Effect of conservation tillage methods in comparison with conventional tillage on on water holding capacity and soil organic matter amount (case study: Yazd)

This research was conducted in order to compare conservation tillage methods compared to conventional tillage on the moisture retention, organic matter and bulk density of the soil. Experiments were conducted on permanent raised bed (PRB), no-till with SFOGGIA (NT) and Jab Planter (JP) equipments, in a wheat- rapeseed-corn cropping system, during 2018-2020, as a randomized complete block design with three replicates. Barzegar and Neptune cultivars and SC704 hybrid were used for wheat, rapeseed and corn, respectively. The examined characteristics included levels of soil moisture, bulk density and amount of soil organic matter. Average of organic matter in 0-30 cm soil depth was increased from 0.23% at the beginning of experiment to 0.53%, 0.67% and 0.48% at the end of experiment in PRB, NT and JP treatments, respectively. The amount of soil organic matter in CT treatment was about 0.49% at the end of the experiment. The highest amount of available water was observed in PRB (0.207 %), CT (0.193 %) and JP (0.163 %) treatments, respectively. The lowest value of this parameter was observed in NT treatment (0.143%). The lowest value of the average bulk density of soil was observed in the CT treatment (1.47 g/cm3) and the highest value was observed in the NT treatment (1.60 g/cm3). The use of conservation tillage methods and preservation of residues in the field can help to improve soil organic matter. Also, the average bulk density, water holding capacity of the soil are strongly affected by the application of different tillage methods.