Scientists in China have published research revealing the benefits of integrating animal manure into ridge and furrow planting systems. This research took place at the Dingxi Experimental Station of Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, based in the Loess Plateau of northwest China. Agricultural operations in the Loess Plateau depend heavily on yearly rainfall patterns. Sixty-eight percent of rainfall in this area occurs between June and September, and about half of the rainfall events that occur can be classified as low rainfall events, meaning they result in less than 6mm of precipitation. Yields in rain-dependent areas like the Loess Plateau have been stagnating because of how unevenly rain is distributed, how extreme air temperatures can get, and loss of water from deep within the soil.

Ridge and furrow planting is a common planting pattern in this area of China and involves creating alternating steep and broad ridges in the soil and planting seeds in the furrows between these ridges. In this study, scientists investigated how the addition of

ridge and furrow

A diagram of ridge and furrow planting patterns, courtesy of researchgate.net

manure to small amounts of chemical fertilizers could help alleviate soil moisture loss, improve photosynthesis rates, and increase maize yields. Manure is believed to be an effective soil amendment for increasing yields because it contains large amounts of nitrogen-fixing bacteria that can help plants take advantage of the nitrogen that exists in the atmosphere.

In order to get a sense of how sheep manure can affect maize yields, scientists compared a variety of soil treatments combined with ridge and furrow planting systems. These treatments included 100% chemical fertilizer, 100% control-released fertilizer, 50% sheep manure combined with 50% chemical nitrogen, and finally flat planting with 100% chemical fertilizer. When all of the treatments were compared, it was found that the treatment containing 50% sheep manure had the greatest benefits by far. It resulted in greater yields, allowed the soil to store the most water, which is pivotal for this rain-dependent area, increased the rate at which the crops photosynthesized, and resulted in the greatest amount of dry matter.

The results of this study provide farmers in the Loess Plateau region with valuable information regarding how they should plant their crops and what kind of amendments they should add to their soils. The success of the inclusion of sheep manure is a big win for sustainable agriculture proponents because it means farmers can greatly reduce the amount of synthetics fertilizers that are added to the soil while also seeing the benefits of increased yields.

Article:

Qin, A. et al. 2019. Incorporation of manure into ridge and furrow planting systems boosts yields of maize by optimizing soil moisture and improving photosynthesis. Agronomy. 9, 865.  https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/9/12/865