Effects of zero tillage and residue retention on soil quality in the mediterranean region of Northern Syria
Zero-tillage (ZT) and crop residue retention on the soil surface—two components of Conservation Agriculture (CA)—have been identified as promising management practices for sustainable agri- cultural intensification for some time. However, CA technology uptake by farmers in the dry areas of West Asia...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | Inglés |
| Published: |
Scientific Research Publishing, Inc.
2014
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/42273 |
| _version_ | 1855525594902560768 |
|---|---|
| author | Sommer, Rolf Piggin, Colin Feindel, David Ansar, Muhammad Delden, Lona van Shimonaka, Kayoko Abdalla, Jihad Douba, Osama Estefan, George Haddad, Atef Haj-Abdo, Rousheen Hajdibo, Ali Hayek, Pierre Khalil, Yaseen Khoder, Ahmed Ryan, John |
| author_browse | Abdalla, Jihad Ansar, Muhammad Delden, Lona van Douba, Osama Estefan, George Feindel, David Haddad, Atef Haj-Abdo, Rousheen Hajdibo, Ali Hayek, Pierre Khalil, Yaseen Khoder, Ahmed Piggin, Colin Ryan, John Shimonaka, Kayoko Sommer, Rolf |
| author_facet | Sommer, Rolf Piggin, Colin Feindel, David Ansar, Muhammad Delden, Lona van Shimonaka, Kayoko Abdalla, Jihad Douba, Osama Estefan, George Haddad, Atef Haj-Abdo, Rousheen Hajdibo, Ali Hayek, Pierre Khalil, Yaseen Khoder, Ahmed Ryan, John |
| author_sort | Sommer, Rolf |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Zero-tillage (ZT) and crop residue retention on the soil surface—two components of Conservation Agriculture (CA)—have been identified as promising management practices for sustainable agri- cultural intensification for some time. However, CA technology uptake by farmers in the dry areas of West Asia and North Africa (WANA) has yet to happen large-scale, even though the positive im- pact on yield has been demonstrated repeatedly. To explain the observed consistent increases in crop yield under ZT, a range of soil quality indicators were regularly monitored during 2008 to 2012 in the long-term ZT/CA trials at the headquarters of the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in northern Syria. Results showed that CA had a positive im- pact on soil fertility. This was measurable by higher soil organic matter (SOM) and microbial bio- mass contents, increased levels of extractable phosphate, sometimes (but not always) higher amounts of larger water-stable soil aggregates, increased soil infiltration capacity and soil water retention. The buildup of SOM and associated carbon (C) sequestration was in the range of 0.29 Mg C/ha/yr, i.e. rather modest. High amounts of surface residues delayed the desiccation of the topsoil during the fallow period, but could not diminish the overall longer-term drying of the topsoil. The observed positive changes in soil quality were little, but nevertheless, in combination with the economic savings that ZT offers, this type of agricultural intensification provides an attractive op- tion for farmers in WANA, from the standpoints of economy and ecological efficiency. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace42273 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publishDateRange | 2014 |
| publishDateSort | 2014 |
| publisher | Scientific Research Publishing, Inc. |
| publisherStr | Scientific Research Publishing, Inc. |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace422732025-03-13T09:44:17Z Effects of zero tillage and residue retention on soil quality in the mediterranean region of Northern Syria Sommer, Rolf Piggin, Colin Feindel, David Ansar, Muhammad Delden, Lona van Shimonaka, Kayoko Abdalla, Jihad Douba, Osama Estefan, George Haddad, Atef Haj-Abdo, Rousheen Hajdibo, Ali Hayek, Pierre Khalil, Yaseen Khoder, Ahmed Ryan, John zero tillage cero-labranza conservation tillage labranza de conservación soil fertility fertilidad del suelo Zero-tillage (ZT) and crop residue retention on the soil surface—two components of Conservation Agriculture (CA)—have been identified as promising management practices for sustainable agri- cultural intensification for some time. However, CA technology uptake by farmers in the dry areas of West Asia and North Africa (WANA) has yet to happen large-scale, even though the positive im- pact on yield has been demonstrated repeatedly. To explain the observed consistent increases in crop yield under ZT, a range of soil quality indicators were regularly monitored during 2008 to 2012 in the long-term ZT/CA trials at the headquarters of the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in northern Syria. Results showed that CA had a positive im- pact on soil fertility. This was measurable by higher soil organic matter (SOM) and microbial bio- mass contents, increased levels of extractable phosphate, sometimes (but not always) higher amounts of larger water-stable soil aggregates, increased soil infiltration capacity and soil water retention. The buildup of SOM and associated carbon (C) sequestration was in the range of 0.29 Mg C/ha/yr, i.e. rather modest. High amounts of surface residues delayed the desiccation of the topsoil during the fallow period, but could not diminish the overall longer-term drying of the topsoil. The observed positive changes in soil quality were little, but nevertheless, in combination with the economic savings that ZT offers, this type of agricultural intensification provides an attractive op- tion for farmers in WANA, from the standpoints of economy and ecological efficiency. 2014 2014-09-09T16:52:32Z 2014-09-09T16:52:32Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/42273 en Open Access Scientific Research Publishing, Inc. Sommer, Rolf; Piggin, Colin; Feindel, David; Ansar, Muhammad; Van Delden, Lona; Shimonaka, Kayoko; Abdalla, Jihad; Douba, Osama; Estefan, George; Haddad, Atef; Haj-Abdo, Rousheen; Hajdibo, Ali; Hayek, Pierre; Khalil, Yaseen; Khoder, Ahmed; Ryan, John. 2014. Effects of zero tillage and residue retention on soil quality in the Mediterranean region of Northern Syria. Open Journal of Soil Science. 4:109-125. |
| spellingShingle | zero tillage cero-labranza conservation tillage labranza de conservación soil fertility fertilidad del suelo Sommer, Rolf Piggin, Colin Feindel, David Ansar, Muhammad Delden, Lona van Shimonaka, Kayoko Abdalla, Jihad Douba, Osama Estefan, George Haddad, Atef Haj-Abdo, Rousheen Hajdibo, Ali Hayek, Pierre Khalil, Yaseen Khoder, Ahmed Ryan, John Effects of zero tillage and residue retention on soil quality in the mediterranean region of Northern Syria |
| title | Effects of zero tillage and residue retention on soil quality in the mediterranean region of Northern Syria |
| title_full | Effects of zero tillage and residue retention on soil quality in the mediterranean region of Northern Syria |
| title_fullStr | Effects of zero tillage and residue retention on soil quality in the mediterranean region of Northern Syria |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of zero tillage and residue retention on soil quality in the mediterranean region of Northern Syria |
| title_short | Effects of zero tillage and residue retention on soil quality in the mediterranean region of Northern Syria |
| title_sort | effects of zero tillage and residue retention on soil quality in the mediterranean region of northern syria |
| topic | zero tillage cero-labranza conservation tillage labranza de conservación soil fertility fertilidad del suelo |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/42273 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sommerrolf effectsofzerotillageandresidueretentiononsoilqualityinthemediterraneanregionofnorthernsyria AT piggincolin effectsofzerotillageandresidueretentiononsoilqualityinthemediterraneanregionofnorthernsyria AT feindeldavid effectsofzerotillageandresidueretentiononsoilqualityinthemediterraneanregionofnorthernsyria AT ansarmuhammad effectsofzerotillageandresidueretentiononsoilqualityinthemediterraneanregionofnorthernsyria AT deldenlonavan effectsofzerotillageandresidueretentiononsoilqualityinthemediterraneanregionofnorthernsyria AT shimonakakayoko effectsofzerotillageandresidueretentiononsoilqualityinthemediterraneanregionofnorthernsyria AT abdallajihad effectsofzerotillageandresidueretentiononsoilqualityinthemediterraneanregionofnorthernsyria AT doubaosama effectsofzerotillageandresidueretentiononsoilqualityinthemediterraneanregionofnorthernsyria AT estefangeorge effectsofzerotillageandresidueretentiononsoilqualityinthemediterraneanregionofnorthernsyria AT haddadatef effectsofzerotillageandresidueretentiononsoilqualityinthemediterraneanregionofnorthernsyria AT hajabdorousheen effectsofzerotillageandresidueretentiononsoilqualityinthemediterraneanregionofnorthernsyria AT hajdiboali effectsofzerotillageandresidueretentiononsoilqualityinthemediterraneanregionofnorthernsyria AT hayekpierre effectsofzerotillageandresidueretentiononsoilqualityinthemediterraneanregionofnorthernsyria AT khalilyaseen effectsofzerotillageandresidueretentiononsoilqualityinthemediterraneanregionofnorthernsyria AT khoderahmed effectsofzerotillageandresidueretentiononsoilqualityinthemediterraneanregionofnorthernsyria AT ryanjohn effectsofzerotillageandresidueretentiononsoilqualityinthemediterraneanregionofnorthernsyria |