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First-year soybean growth and production as affected by soil properties following land leveling

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Abstract

In severely disturbed soils, such as those that have been recently land leveled, the interactions among soil properties are accentuated because of the disruption of pre-leveling equilibrium, and manifest their controlling influence on growth and production of sensitive crops, such as soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. The objective of this study was to identify pre-plant soil properties that influence first-year soybean growth and production following shallow land leveling in an alluvial soil commonly used for rice and soybean production in the Mississippi Delta region in eastern Arkansas, USA. Soil physical (i.e., bulk density and particle-size fractions), chemical (i.e., organic matter, pH, electrical conductivity, and extractable soil nutrients) and biological (i.e., bacterial and fungal biomass) properties were evaluated in the top 10 cm of soil following land leveling. Soybean leaf area index at the R5-6 growth stage, plant population, above-ground dry matter, seed yield and harvest index were also measured at 50 grid points spaced evenly within a 0.36-ha study area. Post-leveling soil properties were significantly correlated with first-year soybean growth and production parameters. Variations in soil chemical properties, particularly extractable soil nutrient contents, organic matter concentrations and biological properties (i.e., microbial activities) accounted for the largest percentage of the variability in first-year soybean growth and production parameters. Results from this study indicate that factors other than those measured in this study, such prolonged soil moisture conditions and poor internal drainage, may contribute to the resulting variability of first-year soybean growth and productivity following land leveling.

Abbreviations: BD – bulk density; CV – coefficient of variation; DM – dry matter; EC – electrical conductivity; HI – harvest index; LAI – leaf area index; OM – organic matter; SE – standard error

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas, 115 Plant Sciences Building, Fayetteville, AR , 72701, USA

    K.R. Brye & P. Chen

  2. Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas, Altheimer Laboratory, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USAr

    L.C. Purcell & R.J. Norman

  3. Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas, P.O. Drawer 767, Marianna, AR 72360, USA

    M. Mozaffari

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  4. M. Mozaffari
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Brye, K., Chen, P., Purcell, L. et al. First-year soybean growth and production as affected by soil properties following land leveling. Plant and Soil 263, 323–334 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:PLSO.0000047746.53182.b6

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