Effects of till vs no-till on the quality of soil organic matter
Abstract
Changes in the quality of soil organic matter (OM) were examined in a long-term tillage experiment after 10 yr of continuous barley, to determine whether there were differences caused by tillage. The data showed that the no-till soil had a higher content of C and N (~ 26%) than the conventionallytilled soil. The whole soil and the C-enriched fraction from the no-till soil were higher in carbohydrates (~ 10 and 18% higher, respectively) and in amino acids (~ 11 and 15% higher, respectively) than the whole soil and C-enriched fractions from the conventionally-tilled soil. The no-till soil was also higher in aliphatic C (paraffins) and contained less aromatic C than the conventionally-tilled soil. The data show that the no-till systems results in quantitative and qualitative improvements in soil OM.
- Publication:
-
Soil Biology and Biochemistry
- Pub Date:
- January 1990
- DOI:
- 10.1016/0038-0717(90)90003-I
- Bibcode:
- 1990SBiBi..22..595A