The short-term responses of soil microbial processes and community structure to perturbation constitute one aspect of soil quality. Such responses are often associated with an increase in the emissions of greenhouse gases (i.e., CO2, NO, or N2O) and the accumulation and potential loss of nitrate by leaching. Here we describe our recent work on responses of soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics, mic...

Hardpans (plough/hoe pans) are commonly believed to restrict plant root growth and crop yields under conventional small-scale agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. This study questions the notion of widespread hardpans in Zambia and their remedy under conservation tillage. Soil penetration resistance was measured in 8x12 grids, covering 80 cm wide and 60 cm deep profiles in 32 soil pits. Large and...

Organic agricultural production has become a major economic and cultural force. However, in water-limited environments the tools used for weed control and nutrient supply, namely tillage and cover crops, may not be environmentally or economically sustainable as tillage damages soil and cover crops use valuable water. Thus, a major challenge has been finding appropriate ways to minimize tillage ...

Interest in reduced tillage methods is expanding in response to concerns for soil quality in vegetable systems. Reduced tillage (RT) refers to systems that minimize soil disturbance and maintain at least 30% residue cover. These systems can reduce soil and wind erosion, overcome compaction challenges typical of vegetable soils, conserve organic matter and improve overall soil health. In additio...

Soil movement by tillage redistributes soil within the profile and throughout the landscape, resulting in soil removal from convex slope positions and soil accumulation in concave slope positions. Previous investigations of the spatial variability in surface soil properties and crop yield in a glacial till landscape in west central Minnesota indicated that wheat (Triticum aestivum) yields were ...

The development of technologies for accurate field-scale carbon assessment allows the implementation of more efficient policies than can be implemented in their absence. We estimate the value of accurate measurement technology by estimating the gains from implementing a more efficient policy, one that targets carbon reductions at the field scale but requires accurate field-scale measurement tec...

Conservation tillage mitigates soil loss in cropland because plant residues help protect the soil, but effects on pesticide movement in surface runoff are not as straightforward. Effects of soil disturbance on surface runoff loss of chlorimuron and alachlor were evaluated utilizing runoff trays. Soil in the trays was either disturbed (tilled) and kept bare or was not tilled, and existing decomp...

Abstract: Ridge culture is a special conservation tillage method, but the long-term influence of this tillage system on soil aggregate-size stability in paddy fields is largely unknown in southwest of china. The objectives of this paper are to evaluate soil aggregates stability and to determine the relationship between SOC and soil aggregate stability.Soil samples at 0-20 cm layer were adopted ...