Abstract

LOPEZ SANTOS, Armando et al. Impact of Tillage on the Energy Flux of a Clayish Soil. Terra Latinoam [online]. 2008, vol.26, n.3, pp.203-213. ISSN 2395-8030.

Although tillage practices have a direct impact on soil heat flux (G), they have not been properly valued. G is a parameter of the energy balance components [BE = (H + LE) / (Rn-G)] that indicate the amount of energy that can be released or stored in the soil. The subtraction Rn-G represents the energy available on the surface that can be transformed into water flux vapor (LS) and perceptible heat flux (H). The evaluation of G for bare soil (Gbsup) and soil covered with vegetation (Gvsup), is part of a study based on the eddy covariance method, that started in 2006 (October-December), at the ranch "Los Angeles" in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico, where climate type is BWhw (x') (e) and the soils are classed as Luvic Feozem (Hl). The effect of conventional tillage by disc plowing (CT) and vertical tillage (VT) was compared with a non-disturbed soil (NT). The results of the statistical analysis suggest highly significant differences (α = 0.01) between types of tillage. In particular, it was noted that VT decreased from 20 to 38% both the magnitude of the energy flow at the surface and the absolute ability to retain and store energy in the soil layer at a depth of 8 cm. This behavior is also represented by a linear regression model for Gbsup and Gvsup.

Keywords : soil heat flux; micrometeorological methods; tillage practices.

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