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Effects of soil management practices on water infiltration and maize yield to improve Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer sustainability

Surface sealing and hardpans in loam soils are problematic in the Mid-South U.S. because of intense tillage. Two experiments quantified the effects of soil management practices on infiltration and maize yield in loam soils. The first study measured the impacts of in-row subsoiling frequency × furrow irrigation frequency. In-row subsoiling significantly improved the infiltration of irrigation but not the infiltration of precipitation. In-row subsoiling with low irrigation frequency is optimal to achieve profitable maize yields while encouraging groundwater conservation. In the second study, six soil management treatments were imposed. For single-ring infiltrometer tests, infiltration rates were different between the two measurement dates but not between measured treatments. In 2022, neutron attenuation data indicated no differences in soil water content between measured treatments. Based on both studies, in-row subsoiling was proven to be an economically viable option in comparison to other Mississippi Delta on-farm conservation practices in the short term.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:MSSTATE/oai:scholarsjunction.msstate.edu:td-6734
Date09 December 2022
CreatorsRix, Jacob
PublisherScholars Junction
Source SetsMississippi State University
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
Formatapplication/pdf
SourceTheses and Dissertations

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