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Surface Soil Quality Attributes following 12 Years of Conventional and Conservation Management on Irrigated Rotations in Southern Alberta
Author(s) -
Li Lingling,
Larney Francis J.,
Angers Denis A.,
Pearson Drusilla C.,
Blackshaw Robert E.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj2015.02.0051
Subject(s) - agronomy , phaseolus , dry matter , tillage , crop rotation , sugar beet , soil quality , manure , soil management , environmental science , nutrient management , organic matter , conventional tillage , crop , chemistry , horticulture , soil water , nutrient , biology , soil science , organic chemistry
Rapid expansion of irrigated row crop production, viz., potato ( Solanum tuberosum L.), dry bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.), and sugar beet ( Beta vulgaris L.), in southern Alberta in the late 1990s provided the impetus for a 12‐yr (2000–2011) study to evaluate cropping systems that maintained or improved soil quality. The study compared conservation (CONS) and conventional (CONV) management in rotations of 3‐ to 6‐yr duration. Conservation management included reduced tillage, cover crops, feedlot manure compost addition, and solid‐seeded narrow‐row dry bean production. After 12 yr, particulate organic matter C (POM‐C) and N (POM‐N) showed >145% increases (POM‐C, 2.2–5.8 Mg ha −1 ; POM‐N, 0.20–0.49 Mg ha −1 ) with CONS management compared with 45 to 50% increases in total organic C and N (TOC, 10.2–15.3 Mg ha −1 ; TN, 1.06–1.53 Mg ha −1 ) and 20% increases in fine organic matter (FOM)‐C and ‐N (FOM‐C, 8.3–10.1 Mg ha −1 ; FOM‐N, 0.87–1.04 Mg ha −1 ). Aggregate stability of the pre‐wet >1‐mm fraction increased significantly from 13% under CONV to 21% under CONS management. Overall, the 5‐yr CONS rotation (sugar beet–wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.)–dry bean–potato–wheat) ranked highest for soil quality (100%), with CONV rotations substantially lower (33–38%). Adoption of CONS management enhanced a wide range of soil quality attributes that could safeguard sustainable expansion of irrigated specialty cropping in southern Alberta.