Organic matter kept Al toxicity low in a subtropical no-tillage soil under long-term (21-year) legume-based crop systems and N fertilisation
F. C. B. Vieira A , C. Bayer B E , J. Zanatta C and P. R. Ernani DA Federal University of Pampa, Av. Antonio Trilha 1845, 97300-000, São Gabriel, RS, Brazil.
B Department of Soil Science, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, PO Box 15100, 91.501-970, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
C Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation-EMBRAPA/CPAO, BR 163, km 253.6, PO Box 661, 79804-970, Dourados, MS, Brazil.
D Santa Catarina State University, Av. Luiz de Camões 2090, 88520-000, Lages, SC, Brazil.
E Corresponding author. Email: cimelio.bayer@ufrgs.br
Australian Journal of Soil Research 47(7) 707-714 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR08273
Submitted: 22 December 2008 Accepted: 24 June 2009 Published: 6 November 2009
Abstract
Nitrogen-fixing crops and N fertilisation increase soil acidification, but few studies have attempted to evaluate the capacity of soil organic matter to alleviate the Al toxicity in acid no-tilled soils. This study was carried out in a 21-year-old experiment aiming to evaluate the effect of crop systems [fallow/maize (Zea mays L.), F/M; oat (Avena strigosa Schreb)/maize, O/M; oat + vetch (Vigna sativa L.)/maize, O+V/M; lablab (Dolichos lablab) + maize, L+M; and pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L. Millsp.) + maize, P+M] and mineral N fertilisation (0 and 149 kg/ha.year) on chemical attributes and Al speciation in the 0–0.05 and 0.05–0.10 m layers of a no-tilled Paleudult of Southern Brazil. The original soil pH (5.8) decreased in all crop systems, declining 0.37–1.52 units in 21 years without re-liming. This decrease was larger in subsoil layers and, in general, was exacerbated by legume-based crop systems and by N fertilisation. The drop in soil pH increased Al content in solid phase (range 0.07–1.85 cmolc/kg) and in soil solution (range 0.01–0.06 mmol/L), and decreased base saturation on cation exchange capacity (range 12.5–61.2%). However, the Al3+ activity in the soil solution (1.03×10−7–9.3×10−8) was kept below threshold values of toxicity to maize roots, primarily due to the formation of organometallic complexes at low pH, which was estimated as up to 90% of the total Al in solution, but also due to the increased ionic strength in this no-till soil (0.0026–0.0104). Our results highlight that, although legume cover crops and N fertilisation can accelerate soil acidification, Al toxicity is offset by increased organic matter in no-till subtropical soils.
Additional keywords: aluminium speciation, soil solution, toxicity, cropping systems, no-till, organometallic complexes.
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