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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 63(2)

Subsoiling is the best tillage for fine roots and early-growth of Pinus taeda on clayey Oxisol in the subtropics

Thaynara Diuliane Carvalho Paz https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4515-6928 A * , Matheus Severo de Souza Kulmann A , Jéssica Silveira França B , Grasiele Dick A , Mauro Valdir Schumacher A and José Miguel Reichert B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Forest Sciences, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Santa Maria 97105-900, RS, Brazil.

B Soils Department, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Santa Maria 97105-900, RS, Brazil.

* Correspondence to: diudiupaz@hotmail.com

Handling Editor: Abdul Mouazen

Soil Research 63, SR24105 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR24105
Submitted: 17 June 2024  Accepted: 17 February 2025  Published: 19 March 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing

Abstract

Context

Soil management in forest sites is crucial for ensuring an adequate physical environment for forest growth and development.

Aims

This study aimed to test if chiselling improves soil physical conditions, fine root growth, and height and stem diameter growth of Pinus taeda L. in southern Brazil.

Methods

The experimental design used randomised blocks with three tillage methods: no-tillage/control, handmade pit, and mechanical subsoiling. Parameters evaluated included tree height, stem diameter, and estimated volume at 12 and 24 months after planting. Soil physical and chemical properties, along with root traits such as root length density (RLD) and fine root density (FRD), were analysed when the trees were 24 months old.

Key results

Soil chemical properties were unaffected by tillage method, but significant differences in soil physical properties were observed. Subsoiling provided the best physical environment, with lower bulk density and penetration resistance. Roots were concentrated in the surface layer (0.00–0.05 m), with an average of 41% RLD and 37% FRD across all treatments.

Conclusions

Subsoiling provided the greatest tree height, stem diameter, and estimated volume. Therefore, subsoiling was the most effective tillage method for P. taeda growth and development on a clayey Oxisol under subtropical environment.

Implications

Our results can guide the best strategies for soil tillage in Pinus plantations, helping to minimize the environmental impact through proper soil management and understanding of the dynamics of the roots, maximizing the production of Pinus.

Keywords: forest soils, root growth, soil quality, soil tillage, subsoiling.

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