Author:
Carter M R,Peters R D,Noronha C,Kimpinski J
Abstract
Conservation practices in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cropping systems can reduce excess tillage, provide crop residue cover, and maintain crop productivity; however, little is known about their long-term influence on soil biota and biological properties. Conservation tillage was evaluated in two potato rotations: a 2-yr barley-potato rotation and 3-yr clover-based (barley-red clover-potato) rotation initiated in 1994 on a fine sandy loam (Orthic Podzol) in Prince Edward Island, eastern Canada. Soil samples were obtained in 2003 from the 0- to 10-cm soil depth of the potato phase of both rotations to evaluate the influence of conservation, compared with conventional tillage, on changes in soil fertility, soil structural properties, soil C and N fractions, soil-borne pathogens, nematode communities, and micro-arthropod (Collembola and Acari) communities. The 3-yr conservation tillage practice improved soil structural stability, increased soil extractable P and K, increased soil organic C and total N and their particulate fractions, compared with the other treatments. Comparisons with earlier studies indicated that soil organic C had reached an equilibrium level at the 0- to 10-cm soil depth. Reduction of potato disease caused by Rhizoctonia solani was evident in the 3-yr rotation, compared with the 2-yr rotation, but was not influenced by tillage practice. Plant parasitic nematodes were not greatly influenced by rotation and tillage treatments; however, densities of the beneficial bacterial-feeding nematodes were increased under the 3-yr conservation tillage treatment. The abundance of micro-arthropods was increased by conservation tillage, while their diversity was mainly influenced by the rotation cycle rather than tillage practice. Overall, the 3-yr conservation tillage treatment provided a more beneficial soil biological condition than the other treatments, especially when compared with the 2-yr conventional tillage practice. Key words: Conservation systems, potato rotation, fine sandy loam, soil fertility, soil organic C and N fractions, soil structure, soil-borne pathogens, nematode, Collembola; Acari
Publisher
Canadian Science Publishing
Cited by
21 articles.
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