Tillage and Straw Management Practices Influences Soil Nutrient Distribution: A Case Study from North-Eastern Romania

Anca Elena Calistru, Feodor Filipov, Irina Gabriela Cara (), Marius Cioboată, Denis Țopa and Gerard Jităreanu
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Anca Elena Calistru: Department of Pedotechnics, Faculty of Agriculture, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” University of Life Sciences, 700490 Iasi, Romania
Feodor Filipov: Department of Pedotechnics, Faculty of Agriculture, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” University of Life Sciences, 700490 Iasi, Romania
Irina Gabriela Cara: Research Institute for Agriculture and Environment, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” University of Life Sciences, 700490 Iasi, Romania
Marius Cioboată: Department of Land Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Craiova, 200421 Craiova, Romania
Denis Țopa: Department of Pedotechnics, Faculty of Agriculture, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” University of Life Sciences, 700490 Iasi, Romania
Gerard Jităreanu: Department of Pedotechnics, Faculty of Agriculture, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” University of Life Sciences, 700490 Iasi, Romania

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 5, 1-18

Abstract: Tillage practices govern crop quality and quantity through soil nutrient availability and crop root systems. A deeper knowledge of the impact of conservation tillage on soil chemical characteristics (such as pH, soil organic carbon, macro and micronutrient storage and distribution) is required for both the promotion of agricultural sustainability and environmental preservation. This study assesses the changes in soil features and properties in the context of a long-field experiment with different tillage systems and straw management practices. Research findings revealed that compared with conventional tillage (CT) conservative tillage with partial straw retention (MT) and no-tillage with straw mulching (NT) substantially boosted the organic carbon (OC) (by 6–19%), total nitrogen (TN) (by 2–12%), and available potassium content (AK) (by 2–5%), in 0–30 cm soil depth. However, the stratification trend was observed for available macro and micronutrient content (Zn, Fe, Mn) in both conservative management practices. The concentration of Cu indicates a constant pattern through a 0–30 cm soil profile with a higher concentration under MT (1.41 mg kg −1 ) compared to NT (1.10 mg kg −1 ). In particular, the results failed to establish if conservation tillage can increase the total phosphorus (TP) and potassium content (TK), where only in surface 0–10 cm an increase was observed. This research also suggested that the X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) of total micronutrient content (Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn) is minimal or unpredictable with no substantial differences between the tillage systems and straw return management practices. These findings suggest that conservation tillage in north-eastern Romania might be optimal to maintain soil quality status and sustain high yields.

Keywords: tillage systems; straw management; soil quality; nutrient distribution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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