Long term Reduced Tillage Improved Soil Physical Characteristics and Crop Productivity in Subtropical Dryland of Pakistan
Year: 2019
Type: article
Abstract: Recently there is a worldwide emphasis to shift intensive tillage to conservation tillage to control soil degradation.The objectives of this study were to evaluate long-term effects of conservation tillage on soil characteristics and prospects of cropping intensification in a subtropical dryland.This two-year field study was carried out in the plots of an established longterm field experiment (initiated in 2011) where four tillage systems were compared viz., conventional tillage (CT, moldboard), minimum tillage (MT), reduced tillage (RT) and zero tillage (ZT).Each tillage plot was split into three subplots for crop sequences viz., fallow-wheat (Triticum aestivum) (F-W), mung bean (Vigna radiata) green manure-wheat (M-W) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) fodder-wheat (S-W).Under all crop sequences soil profile water content (0-90 cm) was the highest in RT tillage plots (19%) and the lowest in ZT plots (13%).Both RT and ZT significantly increased water stable aggregates in soil (35%) compared with CT (22%).However, ZT had the highest bulk density that was on average 1.53 Mg ha -1 compared to 1.45 Mg ha -1 under CT.In summer, RT tillage produced higher biomass yield of sorghum and mung bean than other tillage systems.In winter, RT produced the highest wheat grain yield, which was 2.89 and 2.84 t ha -1 in 2016, and 2.63 and 2.61 t ha -1 in 2017 especially in F-W and M-W systems, respectively.Moreover, DSSAT model also confirmed increase in biomass and grain yields of wheat with long-term application of RT practices.In conclusion, reduced tillage strategy should be implemented to avoid soil deterioration and enhance crop productivity in subtropical drylands.
Institution: Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University
Language: English
Subfield: Soil Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W3166073900