Tuesday, 8 November 2005
1
Acidification of a Calcareous Soil under a Dryland No-Till Cropping System in the Central Great Plains.
David Tarkalson, University of Nebraska, West Central Research and Extension Center, 461 W. University Dr., North Platte, NE 69101-7756, Gary W. Hergert, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Panhandle R&E Center, 4502 Avenue I, Scottsbluff, NE 69361, and Kenneth G. Cassman, Univ. of Nebraska Dept of Agronomy and Horticulture, P.O. Box 830724, Lincoln, NE 68583-0724.
Decreasing soil pH is occurring in many alkaline soils in the semi-arid Great Plains under dry land no-till (NT) cropping systems. This study was conducted to assess the rates of acidification and the reasons for the acidification of a soil cropped to a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)- grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] /corn (Zea mays L.)-fallow rotation under two NT treatments over a 14-year period. The two NT treatments include plots that have had a long term history of NT management (NT(LT)) (1962-2003) and soil with a long term history of conventional till (CT) (1962-1988) then converted to NT (NT(C)) (1989-2003). Soil samples were collected at depth increments of 0-5, 5-10, 10-15, and 15-30 cm in the spring of 1989 and 2003 and analyzed for pH and exchangeable bases. Other measurements needed to determine the rate of acidification and construct a proton budget were either measured or estimated. The annual soil acidification rates and proton budgets for the NT(LT) and NT(C) treatments will be presented.
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