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ARS Home » Plains Area » Brookings, South Dakota » Integrated Cropping Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #145399
Title: SOIL CARBON AND GLOMALIN CONCENTRATION UNDER TILLAGE MANAGEMENT IN EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA

Author
item Pikul Jr, Joseph
item Wright, Sara
item Jawson, Linda
item Ellsbury, Michael

Submitted to: Soil and Water Science Research in the Plant Science Department
Publication Type: Experiment Station
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/31/2003
Publication Date: 4/30/2003
Citation: PIKUL JR, J.L., WRIGHT, S.E., JAWSON, L., ELLSBURY, M.M. SOIL CARBON AND GLOMALIN CONCENTRATION UNDER TILLAGE MANAGEMENT IN EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. SOIL AND WATER SCIENCE RESEARCH IN THE PLANT SCIENCE DEPARTMENT. 2003. Soil PR 02-40.

Interpretive Summary: Increased loss of soil organic matter has been associated with increased tillage intensity and rate of loss can be a function of soil type, climate, and cropping practice. Crop rotation, residue management, fertility management, and tillage management have an impact on sustainability of the soil resource. Soil organic matter contains substances that are important to soil management because they are linked to erosion reduction and soil tilth. Glomalin, an ubiquitous, abundant glycoprotein originating from hyphae of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi is a unique component of soil organic matter. Glomalin concentration is correlated with aggregate stability and is thought to be a relatively sensitive indicator of change in soil condition. We found a higher concentration of glomalin, and total soil carbon in aggregates that resisted disintegration and these aggregates were from the no tillage farm. Results show improved soil quality under no tillage. Further, we found significant differences in properties among aggregate classes suggesting that organic cementing agents are not uniformly distributed across all aggregate groups.

Technical Abstract: Loss of soil organic matter (SOM) has been associated with increased tillage. Objectives were to determine effect of tillage on soil carbon (C) and glomalin concentration. About 10 kg of soil from the top 50 mm was randomly collected from 4 plots under no tillage (NT) and conservation tillage (CT). Samples were dried and a rotary sieve was used to separate samples into aggregate groups. Group 1 was soil <0.4 mm, group 2 was 0.4-0.8 mm, group 3 was 0.8-2.0 mm, group 4 was 2.0-6.4 mm, and group 5 was 6.4-12.7 mm. Soil C was measured by combustion and total glomalin immunoreactive (TGIR), an indicator of more recently deposited glomalin, was measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on all aggregate groups. Results from dry sieving show that soil aggregates from the NT farm resisted breakdown when compared with aggregates from the CT farm. Total soil C was significantly greater under NT compared with CT and within aggregate groups 4 and 5. Concentration of glomalin and total C was higher in aggregates that resisted disintegration and these aggregates were from the NT farm. Differences in properties among aggregate classes suggest that organic cementing agents are not uniformly distributed across all aggregate groups. Results show a link between NT and improved soil quality.