1. Soil fragmentation and aggregate stability as affected by conventional tillage implements and relations with fractal dimensions.
- Author
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Tagar, A.A., Adamowski, Jan, Memon, M.S., Do, Minh Cuong, Mashori, A.S., Soomro, A.S., and Bhayo, W.A.
- Subjects
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CLAY loam soils , *TILLAGE , *HUMUS , *WIND erosion ,FRACTAL dimensions - Abstract
• The study evaluated soil structure as affected by conventional tillage implements. • Disk plough followed by two passes of cultivator was found to be the optimal technique for use in a clay loam soil. • Mass fractal dimension and mean weight diameter are strongly inversely correlated. • Higher values of mass fractal dimension and lower values of mean weight diameter may be used to quantify fine seedbeds. • Lower values of mass fractal dimension and higher values of mean weight diameter may be used to quantify coarse seedbeds. Due to a lack of accurate information regarding soil aggregate size distribution and stability, farmers in Sindh, Pakistan often apply excessive tillage, creating an overly fine seedbed that can lead to the depletion of soil organic matter (SOM) and make the soil more vulnerable to wind and water erosion. The current paper investigates the effects of conventional tillage implements on soil fragmentation and aggregate stability, along with how these factors relate to fractal dimensions. The study aims to: (i) achieve a better understanding of soil structure and establish which tillage implement provides the best soil structure and (ii) determine the function that best describes the proportion of small aggregates in the soil. Six tillage treatments were studied, including: moldboard plough + disk harrow two passes (MPDH 2), disk plough + cultivator two passes (DPC 2), cultivator two passes (C 2), cultivator four passes (C 4), cultivator six passes (C 6), and minimum tillage (disk harrow one pass) (MT) for a clay loam soil. At each of two depths (0-0.15 m and 0.16-0.30 m), four soil samples from randomly selected locations in each plot were collected (3 blocks × 6 tillage × 2 depths × 4 samples, n = 144) with the help of a soil auger. Aggregate size distribution was measured by a dry sieving method, and aggregate stability was determined by a wet sieving method. The correlations between mean weight diameter (MWD), mass fractal dimension (D m), and soil aggregation were investigated. The greatest proportions of small aggregates and the lowest proportions of intermediate aggregates were found under DPC 2 followed by C 6 , while a greater proportion of intermediate aggregates and a lower proportion of small aggregates was observed under MT. However large aggregates (>25 mm) were negligible across all treatments. The highest values of D m were found after DPC 2 , while the highest values of MWD were found after MT. The highest proportion of water stable aggregates (WSA) was found under DPC 2 , while the lowest proportion was found under MPDH 2 followed by MT. Similarly, aggregate stability was greatest under DPC 2. Across all tillage implements, the highest fuel consumption was recorded under C 6 followed by MPDH 2 , while the lowest occurred under MT. The D m showed a negative correlation with intermediate aggregates (5.0–25.0 mm) and a positive correlation with small aggregates (<5.0 mm), while MWD had a positive correlation with intermediate aggregates (5.0–25.0 mm) and a negative correlation with small aggregates (<5.0 mm). Similarly, D m was negatively correlated with MWD. This suggests that farmers should adopt the technique of using a disk plough followed by two passes of the cultivator to achieve the best possible seedbed conditions in a clay loam soil. Higher values of D m and lower values of MWD may be used to quantify fine seedbeds, with the converse being preferable for quantifying coarse seedbeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
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