Plant Soil Environ., 2019, 65(3):131-137 | DOI: 10.17221/703/2018-PSE

Effect of subsoiling depth on soil physical properties and summer maize (Zea mays L.) yieldOriginal Paper

Shaobo Wang, Liangliang Guo, Pengchong Zhou, Xuejie Wang, Ying Shen, Huifang Han*, Tangyuan Ning, Kun Han
State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Key Laboratory of Crop Water Physiology and Drought- Tolerance Germplasm Improvement of Ministry of Agriculture, College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, P.R. China

The present study was carried out in 2016-2017 to assess the effect of subsoiling depth on the soil bulk density, stability of soil structure, soil physical properties and summer maize yield based on a field experiment started in 2015. Four tillage depths were studied: conventional tillage 25 cm (CT25); subsoiling tillage 30 cm (ST30); subsoiling tillage 35 cm (ST35) and subsoiling tillage 40 cm (ST40). The results showed that at the 20-50 cm depth ST30, ST35 and ST40 decreased the mean soil bulk by 4.59, 7.13 and 8.27%, respectively, and at the 0-40 cm depth reduced soil compactness by 17.62, 23.63 and 36.42%, respectively, as compared to CT25. ST40 reduced soil compactness in the 0-40 cm soil layer under conditions of relative drought (during the maize season growing season of 2016), ST35 and ST40 increased macroaggregates (> 0.25 mm), improved the stability of the aggregate structure (geometric mean diameter and mean weight diameter) (20-40 cm), increased soil water storage capacity at 40-60 cm and increased maize yield by 7.89% and 8.91%, respectively. Considering the improvement of soil properties and crop yield, ST35 was the optimum method to increase maize yield and modulate soil physical properties in the North China Plain.

Keywords: tillage layer; soil quality; soil compaction; water content; soil depth; grain

Published: March 31, 2019  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Wang S, Guo L, Zhou P, Wang X, Shen Y, Han H, et al.. Effect of subsoiling depth on soil physical properties and summer maize (Zea mays L.) yield. Plant Soil Environ.. 2019;65(3):131-137. doi: 10.17221/703/2018-PSE.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Ahmadi I., Ghaur H. (2015): Effects of soil moisture content and tractor wheeling intensity on traffic-induced soil compaction. Journal of Central European Agriculture, 16: 489-502. Go to original source...
    2. Bogunovic I., Pereira P., Kisic I., Sajko K., Sraka M. (2018): Tillage management impacts on soil compaction, erosion and crop yield in Stagnosols (Croatia). Catena, 160: 376-384. Go to original source...
    3. Borghei A.M., Taghinejad J., Minaee S., Karimi M., Varnamkhasti M.G. (2008): Effect of subsoiling on soil bulk density, penetration resistance, and cotton yield in northwest of Iran. International Journal of Agriculture and Biology, 10: 120-123.
    4. Castel J.L., Cantero-Martínez C. (2003): Soil bulk density and penetration resistance under different tillage and crop management systems and their relationship with barley root growth. Agronomy Journal, 95: 526-536. Go to original source...
    5. Chen Y., Liu S., Li H., Li X.F., Song C.Y., Cruse R.M., Zhang X.Y. (2011): Effects of conservation tillage on corn and soybean yield in the humid continental climate region of Northeast China. Soil and Tillage Research, 115-116: 56-61. Go to original source...
    6. Comia R.A., Stenberg M., Nelson P., Rydberg T., Håkansson I. (1994): Soil and crop responses to different tillage systems. Soil and Tillage Research, 29: 335-355. Go to original source...
    7. Dalal R.C., Chan K.Y. (2001): Soil organic matter in rained cropping systems of the Australian cereal belt. Australian Journal of Soil Research, 39: 435-464. Go to original source...
    8. Doty C.W., Campbell R.B., Reicosky D.C. (1975): Crop response to chiseling and irrigation in soils with compact A horizon. Transactions of the ASAE, 18: 668-672. Go to original source...
    9. Evans S.D., Lindstrom M.J., Voorhees W.B., Moncrief J.F., Nelson G.A. (1996): Effect of subsoiling and subsequent tillage on soil bulk density, soil moisture, and corn yield. Soil and Tillage Research, 38: 35-46. Go to original source...
    10. Fan R.Q., Liang A.Z., Yang X. (2010): Effects of tillage on soil aggregates in black soils in Northeast China. Scientia Agricultura Sinica, 43: 3767-3775.
    11. Guan D.H., Al-Kaisi M.M., Zhang Y.S., Duan L.S., Tan W.M., Zhang M.C., Li Z.H. (2014): Tillage practices affect biomass and grain yield
    12. Holthusen D., Brandt A.A., Reichert J.M., Horn R. (2018): Soil porosity, permeability and static and dynamic strength parameters under native forest/grassland compared to no-tillage cropping. Soil and Tillage Research, 177: 113-124. Go to original source...
    13. Hou X., Li R., Han Q., Wang W., Yang B. (2012): Effect of rotational tillage practices on soil properties, winter wheat yields and water-use essicency in semi-arid areas of north-west china. Field Crops Research, 129: 7-13. Go to original source...
    14. Kutílek M. (2004): Soil hydraulic properties as related to soil structure. Soil and Tillage Research, 79: 175-184. Go to original source...
    15. Lin P., Qi H., Li C.F., Zhao M. (2016): Optimized tillage practices and row spacing to improve grain yield and matter transport efficiency in intensive spring maize. Field Crops Research, 198: 258-268. Go to original source...
    16. Liu X.W., Feike T., Shao L.W., Sun H.Y., Chen S.Y., Zhang X.Y. (2016): Effects of different irrigation regimes on soil compaction in a winter wheat-summer maize cropping system in the North China Plain. Catena, 137: 70-76. Go to original source...
    17. Mrabet R. (2011): Effects of residue management and cropping systems on wheat yield stability in a semiarid Mediterranean clay soil. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 2: 202-216. Go to original source...
    18. Nimmo J.R., Perkins K.S. (2002): 2.6 Aggregate stability and size distribution. Methods of Soil Analysis: Part 4: 317-328. Go to original source...
    19. Nkakini S.O., Akor A.J. (2013): Effects of tillage on soil moisture content, Okra (Abelmoshus esculentus) emergence and yields. Journal of Agricultural Mechanization in Asia, Africa and Latin America, 44: 15-21.
    20. Oades J.M., Waters A.G. (1991): Aggregate hierarchy in soils. Australian Journal of Soil Research, 29: 815-828. Go to original source...
    21. Pikul J.L.Jr., Aase J.K. (2003): Water infiltration and storage affected by subsoiling and subsequent tillage. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 67: 859-866. Go to original source...
    22. Six J., Paustian K., Elliott E.T., Combrink C. (2000): Soil structure and organic matter: I. Distribution of aggregate-size classes and aggregate-associated carbon. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 64: 681-689. Go to original source...
    23. Tian S.Z., Wang Y., Ning T.Y., Li N., Zhao H.X., Wang B.W., Li Z.J., Chi S.Y. (2014): Continued no-till and subsoiling improved soil organic carbon and soil aggregation levels. Agronomy Journal, 106: 212-218. Go to original source...
    24. Van Wie J.B., Adam J.C., Ullman J.L. (2013): Conservation tillage in dryland agriculture impacts watershed hydrology. Journal of Hydrology, 483: 26-38. Go to original source...
    25. Youker R.E., McGuinness J.L. (1957): A short method of obtaining mean weight-diameter values of aggregate analyses of soils. Soil Science, 83: 291-294. Go to original source...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY NC 4.0), which permits non-comercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content