Influence of Soil Texture and Tillage on Soil Compaction and Corn.

Determination of the restrictive soil levels to corn (Zea mays L.) root growth under different soil zones and tillage systems can help to improve crop management and yields. The objective of this study was to evaluate the soil compaction under different soil textures, based on the soil electric conductivity (EC) measurements, and tillage systems on dryland corn (Zea mays L.). The research project was initiated with planting wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cover crop in the fall of 2006 at Clemson University, Edisto Research and Education Center near Blackville, SC. A commercially available soil EC measurement system (Veris Technologies 3100) was used to identify variations in soil texture across the fields prior to planting corn and create soil zone maps using Global Positioning and Geographical Information Systems. Corn was planted across four different soil zones (derived from the EC measurements) and under three tillage systems (no-till, conventional, and strip-till). Soil compaction was measured within corn rows using a cone penetrometer during corn vegetation. These measurements determined the soil levels with restrictive corn root growth under different soil zones and tillage systems. The results show that soil compaction can be influenced not only by tillage, but also soil texture. Generally, low soil compaction was observed on soils with low soil EC, especially at lower soil depths.