Dairy manure and tillage effects on soil fertility and corn yields

Organic amendments have received renewed attention to improve soil fertility for crop production. A randomized complete block split plot experiment was conducted to evaluate the dairy manure (DM) amendments of soil for corn (Zea mays L. cv. Monsanto 919) production under different tillage systems. Main plot treatments were no-till (NT), conventional tillage (CT), and deep tillage (DT), and subplot treatments were chemical fertilization (DM(0)), and DM at 10Mgha(-1)yr(-1) (DM(10)) and 20Mgha(-1)yr(-1) (DM(20)) with supplemental chemical fertilization. Results show that tillage and DM had significantly reduced bulk density (rho(b)) with greater porosity (f(t)) and hydraulic conductivity (K(fs)) than soils under NT and DM(0). Manuring was effective to improve soil physical properties in all tillage treatments. While manure significantly increased C sequestration, the N concentration was influenced by both tillage and manure with significant interaction. The CT significantly increased P as did the addition of manure. However, with manure, K was significantly increased in all tillage treatments. While tilled soils produced taller plants with higher grain yields, and water-use efficiency than NT soils, manuring, in contrast, increased corn harvest index. Manure exerted significant quadratic effect on corn biomass N and K uptake. The variable effects of tillage and dairy manuring on soil properties and corn growth are most probably related to "transitional period" in which soil ecosystems may have adjusting to a new equilibrium.