Soil Chemical Properties Under Conservation Agriculture and Cereal-Based Cropping System in Eastern Tarai of Nepal

Field experiments were conducted for four years (2014-2017) at five locations namely Salbani, Bhokraha, Simariya, Bhaluwa and Kaptanganj of Sunsari district to assess the changes in soil chemical properties under conservation agriculture (CA)-based practices in two cropping systems namely rice-kidney bean-maize at Salbani and rice-wheat at rest of the locations. In rice-wheat cropping system, there were four treatments: (1) conventional tillage (CT) for rice transplantation and subsequent wheat sowing, (2) conventional tillage rice transplantation followed by zero tillage (ZT) wheat, (3) unpuddled rice transplantation followed by zero tillage wheat, (4) zero tillage in both rice and wheat. Similarly, in rice-kidney bean-maize cropping system, there were four treatments; (1) conventional tillage for rice transplantation and sowing of both kidney bean and maize, (2) conventional tillage rice transplantation followed by zero tillage in both kidney bean and maize, (3) unpuddled rice transplantation followed by zero tillage in both kidney bean and maize, (4) zero tillage in all three crops. Soil samples were taken at initial and every year after rice harvest.The soil samples were analyzed for total nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, pH and soil organic matter.Total nitrogen (N) showed a slightly decreasing trend in the first three years and showed a slight increase at the end of experiment under ZT in all locations. The total N under ZT changed from 0.12 to 0.13%, 0.05 to 0.06%, 0.10 to 0.12%, 0.11 to 0.08% and 0.09 to 0.13% in Salbani, Bhokraha, Simariya, Bhaluwa and Kaptanganj, respectively.  All locations showed the positive values of available potassium; Salbani  revealing considerable change of 64.3 to 78.5 mg/kg in CT while 68.4 to 73.3 mg/kg in ZT condition. The treatment where rice was transplanted in unpuddled condition and zero tilled to wheat, had a mean value of available phosphorus and potassium as 87.3 and 81.9 mg/kg respectively. Soil pH ranged from 4.8 to 7.1 in CT while it was 5.2 to 6.8 in ZT across the locations. The change in soil organic matter in CT of all locations except Salbani was narrower as compared to ZT

Improving Soil Chemical Properties by NPK Fertilizer Application and Residual Rice Husk Biochar Effect on Irrigation Paddy Field

The research objective was to study effects of NPK fertilizer and biochar residue on soil chemical properties of paddy on second planting. Experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design in a factorial design with four replications. Biochar consisted of two levels, i.e. without biochar residue and with biochar residue 10 ton ha-1. NPK fertilizer consisted of three levels, i.e. without NPK, NPK 60 kg ha-1, and NPK 120 kg ha-1. The result showed that application NPK fertilizer and biochar residue on second planting increase total N 22.22%, available P 12.18%, available K 17.50%, and organic C 56.69% compare than first plantin

Soil Physico-Bio-Chemical Properties Under Poplar + Indian Mustard Inter Cropping System

A field experiment was conducted during the winter seasons of 2008-10 at Agroforestry Research Centre, Pantnagar, India with aim to examine the effect of different levels of recommended Nitrogen (N): Phosphorus (P): Potassium (K) (NPK) on soil physico-bio-chemical properties under varying poplar tree densities with mustard introcropping. Lower soil bulk density was recorded under 1000 trees/ha density compared to sole crop in both the year. Soil bulk density (BD) decreased underneath trees. However, soil pH, available N and K were not influenced by tree density in both the years. Electrical conductivity (EC) and soil organic carbon (SOC) increased underneath trees of either tree density compared to sole crop in both the years. Significantly (P<0.05) higher available P was recorded under 1000 trees/ha density compared to 250 and 500 trees/ha densities including sole crop in 2008-09. Similarly, soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) increased with increasing the tree density and significantly (P<0.01) higher value was recorded under 1000 trees/ha density compared to sole crop and sparse density both the years except 2009-10, where 500 and 1000 trees/ha densities remain statistically at par. On the other hand, dehydrogenase activity (DA) was maximum under 500 trees/ha density compared to sole crop and 1000 trees/ha density in both the years. Among the fertility levels, the maximum SOC and available N were recorded with 75% compared to 50, 100 and 125% of recommended NPK in 2008-09, except available N with 100% of recommended NPK. But, available P was more with 100% of recommended NPK in 2008-09. Similarly, maximum SMBC were recorded with 75 % compared to higher doses of recommended NPK in both the years. Similarly, BD, EC, SOC, available N, P and K were recorded maximum and soil pH minimum in 0-15 cm soil layers compared deeper layers.Journal of Nepal Agricultural Research Council Vol.1 2015 pp.14-2

Microflora in soils of desert regions

Desert soil samples, collected using aseptic techniques, are low in organic matter and cation exchange capacity. Aerobic and microaerophilic bacteria are most abundant, next are algae and molds. Chemical and physical properties are determined by standard procedures, including the Kjeldahl method and the use of Munsell soil color charts

Status Beberapa Sifat Kimia Tanah pada Berbagaipenggunaan Lahan di DAS Poboya Kecamatan Palu Selatan

This research aims is to determine some soil chemical properties on a variety land use in Poboya watershed. While the usefulness of this study are as material information about characteristics of the chemical properties of the various land use in the Poboya watershed which is expected to serve as a reference in treatment planning watershed and soil and water conservation. The method used in this research is using survey methods. Observations and soil sampling done by tactical. The distance between the observation point with other observations point adjusted to the conditions of the survey area. The soil samples were taken from four kinds of state forest land the land cover, shrubs, garden mix and moor. Each type of land use types 5 sub samples were taken and composited, in order to obtain four composite soil samples for laboratory analysis. The analysis includes a soil chemical properties of soil pH, organic C, N - total, P - total, P - available, Potassium, Cation Exchange Capacity and Texture. Results of chemical analysis of several types of land use, forest land has chemical properties that best compared with the chemical properties of the type of land use shrubs, garden mix and moor. Chemical properties on the type of land use mixed gardens and fields are generally relatively low

Long-term Effects of Tillage on the Retention and Transport of Soil Water

Quantitative measurements were made of the physical and chemical properties of two virgin prairie soils, Crowley and Jay, that remain in their native Arkansas environments and of similar soils that had been tilled extensively. Comparisons were made of soil properties at several depths. When compared with the tilled soils the virgin soils had higher organic matter contents, saturated hydraulic conductivities and water retained at several applied pressures. Bulk densities and hydraulic resistances were lower in the virgin soils. For the Crowley silt loam, values of pH and elemental contents of the virgin soil were higher than those of the tilled soil. Determinations also were made of the effects of a 14-year addition of winter cover crops on a Dubbs-Dundee soil in continuous cotton production. In general, the winter cover crops tended to increase hydraulic conductivity~. ·porosity and organic matter content. These results indicated that the detrimental effects of long-term tillage on soil hydraulic properties could partially be overcome with the planting of these crops during the winter. However, the rate of improvement in the hydraulic properties was not dramatic

Physical soil quality indicators for monitoring British soils

The condition or quality of soils determines its ability to deliver a range of functions that support ecosystem services, human health and wellbeing. The increasing policy imperative to implement successful soil monitoring programmes has resulted in the demand for reliable soil quality indicators (SQIs) for physical, biological and chemical soil properties. The selection of these indicators needs to ensure that they are sensitive and responsive to pressure and change e.g. they change across space and time in relation to natural perturbations and land management practices. Using a logical sieve approach based on key policy-related soil functions, this research assessed whether physical soil properties can be used to indicate the quality of British soils in terms of its capacity to deliver ecosystem goods and services. The resultant prioritised list of physical SQIs were tested for robustness, spatial and temporal variability and expected rate of change using statistical analysis and modelling. Six SQIs were prioritised; packing density, soil water retention characteristics, aggregate stability, rate of erosion, depth of soil and soil sealing. These all have direct relevance to current and likely future soil and environmental policy and are appropriate for implementation in soil monitoring programs

Does functional soil microbial diversity contribute to explain within-site plant beta-diversity in an alpine grassland and a <i>dehesa</i> meadow in Spain?

Questions: Once that the effects of hydrological and chemical soil properties have been accounted for, does soil microbial diversity contribute to explain change in plant community structure (i.e. within-site beta-diversity)? If so, at which spatial scale does microbial diversity operate? Location: La Mina in Moscosa Farm, Salamanca, western Spain (dehesa community) and Laguna Larga in the Urbión Peaks, Soria, central-northern Spain (alpine grassland). Methods: The abundance of vascular plant species, soil gram-negative microbial functional types and soil chemical properties (pH, available phosphorus, and extractable cations) were sampled at both sites, for which hydrological models were available. Redundancy analysis (RDA) was used to partition variation in plant community structure into hydrological, chemical and microbial components. Spatial filters, arranged in scalograms, were used to test for the spatial scales at which plant community structure change. Results: In the case of the dehesa the diversity of soil gram-negative microbes, weakly driven by soil pH, contributed to a small extent (adj-R2 = 2%) and at a relative medium spatial scale to explain change in plant community structure. The abundance of a few dehesa species, both annual (Trifolium dubium, Vulpia bromoides) and perennial (Poa bulbosa, Festuca ampla), was associated with either increasing or decreasing soil microbial diversity. In the alpine meadow the contribution was negligible. Conclusions: Microbial diversity can drive community structure, though in the hierarchy of environmental factors structuring communities it appears to rank lower than other soil factors. Still, microbial diversity appears to promote or restrain individual plant species. This paper aims to encourage future studies to use more comprehensive and insightful techniques to assess microbial diversity and to combine this with statistical approaches such as the one used here

Soil Properties and their Influence on Grassland Production under Low Input and Organic Farming Conditions

End of project reportThis project set out to identify soil properties that most influence grassland production under low mineral nitrogen input conditions. Sixteen farms were selected in Counties Limerick and Clare and the soil sampled. Soil physical and chemical characteristics and soil biological aspects involved in the carbon and nitrogen cycles were studied in the laboratory. Nutrient additions to farms as well as the nature of grazing by livestock (numbers, types of grazing animals, grazing practices), grassland management, and production from the farms were recorded