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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #82600
Title: EFFECT OF TILLAGE PRACTICES ON SOIL BIOMASS IN POST-CRP LANDS

Author
item DELIKAYA, HASAN - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item Karlen, Douglas

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/31/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Post-CRP land should be monitored to ensure that the level of soil quality gained during sod growth is maintained if the land is returned to row-crop production. Soil microbial biomass (SMB), a highly active portion of the carbon pool that influences N immobilization and mineralization, aggregate formation and stabilization, and pesticide immobilization, was measured using fumigation and extraction techniques to compare no-till (NT) with moldboard plow (PLOW) and disking (DISK) treatments. Samples were collected before tillage, 1 hour after tillage, and 24 hours after tillage. Inversion of subsoil decreased SMB levels by 43% in plowed areas compared to the initial values. With disking, SMB values after 1 hr increased, possibly because of better soil aeration. After 24 hr, SMB began to increase in plowed areas but declined in disked plots. This indicates that SMB responds quickly to soil management practices such as tillage.