Effect of Tillage Practices On Organic Carbon, pH, Bulk Density and Soil Enzyme Activities.

Soil tillage practices affect the physical, chemical and biological processes in soil, which in turn determine soil productivity, sustainability, and overall soil quality. In this study the effects of two tillage practices on soil organic carbon, pH, bulk density and soil enzyme activities was evaluated. The experimental design was a split-plot design with two treatments, conventional till (CT) and no till (NT), replicated four times at two soil depths (0-5 cm and 5-15 cm). The enzyme activities analyzed were phosphomonoesterase (acid and alkaline) and phosphodiesterase. The results showed that the percent organic carbon was significantly higher (p<0.01) in the NT plots compared to the CT plots as well as in the 0-5 cm soil depth compared to the 5-15 cm soil depth. Soil bulk density and pH were significantly (p<0.01) higher at 5-15 cm depth compared to 0-5 cm depth for both CT and NT. Enzyme activities were significantly (p<0.5) higher in NT compared to CT with acid phosphomonoesterase levels revealing significantly higher (p<0.5) levels at 5-15 cm depths in the NT plots compared to similar depth in the CT.