Nutrient Distribution in the Soil Profile Under Different Tillage Practices During a Long-Term Field Trial
Conservation tillage practices are increasingly used in agricultural systems. However, these practices require a complex approach regarding soil nutrition. Adequate nutrient content in soils is important for crop production, as reduced and no-tillage practices change the distribution of nutrient con...
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2024-12-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| author | Gabriela Mühlbachová Pavel Růžek Helena Kusá Radek Vavera Martin Káš |
| author_facet | Gabriela Mühlbachová Pavel Růžek Helena Kusá Radek Vavera Martin Káš |
| author_sort | Gabriela Mühlbachová |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Conservation tillage practices are increasingly used in agricultural systems. However, these practices require a complex approach regarding soil nutrition. Adequate nutrient content in soils is important for crop production, as reduced and no-tillage practices change the distribution of nutrient contents (P, K, Mg, and Ca) in the soil profile, necessitating new approaches for agronomists in crop nutrition. Little is known about the time changes in nutrient distribution in the soil profile under conservation tillage practices. Long-term field experiments with conventional (CT—plowing to 20–22 cm), reduced (RT—chiseling to 8–10 cm), and no-tillage (NT) practices were established in Prague–Ruzyně (Czech Republic) in 1995. This four-year crop rotation consisted of winter wheat changing with oilseed rape or pea. The soil nutrient contents have been determined since 2009 using the Mehlich 3 method and through extraction in 0.5 M ammonium acetate. The obtained results showed that P, K, and, to a lesser extent, Mg contents increased in the soil surface layer (0–10 cm) under the reduced and no-tillage practices, whereas Ca and pH values showed an opposite trend. We found an unbalanced ratio of nutrients in the upper soil layer in RT and NT caused by a high concentration of the monovalent cation K<sup>+</sup> and the leaching of the divalent cations Ca<sup>2+</sup> and Mg<sup>2+</sup> into the deeper soil layers. In conventional practices, the ion contents are equalized throughout the topsoil due to the soil inverting during plowing. The determination of nutrient contents in deeper soil layers revealed that, over time, calcium, magnesium, and potassium were transported to deeper parts of the soil profile under RT and especially NT. Low nutrient ratios were found in the surface layer under RT and NT, negatively affecting the quality of the soil surface layer, including its structure. Fertilizer management and nutrient ratios in soils under RT and NT should be considered to maintain and possibly improve sustainable agricultural practices in fields with reduced or no-tillage practices. Furthermore, nutrient contents and their mutual ratios should be evaluated in more soil layers under these systems, enabling the detection of eventual problems in the upper layer that must be addressed by changing fertilization. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-96a1a9a08a2c4dc891869ea674723900 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
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| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj-art-96a1a9a08a2c4dc891869ea6747239002024-12-27T14:04:43ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952024-12-011412301710.3390/agronomy14123017Nutrient Distribution in the Soil Profile Under Different Tillage Practices During a Long-Term Field TrialGabriela Mühlbachová0Pavel Růžek1Helena Kusá2Radek Vavera3Martin Káš4Crop Research Institute, Drnovská 507/73, CZ-161 06 Praha, Czech RepublicCrop Research Institute, Drnovská 507/73, CZ-161 06 Praha, Czech RepublicCrop Research Institute, Drnovská 507/73, CZ-161 06 Praha, Czech RepublicCrop Research Institute, Drnovská 507/73, CZ-161 06 Praha, Czech RepublicCrop Research Institute, Drnovská 507/73, CZ-161 06 Praha, Czech RepublicConservation tillage practices are increasingly used in agricultural systems. However, these practices require a complex approach regarding soil nutrition. Adequate nutrient content in soils is important for crop production, as reduced and no-tillage practices change the distribution of nutrient contents (P, K, Mg, and Ca) in the soil profile, necessitating new approaches for agronomists in crop nutrition. Little is known about the time changes in nutrient distribution in the soil profile under conservation tillage practices. Long-term field experiments with conventional (CT—plowing to 20–22 cm), reduced (RT—chiseling to 8–10 cm), and no-tillage (NT) practices were established in Prague–Ruzyně (Czech Republic) in 1995. This four-year crop rotation consisted of winter wheat changing with oilseed rape or pea. The soil nutrient contents have been determined since 2009 using the Mehlich 3 method and through extraction in 0.5 M ammonium acetate. The obtained results showed that P, K, and, to a lesser extent, Mg contents increased in the soil surface layer (0–10 cm) under the reduced and no-tillage practices, whereas Ca and pH values showed an opposite trend. We found an unbalanced ratio of nutrients in the upper soil layer in RT and NT caused by a high concentration of the monovalent cation K<sup>+</sup> and the leaching of the divalent cations Ca<sup>2+</sup> and Mg<sup>2+</sup> into the deeper soil layers. In conventional practices, the ion contents are equalized throughout the topsoil due to the soil inverting during plowing. The determination of nutrient contents in deeper soil layers revealed that, over time, calcium, magnesium, and potassium were transported to deeper parts of the soil profile under RT and especially NT. Low nutrient ratios were found in the surface layer under RT and NT, negatively affecting the quality of the soil surface layer, including its structure. Fertilizer management and nutrient ratios in soils under RT and NT should be considered to maintain and possibly improve sustainable agricultural practices in fields with reduced or no-tillage practices. Furthermore, nutrient contents and their mutual ratios should be evaluated in more soil layers under these systems, enabling the detection of eventual problems in the upper layer that must be addressed by changing fertilization.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/12/3017soiltillagephosphoruspotassiummagnesiumcalcium |
| spellingShingle | Gabriela Mühlbachová Pavel Růžek Helena Kusá Radek Vavera Martin Káš Nutrient Distribution in the Soil Profile Under Different Tillage Practices During a Long-Term Field Trial Agronomy soil tillage phosphorus potassium magnesium calcium |
| title | Nutrient Distribution in the Soil Profile Under Different Tillage Practices During a Long-Term Field Trial |
| title_full | Nutrient Distribution in the Soil Profile Under Different Tillage Practices During a Long-Term Field Trial |
| title_fullStr | Nutrient Distribution in the Soil Profile Under Different Tillage Practices During a Long-Term Field Trial |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nutrient Distribution in the Soil Profile Under Different Tillage Practices During a Long-Term Field Trial |
| title_short | Nutrient Distribution in the Soil Profile Under Different Tillage Practices During a Long-Term Field Trial |
| title_sort | nutrient distribution in the soil profile under different tillage practices during a long term field trial |
| topic | soil tillage phosphorus potassium magnesium calcium |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/12/3017 |
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