Comparison of Physical Quality Indices of Topsoil and Subsoil under Wheat and Sunflower Cultivation

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 MSc., Department of Soil Science, Urmia University

2 Associate Professor, Department of Soil Science, Urmia University

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the soil physical quality (SPQ) indices of topsoil and subsoil of wheat and sunflower fields in Urmia plain. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to distinguish the effect of soil layer and cultivation type on SPQ. Soil samplings and measurements were done in two layers (topsoil and subsoil) of 30 agricultural fields (15 wheat fields and 15 sunflower fields). Soil water retention and penetration resistance curves of undisturbed samples were determined using sand box and pressure plate, and micro-penetrometer, respectively. Then, least limiting water range (LLWR), integral water capacity (IWC), and Dexter’s index of soil physical quality (S-value) were calculated. There were significant differences (p < /em><0.05) in the mean values of physical quality indices between the topsoil and subsoil. The relative bulk density (RBD) values of subsoil were bigger than topsoil. Also, the IWC, LLWR, and S values of subsoil were much smaller than those of topsoil, indicating poor physical quality of subsoil layer in the studied fields. This might be related to conventional tillage with heavy machinery, especially under high soil moisture conditions in last decades, which induced some compaction effects in the subsoil. These findings recommend improving of tillage systems and continuous monitoring of cultivation effects on SPQ in the studied area. Evaluating the SPQ indices of wheat and sunflower fields, using the means comparison and PCA, showed that wheat fields had better soil physical quality compared to sunflower fields. The difference of root systems and more human trafficking in the sunflower fields could be the main reasons of lower soil physical quality in sunflower cultivation compared to wheat cultivation.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Iranian Journal of Soil Research
Volume 34, Issue 3
December 2020
Pages 373-386

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