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Macroporosity of a Well-Drained Soil under No-Till and Conventional Tillage

Dep. of Agronomy, Univ. of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40545-0091

* Corresponding author.

ABSTRACT

Conventional tillage and no-tillage have been shown to affect the hydraulic properties of soil. For this reason, a field experiment was conducted in 1987 and 1988 to determine the effect of tillage practice and cover crop on the macroporosity of a Maury silt loam (fine, mixed, mesic Typic Paleudalf). The field used for this study has been in continuous no-till and conventional-till corn (Zea mays L.) since 1970. Ponded steady-state infiltration measurements were made using double-ring infiltrometers; afterwards, a tension infiltrometer was used to measure water flux at –0.4, –0.9, and –1.4 kPa water pressure. These negative water pressures were used to calculate equivalent cylindrical pore diameters from the capillaryrise equation. Flux at a pressure of –0.06 kPa was determined from regression equations for each plot. Equivalent pore diameters of 5.0, 0.75, 0.33, and 0.21 mm correspond to –0.06, –0.4, –0.9, and –1.4 kPa, respectively. In June 1987, conventional tillage had significantly higher water flux than no-till for the 5.0- to 0.75-mm equivalent-diameter pore size range. In 1987, rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crop plots had significantly higher water-flux values than hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth.) plots for the same range of equivalent pore sizes. In June 1988, no-till plots had significantly higher water-flux values for all equivalent pore size ranges. In 1987, 73 and 80% of the total water flux at –0.06 kPa water pressure was transmitted through pores >0.21-mm equivalent diameter in no-till and conventional tillage plots, respectively. The corresponding values in 1988 were 83 and 73%.

Contribution from the Kentucky Agric. Exp. Stn. as Journal Article no. S90-117-2.

Received for publication March 14, 1990.

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