Soil Organic Carbon Stocks as Afected by Tillage Systems in a Double-Cropped Rice Field

Tillage practices can potentially affect soil organic carbon （SOC） accumulation in agricultural soils. A 4-year experiment was conducted to identify the influence of tillage practices on SOC sequestration in a double-cropped rice （Oryza sativa L.） field in Hunan Province of China. Three tillage treatments, no-till （NT）, conventional plow tillage （PT）, and rotary tillage （RT）, were laid in a randomized complete block design. Concentrations of SOC and bulk density （BD） of the 0-80 cm soil layer were measured, and SOC stocks of the 0-20 and 0-80 cm soil layers were calculated on an equivalent soil mass （ESM） basis and fixed depth （FD） basis. Soil carbon budget （SCB） under different tillage systems were assessed on the basis of emissions of methane （CH4） and CO2 and the amount of carbon （C） removed by the rice harvest. After four years of experiment, the NT treatment sequestrated more SOC than the other treatments. The SOC stocks in the 0-80 cm layer under NT （on an ESM basis） was as high as 129.32 Mg C ha-1, significantly higher than those under PT and RT （P 〈 0.05）. The order of SOC stocks in the 0-80 cm soil layer was NT 〉 PT 〉 RT, and the same order was observed for SCB; however, in the 0-20 cm soil layer, the RT treatment had a higher SOC stock than the PT treatment. Therefore, when comparing SOC stocks, only considering the top 20 cm of soil would lead to an incomplete evaluation for the tillage-induced effects on SOC stocks and SOC sequestrated in the subsoil layers should also be taken into consideration. The estimation of SOC stocks using the ESM instead of FD method would better reflect the actual changes in SOC stocks in the paddy filed, as the FD method amplified the tillage effects on SOC stocks. This study also indicated that NT plus straw retention on the soil surface was a viable option to increase SOC stocks in paddy soils.

Impact of Tillage and Fertilizer Application Method on Gas Emissions in a Corn Cropping System

Tillage and fertilization practices used in row crop production are thought to alter greenhouse gas emissions from soil. This study was conducted to determine the impact of fertilizer sources, land management practices, and fertilizer placement methods on greenhouse gas （CO2, CH4, and N2O） emissions. A new prototype implement developed for applying poultry litter in subsurface bands in the soil was used in this study. The field site was located at the Sand Mountain Research and Extension Center in the Appalachian Plateau region of northeast Alabama, USA, on a Hartsells fine sandy loam （fine-loamy, siliceous, subactive, thermic Typic Hapludults）. Measurements of carbon dioxide （CO2）, methane （CH4）, and nitrous oxide （N20） emissions followed GRACEnet （greenhouse gas reduction through agricultural carbon enhancement network） protocols to assess the effects of different tillage （conventional vs. no-tillage） and fertilizer placement （subsurface banding vs. surface application） practices in a corn （Zea mays L.） cropping system. Fertilizer sources were urea-ammonium nitrate （UAN）, ammonium nitrate （AN） and poultry litter （M） applied at a rate of 170 kg ha^（-1） of available N. Banding of fertilizer resulted in the greatest concentration of gaseous loss （CO2 and N2O） compared to surface applications of fertilizer. Fertilizer banding increased CO2 and N2O loss on various sampling days throughout the season with poultry litter banding emitting more gas than UAN banding. Conventional tillage practices also resulted in a higher concentration of CO2 and N2O loss when evaluating tillage by sampling day. Throughout the course of this study, CH4 flux was not affected by tillage, fertilizer source, or fertilizer placement method. These results suggest that poultry litter use and banding practices have the potential to increase greenhouse gas emissions.