Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T19:34:33.009Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Soil and crop management effects on soil quality indicators

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2009

D.L. Karlen ,
N.S. Eash  and
P.W. Unger
D.L. Karlen
Affiliation:
Soil Scientist, USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS), National Soil Tilth Laboratory, 2150 Pammel Dr., Ames, IA, 50011;
N.S. Eash
Affiliation:
Research Associate, Iowa State University, National Soil Tilth Laboratory, 2150 Pammel Dr., Ames, IA, 50011;
P.W. Unger
Affiliation:
Soil Scientist, USDA-ARS, Conservation and Production Research Laboratory, Drawer No. 10, Bushland, TX 79012.
Get access

Abstract

People are becoming more aware that our soil resources are as vulnerable to degradation as air or water, but criteria are needed to learn how soil quality is changing. Our objectives in this review are: (1) to illustrate that interactions between human and natural factors determine soil quality; (2) to identify indicators that can be used to evaluate human-induced effects on soil quality; and (3) to suggest soil and crop management strategies that will sustain or improve soil quality. The physical, chemical, and biological processes and interactions within the soil are critical factors affecting all indicators of soil quality. The biological processes are especially important because they provide much of the resiliency or buffering capacity to ameliorate stress. Presumably, no single soil or crop management practice will guarantee improved soil quality, but conservation tillage, cover crops, and crop rotations are practices that may be effective. Alley or narrow-strip cropping may facilitate adoption of several of those agronomic practices and increase temporal and spatial diversity across the landscape. To maintain or possibly improve soil quality and simultaneously address a growing waste disposal problem, we suggest that urban lawn and newspaper waste be evaluated as carbon sources. We conclude that the most critical factor, regardless of the soil and crop management strategy, is to recognize that carbon is an essential element for improving soil quality in the U.S. and around the world.

Keywords

Soil tilthconservation tillagecover cropscrop rotations
Type
Articles
Information
American Journal of Alternative Agriculture , Volume 7 , Issue 1-2: Special Issue on Soil Quality , June 1992 , pp. 48 - 55
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Agboola, A.A., and Oko, B.. 1976. An attempt to evaluate plant available P in Western Nigerian soils under shifting cultivation. Agronomy J. 68:798–801.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2.Agenbag, G.A., and Maree, P.C.J.. 1989. The effect of tillage on soil carbon, nitrogen and soil strength of simulated surface crusts in two cropping systems for wheat (Triticumaestivum). Soil Tillage Research 14:53–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.Allaway, W.H. 1971. Feed and food quality in relation to fertilizer use. In Olsen, R.A. (ed). Fertilizer Technology and Use. 2nd ed. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer., Madison, Wisconsin, pp. 533–566.Google Scholar
4.Allaway, W.H. 1975. The effect of soils and fertilizers on human and animal nutrition. Agric. Inf. Bull. No. 378. U.S. Dept. of Agric. U.S. Govt. Printing Office, Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
5.Arnold, R.W. 1983. Pedogenesis and Soil Taxonomy I. Concepts and interactions. Wilding, L.P., Smeck, N.E., and Hall, G.F. (eds). Elsevier Publishing Co., Amsterdam.Google Scholar
6.Baily, B.W., and Wadell, T.E.. 1979. Best management practices for agriculture and silviculture: An integrated overview. In Loehr, R.C., Haith, D.A., Walter, M.F., and Martin, C.S. (eds). Best Management Practices for Agriculture and Silviculture. Science Publishers, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan, pp. 33–56.Google Scholar
7.Bauer, A., and Black, A.L.. 1981. Soil carbon, nitrogen, and bulk density comparisons in two cropland tillage systems after 25 years and in virgin grassland. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J. 45:1166–1170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8.Bauer, A., and Black, A.L.. 1992. Organic carbon concentration effects on available water capacity of three soil textural groups. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J. 56:248–254.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9.Beauchamp, E.G., and Seech, A.G.. 1988. Denitrification in soil aggregates of different sizes. Sou Sci. Soc. Amer. J. 52:1616–1621.Google Scholar
10.Boyle, Michael, Frankenberger, W.T. Jr., and Stolzy, L.H.. 1989. The influence of organic matter on soil aggregation and water infiltration. J. Production Agric. 2:290–299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11.Brandt, C.S., and Beeson, K.C.. 1951. Influence of organic fertilization on certain nutritive constituents of crops. Soil Sci. 71:449–454.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12.Brinsfield, R., Staver, K., and Magette, W.. 1988. The role of cover crops in reducing nitrate leaching to groundwater. In Agricultural Impacts on Groundwater. Natl. Well Water Assoc., Dublin, Ohio. pp. 127–146.Google Scholar
13.Bruce, R.R., Langdale, G.W., and West, L.T.. 1990. Modification of soil characteristics of degraded soil surfaces by biomass input and tillage affecting soil water regime. In Transactions of the 14th International Congress of Soil Science. Vol. VI. Intl. Soc. Soil Sci., Kyoto, Japan, pp. 4–9.Google Scholar
14.Campbell, R.B., Karlen, D.L., and Sojka, R.E.. 1984. Conservation tillage for maize production in the U.S. southeastern Coastal Plain. Soil Tillage Research 4:511–529.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15.Chaney, K., and Swift, R.S.. 1984. The influence of organic matter on aggregate stability in some British soils. J. Soil Sci. 35:223–230.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16.Chen, Y.S., Kang, B.T., and Caveness, F.E.. 1989. Alley cropping vegetable crops with Leucaena in Southern Nigeria. HortScience 24:839–840.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17.Cheshire, M.V., Sparling, O.P., and Mundie, C.M.. 1984. Influence of soil type, crop and air drying on residual carbohydrate content and aggregate stability after treatment with periodate and tetraborate. Plant Soil 76:339–347.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18.Cruse, R.M. 1990. Strip intercropping. In Farming Systems for Iowa: Seeking Alternatives. Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture 1990 Conference Proceedings. Iowa State Univ., Ames. pp. 39–41.Google Scholar
19.Doran, J.W., Karlen, D.L., and Thompson, R.L.. 1989. Seasonal variations in soil microbial biomass and available N with varying tillage and cover crop management. Agronomy Abstracts. Amer. Soc. Agronomy, Crop Sci. Soc. Amer., and Soil Sci. Soc. Amer., Madison, Wisconsin, p. 213.Google Scholar
20.Doran, J.W., Mielke, L.N., and Power, J.F.. 1990. Microbial activity as regulated by soil water-filled pore space. Symposium on ecology of soil microorganisms in the microhabitat environment. In Transactions of the 14th International Congress of Soil Science, Vol. III. Int. Soc. Soil Sci., Kyoto, Japan, pp. 94–99.Google Scholar
21.Hash, N.S., Karlen, D.L., and Carlson, G.E.. 1990. Soil microbial biomass and respiration as indicators of soil tilth. Agronomy Abstracts. Amer. Soc. Agronomy, Crop Sci. Soc. Amer., and Soil Sci. Soc. Amer., Madison, Wisconsin, p. 247.Google Scholar
22.Erbach, D.C., Lovely, W.G., and Ayres, G.E.. 1980. Conservation and conventional systems for continuous corn. Misc. Bull. No. 14. Iowa State Univ. Agric, and Home Econ. Exp. Sta., Ames.Google Scholar
23.Francis, C., Jones, A., Crookston, K., Wittier, K., and Goodman, S.. 1986. Strip cropping corn and grain legumes: A review. Amer. J. Alternative Agric. 1:159–164.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24.Frye, W.W., Blevins, R.L., Smith, M.S., Corak, S.J., and Varco, J.J.. 1988. Role of annual legume cover crops in efficient use of water and nitrogen. In Hargrove, W.L. (ed). Cropping Strategies for Efficient Use of Water and Nitrogen. Special Pub. 51. Amer. Soc. Agronomy, Crop Sci. Soc. Amer., and Soil Sci. Soc. Amer., Madison, Wisconsin, pp. 129–154.Google Scholar
25.Garcia, R., Cruse, R.M., Owen, M., and Erbach, D.. 1990. Competition for soil water between components of a strip intercropping rotation, as affected by tillage and position in the strip. In Farming Systems for Iowa: Seeking Alternatives. Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture 1990 Conference Proceedings. Iowa State Univ., Ames. p. 103.Google Scholar
26.Grant, W.D., and West, A.W.. 1986. Measurement of ergosterol, diaminopimelic acid, and glucosamine in soil: Evaluation as indicators of microbial biomass. J. Microbiol. Meth. 6:47–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
27.Grunes, D.L., and Allaway, W.H.. 1985. Nutritional quality of plants in relation to fertilizer use. In Engelstad, O.P. (ed). Fertilizer Technology and Use. 3rd ed. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer., Madison, Wisconsin, pp. 589–619.Google Scholar
28.Grunes, D.L., Stout, P.R., and Brownell, J.R.. 1970. Grass tetany of ruminants. Advances in Agronomy 22:331–374.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
29.Hansen, N.R., Babcock, H.M., and Clark, E.H. II., 1988. Controlling Nonpoint Source Water Pollution: A Citizen's Handbook. The Conservation Foundation, Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
30.Harrison, A.F. 1978. Phosphorus cycles of forest and upland grassland systems and some effects of land management practices. In Phosphorus in the Environment: Its Chemistry and Biochemistry. CIBA Foundation Symposium 57. Elsevier/North-Holland, Amsterdam, pp. 175–195.Google Scholar
31.Henning, S.J., and Krogmeier, M.J.. 1990. Condensed molasses fermentation solubles as a nitrogen source for grain crops. Agronomy Abstracts. Amer. Soc. Agronomy, Crop Sci. Soc. Amer., and Soil Sci. Soc. Amer., Madison, Wisconsin, p. 270.Google Scholar
32.Howard, Albert. 1947. The Soil and Health. The Devin-Adair Co., New York, N.Y.Google Scholar
33.Hulugalle, N.R., and Rang, B.T.. 1990. Effect of hedgerow species in alley cropping systems on surface soil properties of an Oxic Paleustalf in Southwest Nigeria. J. Agric. Sci. 114:301–307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
34.Jastrow, J.D., and Miller, R.M.. 1991. Methods for assessing the effects of biota on soil structure. Agric. Ecosystems and Environment. 34:279–303.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
35.Jenny, H. 1941. Factors of Soil Formation, a System of Quantitative Pedology. McGraw Hill, New York.Google Scholar
36.Kang, B.T., Grimme, H., and Lawson, T.L.. 1985. Alley cropping sequentially cropped maize and cowpea with Leucaena on a sandy soil in Southern Nigeria. Plant Soil 85:267–277.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
37.Karlen, D.L. 1990. Conservation tillage research needs. J. Soil and Water Conservation 45:365–369.Google Scholar
38.Karlen, D.L., and Doran, J.W.. 1991. Cover crop management effects on soybean and corn growth and nitrogen dynamics in an on-farm study. Amer. J. Alternative Agric. 6(2):71–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
39.Karlen, D.L., and Erbach, D.C.. 1990. Soil tilth: A fundamental basis for sustainable agricultural growth. In Singh, R.P. (ed) Proceedings of the International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture. Vol 2. Indian Society of Agronomy, New Delhi, India, pp. 87–92.Google Scholar
40.Karlen, D.L., Berti, W.R., Hunt, P.G., and Matheny, T.A.. 1989. Soil-test values after eight years of tillage research on a Norfolk loamy sand. Communications in Soil Sci. and Plant Analysis 20:1413–1426.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
41.Karlen, D.L., Erbach, D.C., Kaspar, T.C., Colvin, T.S., Berry, B.C., and Timmons, D.R.. 1990. Soil tilth: A review of past perceptions and future needs. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J. 54:153–161.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
42.Kubota, J. 1980. Regional distribution of trace element problems in North America. In Davies, B.E. (ed). Applied Soil Trace Elements. John Wiley and Sons, New York, N.Y. pp. 441–465.Google Scholar
43.Lal, R. 1988. Soil degradation and the future of agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. J. Soil and Water Conservation 43:444–451.Google Scholar
44.Linn, D.M., and Doran, J.W.. 1984a. Aerobic and anaerobic microbial populations in no-till and plowed soils. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J. 48:794–799.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
45.Linn, D.M., and Doran, J.W.. 1984b. Effect of water-filled pore space on carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide production in tilled and nonfilled soils. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J. 48:1267–1272.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
46.Logan, T.J., Davidson, J.M., Baker, J.L., and Overcash, M.R., eds. 1987. Effects of Conservation Tillage on Groundwater Quality: Nitrates and Pesticides. Lewis Publishers, Chelsea, Michigan.Google Scholar
47.Mannering, J.V., Schertz, D.L., and Julian, B.A.. 1987. Overview of conservation tillage. In Logan, T.J., Davidson, J.M., Baker, J.L., and Overcash, M.R. (eds). Effects of Conservation Tillage on Groundwater Quality: Nitrates and Pesticides. Lewis Publishers, Chelsea, Michigan. pp. 3–17.Google Scholar
48.Martinez, J., and Guiraud, G.. 1990. A lysimeter study of the effects of a ryegrass catch crop, during a winter wheat/maize rotation, on nitrate leaching and on the following crop. J. Soil Sci. 41:5–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
49.McCracken, D.V., Corak, S.J., Smith, M.S., Frye, W. W., and Blevins, R.L.. 1989. Residual effects of nitrogen fertilization and winter cover cropping on nitrogen availability. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J. 53:1459–1464.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
50.Melsted, S.W. 1954. New concepts of management of Corn Belt soils. Advances in Agronomy 6:121–142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
51.Moldenhauer, W.C., and Wischmeier, W.H.. 1960. Soil and water losses and infiltration rates on Ida silt loam as influenced by cropping systems, tillage practices, and rainfall characteristics. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Proc. 24:409–413CrossRefGoogle Scholar
52.Molope, M.B. 1987. Soil aggregate stability: The contribution of biological and physical processes. S. African J. Plant Soil 4:121–126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
53.Pieters, A.J., and McKee, R.. 1938. The use of cover and green-manure crops. In Soils and Men, the Yearbook of Agriculture. U.S. Dept. of Agric. U.S. Govt. Printing Office, Washington, D.C. pp. 431–444.Google Scholar
54.Ram, D.N., Vittum, M.T., and Zwerman, P.J.. 1960. An evaluation of certain winter cover crops for the control of splash erosion. Agronomy J. 52:479–482.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
55.Rogers, T.H., and Giddens, J.E.. 1957. Green manure and cover crops, p. 252–257. In Soil, the 1957 Yearbook of Agriculture. U.S. Dept. of Agrie. U.S. Govt. Printing Office, Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
56.Russell, E.W. 1973. Soil Conditions and Plant Growth. 10th ed.Longman Ltd. New York, N.Y.Google Scholar
57.Sharpley, A.N. 1985. Phosphorus cycling in unfertilized and fertilized agricultural soils. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J. 49:905–911.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
58.Sharpley, A.N., and Smith, S.J.. 1983. Distribution of phosphorus forms in virgin and cultivated soil and potential erosion losses. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J. 47:581–586.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
59.Smika, D.E., and Unger, P.W.. 1986. Effect of surface residues on soil water storage. Advances in Soil Sci. 5:111–138. Springer-Verlag, New York, N.Y.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
60.Smika, D.E., and Wicks, G.O.. 1968. Soil water storage during fallow in the Central Great Plains as influenced by tillage and herbicide treatments. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Proc. 32:591–595.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
61.Smith, M.S., Frye, W.W., and Varco, J.J.. 1987. Legume winter cover crops. Advances in Soil Sci. 7:95–139. Springer-Verlag, New York, N.Y.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
62.Soil Science Society of America. 1987. Glossary of Soil Science Terms. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer., Madison, Wisconsin.Google Scholar
63.Sojka, R.E., Karlen, D.L., and Busscher, W.J.. 1991. A conservation tillage research update from the Coastal Plain Soil and Water Conservation Research Center of South Carolina: A review of previous research. Soil and Tillage Research 21:361–376.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
64.Staver, K.W., and Brinsfield, R.B.. 1990. Patterns of soil nitrate availability in corn production systems: Implications for reducing ground water contamination. J. Soil and Water Conservation 45:318–323.Google Scholar
65.Taylor, R.E., Hays, O.E., Bay, C.E., and Dixon, R.M.. 1964. Corn stover mulch for control of runoff and erosion on land planted to corn after corn. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Proc. 28:123–125.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
66.Tiessen, H., Stewart, J.W.B., and Muir, J.O.. 1983. Changes in organic and in organic P composition of two grassland soils and their particle size fractions during 60–90 years of cultivation. J. Soil Sci. 34:815–823.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
67.Tisdall, J.M., and Oades, J.M.. 1982. Organic matter and water-stable aggregates in soils. J. Soil Sci. 33:141–163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
68.Tulaphitak, T., Pairintra, C., and Kyuma, K.. 1985a. Changes in soil fertility and tilth under shifting cultivation. II. Changes in soil nutrient status. Soil Sci. Plant Nutri. 31:239–249.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
69.Tulaphitak, T., Pairintra, C., and Kyuma, K.. 1985b. Changes in soil fertility and tilth under shifting cultivation. III. Soil respiration and soil tilth. Soil Sci. Plant Nutri. 31:251–261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
70.Unger, P.W. 1982. Surface soil physical properties after 36 years of cropping to winter wheat. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J. 46:796–801.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
71.Unger, P.W., Anderson, D.W., Campbell, C.A., and Lindwall, C.W.. 1990. Mechanized farming systems for sustaining crop production and maintaining soil quality in semiarid regions. In Stewart, J.W.B. (ed). Proceedings of the International Conference on Soil Quality in Semiarid Agriculture. Vol. 1, Keynote papers and workshop reports.Saskatchewan Institute of Pedology, Univ. of Saskatchewan,Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, pp. 56–88.Google Scholar
72.Unger, P.W., and Phillips, R.E.. 1973. Soil water evaporation and storage, p. 42–54. In Conservation Tillage: Proceedings of a National Conference. Soil Conservation Soc. Amer., Ankeny, Iowa.Google Scholar
73.U.S. Plant, Soil, and Nutrition Laboratory Staff. 1965. The effects of soils and fertilizers on the nutritional quality of plants. Agric. Inf. Bull. No. 299. U.S. Dept. of Agric., Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
74.Watson, R.A., Peterson, A.E., and Powell, R.D.. 1977. Benefits of spreading whey on agricultural land. J. Water Pollution Control Federation 49:24–35.Google Scholar
75.Whitlow, R. 1987. A national soil erosion survey for Zimbabwe. J. Soil and Water Conservation 42:239–242.Google Scholar
76.Wilkinson, S.R., Stuedemann, J.A., Grunes, D.L., and Devine, O. J.. 1987. Relation of soil and plant magnesium to nutrition of animals and man. Magnesium 6:74–90. S. Karger AG, Basel, Switzerland.Google Scholar
77.Wilson, G.F., Kang, B.T., and Mulongoy, K.. 1986. Alley cropping: Trees as sources of greenmanure and mulch in the tropics. Biological Agric, and Horticulture 3:251–267.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
78.Yamoah, C.F., Agboola, A.A., Wilson, G.F., and Mulongoy, K.. 1986. Soil properties as affected by the use of leguminous shrubs for alley cropping with maize. Agric., Ecosystems and Environment 18:167–177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
79.Zhu, J.C., Gantzer, C.J., Anderson, S.H., Alberts, E.E., and Beuselinck, P.R.. 1989. Runoff, soil, and dissolved nutrient losses from no-till soybean with winter cover crops. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J. 53:1210–1214. Table 1. Selected soil and crop management studies showing opportunities to increase soil carbon concentrations.CrossRefGoogle Scholar