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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lincoln, Nebraska » Agroecosystem Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #330208
Title: Long-term tillage impact on soil hydraulic properties

Author
item BLANCO-CANQUI, HUMBERTO - University Of Nebraska
item Wienhold, Brian
item Jin, Virginia
item Schmer, Marty
item KIBET, LEONARD - University Of Nebraska

Submitted to: Soil and Tillage Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/2017
Publication Date: 3/10/2017
Publication URL: https://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/5645176
Citation: Blanco-Canqui, H., Wienhold, B.J., Jin, V.L., Schmer, M.R., Kibet, L.C. 2017. Long-term tillage impact on soil hydraulic properties. Soil and Tillage Research. 170:38-4.2 doi:10.1016/j.still.2017.03.001.

Interpretive Summary: Management practices such as tillage can influence infiltration and storage of water by soils. The response of soils to various tillage practices can be site specific. A study was conducted on a fine textured soil common to eastern Nebraska to compare soil properties related to infiltration and storage of water and their relation to bulk density and soil organic matter. Corn was grown in all plots under rainfed conditions. Tillage treatments included no-till, chisel plow, disk, and moldboard plow. Infiltration was measured under saturated conditions and under conditions that excluded large pores and cracks in the soil. At this site infiltration was greater under plow tillage than the other tillage treatments under saturated conditions and was similar among tillage treatments when large pores and cracks were excluded. Bulk density was similar among tillage treatments. Soil organic matter was greater under no-tillage than the other tillage practices. Increases in soil organic matter is often assumed to improve soil properties associated with water infiltration and storage but the affect was not observed at this site.

Technical Abstract: An improved understanding of the impact of tillage systems on soil hydraulic properties is necessary toconserve and manage soil water under a changing climate. The objective of this study was to speci'callymeasure soil hydraulic properties (total porosity, water in'ltration, saturated hydraulic conductivity, andwater retention characteristics) in no-till, chisel plow, disk, and moldboard plow systems under rainfedcontinuous corn (Zea mays L.) after 35 yr on silty clay loam soils in eastern Nebraska. We measuredponded water in'ltration (positive soil water pressure) and tension ('1 kPa matric potential) in'ltrationto exclude macropore (>125 mm diameter) 'ow. Tillage treatments affected ponded in'ltration only.Moldboard plow signi'cantly increased ponded in'ltration rate by 21.6 cm h'1at 5 min and by 8.8 cm h'1at 60 min compared with no-till. However, when compared with disk and chisel, moldboard plowincreased ponded in'ltration rates at all measurements times, which lasted 3 h. Regarding cumulativein'ltration, moldboard plow increased cumulative in'ltration by 26.9 cm to 39.0 cm after 3 h comparedwith other tillage systems. Similarities in tension in'ltration suggest that the higher ponded in'ltrationfor moldboard plow was most likely due to the presence of voids or fractures (>125 mm) created by fullinversion tillage. Total porosity, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and water retention among thetreatments did not differ. Overall, soil hydraulic properties did not differ among tillage systems exceptwater in'ltration in these silty clay loam soils after 35 yr of management