Premium
BENEFIT OF LEYS—STRUCTURAL IMPROVEMENT OR NITROGEN RESERVES
Author(s) -
Clement C. R.
Publication year - 1961
Publication title -
grass and forage science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.716
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1365-2494
pISSN - 0142-5242
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2494.1961.tb00235.x
Subject(s) - arable land , agronomy , environmental science , nitrogen , plough , moisture , organic matter , soil water , water content , soil science , geography , chemistry , biology , ecology , geology , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry , meteorology , agriculture
Although it has been widely established that increased crop yields follow leys sown on arable land, the relative importance of the many causative factors which may be involved is obseure. An attempt has been made to evaluate the influence of 3‐ to 4‐year leys on the organic matter in an arable soil and to distinguish also the relative importance of the resultant change in moisture‐holding capacity, crumb stability and the nitrogen status of the soil as factors in the yield of winter wheat. An increase of about 4 tons per acre in total soil organic matter was recorded after 3 years under grazed swards. Moisture‐holding capacity increased by an amount equivalent to the evapo‐trans‐piration loss from a full plant cover on one summer day. An increase in crumb stability was largely confined to the top inch of soil, which is effectively buried when leys are ploughed. The influence of variation in soil nitrogen status and in crumb stability on the yield of winter wheat after leys was examined by multiple regression analysis of data obtained over a number of yean from field experiments. After allowing for the effect of variation in the nitrogen status of the soil, the influence of variation in crumb stability was insignificant Conversely variation in the nitrogen status of soils, sampled under leys before ploughing, was closely correlated (r =+0.93***) with wheat yield.