Researchers from the University of Fort Hare have conducted a study shedding light on the short-term effects of conservation agriculture (CA) strategies on the soil quality of a Haplic Plinthosol in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
The study, led by Dr Isaac Gura, Professor Pearson Mnkeni, Professor Chris du Preez, and Dr Johnny Barnard, sought to evaluate and compare the impacts of various agricultural practices on soil health using the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF).
According to the researchers, the improvement of soil quality in agro-ecosystems is a primary objective of conservation agriculture strategies. In their study, they assessed the influence of different tillage practices, crop rotation sequences, and residue management systems on the soil quality of the Haplic Plinthosol in the Eastern Cape region.
“Our research aimed to quantify and compare the effects of two tillage practices, four crop rotation sequences, and two residue management systems on the soil quality of this specific region,” explained the researchers.
The study, which commenced in 2012 and spanned five cropping seasons until 2015, utilised a split-split-plot design. The primary plot treatments consisted of two tillage practices: conventional tillage (CT) and no-till (NT).
The sub-treatments encompassed four crop rotation sequences: maize-fallow-maize (MFM), maize-fallow-soybean (MFS), maize-wheat-maize (MWM), and maize-wheat-soybean (MWS). Additionally, residue management treatments involved either removing (R-) or retaining (R+) the residues.
Soil samples were collected at two depths, 0-5 cm and 5-10 cm, from the CA trial site. Thirteen soil quality indicators were analysed to assess the overall soil quality using the SMAF-SQI (soil quality index).
“Our study revealed that tillage practices had a significant impact on soil biological, chemical, and physical properties in the short term, surpassing the effects of crop rotation sequences and residue management systems,” stated the researchers.
The research highlighted the sensitivity of soil biological indicators, including soil organic carbon (SOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and microbial β-glucosidase (BG) activity, to CA strategies. These indicators were found to be effective tools for assessing soil quality in the short term.
Furthermore, the study indicated that tillage practices played a dominant role in influencing the overall SMAF-SQI, while crop rotation and residue management had minimal effects.
“The short-term adverse impacts of adopting no-till practices on soil physical indicators significantly reduced the overall soil quality as compared to conventional tillage,” the reseachers emphasised.
The SMAF technique employed in this study provided valuable insights into the short-term effects of CA strategies on the Haplic Plinthosol’s function in the Eastern Cape.
The University of Fort Hare researchers concluded that tillage practices exerted a more substantial influence on soil quality in the short term, compared to crop rotation sequences and residue management systems. The study also underscored the significance of soil biological indicators in assessing soil health in response to CA interventions.
“These findings have important implications for farmers and policymakers in the Eastern Cape, as they emphasise the need for informed decision-making regarding appropriate tillage practices to enhance soil health,” the researchers added.
The study contributes to our understanding of the short-term impacts of CA strategies on soil quality and calls for continued research to comprehend the long-term effects on soil ecosystems.
READ NEXT: Soil degradation: Conservation agriculture holds the key
