The impact of no-till (NT) and other reduced tillage (RT) practices on soil to atmosphere fluxes of nitrous oxide (N(2)O) are difficult to predict, and there is limited information regarding strategies for minimizing fluxes from RT systems. We measured vertical distributions of key microbial, chemical, and physical properties in soils from a long-term tillage experiment and used these data as i...

Soil and crop management practices can influence CO2 emission from crop and grasslands and therefore on global warming. We examined the effects of two irrigation systems (irrigated vs. non-irrigated) and six management practices [no-till malt barley (Hordeum vulgaris L.) with 67 or 134 kg N ha (NTBFN), notill malt-barley with 0 kg N ha (NTBON), conventional-till malt barley with 67 or 134 kg N ...

For centuries tillage has been used to prepare suitable seedbed to grow crops, and to control weeds and incorporate fertilizers, pesticides, manures and other amendments. In early years conversion of native ecosystems by tillage helped to unlock nutrients stored in soil organic matter, and thus `mine' naturally fertile soils to grow crops with minimum inputs for the growing population. However,...

Long-term assessment of NO3-N leaching losses to subsurface drainage "tile" water from different tillage systems and N application rates can help mitigate the environmental concerns of production agriculture. A three-phase field study was conducted to investigate the impact of two tillage systems (chisel vs. no-till) and different N application management systems on flow-weighted NO3-N concentr...

Several reduced, or conservation tillage (CT) approaches are currently being evaluated in Central Valley forage production systems. In theory, these practices reduce costs and minimize the time needed to go from one crop to the next. Recent single-year trials with dairy forage producers in Stanislaus and Tulare Counties have evaluated the potential of several CT systems and have identified a nu...

A GLEAMS (ver. 2.10) model was calibrated and validated using three years (1990–1992) of field–measured data to simulate tillage effects on nitrate–nitrogen (NO3–N) and herbicide losses with subsurface drain “tile” water beneath a continuous corn production system. The model was calibrated for chisel plow systems using 1991 field data and was validated against field data of two years (1990 and ...

Effects of tillage and crop rotation on nematode densities in tropical corn (Zea mays cv. Pioneer X304C) were examined in a factorial experiment with two rotation crops and two tillage practices (no-till vs. conventional-till), conducted in each of three seasons (1990-1992) in north Florida. The rotation treatments consisted of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor cv. DeKalb BR64) or soybean (Glycine max) ...

Following cultivation, substantial loss of soil organic matter occurs in surface layers. No-till is an agronomic practice to reverse or slow the matter. We reviewed 95 research papers that used 13C natural abundance soils quantify impact tillage on C dynamics cropping systems. New (from current systems) accumulated under no-till, whereas most extreme cultivation (mouldboard ploughing) mixed new...

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...

Row-crop agriculture is under pressure to reduce sediment and nutrient losses to surface water resources by practicing less tillage and more precise application and placement of nutrients. Field studies started in 1997 were conducted through 2002 on very low to low P-testing (3 to 5 ppm Bray P1) and medium to high-P testing (11 to 19 ppm Bray P1) sites of a Nicollet-Webster clay loam complex at...