Effect of tillage and water pressure head on the hydraulic properties of a loamy soil surface

Abstract

The effect of different tillage practices on soil hydraulic properties was studied in a mature, drip irrigated apricot orchard with a 7% slope, in Murcia (SE Spain). The soil had a loamy texture. Three soil tillage treatments were applied between the rows of trees: 1) control treatment (non-tilled, although weeds were cut to ground level using a blade attached to a tractor following the common practice of the area), 2) perforation treatment, in which soil surface was mechanically perforated with an adapted plough, and 3) mini-catchment treatment, in which small banks were manually raised perpendicular to the line of emitters. The perforation and mini-catchment treatments increased the infiltration of water into the soil surface: the hydraulic conductivity and sorptivity values were higher than those of the control treatment. Both tillage treatments were designed to prevent runoff and both increased rainwater penetration of the soil. They may therefore be useful as part of water management strategies in semiarid areas with scarce water resources, such as Mediterranean countries. The process of infiltration appears to be controlled more by gravity than by capillary forces since the values for time related to gravity were small. Additional key words: disk infiltrometers, hydraulic conductivity, infiltration, pore size, sorptivity, time related to gravity. ResumenEfecto del laboreo y la carga hidráulica sobre las propiedades hidráulicas de la superficie de un suelo franco Se estudió la variación de las propiedades hidráulicas del suelo en una parcela situada en Murcia (SE de España), con un suelo franco y una pendiente del 7%, que soporta un cultivo adulto de albaricoque en riego por goteo, en función de diferentes labores practicadas en el mismo. Se realizaron tres tratamientos de suelo entre filas de árboles: tratamiento control (sin labor), siguiendo la práctica normal de la zona, eliminando la flora arvense mediante el paso de cuchillas arrastradas por un tractor; tratamiento ahoyado, por el cual se perforó el suelo mediante un apero diseñado a tal efecto; y tratamiento minicuencas, que consiste en levantar caballones perpendicularmente a las líneas de goteros. Los tratamientos minicuencas y ahoyado fueron realizados con el fin de mejorar las condiciones de infiltración del agua en los momentos en que se produjeran eventos de lluvia. Ambos tratamientos incrementaron la infiltración del suelo, tal y como indican los mayores valores de conductividad hidráulica y sorptividad con respecto al tratamiento control. Por otro lado, el proceso de infiltración está controlado en mayor medida por la fuerza de gravedad que por las fuerzas capilares, dado que los tiempos gravimétricos hallados son pequeños.Palabras clave adicionales: conductividad hidráulica, infiltración, infiltrómetros de disco, sorptividad, tamaño de poro, tiempo gravimétrico.

Soil infiltrability and water content as affected by Baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) and Néré (Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) Benth.) trees in farmed parklands of West Africa

“…The high standard error can be attributed to variation in soil properties under trees because of tillage as observed in other studies (Coutadeur et al. , 2002; Abrisqueta et al. , 2006).…”

Spatial root distribution of apricot trees in different soil tillage practices

“…The change in the soil water content after rainfall depends mainly on the soil infiltration capacity, as well as on the rainfall characteristics. Previous research indicated that both soil tillage treatments increased the hydraulic conductivity of the soil surface (Abrisqueta et al, 2004), which led to lower runoff compared with the control treatment (Table 1). The soil tillage treatments (perforated and mini-catchment) caused a reduction of about 80% in runoff and about 70% in soil loss, with respect to the control, throughout the experimental period (Me´ndez et al, 2002;Plana, 2003), similar to that found in soils amended with several rates of organic urban solid refuse in a semiarid soil (Albaladejo et al, 2000).…”

Effects of sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) cultivation duration on some soil physical properties in Ramu Valley of Papua New Guinea

“…Lower CI in the cane rows of fields cultivated for 22 yr could be due to formation of surface crusts due to repeated tillage, whose effects could overcast the beneficial effects of roots in enhancing infiltration rates (IR) (Braunack et al, 2006). Tillage practices are expected to hasten initial IR due to increased macro-pore spaces (Coutadeur et al, 2002;Abrisqueta et al, 2006;Unger, 2009), thereby increasing infiltration in cane rows. Better root growth of sugarcane plants in cane rows resulting from fertilizer additions may have increased the number and length of continuous pores within the soil leading to better water infiltration.…”