Long-term cropping system, tillage, and poultry litter application affect the chemical properties of an Alabama ultisol

Authors: He, Zhongqi; TAZISONG, IRENUS - Alabama A & M University; YIN, XINHUA - University Of Tennessee; Watts, Dexter; SENWO, ZACHARY - Alabama A & M University; Torbert, Henry - Allen

Submitted to: Pedosphere
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/28/2019
Publication Date: 4/1/2019
Citation: He, Z., Tazisong, I.A., Yin, X., Watts, D.B., Senwo, Z.N., Torbert, H.A. 2019. Long-term cropping system, tillage, and poultry litter application affect the chemical properties of an Alabama ultisol. Pedosphere. 29(2):180-194. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1002-0160(19)60797-6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1002-0160(19)60797-6

Interpretive Summary: The global agriculture sector is confronted with challenges for the sustainability of agricultural production and the environment to accommodate population growth and living standard increase in the world. Intensive high-yielding agriculture is typically dependent on the addition of fertilizers. However, soil chemistry changes and non-point nutrient losses from fertilization could adversely impact soil health and the environment. Thus, this research systematically evaluated the influences of long-term cropping, tillage, and poultry litter (PL) application on selected 18 soil parameters (soil physicochemical properties, soil test nutrients and soil elements) in an Ultisol soil where PL has been used as a source of fertilization based on N needs of crop for a multi-year period on corn and soybean production under conventional tillage and no-till management. Insights derived from this work should be helpful in the development of better soil nutrient management practices. For example, N fertilization could be managed independently, while pH adjustment would be effective in managing the soil test levels of metals and control their runoff potentials.

Technical Abstract: Sustainable agricultural practices have been steadily increased in last decades. These management practices frequently involve cover crop, less or no-till, and organic fertilization. Intensive high-yielding agriculture is typically dependent on the addition of fertilizers. However, soil chemistry changes and non-point nutrient losses from fertilization could adversely impact soil health and the environment. Thus, various integrated cropping management practices have been conceived and put in long-term field trials to determine soil conservation and environmental sustainability of these systemsThe general impact trend was PL application > no-till > cover crop > cropping type. There were more statistically significant (P = 0.05) correlation coefficients between the 18 parameter of the surface soils than subsurface soils, due to the accumulation of external input of C and nutrients by crop residues and PL application as well as the retaining effects of no-till on less mobile components. Due to the high mobility and volatile nature, total N, NH4+-N and NO3--N levels varied greatly with high standard deviations, showing no consistent patterns among these samples. In the two cropping systems, corn, especially with wheat cover crop contributed more total C and S in surface (0-5 cm) soils than the soybean cropping systems. PL application greatly increased pH, ECE, base saturation, Mg, P, Ca, Na, K, Mn, Cu and Zn in both soil layers. These observations in this work shed light on developing better nutrient management practices while reducing their runoff potentials.