Published in Scientific Papers. Series A. Agronomy, Vol. LIX
Written by Valerian CERBARI, Gheorghe STEGARESCU
Irrigated fields are playing an important role in assuring world population with qualitative food products. However intensive cultivation combined with irrigation lead to negative changes in soil physical and chemical properties. There have been done few comprehensive studies on how irrigation affects soil physical fertility. This article presents an evaluation of an irrigated Fluvisol from the Inferior Dniester floodplain, in the Republic of Moldova. The results reveal that 50 years of irrigation and intensive cultivation of Eutric Fluvisol with clay texture had a negative impact on the soil physical quality. Low inputs of organic fertilizer lead to a decrease in soil organic carbon content, negatively influencing soil properties. Major changes were reflected in the distribution of structural aggregates, so that the proportion of clods in the first layer was moderate (38.2%), but in the subsequent layer was very high (81.7%). Due to the high clay content, it has a high water stability of macroaggregates in both 0-20 cm and 20-38 cm layer. The results also show that soil has an increased bulk density, low total porosity which is decreasing with the depth, and high compaction degree. This study will be used as a start point for the future research of the utilization of the cover crops in irrigated agriculture.
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