TY  - JOUR
A1  - Schweizer, Steffen A.
A1  - Graf‐Rosenfellner, Markus
A1  - Bhat, Nisar A.
A1  - Kayser, Gilles
A1  - Sisodia, Bhupendra S.
A1  - Kirchhof, Gunnar
A1  - Zikeli, Sabine
A1  - Cadisch, Georg
A1  - Bhullar, Gurbir S.
T1  - Responses of soil organic carbon, aggregate diameters, and hydraulic properties to long‐term organic and conventional farming on a Vertisol in India
Y1  - 2022-02-13
VL  - 33
IS  - 5
SP  - 785
EP  - 797
JF  - Land Degradation & Development
DO  - 10.1002/ldr.4216
PB  - John Wiley & Sons
CY  - Ltd.
N2  - Organic matter management can improve soil structural properties. This is crucial for agricultural soils in tropical regions threatened by high rainfall intensities. Compared to conventional farming, organic farming is usually deemed to increase organic carbon and improve soil structural properties such as stability and permeability. However, how much, if any, buildup of organic carbon is possible or indeed occurring also depends on soil type and environmental factors. We compared the impact of seven years of organic farming (annually 13.6 t ha−1 of composted manure) with that of conventional practices (2 t ha−1 of farmyard manure with 150–170 kg N ha−1 of mineral fertilizers) on soil structural properties. The study was conducted on a Vertisol in India with a two‐year crop rotation of cotton soybean wheat. Despite large differences in organic amendment application, organic carbon was not significantly different at 9.6 mg C g−1 on average in the topsoil. However, the size distribution of water‐stable aggregates shifted toward more aggregates <137 μm in the organic systems. Cumulative water intake was lower compared to the conventional systems, leading to higher runoff and erosion. These changes might be related to the lower pH and higher exchangeable sodium in the organic systems. Our results indicate that higher application of organic amendments did not lead to higher soil organic carbon and associated improvement in soil structures properties compared to integrated fertilization in this study. Chemical properties may dominate soil aggregation retarding the uptake and integration of organic amendments for sustainable agricultural intensification in tropical, semiarid climates.
UR  - http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/9987
ER  -