Maize root profiles in gleyic sandy soils as influenced by ridging and ploughing in Zimbabwe
1993
Vogel, H. (Dept. of Agricultural Technical and Extension Services, Harare (Zimbabwe). Institute of Agricultural Engineering)
Since a large proportion of maize in Zimbabwe is grown on land frequently subject to waterlogging, a study of maize root profiles under field conditions was carried out during the 1992-93 rainfall/ growing season. The prime objective of this field study was to characterize the distribution and to quantify the length of maize roots in gleyic sandy soils under a ridge till-plant system compared to conventional mouldboard ploughing. Concomitant plant and soil chemical analyses were expected to provide further information on plant nutrient uptake, in particular with regards to nitrogen. Although the study was limited in scope, the relationship between tillage, certain soil physical factors, rooting and uptake of nitrogen by maize plants could be fairly well defined. The results confirmed that ridging increases soil rooting volume and thus root length per unit volume of the soil resulting in significantly higher yields
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]