Claypan Soils: One-Step Improvement L
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South Dakota State University Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange South Dakota State University Agricultural Bulletins Experiment Station 9-1-1979 Claypan Soils: One-step Improvement L. O. Fine P. D. Weeldreyer D. G. Shannon Follow this and additional works at: http://openprairie.sdstate.edu/agexperimentsta_bulletins Recommended Citation Fine, L. O.; Weeldreyer, P. D.; and Shannon, D. G., "Claypan Soils: One-step Improvement" (1979). Bulletins. Paper 669. http://openprairie.sdstate.edu/agexperimentsta_bulletins/669 This Bulletin is brought to you for free and open access by the South Dakota State University Agricultural Experiment Station at Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Bulletins by an authorized administrator of Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. B 664 Claypan Soils: One-Step Improvement Agricultural Experiment Station • South Dakota State University • Brookings, South Dakota 57007 Claypan Soils: One-Step Improvement L. O. Fine, P. D. Weeldreyer and D. G. Shannon* The dominant soils on level or gentle are found in eastern and east-central slopes in east-central South Dakota are South Dak ota associated with both glacial among the most productive in the country, lak e plain and glacial ground moraine given favorable soil water conditions and soils. Generally they show the effect of proper crop management procedures. sodium in their genesis and fall into one of the natriboroll, natrustoll, or natra These "normal" soils have excellent quoll subgroups in the comprehensive soil organic matter content, good depth of classification system. A few, however, development, high cation exchange capaci have no current sodium accumulation in the ties and reserves of desirable exchange B horizon and thus are argiborolls or able ions, and well balanced trace element argiustolls. Some of the soils with this availability and reserves. limitation are thus recognizable by the older classification scheme as "solonetz" However, included among these very or "solodized solonetz"; in the latter, favorable soils are areas of "claypan" and sometimes in the former, magnesium is ( soil with "subsoil" or clay enriched B present as an exchangeable ion to an horizons with poor structure) --so in extent equivalent to or exceeding calcium. tensely developed that they inhibit water movement and water release to plants and Magnesium occasionally has been root exploitation of that soil zone and regarded as an almost equally culpable the horizons below. exhangeable cation with sodium. However, the evidence is inconclusive. The problem soils exist in asso ciation with normal soils, and are often scattered throughout a field in small patches in an irregular or roughly cir Purpose of the Study cular pattern. Commonly they occupy very slight depressions ( a few inches) in an These claypan areas are more than a otherwise level landscape. mere nuisance. They are harder to work than normal soils, and they are not as Claypans are most common in areas productive. They need to be improved. remote from a river, creek, or drainage way; thus intermittent standing water on The field phases of this work were the soil surf ace has been implicated in primarily deep plowing, irrigation, and ( ) their formation 7 . These claypan soils addition of certain soil amendments. The laboratory phases were measurements of those characteristics which were presumed *Appreciation for assistance in the to be affected by the field practices. field operations of this work is expressed to Dr. J. Giles and Robert Sanders, An Aberdeen silty clay loam ( glossic research manager and assistant research Udic Natriboroll) site was leased for the manager, and Lloyd Dye and Dr. Ray Ward, 8-year experiment. The genetic claypan former research managers, James Valley exists from about the 9- to 21-inch depth, Research and Extension Center, Redfield, but varies in thick ness and intensity of S.D. development. 3 Small areas of certain associated Bowser and Cairns (1) and later soils were found, on detailed mapping of Cairns (2) conducted a field experiment the site. Those recognized were Exline which effected horizon mixing to 22 inches (Leptic Natriboroll), Harmony (Pachic Udic and a greenhouse experiment with mixing of Natriboroll), and Tetonka (Argiaquic the surface and subsurface horizons. They Argialboroll). These areas were delin reported mark ed improvement of Canadian eated during the original sampling opera solonetz soils and very significant tion. The site selected was in the S 1/2 of increases in yields of alfalfa with tw o of sl/2 of NE 1/4 sec. 20 , Tl l 7N, R63W, in Spink four soils studied in greenhouse cultures. County. Prior leaching did not prove beneficial. Water relationships of the mixed horizons were much improved over those of the Bn Previous Work on the Problem (sodic) horizon. Kingsley and Shubeck (3) in a deep Rasmussen (4) reported work in Idaho tillage experiment which consisted pri in 1964 in which the Sebree silt loam marily of trenching to a depth of 18-20 (saline-sodic) and associated areas of inches and placing an organic "wedge" in Chilcott (non-saline sodic) soil were the trench, reported improved yields of much improved by plowing to a depth of 30- corn and increased root mass to a depth of 36 inches. The "slickspot" condition was 31/2 ft. They measured root densities at apparently permanently relieved on both the plant row, and 7, 14, and 20 inches soils. away from the row. Rasmussen et al (5 ) also reported the The organic trenching was done on an reclamation of a slick spot soil ten 85-inch interval and corn was planted so tatively classified as Malheur each row was only 21 inches from an or (Nadurargid) in southeastern Oregon by ganic wedge on one side or the other. plowing to a depth of 36 inches with and without the application of gypsum at rates Organic trenching increased storage of 8 or 16 T/ A (18 or 36 MT/ ha). Crop of water in the soil more than subsoiling, yields, water intak e rates, and water and trenching without organic matter, use of a root penetration were greatly increased by sweet clover catch crop, or no treatment, deep plowing. Chemical reclamation and encouraged root growth below the occurred in 3-4 years, and amendments claypan. The residual beneficial effect alone without deep tillage provided some of organic wedges on yields was greater improvement. Subsoiling without gypsum than the effect of the same amount of was of no benefit. organic matter broadcast on the soil sur f ace. Sandoval et al (6) showed that the Rhoades silt loam-silty clay complex Description of the Experiment (Leptic Natriboroll) was remarkably improved in a 5-year study of deep plowing and chemical amendments including sulfur Approximately 13 acres of land was and gypsum. leased within a half mile of the James River in Spink County. The area was Their plowing was at three depths -- divided into 10 5 plots each 60 x 75 feet, 6, 12, and 24 inches. The 6-inch tillage the soils carefully mapped, and each plot was with a conventional plow, the 12-inch sampled by soil horizon. with a disk plow, and the 24-inch with a large plow designed for the purpose. Both About half of the area was plowed salinity and sodicity were reduced, and with a Post Brothers plow capable of the surface layers were improved more than plowing to depths of 30-35 inches. ) the lower soil horizons. Their experiment Because of inadequate tractor speed, soil was conducted in a 15-inch rainfall zone falling into the furrow elevated the in North Dak ota and was not irrigated. furrow wheel much of the time, so that 4 actual depth of plowing was about 26-28 The lignite fly ash was applied on inches. The remaining area was tilled the basis of its content of total and with normal equipment and �t normal soluble calcium. The fly ash used in the depths. All subsequent tillage on the original (1970 application) experimental entire area was with normal equipment plan (from the Stanton, ND, power plant) and at normal depths. was mined at Stanton and had a total Cao content of approximately 24% and Na20 of 7.4%. The fly ash used in 1973-4 was Simultaneously with making the soil obtained from the Fergus Falls, MN, power map, a core sample pulled from each plot plant operated by Ottertail Power Co., was checked for depth and thick ness of burning Beulah or Gascoyne-mined North each horizon, the depth to lime, depth to Dak ota lignite. The total Cao in these gypsum, and the uppermost line of visible ashes ranged from 15 .6 to 21.5 % with 2.0 salinity. The soil map (Appendix A) sho�s to 3.3% Na 0. the area involved and the small size of 2 ultimate soil delineations. The data on The experimental layout of the deep depth to and thick ness of claypan horizon, plowing, irrigation plan, and soil amend top of saline horizon, and top of ments is shown in Appendix D. calcareous horizon at the point in each plot where the soil core sample was tak en In the spring of 1970 after incor are presented graphically (Appendix B). porating soil amendments, the entire area The total extractable cations (extractable was seeded to Piper sudangrass, which was Na, Ca, and Mg) at initiation of experi clipped in late summer but not removed ment and before tillage, as -found in these from the land. During this summer, a original core samples, are given in flexible plastic 4-inch drain line was Appendix C.