Cumulative effects of reduced tillage and mulching on soil properties under semi-arid conditions

Journal of Arid Environments

Volumn 91, Issue , 2013, Pages 45-52

  Mupangwa, W ^a,b,c   Twomlow, S ^d   Walker, S ^b  

^a ICRISAT   (Zimbabwe)

^b UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE   (South Africa)

^c CIMMYT   (Zimbabwe)

^d IFAD Regional Office in Nairobi   (Kenya)

Author keywords

Bulk density; Conservation agriculture; Hydraulic conductivity; Infiltration; Maize yield; Sorptivity

Indexed keywords

BULK DENSITY; CLAY LOAM; CROP YIELD; FIELD; HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY; LEGUME; MAIZE; MULCHING; ORGANIC SOIL; PLOWING; SEMIARID REGION; SMALLHOLDER; SOIL CARBON; SOIL STRUCTURE; SORGHUM;

ZEA MAYS;

EID: 84871993836     PISSN: 01401963     EISSN: 1095922X     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2012.11.007     Document Type: Article

References (39)

1. Anderson J.M., Ingram J.S.I. Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility. a Handbook of Methods 1993, C.A.B. International, Wallingford, UK. second ed.
2. Arshad M.A., Franzluebbers A.J., Azooz R.H. Components of surface soil structure under conventional and no-tillage in northwestern Canada. Soil and Tillage Research 1999, 53:41-47.
3. Azooz R.H., Arshad M.A. Soil infiltration and hydraulic conductivity under long-term no-tillage and conventional tillage systems. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 1999, 76:143-152.
4. 15N natural balance. Biology and Fertility of Soils 2010, 46:191-198.
5. Belder P., Twomlow S., Hove L. Early Evidence of Improved Soil Quality with Conservation Farming Under Smallholder Farming Conditions in Zimbabwe 2007, Paper Presented at the ICID Conference, November 2007, Johannesburg, South Africa.
6. Bissett M.J., O'Leary G.J. Effects of conservation tillage and rotation on water infiltration in two soils in south-eastern Australia. Australian Journal of Soil Research 1996, 34:299-308.
7. Carsel R.F., Parrish R.S. Developing joint probability distributions of soil water retention characteristics. Water Resources Research 1988, 24:755-769.
8. Cobo J.G., Dercon G., Monje C., Mahembe P., Gotosa T., Nyamangara J., Delve R.J., Cadisch G. Cropping strategies, soil fertility investment and land management practices by smallholder farmers in communal and resettlement areas in Zimbabwe. Land Degradation and Development 2009, 20:492-508.
9. Daraghmeh O.A., Jensen J.R., Petersen C.T. Soil structure stability under conventional and reduced tillage in a sandy loam. Geoderma 2009, 150:64-71.
10. Das D.K., Chopra U.K. Soil water movement, balance and its use by crops as influenced by soil physical conditions. Soil Physical Conditions and Crop Growth, Monograph 1988, 231-254. Geo-Environ Academia and Divyajyoti Prakashan, Shastri Nagar, India. L.L. Somani (Ed.).
11. Decagon Devices Minidisk Infiltrometer 2007, User's Manual, Version 4.
12. Dexter A.R. Soil physical quality. Part 1. Theory, effects of soil texture, density and organic matter, and effects on root growth. Geoderma 2004, 120:201-214.
13. FAO World Reference Base for Soil Resources 1998, World Soil Resources Report 84, Rome.
14. Giller K.E., Witter E., Corbeels M., Tittonell P. Conservation agriculture and smallholder farming in Africa: the heretic's view. Field Crops Research 2009, 114:23-34.
15. Głab T., Kulig B. Effect of mulch and tillage system on soil porosity under wheat (Triticum aestivum). Soil and Tillage Research 2008, 99:169-178.
16. Hadas A., Rawitz E., Etkin H., Margolin M. Short-term variations of soil physical properties as a function of the amount of C/N ratio of decomposing cotton residues. I. Soil aggregation and aggregate tensile strength. Soil and Tillage Research 1994, 32:183-198.
17. Halvorson A.D., Wienhold B.J., Black A.L. Tillage, nitrogen, and cropping system effects on soil carbon sequestration. Soil Science Society of America Journal 2002, 66:906-912.
18. Liebig M.A., Tanaka D.L., Wienhold B.J. Tillage and cropping effects on soil quality indicators in the Northern Great Plains. Soil and Tillage Research 2004, 78:131-141.
19. Liepic J., Kus J., Nosalewicz A., Turski M. Tillage system effects on stability and sorptivity of soil aggregates. International Agrophysics 2006, 20:189-193.
20. McGarry D., Bridge B.J., Radford B.J. Contrasting soil physical properties after zero and traditional tillage of an alluvial soil in the semi-arid subtropics. Soil and Tillage Research 2000, 53:105-115.
21. Mielke L.N., Wilhelm W.W., Richards K.A., Fenster C.R. Soil physical characteristics of reduced tillage in a wheat-fallow system. Transaction ASAE 1984, 84:1724-1728.
22. Moreno F., Pelegrh F., Fernindez J.E., Murillo J.M. Soil physical properties, water depletion and crop development under traditional and conservation tillage in southern Spain. Soil and Tillage Research 1997, 41:25-42.
23. Moyo M. Representative Soil Profiles of ICRISAT Research Sites 2001, Soils Report NoA666, AREX, Chemistry and Soil Research Institute, Harare, Zimbabwe.
24. Mulumba L.N., Lal R. Mulching effects on selected soil physical properties. Soil and Tillage Research 2008, 98:106-111.
25. Mupangwa W., Walker S., Twomlow S. Start, end and dry spells of the growing season in semi-arid southern Zimbabwe. Journal of Arid Environments 2011, 75:1097-1104.
26. Mupangwa W., Twomlow S., Walker S. Reduced tillage, mulching and rotational effects on maize (Zea mays L.), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (Walp) L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. (Moench)) yields under semi-arid conditions. Field Crops Research 2012, 132:139-148.
27. Mupangwa, W., 2008. Water and Nitrogen Management for Risk Mitigation in Smallholder Cropping Systems. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of the Free State, South Africa.
28. Ncube B., Twomlow S., van Wijk M.T., Dimes J.P., Giller K.E. Productivity and residual benefits of grain legumes to sorghum under semi-arid conditions in south-western Zimbabwe. Plant and Soil 2007, 299:1-15.
29. Ncube B., Dimes J.P., van Wijk M.T., Twomlow S.J., Giller K.E. Productivity and residual benefits of grain legumes to sorghum under semi-arid conditions in south-western Zimbabwe: unravelling the effects of water and nitrogen using simulation modelling. Field Crops Research 2009, 110:173-184.
30. Rao M.R., Mathuva M.N. Legumes for improving maize yields and income in semi-arid Kenya. Agriculture, Ecosystem and Environment 2000, 78:123-137.
31. Salinas-Garcia J.R., Hons F.M., Matocha J.E., Zuberer D.A. Soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics as affected by long-term tillage and nitrogen fertilization. Biology and Fertility of Soils 1997, 25:182-188.
32. Sanchez P. Soil fertility and hunger in Africa. Science 2002, 225:2019-2020.
33. So H.B., Grabski A., Desborough P. The impact of 14 years of conventional and no-till cultivation on the physical properties and crop yields of a loam soil at Grafton NSW, Australia. Soil and Tillage Research 2009, 104:180-184.
34. Thierfelder C., Wall P. Effects of conservation agriculture techniques on infiltration and soil water content in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Soil and Tillage Research 2009, 105:217-227.
35. Thierfelder C., Wall P. Rotation in conservation agriculture systems of Zambia: effects on soil quality and water relations. Journal of Experimental Agriculture 2010, 46(3):1-17.
36. Twomlow S.J., Steyn J.T., du Preez C.C. Dryland farming in southern Africa. Agronomy Monograph No. 23 2006, 769-836. American Society of Agronomy, Madison, Wisconsin, (Chapter 19). second ed. G.A. Petersen, W.P. Unger, W.A. Payne (Eds.).
37. Vauchin M., Chopart J.L. Multi-disc infiltrometry for in-situ determination of the surface hydrodynamic features of a gravel soil in Cote-d'Ivoire. L'Agronomie Tropicale 1997, 46(4):259-271.
38. Webster R. Statistics to support soil research and their presentation. European Journal of Soil Science 2001, 52:331-340.
39. Zhang R. Determination of soil sorptivity and hydraulic conductivity from the minidisk infiltrometer. Soil Science Society of America Journal 1997, 61:1024-1030.