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Land
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Tillage Methods on Soil Properties and Crop Growth
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Tillage Methods on Soil Properties and Crop Growth

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil-Sediment-Water Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2024 | Viewed by 6366

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ognjen Žurovec

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environment, Soils and Land Use, Teagasc, Johnstown Castle, Ireland
Interests: sustainable agriculture; nitrogen cycle; climate change adaptation; greenhouse gas emissions; diffuse sources of pollution; soil survey and evaluation; soil management; environmental science; climate-smart agriculture; interdisciplinary research; sustainable development; geographic information system (GIS)
Dr. Nani Raut

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Nepal
Interests: land use change and GHG emission; soil ecology; climate change adaptation and mitigation; climate smart agriculture
Dr. Sabrija Čadro

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Interests: climate change and agriculture; irrigation; sustainable agriculture; soil and water conservation; soil erosion; soil moisture; drought; water balance; evapotranspiration; soil water sensors; environment sustainability; unmanned aerial vehicles; remote sensing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The development of tillage systems throughout history, in many ways, mirrors the development of civilization. From the ancient plough to the modern agricultural machinery which became a symbol of modern agriculture and enabled us to feed the ever-increasing world population, tillage is a primary field operation that has been part of most agricultural systems throughout the years. Tillage has an immense effect on physical, chemical, and biological soil properties and, thereby, on crop productivity and environment. Although proper and timely use of tillage overcomes edaphic constraints to crop production, inopportune tillage may cause a variety of adverse effects, such as enhanced soil compaction, erosion, and degradation; loss of organic matter and fertility; disruption of water, carbon, and nutrient cycles; and negative effect on soil biota and biodiversity.

Today, as our civilization is shifting towards sustainable development, our tillage systems must also change in a way to increase or retain crop productivity, while simultaneously preserving the natural resource base.  In this context, conservation tillage practices (such as zero tillage, no-till, reduced/minimum tillage, mulch tillage, ridge tillage to contour tillage) have shown to be a viable option to ensure sustainable food production with minimal impact on soil and environment in different agroecosystems. This Special Issue seeks to review the current knowledge on different conservation tillage systems and their effects on both soil properties and crop productivity.  Tillage requirement of a crop is site, environment, and soil specific. Therefore, the aim is to present a collection of research articles and review papers that cover a broad range of cropping systems and practices from different farmland ecosystems.

We invite manuscripts from integrative studies that assess the overall impact of conservation tillage methods on the establishment and yield of crops, growth of plants and roots, soil physics and erosion, soil–water relations, cycling of carbon and nutrients, greenhouse gas emissions, leaching, run-off, weed, pest and disease control, soil health and biodiversity, as well as their interaction and links to other soil functions in the context of environmental quality, climate change adaptation/mitigation, and soil quality/health.

Dr. Ognjen Žurovec
Dr. Nani Raut
Dr. Sabrija Čadro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • conservation tillage
  • no tillage
  • zero tillage
  • tillage practices
  • crop yields
  • soil physics
  • soil chemistry
  • soil biology
  • soil microbiology
  • soil erosion
  • nitrate leaching
  • soil organic carbon
  • greenhouse gas emissions
  • water use efficiency

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 2078 KiB  
Article
Application of Unconventional Tillage Systems to Maize Cultivation and Measures for Rational Use of Agricultural Lands
by Felicia Chețan, Teodor Rusu, Cornel Chețan, Alina Șimon, Ana-Maria Vălean, Adrian Ovidiu Ceclan, Marius Bărdaș and Adina Tărău
Land 2023, 12(11), 2046; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12112046 - 10 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 826
Abstract
Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the main agricultural crops grown worldwide under very diverse climate and soil conditions. For maize cultivation in a conventional tillage system, autumn plowing is a mandatory condition. Minimum soil tillage or no tillage has been [...] Read more.
Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the main agricultural crops grown worldwide under very diverse climate and soil conditions. For maize cultivation in a conventional tillage system, autumn plowing is a mandatory condition. Minimum soil tillage or no tillage has been applied in recent years, both in research and in production, for reasons relating to soil conservation and fuel economy. This paper presents the results of the research executed under pedoclimatic conditions at the Agricultural Research and Development Station Turda (ARDS Turda, Romania; chernozem soil) regarding the behavior of the maize hybrid Turda 332 cultivated in four tillage systems and two levels of fertilization during the period of 2016–2022. The following soil tillage systems were applied: a conventional tillage system (CT) and unconventional tillage systems in three variants—a minimum tillage system with a chisel (MTC), a minimum tillage system with a disk (MTD), and a no-tillage system (NT). They were applied with two levels of fertilization: basic fertilization (350 kg ha−1 NPK 16:16:16, applied at sowing) and optimized fertilization (350 kg ha−1 NPK 16:16:16 applied at sowing + 150 kg ha−1 calcium ammonium nitrate with additional fertilization in the phenophase of the maize with 6–7 leaves). The results highlight the fact that under the conditions of chernozem soils with a high clay content (41% clay content), maize does not lend itself to cultivation in MTD and NT, requiring deeper mobilization, with the yield data confirming this fact. This is because under the agrotechnical conditions for sowing carried out in MTD and NT, the seeder used (Maschio Gaspardo MT 6R) does not allow for the high-quality sowing of maize, especially under dry soil conditions. Instead, the MTC system could be an alternative to the conventional tillage system, with the yield difference being below 100 kg ha−1. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tillage Methods on Soil Properties and Crop Growth)
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14 pages, 2003 KiB  
Article
Effect of Different Tillage and Residue Management Options on Soil Water Transmission and Mechanical Behavior
by Vicky Singh, Rajeev Kumar Gupta, M. S. Kahlon, A. S. Toor, K. B. Singh, Nadhir Al-Ansari and Mohamed A. Mattar
Land 2023, 12(10), 1895; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12101895 - 09 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 759
Abstract
Understanding the variability in the mechanical and hydrological soil characteristics resulting from diverse tillage and residue management practices is essential for evaluating the adoption of conservation strategies to preserve soil’s physical well-being. Zero-tillage techniques combined with residue retention or incorporation have gained widespread [...] Read more.
Understanding the variability in the mechanical and hydrological soil characteristics resulting from diverse tillage and residue management practices is essential for evaluating the adoption of conservation strategies to preserve soil’s physical well-being. Zero-tillage techniques combined with residue retention or incorporation have gained widespread recognition for their capacity to conserve soil and water resources, reduce energy consumption, and enhance soil quality and environmental sustainability. Nevertheless, the choice of tillage and residue management options may vary depending on the geographical locations and specific soil conditions. To assess the impacts of four distinct tillage and residue management approaches, a two-year experiment (2020–2021 and 2021–2022) was conducted: T1: conventional tillage followed by wheat sowing after the removal of rice straw (CT-RS); T2: zero tillage with wheat sowing using a Happy Seeder while retaining rice straw (ZT+RS); T3: conventional tillage followed by wheat sowing after rice straw incorporation using a reversible mouldboard plough (CT+RS); T4: minimum tillage with wheat sowing using a Super Seeder with rice straw incorporation (MT+RS); the effects were recorded on the physical soil properties. Our findings indicate that zero tillage combined with residue retention (T2) had a positive influence on various physical soil attributes. Notably, significant differences were observed among the tillage and residue management options, particularly in terms of the bulk density with T1 exhibiting the highest values and the lowest being in T2, whereas the soil penetration resistance was lowest in T3 compared to T1. In the case of T3, sandy loam and clay loam soils had the highest measured saturated hydraulic conductivity values, measuring 5.08 and 4.57 cm h−1 and 4.07 and 3.73 cm h−1, respectively. Furthermore, T2 (zero tillage with residue retention) demonstrated the highest mean weight diameter (MWD) and maximum water stable aggregate. These results collectively underscore the positive effects of adopting zero tillage and retaining residue (T2) on soil structure and quality, particularly concerning the mechanical and hydrological soil properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tillage Methods on Soil Properties and Crop Growth)
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18 pages, 4544 KiB  
Article
Effects of Main Land-Use Types on Plant and Microbial Diversity and Ecosystem Multifunctionality in Degraded Alpine Grasslands
by Hongye Su, Li Ma, Tao Chang, Ruimin Qin, Zhonghua Zhang, Yandi She, Jingjing Wei, Chenyu Zhou, Xue Hu, Zhengchen Shi, Haze Adi, Honglin Li and Huakun Zhou
Land 2023, 12(3), 638; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12030638 - 08 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1179
Abstract
Grassland resources occupy an important place in the national economy. However, grasslands in alpine regions of China are severely degraded, and the effects of land-use types on species composition, soil nutrients, and ecosystem multifunctionality of degraded alpine grasslands are less certain. To ascertain [...] Read more.
Grassland resources occupy an important place in the national economy. However, grasslands in alpine regions of China are severely degraded, and the effects of land-use types on species composition, soil nutrients, and ecosystem multifunctionality of degraded alpine grasslands are less certain. To ascertain the effects of main land-use types (no-tillage reseeding and fertilization) on species diversity and ecosystem multifunctionality in alpine grasslands, we investigated the changes in these factors by subjecting specified areas. Using a standardized field survey, we measured the cover, richness, and evenness of plants. At each site, we measured microbial diversity and twelve soil variables critical for maintaining ecosystem multifunctionality in alpine grasslands. The results showed that: (1) the Margalef, Shannon–Wiener, and Simpson indices of plant community, and fungal diversity indices increased significantly in no-tillage reseeding and fertilization; (2) at the phyla level, the relative abundances of Basidiomycota, Olpidiomycota, and Proteobacteria increased significantly in no-tillage reseeding and fertilization, as well as, at the genus level, those of Coniochaeta, Solirubrobacter, Pseudonocardia, and Microvirga; (3) the soil physicochemical properties (except the C:N of soil) increased significantly in no-tillage reseeding and fertilization; (4) correlation analysis showed that species diversity was mainly correlated with soil nutrients in control check, while it was mainly correlated with soil physical properties in no-tillage reseeding and fertilization; (5) linear regression analysis showed significant positive relationships between Margalef, Shannon–Wiener, and Simpson indices of plant community and ecosystem multifunctionality. In addition, ecosystem multifunctionality was positively related to Pielou, Shannon–Wiener, and Simpson indices of the fungal community and it was positively related to Pielou and Shannon–Wiener indices of bacterial community. These observations indicated that no-tillage reseeding and fertilization of degraded alpine grasslands had the potential to improve ecosystem functions in many ways. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tillage Methods on Soil Properties and Crop Growth)
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15 pages, 2585 KiB  
Article
The Mineral Biochar Alters the Biochemical and Microbial Properties of the Soil and the Grain Yield of Hordeum vulgare L. under Drought Stress
by Sajjad Nasiri, Babak Andalibi, Afshin Tavakoli, Mohammad Amir Delavar, Ali El-Keblawy, Lukas Van Zwieten and Andrea Mastinu
Land 2023, 12(3), 559; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12030559 - 25 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1270
Abstract
Biochar improves soil physical, biochemical, and microbial properties, leading to the amelioration of soil fertility, which, in turn, results in better growth and yield in crop plants. The current study aimed to evaluate whether using different levels of biochar can enhance soil characteristics [...] Read more.
Biochar improves soil physical, biochemical, and microbial properties, leading to the amelioration of soil fertility, which, in turn, results in better growth and yield in crop plants. The current study aimed to evaluate whether using different levels of biochar can enhance soil characteristics and plant attributes. Accordingly, an experimental study was conducted in 2022 using a randomized complete block design with four replications (n = 4) in the experimental glasshouse of the University of Zanjan, in which two regimes of irrigation (D0, full irrigation as the control; D1, water scarcity was applied immediately after the flowering stage for two weeks) and four levels of natural mineral biochar (0% as the control treatment, 0.25, 0.5, and 1% of soil weight) were applied. The results indicated that drought substantially decreased the organic carbon content of the soil and the grain yield while increasing the available phosphorous, soil carbohydrate content, and microbial biomass of the soil. Biochar could considerably alter the means of the studied soil quality parameters and the barley grain yield. Adding biochar could be considered a valid strategy to increase the resistance of plants to drought. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tillage Methods on Soil Properties and Crop Growth)
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17 pages, 2993 KiB  
Article
Description of the Gap between Local Agricultural Practices and Agroecological Soil Management Tools in Zerhoun and in the Middle Atlas Areas of Morocco
by Aziza Irhza, Laila Nassiri, Moussa El Jarroudi, Fouad Rachidi, Rachid Lahlali and Ghizlane Echchgadda
Land 2023, 12(2), 268; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020268 - 17 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1571
Abstract
Agroecology is an agricultural, holistic, and innovative approach, which aims to increase the effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of agricultural systems. This approach is very rewarding for agriculture in developing countries, mainly in arid zones where water resources are in sharp decline. In this [...] Read more.
Agroecology is an agricultural, holistic, and innovative approach, which aims to increase the effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of agricultural systems. This approach is very rewarding for agriculture in developing countries, mainly in arid zones where water resources are in sharp decline. In this study, we examined farmers’ knowledge by studying existing agricultural production systems and agricultural practices in Moulay Driss Zerhoun (S1) and the Middle Atlas (S2) in central Morocco, to assess the gap between them and the principles and recommendations of agroecology. Data were collected through a survey of 64 farmers, and through field trips and observations. Collected data were analyzed with Chi-square tests and canonical correspondence analysis. Most farms (63.3% in S1 and 52.9% in S2) have an area between 0 and 5 ha. Both areas frequently opt for agroforestry. Olive trees and annual crops (85%), olive trees and fodder crops (10%), and olive trees and market garden crops (5%) are the most recorded associations. Olive trees were used frequently in association with other fruit trees, such as almond trees (15%), carob trees (13%), and fig trees (5%). Of farmers practicing agroforestry, 70% use only organic fertilizers. Thus, 53% of the farmers interviewed at the level of the S2 zone cultivate vegetable crops, against 17% at the level of S1, and only 40% of the farmers of S1 use irrigation, while 60% depend on rainfall. On the other hand, 83.3% of farmers in S1 adopted a two-year rotation—cereals and legumes—against 30% in S2. Tillage or plowing is considered by farmers a necessary procedure before sowing, and, only in S2, 71% of farmers opt for annual tillage of their land for agroforestry. Based on multivariate analysis, the choice of crops was significantly influenced by region and type of organization. However, it was not influenced by topography or farmland size, and the land and area played an important role in the selection of crop types. Raising awareness and introducing agroecological practices in the two study areas based on local knowledge seems essential, with the aim of strengthening the resilience of agroecosystems, respecting the environment, and guaranteeing the sustainability of small farmers through the diversification of their productions. The obtained results from this work are the first in this field of study and constitute a basis for comparative investigations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tillage Methods on Soil Properties and Crop Growth)
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