Vertical distribution of soil aggregates and associated organic carbon fractions under conventional vegetable- and rice-based tillage operations
Baig Abdullah Al Shoumik
A and Md. Sanaul Islam A *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Soil, Water and Environment Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh.
Soil Research 61(1) 83-93 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR22069
Submitted: 11 April 2022 Accepted: 6 July 2022 Published: 28 July 2022
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing
Abstract
Context: Vegetable- and rice-based cropping systems are the dominant agricultural practices across South Asia, but the conventional tillage method associated with their cultivation is responsible for soil degradation in terms of aggregates and organic carbon in the surface layer. However, knowledge of its impact on the deeper layers is needed because the aggregate and organic carbon dynamics in deeper soils are little understood.
Aims: This study analysed the effects of conventional rice-based tillage (RBT) and vegetable-based tillage (VBT) operations on the vertical distribution of aggregates and aggregate-associated organic carbon fractions.
Methods: Soil samples were collected from 10 vegetable and rice fields, where conventional tillage systems were applied, and analysed for the vertical distribution of aggregates, soil carbon stock, aggregate-associated total organic carbon (AATOC), the relationship between mean weight diameter (MWD) and AATOC, and intra-aggregate particulate organic carbon (iPOC).
Key results: Soil macroaggregates, MWD, AATOC, and iPOC for the surface soils under RBT were less than for soils under VBT, indicating that soils under RBT had weaker aggregate stability compared to soils under VBT. The relationship between MWD and AATOC was significant (P < 0.01) for the top layers of VBT, but this relationship was non-significant for RBT.
Conclusions: The study suggests that wet rice cultivation has an adverse effect on soil aggregate stability and its associated organic carbon fractions.
Implications: Alternative tillage operations for rice-based cultivation are necessary to avoid soil degradation in rice fields.
Keywords: aggregate-associated total organic carbon, aggregate stability, intra-aggregate particulate organic carbon (iPOC), mean weight diameter (MWD), rice-based tillage, soil aggregates, soil degradation, soil organic carbon.
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