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The effect of fallow tillage practices such as subsoiling and deep plowing on soil water storage and grain yields of dryland wheat has been frequently studied. However, the layered characteristics of water storage and their correlations with yield formation under each tillage were less investigated across several years. A randomized complete block design was conducted to investigate the effects of three tillage practices (NT, no-tillage; SS, subsoiling; DP, deep plowing) on soil water storage (SWS), yield structure, precipitation use efficiency (PUE), water use efficiency (WUE) and grain quality of dryland wheat for three consecutive years. The use of SS and DP increased SWS of 0–200 cm soil depths by 3.1% and 7.9% compared with NT over the 3 years. Subsoiling was more favorable for SWS in the 100–200 cm sublayer, while DP strongly increased the effect on the 0–100 cm upper layer. The grain yields, PUEs and WUEs under SS and DP were greater than those in NT. Grain yield had great correlation with SWS0-100cm. Protein content and most grain quality indicators under SS and DP decreased. Grain qualities exhibited the most negative correlation with SWS at the sowing stage and precipitation in fallow period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to evaluate influence of zinc (Zn) application on productivity, grain biofortification and grain quality of wheat planted under plough tillage (PT) and zero tillage (ZT) systems. Zn was delivered as soil application (10 kg ha−1), foliage spray (0.025 M) and seed priming (0.5 M) in wheat planted under PT and ZT systems. ZT had higher total soil porosity, total soil organic matter, soil organic carbon and soil microbial biomass carbon than PT. Zn application, by either method, improved grain yield, grain Zn and grain quality in both tillage systems. The grain Zn concentration was 72% and 59% higher with soil-applied Zn in ZT wheat during 2016–2017 and 2017–2018, respectively, compared with no Zn. However, Zn seed priming was the most effective in improving wheat grain yield in both tillage systems. Foliage and Zn soil application were better in improving the indices of Zn use efficiency of Zn. In conclusion, Zn seed priming was the most effective method in improving the wheat grain yield, whereas soil Zn application in ZT and foliar applications in PT were the most effective for grain Zn biofortification. However, Zn soil application was the most cost-effective method of Zn application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The poor physical, chemical and biological properties make Stagnic Luvisol highly susceptible to water erosion on sloping terrains. The objective of this paper is to estimate the effect of different tillage treatments and crops (maize, soybean, winter wheat, spring barley, oilseed rape) on water erosion. The highest erosion in investigation period (1995–2014) was recorded in the control treatment with fallow, followed by the treatment that involved ploughing and sowing up and down the slope. Significantly, lower soil losses were recorded in no-tillage and treatments with ploughing and sowing across the slope. Regarding the crops significantly higher soil losses were recorded in spring row crops (maize and soybean) compared to high-density winter crops (wheat and oilseed rape) and double crop (spring barley with soybean). In the studied period, an average loss of 46 mm of the plough layer was recorded in the control treatment, while in treatment with ploughing and sowing up and down the slope average annual soil loss was 10 mm. According to the results of this study no-tillage and tillage across the slope are recommended as tillage which preserves soil for the next generations in agro-ecological conditions of continental Croatia. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A 2-year research experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with moldboard ploughing (MP, control) and minimum tillage (MT) as main plots and crop sequences as sub-plots. Summer-winter cropping sequences were fallow-wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) (FW, control), mungbean (Vigna radiataL.)-wheat (MW), sorghum (Sorghum bicolorL.)-wheat (SW), green manure-wheat (GW) and mungbean-chickpea (MC) (Cicer arietinumL.). During 2010–2011, in summer, mungbean crop produced the highest above ground biomass in mungbean-chickpea sequence under MP tillage (4.24 Mg ha–1mungbean) and in mungbean-wheat sequence under MT tillage (4.11 Mg ha–1mungbean). In winter, chickpea gave the highest biomass in mungbean-chickpea sequence under both tillage systems. During 2011–2012, mungbean produced the highest above ground biomass in mungbean-wheat sequence under MT tillage (4.43 Mg ha–1mungbean) and in both the mungbean-chickpea and mungbean-wheat sequences under MP tillage (4.24 and 4.17 Mg ha–1mungbean, respectively). In winter, fallow-wheat sequence gave the highest biomass in both tillage systems. The differences in grain yields were statistically non-significant in both the years. The gross marginal benefit ranged between −190 and 548$ ha–1in the first year and −165 and 1124$ ha–1in the second year. The net benefit values were the highest in mung-chickpea sequence under both tillage systems (1008 and 596$ ha–1under MP and MT, respectively), which gave cost–benefit ratios of 5.45 and 3.68, respectively. Use of legume-based cropping sequences is a sustainable and cost-effective practice in drylands of northern Punjab, Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The effect of conventional ploughing, mulching, and direct drilling on the soil organic C (soil Corg) contents through the soil profile and on total soil Corgstocks (0–45 cm) was investigated at five different German sites. All sites showed similar results: after 10–13 years, soil Corgcontents in the surface soil (0–10 cm) were 15–71% and 33–42% higher under direct drilling and mulching, respectively, than under ploughing (8–18 g kg−1). Under ploughing, the soil Corgcontents were distributed homogenously through the soil profile. Either mulching or direct drilling resulted in 3–28% higher soil Corgstocks than ploughing (49–116 t ha−1). However, the tillage management was no significant factor since the sites showed the effects to different extents but were the mathematical replications. Five to six years later, trends and values were similar. We concluded that the main effect of mulching or direct drilling was the stratification with higher soil Corgcontents in the surface soil. Since this is a positive means for soil protection, we suggested that the use of mulching or direct drilling can contribute to a sustainable soil management in crop rotations with sugar beet which are characterized by a strong physical impact on the soil during harvest. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Water loss as deep percolation is considerable in furrow irrigation in light soils due to the high infiltration rate. Application of soil conditioners such as bentonite reduces the infiltration rate and improves irrigation application efficiency (Ea) in these soils. The effects of bentonite application rates (BAR) of 0, 2, 4 and 6 g L−1on infiltration of a loamy sand soil were determined in a soil column in the laboratory. The exponent of the Kostiakov infiltration equation was not influenced by BAR. Maximum reduction in infiltration equation coefficient and final infiltration rate (if) occurred with 2 g bentonite L−1and this reduction was lower on increasing BAR from 2 to 4 and 4 to 6 g L−1compared with control. The effect of 2 g L−1BAR on infiltration and its effect on the design of furrow irrigation in a field with a loamy sand soil indicated that in the first irrigation after field ploughing and seed planting, longer furrow length, lower deep percolation and higher Eaare obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]