ISSN: 2474-8846
Authors: Farahani E*
Soil structural status in relation to soil pore size distribution, soil water retention, and plant available water (PAW) influence crop plant growth. Also, soil organic carbon content (SOC) usually influence soil structural stability, soil pore size and may affect crop growth, especially in arid/semi-arid regions with low SOC. Our studies focused on soil structure under clay dispersion and conventional and no-tillage systems included cultivation of cover crop in arid/semi-arid region of north-eastern Iran, in 2020 and 2022, respectively. According to our findings, PAW directly depended on soil pore size distribution, the more micropores the more water retention. Consequently, smaller soil pores due to clay dispersion improved water retention in soils and crop growth increased with enhancing PAW. SOC usually is low in arid/semi-arid regions of the world, therefore, addition of soil organic matter by crop residue retention may help in improving soil condition. Based on our results, cover crop residue retention in no-till system increased SOC, and SOC positively influenced soil functions such as soil structural stability, soil pore size (using X-ray images), and root growth. Therefore, soil pore size distribution as influenced by soil structural status could be considered as a principal factor in crop growth in arid/semi-arid region of north-eastern Iran.
Keywords: Soil Pore Space; Water Retention; Plant Available Water; Dispersible Clay; Soil Organic Matter; Soil Structure; X-Ray Images
