UniLaSalle – Spring semester in Water and Environmental Management March 2020

Soil Hydrology
Effects of cropping systems on soil physical and hydrodynamic properties

Case of study : cropping systems from the RESIAR experimental trial at UniLaSalle

Assignment presentation
1. The RESIAR project
2. Cropping systems studied
Carolina Ugarte 3. Assignment
Assistant professor in soil science
carolina.ugarte@unilasalle.fr

Soil Hydrology 1
UniLaSalle – Spring semester in Water and Environmental Management March 2020

The RESIAR project (2015-2020)

“Demonstrating site network”
Funding: ~ 2.7 million € by European
Regional Development Fund, French State
and Hauts-de-France Regional Council.

Aizecourt-le-Haut AIM. To study and show the feasibility

Ferme 3.0
of the diversification of current
cropping systems by the introduction
of food and non-food crops for feed,
UniLaSalle bio-based products and bioenergy.
4 demonstration sites and 3 areas to
Landifay explore new supply chains.
Catenoy

Strip-Till for Fine Seedbed Preparation in Silty Soil 2

● RIZZO et al. 2018
 UniLaSalle – Spring semester in Water and Environmental Management
Experimental site March 2020
Three 4-year crop sequences : Biomass- Biomass-
baseline, food-priority and biomass priority priority

priority Food-priority Food-priority

Baseline Baseline

Regional mixed farming system: winter Biomass- Biomass-

Baseline priority priority
wheat/rapeseed/winter wheat/silage maize
Biomass- Biomass-
priority priority

Food-priority Food-priority
Maximise energy crop production
Food-priority
without changing the regional farming
Baseline Baseline
system
Biomass- Biomass-
Intensification of fodder or energy crop priority priority
Biomass-priority production
Food-priority Food-priority
➢ Introduction of sugar beet in the crop
sequence Baseline Baseline

Biomass- Biomass-
priority priority

Replicated with / without soil tillage Food-priority Food-priority

Baseline Baseline

With tillage Without tillage

Strip-Till for Fine Seedbed Preparation in Silty Soil Illustration adapted from: Lamerre et al; (2017) 3
● RIZZO et al. 2018
 UniLaSalle – Spring semester in Water and Environmental Management March 2020

Pedological constraints
Source https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/content/topsoil-physical-properties-europe-based-lucas-topsoil-data

The region shows a predominance of

silt and silt loam soils (USDA)

 weak structural stability: high risk

of crusting and erosion.

 benefit from simplified soil tillage,

when operated shortly before the
seeding, because reducing soil
degradation.

Strip-Till for Fine Seedbed Preparation in Silty Soil 4

● RIZZO et al. 2018
UniLaSalle – Spring semester in Water and Environmental Management March 2020

Cropping systems studied

Case A: 4 cropping systems

cultivated on 2018

- NTIc: No-tillage-intercrop
- TIc: Tillage-intercrop
- TWw : Tillage-winter wheat
- NTWw : No-tillage-winter wheat

Factor tillage : Tillage and no-tillage

Factor crop : Winter wheat and
intercrop

Soil Hydrology
AgriLab 5
UniLaSalle – Spring semester in Water and Environmental Management March 2020

NTIc
TIc

NTWw
TWw

Soil Hydrology 6
UniLaSalle – Spring semester in Water and Environmental Management March 2020

Characterization was conducted on february 2019 under « especial (cold) » conditions

by WEM students

• Undisturbed soil samples for each cropping system were collected

• Air permeability tests were conducted for each soil sample
• Bulk density and water content was also measured

Photo taken the day of the characterisation, credits : WEM 2019 students
Soil Hydrology 7
UniLaSalle – Spring semester in Water and Environmental Management March 2020

Cropping systems studied Factor tillage : Tillage and no-tillage

Case B: 2 cropping systems cultivated on 2019 Factor crop : only silage maize
Characterization was conducted on october 2019 by 4th year Agronomic Engineer students
• Total of 16 single ring infiltration tests were realized

No-tillage cropping system : NT

Tillage cropping system : T

Soil Hydrology 8
UniLaSalle – Spring semester in Water and Environmental Management March 2020

Single-ring infiltrometer device Single-ring infiltrometer field sheet

Single-ring infiltrometer test

Soil Hydrology 9
UniLaSalle – Spring semester in Water and Environmental Management March 2020

Assignment
➢ Objective: Compare soil physical and hydrodynamic properties between different cropping
systems

➢ Organisation details Group Cropping Cropping

systems systems
• Group assignment from case A from case B
• 4 groups in total
Group 1 TIc vs. NTIc Tillage vs.
• Maximum 5 students per group
NT
• Each group will analyse data from case A Group 2 TWw vs. TIc
and case B
Group 3 TWw vs.
NTWw
Group 4 NTWw vs.
NTIc
➢ Assignment consists on :

❖ Calculate soils air permeability, bulk density and water content using case A data
❖ Calculate soil saturated hydraulic conductivity using case B data
❖ Compare cropping systems by doing :
• graphical representation of the results
• statistical analysis using R (descriptive statistics, ANOVA…)
10
Soil Hydrology