Effects of tillage on soil hydraulic properties in sandy loam soil

Abstract

Tillage operation is the mechanical manipulation of soil to develop a desirable soil structure for a seed bed and to establish specific surface configuration for planting, irrigation, drainage, harvesting operations etc. Knowledge of variability of soil physical properties with tillage can assist in defining the best strategies for soil management and crop production. This leads to an increasing interest in the effect of different tillage treatments on soil hydraulic properties such as moisture content, bulk density, porosity, hydraulic conductivity and infiltration rate. Treatments include No Tillage (NT), Primary Tillage (PT), Secondary Tillage (ST) and Mulch after Tillage (MT). Moisture content of the mulched soil is comparatively higher than that of the other treatments. Increased tillage intensity decrease soil bulk density while increases the porosity. The porosity increase is in the order NT<PT<ST≈MT. The average infiltration rate of the soil also changes with the treatments in the order NT<PT<MT≈ST