Summary
This field study evaluated how tillage (no-till versus conventional till) and mean annual precipitation (460–660 mm) affect soil health indicators across the full 0–85 cm profile in Palouse soil series under dryland wheat. No-till sites showed higher carbon and nitrogen stocks in surface layers but lower values at depth (29–85 cm); aggregate stability was consistently superior in no-till at both surface and subsurface layers. The findings underscore the importance of assessing soil health beyond the conventional 30 cm sampling depth, as tillage and climate effects vary substantially with soil profile depth.
UK applicability
Direct applicability to UK dryland cereal systems is limited, as the Palouse region has lower and more variable precipitation than most UK arable zones. However, the methodological approach—profiling soil health to 85 cm depth—is relevant to understanding how UK tillage practices and climate variability affect subsurface soil structure and nutrient cycling, particularly in drier eastern regions.
Key measures
Total carbon (TC) and nitrogen (TN), permanganate oxidisable carbon, hot-water and cold-water extractable carbon and nitrogen, soil moisture, mean weight diameter (MWD) of aggregates, soil pH, nitrate (NO₃⁻), ammonium (NH₄⁺), mineralizable soil carbon (MINC), autoclaved-citrate extractable (ACE) protein
Outcomes reported
The study measured soil chemical (nutrients, pH), biological (carbon and nitrogen fractions), and physical (soil aggregate stability) health indicators across 0–85 cm depth under no-till versus conventional till management in dryland wheat. It quantified how tillage and precipitation patterns affect these indicators at different soil depths.
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