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Biophysical characterization
Various soil paramaters were recorded in evaluating cropping systems performances (soil aggregation, soil water-holding capacity and soil biological activity).
The rate of carbon sequestration in mulch-based cropping systems can be as rapid and as substantial as the losses made through inadequate management with or without tillage…Changes in the evolution of exchange capacity in the soil strictly follow those of organic matter. Mulch influences the saturation level of the upper horizons of the crop profile. Brachiaria-type forage species grown for fairly long periods (three to four years) act as a 'cation pump' and strongly increase the saturation level of the (useful) surface horizons just as if strong doses of lime-magnesium fertiliser had been applied (Séguy et al., Système de culture et dynamique de la matière organique, 2001).
Read more: Physical Characteristics of Soil under Different Cropping and Natural Systems on the Plain of Jars, Xieng Khouang Province, Laos (poster)
Changes in soil aggregation, soil water-holding capacit... Featured
In the four southern districts (Kenthao, Paklay, Boten and Thongmixay) of Sayaboury province, the current cropping systems are based on cash crop production. Maize is the main crop under rainfed conditions and covers more than 30,000 ha in the region. This development has been enhanced by Thai demand, with a transfer of technologies (different means of production, such as tractors, ploughs, hybrid maize seeds and pesticides) from that country. Land preparation is mainly based on ploughing (up to a slope of 45%), generating severe soil degradation and infrastructure destruction (paddy fields and roads). Herbicides are widely used for land preparation and weed management. That use is the result of both growing pressure on agricultural systems (to increase their productivity and generate marketable commodities) and farmers’ lack of access to affordable labour. Soil potentials in the Kenthao, Paklay and Botene districts are very closely related to the soil parent materials (igneous rocks, schist and san ...
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