Soil structure improvements with the addition of Lantana camara biomass in rice-wheat cropping

• Published in: Soil use and management Vol. 11; no. 4; pp. 199 - 203
• Main Authors: Sharma, P.K, Verma, T.S, Bhagat, R.M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 1995
• Subjects: aggregate size distribution; biomass; bulk density; carbon; clay loam soils; clods; cracking; cracks; crop rotation; flooded conditions; Lantana camara; long term experiments; organic amendments; organic carbon; Oryza sativa; plant residues; porosity; rice; size; soil aggregates; soil density; soil organic matter; stability; Triticum aestivum; India
• ISSN: 0266-0032; 1475-2743

A long-term field experiment was initiated in June 1988 in a silty clay loam soil to investigate the potential of Lantana camara, an obnoxious weed, for improving structural properties and productivity of soil in rice-wheat cropping. Lantana was incorporated into the soil 10-15 days before puddling at 10, 20 and 30 t/ha (fresh weight). At the end of the sixth cropping season, Lantana additions increased the organic carbon (OC) of the 0-15 cm soil layer by 11-24%, and of water-stable aggregates (WSA, 0.50-8.0 mm diameter) by 10-21%; OC of WSA < 0.50 mm diameter remained unaffected. About 17-25% of the applied OC was retained in the soil. The OC increase resulted in a decrease in bulk density of the plough layer (0-15 cm) by 7%, a decrease in aggregates of 2-8 mm diameter and of clods by 4% and 6%, respectively. There was an increase in water-stable aggregates and aggregate porosity, and a decrease in clod-breaking strength from 420 to 216 kPa. Soil cracking at the surface changed from wide, deep cracks in hexagonal pattern to a close-spaced network of fine cracks. Lantana additions increased < 5 mm wide cracks at the expense of 10-20 mm wide cracks; 5-l0 mm wide cracks remained unchanged. Total volume of cracks decreased by 36% and surface area of cracks by 55% compared with the control plots.