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Effects of intensity of agronomic practices on a soil ecosystem

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2009

R.R. Weil ,
K.A. Lowell  and
H.M. Shade
R.R. Weil
Affiliation:
Graduate Research Assistants, Agronomy Department, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742.
K.A. Lowell
Affiliation:
Graduate Research Assistants, Agronomy Department, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742.
H.M. Shade
Affiliation:
Graduate Research Assistants, Agronomy Department, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742.
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The combination of several measures (organic matter accumulated, soil porosity, field soil respiration, CO2 evolved during incubation, and mineral N released) shows clearly that soil biological activity was enhanced in the systems that minimized tillage. Surprisingly, the abundance of earthworms, which are considered very sensitive to damage by tillage, did not always follow the same pattern. We do not know the reason for the response of earthworms, but in part it may have been an artifact of the interaction of the collection technique with soil properties such as infiltration rate and temperature. The most dramatic improvement in porosity, organic matter accumulation and N mineralization ability came from five years' continuous growth of grass sod, underscoring the potential role of grass in sustainable cropping systems and the value of grass for soil conservation and improvement.

Keywords

soil organic mattersoil biologyearthwormssoil respirationcropping systemsN mineralizationorganic fanningsustainable agriculturetillage

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Articles
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American Journal of Alternative Agriculture , Volume 8 , Issue 1 , March 1993 , pp. 5 - 14
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

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