Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-x5gtn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-19T13:23:25.707Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Soil surface moisture measurement and its influence on the establishment of three oversown legume species

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

M. H. Awan ,
D. J. Barker ,
P. D. Kemp  and
M. A. Choudhary
M. H. Awan
Affiliation:
Plant Science Department, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand
D. J. Barker
Affiliation:
AgResearch, Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North, New Zealand
P. D. Kemp
Affiliation:
Plant Science Department, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand
M. A. Choudhary
Affiliation:
Agricultural Engineering Department, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Soil surface moisture is a dominant factor influencing the establishment of surface sown seed, but its measurement is difficult. A cobalt chloride (CoCl2) saturated paper strip (20×5 mm) technique was developed as a cheap but sensitive indicator of soil surface moisture. The influence of soil surface moisture on the seedling survival of three oversown legume species, subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L. cv. Karridale), strawberry clover (T.fragiferum L. cv. Grasslands Onward) and Caucasian clover (T. ambiguum Bieb. cv. Monaro) was investigated in a glasshouse and a field experiment at Palmerston North, New Zealand, between 1 October and 30 November 1993. Intact sods were sprayed with glyphosate, placed in plastic trays (420×300×50 mm) and transferred to the glasshouse or field. Three soil surface moisture treatments were imposed in the glasshouse. In the field trial, the plastic trays were buried flush with the soil surface in contact with the subsoil and exposed to natural wind and rainfall. Bare seed was oversown in a 20 × 20 mm grid and then pushed into the soil with a roller studded with metal rods to simulate treading by sheep. The low soil surface moisture treatment and the field trial had the lowest seedling survival. The main cause for this was low surface moisture caused by wind, which hindered radicle entry into the soil. Subterranean clover was less susceptible to low surface moisture and had better net seedling survival in all the treatments than the other two legume species.

Type
Crops and Soils
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 127 , Issue 2 , September 1996 , pp. 169 - 174
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Barker, D. J., Chapman, D. F., Anderson, C. B. & Dymock, N. (1988). Oversowing ‘Grasslands Wana’ cocksfoot, ‘Grasslands Maru’ phalaris, and ‘Grasslands Tahora’ white clover in hill country at varying rates of paraquat and glyphosate. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 31, 373–382.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, M. H. (1968). Establishment, growth and survival of six pasture species surface sown on unploughed land. infested with serrated tussock (Nassella trichotoma). Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 8, 470–477.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, M. H. (1992). Extending the frontiers of aerially sown pastures in temperate Australia: a review. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 32, 137–148.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, M. H. & Swain, F. G. (1973). Effect of strength, tilth and heterogeneity of the soil surface on radicle-entry of surface-sown seeds. Journal of the British Grassland Society 28, 41–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chanasyk, D. S. & Naeth, M. A. (1988). Measurement of near-surface soil moisture with a hydrogenously shielded neutron probe. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 68, 171–176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Choudhary, M. A. & Baker, C. J. (1981). Physical effects of direct drilling equipment on undisturbed soils. III. Wheat seedling performance and in-groove microenvironment in a dry soil. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 24, 189–195.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dowling, P. M. & Smith, R. C. G. (1976). Use of a soil moisture model and risk analysis to predict the optimum time for the aerial sowing of pastures on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 6, 871–874.Google Scholar
Dowling, P. M., Clements, R. J. & McWilliam, J. R. (1971). Establishment and survival of pasture species from seeds sown on the soil surface. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 22, 61–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, R. A., Eckert, R. E. Jr, & Kay, B. L. (1967). Wheatgrass establishment with paraquat and tillage on downy brome ranges. Weeds 15, 50–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grant, D. R. (1975). Measurement of soil moisture near the surface using a neutron moisture meter. Journal of Soil Science 26, 124–129.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lancashire, J. A. (1961) Treading effect on ryegrass, timothy, cocksfoot and browntop. MAgriSci thesis, Massey University, New Zealand.Google Scholar
Lowther, W. L., Hoglund, J. H. & Macfarlane, M. J. (1989). Aspects that limit the survival of legume seedlings. In Persistence of Forage Legumes Marten, G. C. & Matches, A. G.), pp. 265–275. Proceedings of a trilateral workshop held in Honolulu, Hawaii, 18–22 07 1988.Google Scholar
McWilliam, J. R. & Dowling, P. M. (1970). Factors influencing the germination and establishment of pasture seed on the soil surface. In Proceedings of the XI International Grassland Congress (Norman, M. J. T.), pp. 578–583. Queensland, Australia: Queensland University Press.Google Scholar
McWilliam, J. R., Clements, R. J. & Dowling, P. M. (1970). Some factors influencing the germination and early seeding development of pasture plants. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 21, 19–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Noble, P. F. (1973). Measurement of soil water. In Proceedings of the Soil and Plant Water Symposium, 10–12 April 1973, pp. 67–72. Palmerston North, New Zealand.Google Scholar
Riveros, F. (1993). Grasslands for our world. In Proceedings of the XVII International Grassland Congress (Baker, M. J.), pp. 15–20. New Zealand/Australia.Google Scholar
Scotter, D. R., Clothier, B. E. & Corker, R. B. (1979).Soil water in a Fragiaqualf. Australian Journal of Soil Research 17, 443–453.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Selker, J. S., Graff, L. & Steenhuis, T. (1993). Non invasive time domain reflectometry moisture measurement probe. Soil Science Society of America Journal 57, 934–936.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tadmor, N. H. & Cohen, Y. (1968). Root elongation in the preemergence stage of Mediterranean grasses and legumes. Crop Science 8, 416–419.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Topp, G. C. & Davis, J. L. (1985). Measurement of soil water content using time-domain reflectrometry (TDR): a field evaluation. Soil Science Society of America Journal 49, 19–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
White, J. G. H. (1990). Hill and high country pastures. In Pastures: their Ecology and Management (Ed. Langer, R. H. M.), pp. 299–336. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar