In situ infiltration as influenced by cover crop and tillage management

Abstract

In situ infiltration as influenced by cover crop and tillage managementABSTRCT Water is usually the most limiting factor in agricultural grain crop production. Various agricultural management practices such as tillage and use of cover crops have the potential to influence water infiltration into soil. This study was conducted on a Waldron silt loam (fine, smectictic, calcareous, mesic Aeric Fluvaquents) soil to evaluate the influence of cover crop and tillage management on in situ infiltration. The field site included three replicate blocks in a randomized complete block design with each plot measuring 21.3 m (69.9 ft) length and 12.2 m (40.0 ft) width. The two treatment factors included cover crop at two levels (cereal rye [Secale cereale] cover crop [CC] versus no cover crop [NC]) and tillage at two levels (moldboard plow tillage [Till] versus no-tillage [NT]). Continuous corn (Zea mays L.) was grown. Infiltration rates were measured in all the treatments using a Mariotte system with single ring infiltrometers during the 2014 and 2015 growing seasons. Water infiltration parameters were estimated using the Parlange and Green-Ampt infiltration equations. Parlange and Green-Ampt models appeared to fit measured data well with coefficient of variation ranging from 0.92 to 0.99. In 2014, the saturated hydraulic conductivity (KS) parameter value determined from the Parlange model was 30.4 mm h-1 for NT, about 42% greater than Till. The KS parameter value determined from the Green-Ampt model was 25.9 mm h-1 for NT, about 54% greater than Till. In 2015, the sorptivity (S) parameter value determined from the Parlange model was 38.6 mm h-0.5 for CC, about 82% greater than NC. The S parameter value determined from the Green-Ampt model was 34.0 mm h-0.5 for CC, about 90% greater than NC. Cover crop management can increase water infiltration, which can improve soil quality and enhance the sustainability of crop production systems.

X‐ray computed tomography–measured soil pore parameters as influenced by crop rotations and cover crops

“…Therefore, understanding the effects of management practices that supply C to the soil are of particular interest for the development of effective soil and water conservation practices. Assessment of soil-water conservation practices is particularly important for the Midwest region of United States, where continuous monocropping and crop-winter fallow have been reported to have negative impacts on soil physical properties (Haruna, Nkongolo, Anderson, Eivazi, & Zaibon, 2018a;Jagadamma, Lal, Hoeft, Nafziger, & Adee, 2008) and SOC (West & Post, 2002).…”

“…Winter CCs can provide high surface cover when their aboveground biomass is incorporated into the soil (Haramoto & Gallandt, 2004). This can facilitate root growth of succeeding crops (Calonego, Raphael, Rigon, de Oliveira Neto, & Rosolem, 2017) and their biomass can help to reduce the kinetic energy of rain drops (Haruna et al, 2018a). This can help in improving soil structure, improving macroporosity (Auler, Miara, Pires, Fonseca, & Barth, 2014), reducing ρ b (Blanco-Canqui, Mikha, Presley, & Claassen, 2011), and increasing water infiltration rate (q s ) (Touchton, Rickerl, Walker, & Snipes, 1984).…”

Influence of winter wheat on soil thermal properties of a Paleudalf

“…Cover crops (CC) have been used to prime the soil for the more economic crops (Troeh et al, 2003). Cover crops have been reported to provide ground coverage (thus reducing erosion) (Haramotto and Gallandt, 2004), increase soil organic matter (Villamil et al, 2006;Haruna et al, 2017) and increase water infiltration (Joyce et al, 2002;Haruna et al, 2018b) as compared with no cover crops (NC). They (CC) have also been reported to increase porosity (Haruna and Nkongolo, 2015) and air-filled porosity at -10 kPa pressure (Abdollah et al, 2014).…”

A database for global soil health assessment

“…Soil health, sometimes used interchangeably with soil quality, represents the ability of soils to function as a biodiverse organism that sustains terrestrial life (USDA-NRCS, 2019), and is often assessed using a combination of physical, chemical and biological indicators 1 . Cropland soil degradation due to natural vegetation removal, intensive agricultural operations, and erosion are among the main factors causing declines in soil health and crop yields [2][3][4] . According to a recent report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), one-third of soils in the world are infertile due to unsustainable land-use management practices 5 .…”

“…In conventional row crop farming systems, the soil surface often is left bare after harvesting and thus may cause soil erosion, leaching, and decreases in SOC [2][3][4] . A cover crop is a plant grown during the fallow season.…”