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Quantifying improvements in water-stable aggregation caused by corn stover retention

Journal Article · · Soil Science Society of America Journal
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20198· OSTI ID:1853975
 [1];  [2]
  1. US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), Morris, MN (United States). ARS-North Central Soil Conservation Research Lab.; Antares Group Inc.
  2. US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), Morris, MN (United States). ARS-North Central Soil Conservation Research Lab.
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Corn (Zea mays L.) stover harvest must be balanced against protecting soil properties, including water-stable aggregates (WSA). The formation and maintenance of WSA functions of multiple factors including management. Harvesting stover alters the mass of the residue retained, which might alter a soil's ability to form and maintain WSA. Here, a study was conducted on two independently replicated fields under chisel plow (CP) and no-till (NT) management, both in a corn–soybean [Glycine max. (L.) Merr.] rotation with four corn residue retention treatments (RRT): [harvesting only grain, grain plus cobs, grain plus about half the stover, and grain plus as much stover as possible (Grain + Aggressive)], returning about 8, 5, 4 and 2 Mg ha–1 yr–1 dry stover, respectively. Water-stable aggregates, their distribution, and mean weight diameter (MWD) were determined on a clay loam or loam Mollisol collected at 0 to 5 and 5 to 10 cm. Treatments, crop phase, soil depth, and their interactions were analyzed via a mixed linear model. Linear regression was used to assay the relationships between WSA and the average mass of residue returned. In both fields, Grain + Aggressive had the lowest WSA and MWD, and fewer ≥2-mm aggregates than other RRTs and, in the NT field, fewer in the 1- to 2-mm class size as well. Overall, WSA increased by 0.85 and 2.25% per Mg stover returned under CP and NT, respectively. Harvesting stover reduced the formation and/or the maintenance of WSA, thereby reducing their ability to resist the erosive force of water.
Research Organization:
Antares Group, Inc., Lanham, MD (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Transportation Office. Bioenergy Technologies Office
Grant/Contract Number:
EE0007088; SC0014664
OSTI ID:
1853975
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1848476
Report Number(s):
DOE-ANTARES--07088-2-9
Journal Information:
Soil Science Society of America Journal, Journal Name: Soil Science Society of America Journal Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 85; ISSN 0361-5995
Publisher:
Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science SocietiesCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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