Effect of mouldboard ploughing and shallow tillage on sub-soil physical properties and crop performance

Figures & data

Figure 1 (a) Average gravimetric soil water content (%) at sampling in mouldboard ploughing (MP) and shallow tillage (ST); (b) average gravimetric water content of undisturbed samples of MP and ST; (c) average value of soil bulk density in MP and ST in three different layers. N = 4 in (a), (b) and (c).

Figure 2 Saturated hydraulic conductivity in mouldboard ploughing (MP) and shallow tillage (ST) in three layers. Error bars denote the standard deviations. Mean values that do not share common letters are significantly (p < 0.05) different.

Figure 3 Penetration resistance (measured one month after sowing) in mouldboard ploughing (MP) and shallow tillage (ST) as a function of depth (a), and gravimetric water content (%) in samples taken at the time of penetration resistance measurement (b). N = 4 in (a) and (b).

Figure 4 Weather data: (a) air temperature (°C) measured from 2 m above the ground and temperature at soil surface (°C) measured from 5 cm above the ground, and (b) precipitation (mm) from Ultuna weather station (published with permission of Ultuna Climate, Department of Crop Production Ecology, SLU, 75007-Uppsala) situated approximately 500 m away from the investigation field.

Table 1 Crop yield data and relative value from 1995–2011 (Faltförsk 2011)

		Yield, kg ha^−1
Year	Crop	MP	ST	ST in % of MP
1995	Barley	3970	4920	124
1996	Spring wheat	5170	5370	104
1997	Barley	4840	5020	104
1998	Barley	2360	3250	138
1999	Barley	2340	1920	82
2000	Winter wheat	7500	7660	102
2001	Winter wheat	3850	4130	107
2002	Spring oil seed rape	1520	1540	102
2003	Winter wheat	6290	6490	103
2004	Winter wheat	5320	4410	83
2005	Oats	6280	6260	100
2006	Barley	3670	4250	116
2007	Winter wheat	6430	6320	98
2008	Oats	3620	2780	77
2009	Oil seed rape	2450	2340	95
2010	Winter wheat	6070	5130	84
2011	Barley	2490	3840	154
1975–2011	–	–	–	104

Note: MP, Mouldboard ploughing; ST, Shallow tillage; Barley, Hordeum vulgare; Spring wheat and Winter wheat, Triticum aestivum; Spring oil seed rape, Brassica napus; Oats, Avena sativa.