Using conservation systems to alleviate soil compaction in a Southeastern United States ultisol

• Published in: Soil & tillage research Vol. 104; no. 1; pp. 106 - 114
• Main Authors: Simoes, R.P., Raper, R.L., Arriaga, F.J., Balkcom, K.S., Shaw, J.N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.06.2009; [Amsterdam]: Elsevier Science; Elsevier
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Arachis hypogaea; Biological and medical sciences; cash crops; coastal plain soils; Compaction; conservation practices; Conservation tillage; costs and returns; cotton; Cotton drought resistance; Cover crop; cover crops; crop yield; Cropping systems. Cultivation. Soil tillage; deep tillage; drought tolerance; energy efficiency; energy use and consumption; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; Gossypium hirsutum; peanuts; sandy loam soils; soil compaction; Soil erosion, conservation, land management and development; Soil science; soil strength; Soil tillage; Subsoiling; tillage implements; Tillage. Tending. Growth control; Ultisols; Southeastern United States; Alabama; United States; North America; America; Cotton drought resistance; Subsoiling; Compaction; Conservation tillage; Cover crop; Malvaceae; Southeast; Fiber crop; South Eastern States (USA); Soils; Drought resistance; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Spermatophyta; Gossypium hirsutum; Soil science; Ultisols
• ISSN: 0167-1987; 1879-3444
• DOI: 10.1016/j.still.2009.01.004

Coastal Plain soils are prone to compaction layers which restrict root growth and reduce yields. The adoption of non-inversion deep tillage has been recommended to disrupt compacted soil layers and create an adequate medium for crop development. In spite of its efficacy, increased fuel prices could reduce in-row subsoiling adoption due to the cost of the operation. We evaluated three subsoiling implements against a non-subsoiled treatment with and without a rye ( Secale cereale L .) cover crop on a 4-year cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L .)–peanut ( Arachis hypogaea L.) rotation experiment in Headland, AL on a Dothan loamy sand (Plinthic Kandiudult). Results showed consistently lower yields for non-subsoiled treatments (11 and 51% lower yields for peanuts and cotton, respectively). Soil strength values had a 2 fold increase or greater (1.5–4.0 MPa) in less than a year due to natural reconsolidation and normal vehicle traffic. On average, in-row subsoiling returned $698/ha/year for cotton and $612/ha/year more for all in-row subsoiling than non-subsoiled treatments. No differences between implements were found. A conservation system consisting of annual paratilling combined with a winter cover crop proved to be the most productive and profitable system.