47 research outputs found
Effect of root systems on preferential flow in swelling soil
Permeability problems on irrigated soils may be alleviated by root
systems that increase water flow by creating macropores. Infiltration rates have been
shown to increase where plant roots decay and serve as preferential flow paths. For
low-organic-matter swelling soil, there is a question whether macropores are able to
resist the lateral swelling forces of the soil. The objective of this study was to observe
preferential water flow paths in a swelling soil under two cropping systems. A
Holtville silty clay (clayey-over-loamy, montmorillonitic Typic Torrifluvent) was
observed in situ. Two crops, alfalfa (Medicago saliva, L.) and wheat (Triticum
turgidum, L.) provided sharply contrasting root systems, with wheat possessing fine,
fibrous roots; alfalfa on the other hand, has a taproot system. Macropores were
observed after applying soil-adsorbing methylene blue dye to irrigation water.
Shrinkage cracks failed to conduct dye after 10 minutes into a flood irrigation.
Earthworm (Lubricus terrestris) channels were also not stable. However, decaying
roots of alfalfa produced stable macropores, while wheat produced no such
macropores. The influence of alfalfa-root-induced macropores was demonstrated by
the increase in final infiltration rate during alfalfa cropping which agreed with Meek
et al.'s (1989, 1990) findings on sandy loam soils
Zone production system for cotton: soil response
In a three-year study, the major advantage of a zone
cotton production system with controlled traffic was
determined to be reduction in tractor operations for field
preparation and crop management without a reduction in
yield. The study indicates that tillage is required under any
surface where wheels are operated to return the soil to a
low impedance for root exploration and to a conductive
state for water infiltration. However, the soil managed with
a zone system, with no traffic or tillage after initialization,
was stable with lower soil impedance and higher water
infiltration than soil in tilled and trafficked plots. Adoption
of these findings will reduce unit production costs
Alfalfa yield as affected by harvest traffic and soil compaction in a sandy loam soil
Harvesting alfalfa (Medicago saliva L.) results in plants
being subjected to traffic at different times during the growth
cycle with equipment having different wheel sizes and loads.
The affect of this traffic could have important ramifications
on yield. The objectives of this study were to determine the
long-term effects of harvest traffic and soil compaction on
alfalfa yield. In the first experiment, two conventional traffic
systems were compared to alfalfa production with no traffic.
A single traffic event, that covered 100% of the plot area 3
to 5 d after each swathing, compared to no traffic significantly
decreased yield by 20% in the 1st yr, 16.5% in the 2nd yr,
14% in the 3rd yr, with no significant difference the 4th yr.
There was no difference in total yield between nontrafficked
and a typical grower's traffic pattern the 1st yr, but in the
succeeding 3 yr there was a 5 to 17% reduction. The effects
of soil compaction and harvest traffic on yield were separated
in the second experiment. Alfalfa grown in moderately and
heavily compacted soil had a 12 and 26% decrease respectively
in seasonal total yield compared to the yield from
plants grown in noncompacted soil the 1st yr. Annual yields
were the same regardless of the degree of soil compaction in
the 3rd yr. When harvest traffic was applied to alfalfa grown
in extremely compacted soil there was an additional decrease
in yield. It was not statistically significant the 1st yr, but in
the following 2 yr, 1987 and 1988, yield was significantly
reduced by 17.8 and 19.1%, respectively. Alfalfa yields were
significantly reduced both by harvest traffic and compacted
soil. To achieve optimum long-term alfalfa yields compacted
soil must be tilled before planting and operations that reduce
the area of the field subjected to traffic must be implemented
Bulk density of a sandy loam: traffic, tillage, and irrigation method effects
Modern crop production creates a cycle between soil compaction
caused by traffic and alleviation of this condition by tillage or natural
processes such as freezing and thawing. The objective of this study
was to evaluate important management practices as they relate to
changes in bulk density of a tilled sandy loam soil. Practices evaluated
were irrigation method, time between tillage and traffic, tire pressure
and wheel load of applied traffic, and controlled traffic. Relationships
among bulk density, penetration resistance, and infiltration rate were
determined. Experiments were conducted in the San Joaquin Valley
of California, on a sandy loam soil (Entisol) with an organic-matter
content of <1%. After tillage, settling and trafficking of a soil resulted
in rapid changes in its bulk density until a new equilibrium was reached.
Tire pressure of 408 kPa and wheel weight of 2724 kg applied at
moisture contents near field capacity resulted in a bulk density of 1.92
Mg m-3 , compared with a value of 1.67 for no traffic. The time
interval between tillage and traffic did not affect final bulk density.
Drip irrigation, which did not saturate the soil, resulted in a bulk
density of ?0.1 Mg m-3 lower than flood irrigation, which saturated
the soil surface. Wheel traffic in the furrow resulted in only small
changes in the bulk density within the row. When tillage did not occur
between cropping seasons, traffic caused high bulk densities in the
furrow but only small changes in the row. An increase in bulk density
from 1.7 to 1.89 Mg m-3 decreased the infiltration rate by four times
and increased resistance to penetration at the end of the season by
three times. Knowledge of how management practices affect bulk density
can aid growers in reducing recompaction following tillage
Fine root development of alfalfa as affected by wheel traffic
Root development in alfalfa (Medicago satire L.) is dependent of
many factors including the soil environment which is influenced by
crop management procedures. Soil compaction, which is unavoidable
under current management procedures, can have a detrimental effect
on root development. The purpose of this field experiment was to
compare the effects of controlled and conventional traffic management
on alfalfa fine root growth in a Wasco sandy loam (coarse-loamy,
mixed, nonacid thermic Typic Torriorthent). No wheel traffic
and traffic only before planting were compared to two conventional
systems that varied in the amount of traffic applied during crop
production. Twenty months after planting, there was a significant
decrease in fine root density (FRD) from single passes of traffic after
each harvest down to a 0.45-m depth while several passes after each
harvest significantly decreased FRD down to 1.8-m depth. Regardless
of treatment, root density was greatest in the upper 0.1 m of
soil decreasing to 1.8 m in the first summer. By the second summer
FRD showed bimodal distribution with significantly fewer roots at
0.3 to 0.6 m compared to layers above and below this depth. Seasonally
there was a significantly higher root density during the winter than the summer in the upper 0.3 m of soil. The results of this
study shows that alfalfa fine roots more thoroughly exploit the soil
volume in the absence of wheel traffic and that compaction from
traffic diminished root growth to different depths depending on its
intensity
Zone-subsoiling effects on infiltration, runoff, erosion, and yields of furrow-irrigated potatoes
Soil compaction is a problem in many Pacific Northwest fields. We hypothesized that zone subsoiling
would improve potato (Solanum tuberosum L., cv. 'Russet Burbank' ) yield or grade, increase
infiltration, and decrease bulk density, runoff, and erosion of furrow-irrigated fields, while maintaining
trafficability and irrigability of furrows. A 2 year study was established on a Portneuf silt loam
(coarse-silty, mixed, mesic Durixerollic Calciorthids). In the fall, plots were in wheat stubble (1988)
or bean stover (1989), and were either disked (10-12 cm ), chiselled (25-30 cm ), or moldboard
plowed (20-25 cm ). Fall tillages were split in spring, half of each plot receiving in-row zone subsoiling
(46 cm ) after planting potatoes. The effect of zone subsoiling on infiltration in 1989 was small because
of variation across fall tillages. In 1990, zone subsoiling increased infiltration by 10% across fall
tillages. Erosion decreased up to 278% with zone subsoiling. Zone subsoiling reduced erosion more
effectively than it increased infiltration, shown by a two- to three-fold decrease in the sediment loss
to water infiltrated ratio. Zone subsoiling increased infiltration and reduced erosion more in 1990
when the study was conducted on a slightly steeper slope with higher water application rates than in
1989. In 1989, zone subsoiling increased the yield of grade 1 tubers by 3.8 t ha-1 (4.6%), but the total
yield was not significantly increased. In 1990, zone subsoiling increased the total yield by 4.2 t ha-1
the yield of grade 1 tubers by 5.6 t ha-1 (7.7%). With zone subsoiling, the percentage of large
grade 1 market-grade tubers increased by 3.3% in 1989 and 5.7% in 1990. Zone subsoiling requires
some extra attention by the irrigator early in the season to insure uniform furrow irrigation, but it can
potentially conserve both soil and water while improving grade and yield
Changes in infiltration under alfalfa as influenced by time and wheel traffic
Infiltration rates were measured for alfalfa, (Medicago saliva L.,
cv. WL514) subjected to treatments where wheel traffic was varied
in terms of area covered and time of application on a Wasco sandy
loam (coarse-loamy, mixed, nonacid thermic Xeric Torriorthent).
Traffic treatments were (i) No-traffic, (ii) Preplant, (iii) Repeated,
and (iv) traffic similar to what a grower would apply. Infiltration
rates increased for all treatments, with increases being 240% for
treatments without harvest traffic and 140% for treatments with harvest
traffic Increases in infiltration were related to decreases in
stand density. Slight packing (traffic) applied before the soil was
flood-irrigated in 1983 increased infiltration rates 20% compared to
flooding loosened soil (no traffic). Harvest traffic resulted in slower
water movement in the soil
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) water use efficiency as affected by harvest traffic and soil compaction in a sandy loam soil
Traffic during alfalfa harvest operations can
cause soil compaction and damage to newly growing
stems. Root exploration for soil water and nutrients,
forage growth dynamics, and final yield can all be affected.
The objectives of this study were to determine the
long-term effects of harvest traffic and soil compaction on
water-use efficiency (WUE) of alfalfa grown in a Wasco
sandy loam (coarse-loamy, mixed, nonacid, thermic Typic
Torriorthents). Alfalfa was planted into tilled soil and
managed with or without harvest traffic. Plants subjected
to traffic during harvest had a significantly lower WUE
two out of the three years studied compared to plants that
were never subject to traffic. The second experiment examined
whether planting alfalfa into compacted soil and
managed with or without harvest traffic altered WUE.
Soil compaction had no affect on alfalfa WUE. It was
significantly lower when grown in compacted soil and
subjected to harvest traffic. It is suggested that the decrease
in WUE caused by harvest traffic may be explained
by plants allocating carbohydrates to damaged shoots
and crowns instead of to above ground forage production.
The area of the field affected by harvest traffic, which
damages newly growing stems, should be minimized to
increase crop water use efficiency
Root-zone mineral nitrogen changes as affected by crop sequence and tillage
Crop sequence and tillage affect soil mineral N (NH4 plus NO3)
and NO3 leaching below the root zone following alfalfa (Medicago
sativa L.). A 2-yr field experiment was conducted in south-central
Idaho to determine the effect on soil NO3 levels of a corn (Zea mays L.)-
wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) rotation compared with a bean (Phaseolus
vulgaris L.)-bean rotation and to demonstrate improved N utilization
with a corn-wheat rotation. Alfalfa, growing on an irrigated Portneuf
silt loam (coarse-silty, mixed, mesic Durixerollic Calciorthid), was
killed in October 1989 with herbicide. Treatments were: (i) BT-BT:
conventional tilled bean grown in 1990 and 1991; (ii) CNT-WNT:
no-till silage corn grown in 1990, and no-till winter wheat grown in
1990-1991; and (iii) CT-WT: same as CNT-WNT but under conventional
tillage. Similar amounts of soil N were mineralized the first
(275 kg N ha-1) and second (213 kg N ha-1) year after killing the
alfalfa in all treatments. The BT-BT treatment had the highest growing-season
soil mineral N (up to 251 kg ha-1, 0-0.45-m depth) because
the N uptake by bean was lower (187 kg N ha-1) than corn (252 kg
N ha-1, average of CT-WT and CNT-WNT treatments) in 1990 and
later than winter wheat uptake in 1991. Most wheat N uptake had
occurred by late June when bean uptake was just starting. A rotation
that follows alfalfa with corn or a crop with a similar N uptake pattern,
instead of bean, will save N fertilizer, lower soil NO3 levels, and reduce
NO3 leaching potentia
Infiltration rate as affected by an alfalfa and no-till cotton cropping system
Previous studies measured a long-term increase in infiltration rate
in a sandy loam soil with time when alfalfa (Medicago saliva L., cv.
WL514) was grown. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) was direct-planted
into alfalfa to determine if the high infiltration rates measured
under alfalfa culture could be maintained in cotton under either
a till or no-till system. Treatments were no-till or tillage to the 0.15 -
m depth just before the cotton was planted. Prior compaction levels
created by harvest traffic applied to the alfalfa made the soil loose
or compacted. Cotton was planted flat and irrigated as a basin. Infiltration
rates measured 2 h after water was applied and averaged
for the season were 101 (no-till, loose), 56 (till, loose), 82 (no-till,
compacted), and 42 mm/h (till, compacted). All the infiltration rates
were much higher than normally measured for cotton in these soils.
Water flow in the 5-yr-old alfalfa was determined to be mainly
through the soil macropore system. High infiltration rates measured
in the no-till cotton were also probably the result of flow through
the macropores