Which soil tillage is better in terms of the soil organic matter and soil structure changes?

Abstract

This study was performed to evaluate effects of minimum (MT) and conventional tillage (CT) on soil organic matter and soil structure in haplic Chernozems and mollic Fluvisols. The content of soil organic carbon (Corg) as well as parameters of stability and vulnerability of soil structure were quantified. The results showed that soil type had statistically significant influence on Corg. In haplic Chernozems the Corg content near the surface (0–0.1 m) was significantly higher under MT (by 6%) compared to CT, however, in layer 0–0.3 m under CT the average Corg content was by 16% higher than under MT. In mollic Fulvisols under MT, the average Corg content (17.5 ± 5.4 g*kg-1) was significantly less for the 0–0.3 m layer than the CT (22.7 ± 0.4 g*kg-1). In Chernozems, total content of water-stable micro-aggregates (WSAmi) was higher in MT (90.8%) than in CT (69.5%). In mollic Fluvisols, the average content of WSAmi was higher in CT (62.5%) than in MT (53.2%). The low aggregate stability and the high structure vulnerability were reflected also due to the high contents of WSAmi in both soils. The stability of aggregates was a higher in mollic Fluvisols than in haplic Chernozems. In haplic Chernozems, better soil structure stability was under CT than MT, on the other hand, in mollic Fluvisols, the average value of coefficient of aggregate stability was lower by 32% in CT than MT.