Effect of tillage systems and polyacrylamide on soil physical properties and wheat grain yield in arid regions differing in fine soil particles

Abstract

A field study was performed for two consecutive seasons to evaluate the effect of polyacrylamide (PAM), tillage systems and particle size on soil physical properties and wheat grain yield. The PAM rates were 0, 10 and 20 kg ha−1 while the tillage treatments included no-tillage (NT), moldboard plowing (CT1), and chisel plowing (CT2). Soil fine particles size of two locations were A (25.2 silt + clay) and B (38.5 silt + clay). Location B reported higher organic matter and total porosity while lower in bulk density. The CT1 and NT treatments denoted better soil organic matter percentage. The CT1 presented maximum infiltration rate compared to other tillage systems. No tillage showed better soil water contents while the minimum was in CT1 of location A and CT2 of location B. Increasing the PAM rate increased total porosity, infiltration rate and soil water content while decreased soil bulk density. Possibly, the presence of compacted layer in location A hindered the effect of PAM. At location B, the CT2 with PAM of 20 kg ha−1 had the highest grain yield compared to other tillage systems. The PAM is beneficial for soil and water conservation and can be used in agriculture.