Effects of topsoil depth and soil amendments on corn yield and properties of two Alfisols in central Ohio

Abstract

Continued loss of topsoil due to erosion is a threat to sustaining row-crop production in soils of the US Cornbelt. The on-site impacts of soil erosion under natural field conditions, despite the confounding effects of many interacting factors, can be simulated by creating a range of topsoil depths (TSD) through soil removal from or addition to the existing soil surface. Thus, this study was conducted on two Alfisols in central Ohio, located at Waterman Farm of the Ohio State University, Columbus (site 1) and Western Agricultural Experiment Station of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center at South Charleston (site 2) with the objectives to assess (1) impacts of differences in TSD after 10 years of creating simulated erosion on crop yields and soil properties and (2) effectiveness of using organic manure and synthetic fertilizer in restoring the quality of eroded soil. The treatments included (1) three levels of TSD including removal of 20 cm (8 in) of topsoil, undisturbed soil, and addition of 20 cm (8 in) of topsoil; and (2) two amendment types including organic manure and synthetic fertilizer. The results indicated that at site 1, the grain yield response followed the order: topsoil removal (3.1 Mg ha -1 [1.38 tn ac -1 ]) < undisturbed control (5.6 Mg ha -1 [2.5 tn ac -1 ]) < topsoil addition (7.8 Mg ha -1 [3.48 tn ac -1 ]). At site 2, topsoil removal significantly reduced corn grain yield (8.2 Mg ha -1 [3.66 tn ac -1 ]) as compared to topsoil addition (9.3 Mg ha -1 [4.15 tn ac -1 ]). The response of soil organic carbon (SOC) pool to different TSD levels was not statistically significant for 0-to 10-cm (0-to 4-in) depth. However, SOC pool was the lowest for "soil removal" treatment at both sites for 10-to 20-cm (4-to 8-in) depth (15.3 Mg ha -1 [6.82 tn ac -1 ] at site 1 and 13.4 Mg ha -1 [5.98 tn ac -1 ] at site 2) and at site 1 for 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 in) depth (4.99 Mg ha -1 [3.66 tn ac -1 ]). Across TSD treatments, the SOC pool was significantly higher for plots receiving compost than those receiving synthetic fertilizer: 36.6 Mg ha -1 (16.3 tn ac -1 ) versus 27.8 Mg ha -1 (12.4 tn ac -1 ) for site 1 and 36.2 Mg ha -1 (16.1 tn ac -1 ) versus 22.9 Mg ha -1 (10.2 tn ac -1 ) for site 2. In addition, application of compost decreased soil bulk density, increased SOC concentration in different aggregate size fractions, and retained more soil moisture content when compared with the plots receiving synthetic fertilizer. Among the TSD levels, the exposed subsoil of the desurfaced treatment was more responsive to application of organic manure than synthetic fertilizer, leading to higher mean weight diameter and water stability of aggregates. The soil properties identified as corn grain yield predictors by multiple regression analysis varied only slightly between the two sites. The data obtained enhances the understanding of long-term changes in crop production and soil properties by erosional processes simulated by varying TSD in the US Cornbelt region.

Topographic and soil influences on root productivity of three bioenergy cropping systems

“…Variation in edaphic properties can be linked to differences in soil type related to topography (Burke et al, 1989;Cambardella et al, 2004), which can influence the productivity of annual crops. For example, variation in topsoil depth at field scales significantly affects grain yields of corn (Zea mays; Jagadamma et al, 2009), while SOM contents influence crop performance of corn across landscape positions in an agricultural watershed (Stott et al, 2011).…”

Effects of long-term soil and crop management on soil hydraulic properties for claypan soils

“…Erosion is also an important process because it can degrade soil physical properties (Lal and Moldenhauer 1987;Arriaga and Lowery 2003). A major impact of erosion is often the removal of a coarse-textured topsoil and exposure of a fine-textured subsoil at the surface that often has higher bulk density and lower hydraulic conductivity (Seobi et al 2005;Jagadamma et al 2009). Perennial vegetation is an additional factor, which can reduce the amount of surface runoff and the rate of erosion (van Rompaey et al 2001); this perennial vegetation may create differences in soil hydraulic properties.…”

Estimations of soil fertility in physically degraded agricultural soils through selective accounting of fine earth and gravel fractions

“…In reality, physically degraded soils could have a greater proportion of coarse fragments as the fine fractions are physically eroded. Erosion of soil leading to reduction in soil productivity has been well reported (Pierce et al, 1983;Pimentel et al, 1995;Jagadamma et al, 2009). The increase in the proportion of coarse fragments in soil reduces the volume of space effectively available for water and nutrient retentions, and also for plant root explorations (Grewal et al, 1984;Rao and Jessy, 2007;Nagaraja and Srinivasamurthy, 2009).…”

“…The coarse fragments in the soils were of granite-gneiss origin. Coarse fragments retained on the sieve were washed with a jet of water and their respective volumes were determined by a volumetric water displacement method (Jalota et al, 1998). Finally, the volume of coarse fragments was deducted from the bulk soil volume to assess the proportional volume of fine earth.…”

“…Finally, the volume of coarse fragments was deducted from the bulk soil volume to assess the proportional volume of fine earth. The undisturbed core method was used for determination of bulk density (Jalota et al, 1998). The soil organic C was determined using the wet combustion method (Mebius, 1960;Schumacher, 2002), and was then used in estimating soil organic C stocks for different mass-volume relationships.…”