil moisture content (0-30 cm) at jointing, anthesis and milking stages compared with NT and T treatments with average 18.57% and 29.67% increase (P < 0.05) in spring wheat and field pea respectively. Compared with T and NT, root length, root surface area, root diameter and root volume at 0-50 cm soil depth under straw treated soils, especially with no tillage were significantly increased. Root length, surface area and root diameter in the 0-80 cm differed among the treatments in the order of NTS > TS > NT > T at all the sampling stages in both crops. No tillage with straw retention had the greatest straw yield of 4897 kg ha -1 in spring wheat and 2759 kg ha -1 in field pea, representing a significant increase of 20.61% and 22.74% compared to NT and T respectively. These results suggest that NTS could enhance spring wheat and field pea yield and water uptake via stimulating root growth, and therefore a practical way to improve crop productivity.

Influence of Organic Amendment on Soil Respiration and Maize Productivity in a Semi-Arid Environment

“…Organic manure applied together with chemical fertilizers increased soil C to a greater extent relative to other amendment treatment, showing that 50% of mineral nitrogen substituted by organic amendment (SC) can be more effective in restoring soil total C than chemical fertilizers alone; however, this is dependent on the degree of stabilization of organic matter in the material. Decreased ρ b and increased soil total C with SC may be a result of greater root biomass [52]. The results observed in this study demonstrate that substituting 50% of mineral N by organic amendment (SC) effectively improved soil conditions thereby enhancing soil fertility and improving crop productivity in semi-arid environments.…”

Strip rotary tillage with a two-year subsoiling interval enhances root growth and yield in wheat

“…Soil compaction, particularly in the subsoil layers, dramatically limits deep roots growth and development, and thus restricts the utilization of moisture and nutrients by the plants in the subsoil 17 . Suitable tillage practices could improve the soil structure by loosening the soil and reversing soil compaction in deeper soil layers, thus, resulting in an improved root system, which is the most critical role that tillage plays in the soil-plant systems 18 . However, since there is no information determining the suitable tillage practice to achieve the optimal yield based on an integrated root quality in various soil depth, our study to evaluate the root quality based on 11 root attributes across various tillage practices and soil depth is of great significance.…”

“…Tillage affects root growth in the subsoil and its intensity and frequency can positively influence crop root growth and yield 18,19 . However, frequent tillage creates hardpans in the subsoil, which can be detrimental to root proliferation below the plow layers 20 .…”

Mathematical Model of the Plane-Parallel Movement of the Self-Propelled Root-Harvesting Machine

“…The harvest techniques, the typology of the employed machines, and the adopted operative parameters (harvesting speed, harvesting depth, and so on) are also important factors in producing SLCH [10][11][12].…”