HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (11) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Blanco-Canqui, H. Articles by Owens, L. B. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Blanco-Canqui, H. Articles by Owens, L. B. Agricola Articles by Blanco-Canqui, H. Articles by Owens, L. B. Related Collections Structure and Properties Soil Compaction Residue management

Soil & Water Management & Conservation

Corn Stover Impacts on Near-Surface Soil Properties of No-Till Corn in Ohio

^a Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, FAES/OARDC, School of Natural Resources, The Ohio State Univ., 2021 Coffey Rd., Columbus, OH 43210-1085
^b Environmental Sci. Div., Oak Ridge National Lab., Oak Ridge, TN 37831
^c Joint Global Change Research Institute, 8400 Baltimore Ave., Suite 201, College Park, MD 20740-2496
^d USDA-ARS, North Appalachian Experimental Watersheds, P.O. Box 488, Coshocton, OH 43812

^* Corresponding author (blanco.16{at}osu.edu)

Corn (Zea mays L.) stover is a primary biofuel feedstock and its expanded use could help reduce reliance on fossil fuels and net CO₂ emissions. Excessive stover removal may, however, negatively impact near-surface soil properties within a short period after removal. We assessed changes in soil crust strength, bulk density (_b), and water content over a 1-yr period following a systematic removal or addition of stover from three no-till soils under corn in Ohio. Soils from ongoing experiments at the North Appalachian Experimental Watershed (NAEW), Western Agricultural Experiment Station (WAES), and Northwestern Agricultural Experiment Station (NWAES) of Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) were studied. Six stover treatments of 0 (T0), 25 (T25), 50 (T50), 75 (T75), 100 (T100), and 200 (T200)% were imposed on 3 by 3 m plots corresponding to 0, 1.25, 2.50, 3.75, 5.00, and 10.00 Mg ha^–1 of stover, respectively. Cone index (CI), shear strength (SHEAR), _b, and volumetric water content (_v) were measured monthly from June through December 2004 and in May 2005. Effects of stover removal on increasing CI and SHEAR were soil-specific. Stover removal consistently increased _b and decreased _v across soils (P < 0.01). Compared with the normal stover treatment (T100), doubling the amount of stover (T200) did not significantly affect soil properties except _v where, after 1 yr, T200 increased _v by 1.3 to 1.6 times compared with T100 across all sites (P < 0.05). After 1 yr, complete stover removal (T0) increased CI by 1.4 times and SHEAR by 1.3 times at NAEW compared with T100 and T75, but CI increases at other sites were nonsignificant. At NWAES, T0 increased SHEAR by 26% compared with T100 (P < 0.05). The T0 decreased _v by two to four times except in winter months and increased _b by about 10% compared with T100 (P < 0.05). In a short-term test, stover removal resulted in increased soil crust strength and reduced soil water content.

Key Words: CI, cone index • NAEW, North Appalachian Experimental Watersheds • NT, no-till • NWAES, Northwestern Agricultural Experiment Station • SHEAR, shear strength • WAES, Western Agricultural Experiment Station • _v, volumetric water content • _g, gravimetric water content • _b, bulk density

This article has been cited by other articles:

				Y. Liang, H. T. Gollany, R. W. Rickman, S. L. Albrecht, R. F. Follett, W. W. Wilhelm, J. M. Novak, and C. L. Douglas Jr. CQESTR Simulation of Management Practice Effects on Long-Term Soil Organic Carbon Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., August 20, 2008; 72(5): 1486 - 1492. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. N. Moebius-Clune, H. M. van Es, O. J. Idowu, R. R. Schindelbeck, D. J. Moebius-Clune, D. W. Wolfe, G. S. Abawi, J. E. Thies, B. K. Gugino, and R. Lucey Long-Term Effects of Harvesting Maize Stover and Tillage on Soil Quality Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., May 29, 2008; 72(4): 960 - 969. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Lal Soil Science and the Carbon Civilization Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., August 9, 2007; 71(5): 1425 - 1437. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Blanco-Canqui, R. Lal, W. M. Post, and L. B. Owens Changes in Long-Term No-Till Corn Growth and Yield under Different Rates of Stover Mulch Agron. J., June 27, 2006; 98(4): 1128 - 1136. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]