No-Tillage impacts on soil hydraulic properties compared with conventional tillage

Abstract

Soil hydraulic properties are very important in precision irrigation, water and solute transport and irrigation scheduling. Tillage can change near surface soil hydraulic properties. In this study Beerkan method was used to better understand tillage and no-tillage impacts on transmission properties of topsoil. Beerkan is a simple in situ method using a single ring to measure infiltration rate. This method depends on an algorithm namely BEST to estimate soil hydraulic properties. This study was carried out at Cemagref experimental station in Montpellier in the South-eastern France. Three different infiltration measurement series were done in both no-tillage and conventional tillage treatments. The first infiltration measurement series was performed after harvest of durum wheat; the second one was performed after sowing of corn and finally the last one was performed after the harvest of corn. By using those three series as input data, BEST model estimated saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks), sorptivity, the mean characteristics of hydraulically functional pore size and capillary length. The results indicate that after harvest, hydraulic properties were not significantly different; however after sowing of corn, Ks was significantly higher in CT system (p<0.05). These conditions should be taken in account to perform irrigation, fertilization and agrochemical agent applications.