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Gewählte Master / Diploma Thesis:

Martina Kasper (2008): Influence of different soil tillage systems on the distribution in soil aggregates.
Master / Diploma Thesis, BOKU-Universität für Bodenkultur, pp 73. UB BOKU obvsg

Data Source: ZID Abstracts

Abstract:: Humans have been cultivating soil ever since. Due to improvements in agricultural techniques and the use of machinery, the world population was able to grow and civilizations emerged. However, attention has been brought to this resource only in recent decades when soil degradation became an obvious issue. This natural resource is often degraded and negatively influenced by human use, especially in agriculture. As tillage is one of the fundamental agro-technical operations, it influences the soil properties and aggregates, the environment and the crop production. Tillage and the implements used for tillage modify the soil structure and increase the disaggregating process. Focusing on this aspect, soil aggregates and their stability are important because the porosity of the soil, as well as degradation and mineralization processes, depend on them. However, soil aggregates are the product of long-term soil-biological and physical activity and offer the physical-chemical surfaces for reactions. Therefore the properties of the aggregates determine the properties of the soil, and thus influence the habitat of the flora and fauna living in it. Another important soil property which is also influenced by tillage is organic carbon. Its amount and quality significantly influence the chemical, physical and biological parameters of the soil. In this context, the aim of this thesis was to identify the impact of different tillage systems on the soil aggregates by measuring the aggregate stability using different methods of analysis. Additionally the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) release from the stable aggregates was measured after applying ultrasonic energy to the soil-water suspension. Attention was also paid to the carbon and nitrogen values and their distribution within the aggregate fractions. Finally this research confirms that conventional tillage interferes more with the natural soil properties than reduced and minimum tillage.; Beurteilende(r): Blum Winfried E.H.