SG (Slot)

macro- and micro-nutrients to the soil, it also has a long term residual
effect and improves the physical characteristics of the soil. Manure may
thus be especially valuable for eroded soils.
The most common reclamation measure recommended for restoring
productivity to exposed subsoils, is the addition of inorganic fertilizers
and manure (Carlson et al., 1961; olson, 1977; Massee and waggoner, 1985;
Mielke and Schepers, 1986; Yves and Shaykewich, 1987). Research on
productivity restoration with different manure rate applications on
artificially eroded soils is very scanty outside the u.s.A. Dormaar et al.
(1988) reported the effect of one manure rate (30 Mg•ha" 1 feedlot manure) on
crop when 10-20 em and 46 + em of soil had been removed. He showed that
manure restored productivity as measured by wheat yields, regardless of the
severity of erosion. Traditionally, animal waste has been valuable in soil
management for crop production because of its plant nutrient content and
organic matter. When applied to the soil, manure has been reported to
affect soil physical properties. It improves soil aggregation, organic
carbon, water holding capacity and the infiltration rate of water
(Sonunerfeldt et al. 1
1988). These changes were found to decrease soil
detachment during stormy events (Pesant et al., 1986).
The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of
artificial removal of the surface soil of two soil series on silage corn
production involving continuous cultivation and to determine whether the
productivity of the soils exposed to scalping treatment could be efficiently
restored by the use of beef cattle manure.
METHODS
This study was conducted on two sites over a 5 year period at the
Agriculture Canada, Lennoxville Research station, 150 km East of Montreal,
Quebec, Canada, (45°21'N, 71°51'W) in an area with a growing season (May to
September) average annual precipitation of about 470 mm. Two one hectare
areas, one on a Humo Ferric Podzol, developed on lacustrine material and the
other on a orthic gleysol developed on glacial till material were selected
for the scalping experiment. Some physical and chemical characteristics of
the original Coaticook silty loam and Magog stony loam series are given in
Table 1.
At each site, varying portions of the Ah horizon layer were removed at
three levels: O, 10 and 20 em. The scalping was accomplished by the use of
a standard backhoe tractor equipped with a bucket 50 em wide. Superimposed
on the soil removal treatments were three levels of beef cattle manure
applications: a control, 40 and 80 tons per hectare. The three manure
rates were randomized within the scalping treatments. The 3 x 3 factorial
experiment was replicated three times at each site along 8-10% slope
gradients. Each plot was 18 square meters with pathways of 1 meter between
scalping blocks and of 6 meters between replicates.
For five consecutive years, (1986-1990) beef cattle manure (average of
17.7% dry matter) containing 2.9 kg of total-Nitrogen, 1.8 kg of P, and 5.4
kg of K per ton was rototilled into the soil a few days before seeding.
Corn (Zea mays L.) hybrid Pickseed 2555 was planted in four rows 75 em apart
at an intrarow spacing of 20 em using conventional plot procedures. optimal
N,P,K fertilizer spring application was based on soil test. Plots received
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