SOME EFFECTS OF DEEP PLOWING A SOLONETZ SOIL

Abstract

Plowing a Solonetz soil to a depth of 56 cm, as compared with ordinary plowing (10 cm), greatly reduced the soluble salts, particularly sodium sulfate, throughout the 150-cm sample depth. It also reduced the percentage of exchangeable sodium. The apparent slight increase in cereal crop yields, caused by deep plowing, was not statistically significant, but the yield of an alfalfa-bromegrass crop was about doubled. There was a much denser stand of alfalfa where the soil had been deep plowed than where it had not. The depth of penetration of the main root mass was more than doubled by deep plowing. Percentages of calcium and potassium were higher and magnesium and sodium lower in the alfalfa grown on the deep-plowed than on the shallow-plowed soils.