Monday, 7 November 2005
7

Long-Term Effect of Crop and Soil Management on Aggregate-Associated C and N.

Karina P. Fabrizzi Sr.1, Charles W. Rice Jr.2, Kent McVay III1, and Josh Budde IV3. (1) Kansas State University, Kansas State Univ., 2004 Throcmorton Plant Sci. Center, Manhattan, KS 66506-5501, (2) Kansas, 2701 Throckmorton Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506-5501, (3) USDA-NRCS, 2400 Nantucket Ave # 106, Charleston, IL 61920

The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term effects of tillage systems, N fertilization and crop rotation on the distribution of C and N in soil aggregate-size fractions. Soil samples were taken from 0-5 cm at four locations in Kansas with different years under tillage systems: Tribune (16 yr), Hays (37 yr), Ashland (29 yr), and Parsons (20 yr). Tillage treatments were: conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT), and no-tillage (NT). Crop rotations evaluated at Ashland were: sorghum/sorghum, soybean/sorghum, soybean/soybean, wheat/soybean and wheat/wheat. Soil samples were separated into four aggregate-size classes (>2000 or >1000, 250-2000 or 250-1000, 53-250, and 20-53 µm) by wet sieving. Carbon and N were determined in each aggregate-size class. Overall, no-till systems tended to have greater aggregate-associated C and N in the fraction > 2000 µm. At the Hays site N application significantly increased aggregate-associated C and N in the >2000 µm and 250-2000 µm fractions. At Ashland site, wheat/wheat and sorghum/sorghum rotation had the greatest aggregate-associated C at the fraction >1000 µm under NT systems. The increased in soil C related with management is reflected by the increased in C associated with macroaggregates.

Handout (.pdf format, 1872.0 kb)

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