903
Effects of Long-Term Soil Tillage Practices on Soil Chemical
Characteristics
#1 2,* 3,Mert ACAR1,
Zeliha BEREKET BARUT4
1 2
3
Tokat, Turkey
4 f Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Machinery and Technologies
Engineering, Adana, Turkey
*Corresponding author: nurullah.acir@ahievran.edu.tr
Abstract
Decline in soil fertility is a major limiting factor of agricultural productivity. Management practice applied is the main reason in reduction of productivity function of soils. Under intensive cultivation, soil erosion and loss in organic matter are the important processes responsible from the decline in productivity. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of tillage practices which have been practicing from 2006 in a clayey soil, on some of chemical properties related to the productivity function of soils. The experiment was conducted on the Arik Soil Series located at the Experimental and Research Station of Cukurova University. The treatments are: Conventional tillage with stubbles (moldboard plowing) (CT-1), Conventional tillage with stubbles burned (CT-2), Heavy disc harrow reduced tillage (RT-1), Rototiller reduced tillage (RT-2), Heavy disc harrow zero soil tillage (HZT), no-till or zero tillage (ZT) and strategic tillage on no-till treatment. Electrical conductivity (EC), pH, calcium carbonate, sodium adsorbtion ratio (SAR), organic matter (OM), plant available phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) of 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm and 20-30 cm depths were determined as the chemical soil quality indicators. The OM content in CT-2 (1.34%) treatment where the stubble burned and soil tilled and converted using a moldboard plow, was 73.9% and 77.6% lower compared to ZT (2.33%) and HZT (2.38%) treatments. One time tillage in ST reduced the OM content (2.13%) compared to ZT but the decline in OM was not significantly different. The highest P and K concentrations were obtained in 0-10 cm for all tillage practices and the concentrations reduced by the depth. The pH, EC, calcium carbonate and SAR values were not significantly different within 0-30 cm depth. The tillage practices applied did not cause to accumulate salt, calcium carbonate or any of water soluble cations within the 30 cm of soil surface.
Keywords: Soil tillage, Organic matter, Available phosphorus, Potassium, No-tillage
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