Comparison of soil quality and productivity at two sites differing in profile structure and topsoil properties

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2013.07.011Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Soil quality and productivity of alluvial-derived and glacial till-derived soils were compared.

  • Glacial till-derived soil had higher organic C, but soil quality index was similar for the soils.

  • Soil productivity was observed by crop sequence trials using maize, wheat, and pea.

  • Maize yield on glacial till-derived soil was lower because of much less drainable subsoil.

  • But spring wheat yield over 3 years was higher on glacial till compared to alluvial soil.

Abstract

Improved means for assessing the impact of management on soil quality (SQ) are needed. Objectives of this study were to assess SQ of two soils with similar taxonomy but dissimilar soil profile characteristics and compare SQ ratings with crop productivity. Soils evaluated included a glacial-till derived (GTD) loam/clay loam and an alluvial-derived (AD) sandy loam in central North Dakota, USA (403 mm mean annual precipitation). Application of the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) to seven properties showed the soils had similar SQ index (SQI) values of 69 and 68 (out of 100 possible) for GTD and AD soils at 0–30 cm depth, respectively, while they had SQI values of 89 and 87 at 0–5 cm depth. The GTD soil had 17.1 g kg−1 organic C compared to 9.8 g kg−1 for AD soil, and higher SMAF scores for organic C and available water capacity (AWC), but lower scores for Olsen P and potentially mineralizable N. Soil productivity, as expressed by seed yield of dry pea (Pisum sativum L.), spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and maize (Zea mays L.), was determined from two multi-crop sequence experiments conducted under no-tillage. Seed yields of spring wheat following spring wheat in 2003 and 2005 were 35% and 14% greater on GTD soil than on AD soil, but not different in 2003. Dry pea and maize forage yields were generally equivalent between soils, but 2004 maize seed yields on GTD soil following dry pea, spring wheat, and maize were 28%, 30%, and 54% lower, respectively, than on AD soil. Lower maize yields on GTD soil compared to AD soil during 2004 were associated with low subsoil hydraulic conductivity and shallower soil water depletion and root growth on GTD soil. Although GTD soil had higher levels of more stable SQ indicators (organic C, AWC) than AD soil, their similar, relatively high SQI values indicate positive responses to soil conservation management. Our results show the need for integration of soil profile and subsoil information with near-surface SQ assessments.

Introduction

Natural sciences have increasingly embraced the concept of the soil resource as an integral contributor of ecosystem services necessary to support plant-based life (Robinson et al., 2012). Soil quality (SQ), defined as the capacity of a soil to function (Doran and Parkin, 1994, Karlen et al., 2001), serves as an important metric for quantifying soil's role to support multiple ecosystem services. Monitoring a balance of biological, physical, and chemical soil properties is central to assessments of SQ status (Doran and Jones, 1996).

The Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) was designed to make quantitative assessments of SQ status with the purpose of determining the sustainability of management (Andrews et al., 2002, Andrews et al., 2004). The SMAF was designed to assess the response of a given type of soil to management, and to indicate the SQ status within a relative range of potential for that soil; it was not designed to directly compare different soils (Andrews et al., 2004). A set of SQ indicator properties are scored through a series of relationships between soil properties and management goals, including soil productivity, waste recycling, and environmental protection. A management goal is designated by the user, and a SQ index (SQI) value is calculated from application of SMAF scoring algorithms to indicator properties.

An earlier proposal for SQ assessment was that of Larson and Pierce (1994), whereby indicator properties would be evaluated over the entire soil rootzone, weighted by root function with depth. While this concept of SQ assessment would involve evaluations of soil properties throughout the profile, more current SQ practices have focused on dynamic and accessible properties responsive to management in topsoil depths (Cambardella et al., 2004, Karlen et al., 2008, Liebig et al., 2012). However, soil productivity is affected by both topsoil and profile characteristics over depth (Hewitt, 2004). Accordingly, examination of soils closely related by soil genesis as reflected in their taxonomy, but having different parent materials and profile structure presents an opportunity to evaluate influences of topsoil vs. whole profile attributes on SQ.

An opportunity to explore topsoil versus full profile aspects of the SQ-soil productivity relationship arose through a pair of crop sequence experiments performed in the northern Great Plains on two soils classified as Haplustolls (Merrill et al., 2012, Tanaka et al., 2007). One soil had an alluvial-derived (AD) sandy loam profile, the other a glacial till-derived (GTD) loam/clay loam profile.

Here we present results of applying SMAF to compare SQ assessments of two contrasting soils. Soil productivity was examined by comparisons of crop yields from crop sequence experiments. To better understand influence of soil profile characteristics on productivity, measurements of soil water depletion (SWD) and root growth were examined.

A guiding hypothesis for the study was that topsoil properties of the coarser-textured AD soil with lower organic C content would result in lower SQ assessment and lower productivity compared to the finer-textured GTD soil with higher organic C content. Goals of the study were to (a) compare SQ assessments of the two soil types with their soil productivities as indicated by crop sequence experiment results, and (b) analyze effects of soil profile characteristics on productivity differences indicated by crop yield results.

Section snippets

Locations, soils, and climate

Soil properties and soil productivity were measured at two locations in south central North Dakota on lands of the USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory (NGPRL). One location (46°45′30″ N, 100°55′00″ W) was at the Area IV Soil Conservation Districts Cooperative Research Farm, approximately 7 km south from NGPRL headquarters, and has GTD loam/clay loam soil classified as Temvik-Wilton silt loams (fine-silty, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic and Pachic Haplustolls (Table 1). The other

Soil properties and soil quality assessment

Differences in soil properties between the soils were consistent with textural differences (Table 1). The GTD soil had 74% more TOC than AD soil, 17.1 vs. 9.8 g kg−1, respectively, over the 0-30 cm depth interval. Glacial till-derived soil also had greater AWC than AD soil, 0.221 vs. 0.147 kg kg−1, respectively. The soils also differed in land management factors, such as the presence of tree shelterbelts at the AD soil location and their absence at the GTD soil location, and a prior history of

Soil productivity linked to soil quality assessment

A productivity comparison of the soils may be summed as follows (Fig. 2, Fig. 3): (a) Dry pea yield in 2004 was not significantly different between soils. (b) Maize seed yields in 2004 following the three prior species were significantly less on GTD soil than on AD soil for reasons attributable to whole profile differences between the soils. This was a year of relatively low springtime soil water storage, and lower subsoil conductivity appeared to be a productivity disadvantage to GTD soil. (c)

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the contribution of the Area IV Soil Conservation Districts in North Dakota for providing land to conduct research reported in this manuscript. The authors would also like to acknowledge the technical assistance of Dawn Wetch, Becky Wald, Keely Schulz, Delmer Schlenker, Gail Sage, Sally Jacobs, Duane Hinsz, Marvin Hatzenbuhler, Justin Hartel, Jason Gross, and Joseph Doll.

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