Effect of Subsurface Tillage on Soil Physical Properties in a Solonetzic Soil.

Title (Poster): Effect of Subsurface Tillage on Soil Physical Properties in a Solonetzic Soil

Authors: Raul Avila¹, Tom King¹, Jeff Schoenau¹, Bing Si¹ and Mike Grevers¹

¹Department of Soil Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK CANADA S7N 5A8

Abstract: Questions have arisen about the long-term effectiveness of subsoiling tillage to address soil physical limitations in naturally dense Solonetzic subsoils in order to increase plant yields. Reclaiming sodic soils with hardpan B horizons may be possible through subsoiling to loosen the B horizon to improve permeability, reduce soil strength and soil bulk density and increase water infiltration. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of subsoiling on long-term wheel-traffic compacted dense Solonetzic soils on aggregate size, bulk density, soil strength, air and water permeability, and crop yield in an annually cultivated field in southern Saskatchewan, Canada. Subsoiling of the compacted Solonetzic soils significantly reduced bulk density and soil strength in all treatments, and increased air permeability to 1.15E^-6 m sec^-1 compared to 9.78E^-7 m sec^-1 in the non-subsoiled treatment. Subsoiling of the compacted Solonetzic soil increased canola grain yield to 2681kg ha^-1 compared to 1544 kg ha^-1 in the non-subsoiled treatment. The lifting and shattering action of the subsoiler implement improved soil physical attributes in the compacted Solonetzic soil which had a positive effect on plant yields.