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Agriculture
Special Issues
Effects of Tillage Management on Agricultural Soil Characteristics
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Effects of Tillage Management on Agricultural Soil Characteristics

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Soils".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2024) | Viewed by 3120

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yong Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Interests: tillage operation; soil erosion; soil loss; erosion process; soil fertility
Prof. Dr. Yunqi Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Interests: land use; soil erosion; nutrient deposition; sediment yields

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil fertility degradation is a global problem that can cause a series of serious environmental, ecological, and agricultural issues, such as heightened flood susceptibility and decreased land productivity in sloping farmlands. The dynamics of nutrients and soil fertility are intricately linked to the process of soil redistribution resulting from tillage operations. It is widely recognized that long-term tillage leads to a significant translocation of soils, which has the potential to alter the physicochemical characteristics and functions of soil, particularly in hilly terrains.

It is imperative to evaluate soil fertility in order to address these issues and guarantee food safety. Nevertheless, there is a scarcity of information on the impact of tillage erosion processes on the spatial variations in soil fertility and crop production on the hillslopes.

This Special Issue aims to cover a wide range of theoretical and experimental studies related to tillage processes, ranging from ploughing to harvesting. This also includes the conservation tillage practices of leading-edge technologies in steep hillslope landscapes, and new and innovative techniques of improved fertility for increases in agricultural production. We welcome and encourage authors to various types of articles, such as original research, opinions, and reviews.

Dr. Yong Wang
Prof. Dr. Yunqi Zhang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • long-term tillage operation
  • soil redistribution via tillage
  • change in soil quality
  • human agricultural land management
  • tillage-induced erosion and/or deposition

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 676 KiB  
Article
Multi-Year Pseudo-Persistence, Mobility, and Degradation of Glyphosate and Its Degradation Product (AMPA) in a Gleysol in Quebec (Canada)
by Stéphane Petit, Marc Lucotte and Gilles Tremblay
Agriculture 2025, 15(1), 110; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15010110 - 6 Jan 2025
Viewed by 715
Abstract
This study evaluates the pseudo-persistence of glyphosate over three growing seasons in agricultural soils (gleysol) in Québec, Canada. The experiment was carried out in long established plots following a corn–soybean–wheat rotation cycle with various combinations of N-fertilization (mineral N-fertilization, organic N-fertilization, without fertilization) [...] Read more.
This study evaluates the pseudo-persistence of glyphosate over three growing seasons in agricultural soils (gleysol) in Québec, Canada. The experiment was carried out in long established plots following a corn–soybean–wheat rotation cycle with various combinations of N-fertilization (mineral N-fertilization, organic N-fertilization, without fertilization) and tillage techniques (conventional tillage and no-till). The periods between glyphosate applications were 250, 326, and 398 days. Soil sampling was carried out at 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm just before each new application of herbicide. Glyphosate was not detected in any sample. Its main degradation product, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), was found and quantified in approximately 50% of the samples. The detection frequency of AMPA was higher for conventional tillage compared to no-till. Levels ranged between 0.09 and 0.46 μg.g−1. The molar balance per hectare over the first 40 cm showed that the amount of glyphosate present in the form of AMPA in the soils sometimes exceeds the amount of glyphosate applied during the previous season (10.54 or 5.27 mol glyphosate.ha−1). The cumulative effect of glyphosate applications on AMPA levels over the 3 years, however, has not been demonstrated. The effect of conventional tillage on the persistence of AMPA is significant in 2 out of 3 years. The persistence of AMPA was higher for combinations of conventional tillage/mineral N-fertilization and conventional tillage/without fertilization practices. We suggest that conventional tillage can modify parameters related to soil structure or to the structural or functional composition of the bacterial community, which could impact the degradation and leaching of glyphosate and AMPA. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Tillage Management on Agricultural Soil Characteristics)
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15 pages, 4872 KiB  
Article
Infiltration Characteristics and Hydrodynamic Parameters in Response to Topographic Factors in Bare Soil Surfaces, Laboratory Experiments Based on Cropland Fields of Purple Soil in Southwest China
by Yong Wang, Ziting Ma, Dandan Li, Guirong Hou and Jiangkun Zheng
Agriculture 2024, 14(10), 1820; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14101820 - 16 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 840
Abstract
Topography is an important factor that impacts the hydrological processes on sloping farmlands. Yet, few studies have reported the combined influences of slope gradient and slope position on infiltration characteristics and hydrodynamic parameters on sloping croplands in purple soil regions, an important area [...] Read more.
Topography is an important factor that impacts the hydrological processes on sloping farmlands. Yet, few studies have reported the combined influences of slope gradient and slope position on infiltration characteristics and hydrodynamic parameters on sloping croplands in purple soil regions, an important area for agricultural productivity in Southwest China. Here, laboratory-simulated rainfall experiments were conducted in a steel trough (5 m long, 2 m wide, and 0.45 m deep), and rainfall lasted for 1 h at a rate of 90 mm h−1 to examine the variations in the infiltration rates and hydrodynamic parameters under varying slope gradients (i.e., 3°, 6°, 10°, 15°, 21°, and 27°) and slope positions (i.e., upper, middle, and lower), and explore the relationships between the infiltration rate and the soil detachment rate. The results showed that the infiltration rate decreased gradually with duration rainfall and ultimately approached a steady state in the six slope treatments. Cumulative infiltration ranged from 15.54 to 39.32 mm during rainfall, and gradually reduced with the increase of slope gradient. The Horton’s model outperforms other models for predicting the infiltration rate with an R2 value of 0.86. Factors such as Darcy–Weisbach friction, flow shear force, Manning friction coefficient, unit energy, and runoff depth varied in the following order: upper slope > middle slope > lower slope, whilst the Reynolds number and Froude number gradually increased along the slope transect from the upper to lower slope positions. A significant linear function was fitted between the soil detachment rate and the infiltration rate at the gentle slopes (3°, 6°, 10°), whereas an exponential relationship was observed at the steep slopes (15°, 21°, and 27°). Observation also suggested that 15° was the critical slope gradient of sediment detachment, infiltration characteristics, and hydrodynamic parameters. Our results provide theoretical insight for developing models that predict the impacts of topographic factors on hydrological characteristic and soil erosion in hilly agricultural landscapes of purple soil fields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Tillage Management on Agricultural Soil Characteristics)
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10 pages, 967 KiB  
Article
No-Tillering System: Is It Worth Conducting Soil Scarification as an Option for “Field Reform”?
by Eduardo de Carvalho Machione, Renata Fernandes de Queiroz, Afonso Lopes, Carlos Eduardo Angeli Furlani and Tatiana Fernanda Canata
Agriculture 2024, 14(8), 1434; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14081434 - 22 Aug 2024
Viewed by 827
Abstract
The adoption of a no-till system presents difficulties in maintaining the potential crop yield under long-term conditions when compacted soil layers are observed in the field. The research objective was to assess the benefits of soil intervention in a traditional area of no-till [...] Read more.
The adoption of a no-till system presents difficulties in maintaining the potential crop yield under long-term conditions when compacted soil layers are observed in the field. The research objective was to assess the benefits of soil intervention in a traditional area of no-till system while considering the production parameters of corn (Zea mays L.) under tropical conditions. The area was installed considering 24 experimental units, including 6 treatments, a 3 × 2 scheme, and 4 repetitions (3 soil management systems and 2 crop hybrids). The soil scarification was carried out at two depths, 0.15 m and 0.30 m, to compare its influence on corn yield. The number of days of plants’ emergence, seed depth, longitudinal distribution of seedlings, phytotechnical parameters, and crop yield in the field were evaluated. The dataset was subjected to the F Test and Tukey test (p < 0.05) to compare the means by each attribute and treatment. The adopted hybrids, as well as soil-management systems in the experimental area, did not interfere with the quality of the sowing and quantitative parameters of the crop (CV = 15% for normal distribution on plants’ spacing within rows). So, there is no need to scarify soil with the aim of increasing corn yield under the evaluated field conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Tillage Management on Agricultural Soil Characteristics)
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