Implications of Organic Amendments and Tillage of A Sandy Soil on its Physical Properties and CSequestration as well as Its Productivity of Wheat and Maize Grown Thereon

doi:10.21608/ejss.2014.132

Implications of Organic Amendments and Tillage of A Sandy Soil on its Physical Properties and CSequestration as well as Its Productivity of Wheat and Maize Grown Thereon

Document Type : Original Article

10.21608/ejss.2014.132

Abstract

SOIL organic matter is an essential component of fertility of soils, especially the sandy ones. It also accounts for increasing the emission of the greenhouse gases (GHG). Efficient managements of applied organic amendments to soil are required to reduce GHG emission. The current research aimed at investigating the effects of farm yard manure and compost applied at two different rates, i.e., 24 and 48 Mg ha-1 using shallow (0-10 cm) or deep (0-20 cm) tillage operations on improving the physical properties of the studied soil, carbon sequestration in soil and its relation to the wheat and maize yields. Increases in aggregate stability, available water content and the grain yields of wheat, as well as maize, were obtained with the application of the organic amendments. Increasing the application rate resulted in more positive effects. The second degree equation seemed to be the best fitting model for predicting wheat and maizeyields as affected by the rate of the applied organic C. Shallow tillage led to higher trapping of soil CO2 and more residual organic carbon insoil after harvest than the deep tillage did.

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