Soil thermal conductivity determines how a soil warms or cools with exchange of energy by conduction, convection, and radiation. The ability to monitor soil thermal conductivity is an important tool in managing the soil temperature regime to affect seed germination and crop growth. In this study, the temperature-by-time data was obtained using a single probe device to determine the soil thermal...

A field experiment was performed from 2003 to 2008 to evaluate the effects of tillage system and nitrogen management regimes on crop yields and nitrate leaching from the fluvo-aquic soil with a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-maize (Zea mays L.) double-cropping system. The tillage systems consisted of conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT). Three nitrogen management regimes were incl...

BACKGROUND Tillage practices greatly affect carbon (C) stocks in agricultural soils. Quantification of the impacts of tillage on C stocks at a regional scale has been challenging because of the spatial heterogeneity of soil, climate, and management conditions. We evaluated the effects of tillage management on the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) in croplands of the Northwest Great Plains e...

Plant growth is directly affected by soil water, soil aeration, and soil resistance to root penetration. The least limiting water range (LLWR) is de®ned as the range in soil water content within which limitations to plant growth associated with water potential, aeration and soil resistance to root penetration are minimal. The LLWR has not been evaluated in tropical soils. Thus, the objective of...

Ploughless soil tillage impacts on yields and selected soil quality parameters is reviewed from the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Soil conditions as well as climatic conditions vary widely, this resulting in variations in the length of the growing season, which is very short in the northern part of Scandinavia. The success of reduced tillage and direct drilling ...

Physical, chemical and biological attributes of soil surface are significantly affected by tillage practices and crop rotation. The objective of this study was to determine the short-term (2006-2009) effects of conventional and conservational tillage practices on selected soil physical properties of a heavy clay soil under two wheat-corn and wheatlegume rotation in a semi-arid Mediterranean...

Comprehensive assessment of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) budget of reduced tillage agricultural systems must consider emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4), each of which have higher global warming potentials than carbon dioxide (CO2). Tillage intensity may also impact nitric oxide (NO) emissions, which can have various environmental and agronomic impacts. In 2003 and 2004, we us...

Conservation tillage reduces the physical movement of soil to the minimum required for crop establishment and production. When consistently practiced as a soil and crop management system, it greatly reduces soil erosion and is recognized for the potential to improve soil quality and water conservation and plant available water. Adoption of conservation tillage increased dramatically with the ad...

The use of continuous no-tillage cropping raises concern about water and nutrient movement into subsoil due to high soil bulk density. Deep ripping (i.e., paraplowing) might be a conservation strategy to loosen surface and subsoil without excessive incorporation of surface crop residues. We initiated a multi-year study comprised of four water catchments (3.1-6.7 acres each) that had previously ...

Wilhelm, W.W., Schepers, J.S., Mielke, L.N., Doran, J.W., Ellis, J.R. and Stroup, W.W., 1987. Dryland maize development and yield resulting from tillage and nitrogen fertilization practices. Soil Tillage Res., 10: 167-179. Conservation tillage ( 7 30% residue cover) has proven to be very effective in reducing runoff and erosion and in increasing soil water storage. In dryland cropping situation...