Soil quality attributes of conservation management regimes in a semi-arid region of south western Spain

Soil quality is essential for plant growth and terrestrial ecosystem maintenance. Although soil properties can be influenced by the agricultural production system, this influence has seldom been studied under semi-arid Mediterranean conditions. We analyzed the effect of the management system on soil physical and chemical parameters and soil microbial communities over three consecutive years under different conventional and conservation management regimes: conventional tillage (CT), direct seeding (DS), direct seeding with a winter crop cover (DSC), and long-term conservation management after nine consecutive years of direct seeding with winter cover (DSCLT). The study was conducted on a maize (Zea mays L.) crop under irrigation in south western Spain. An improvement of the physical, chemical and biological parameters of the DS and DSC soils with respect to the CT soil was observed after two years management. Soil water content increased around 30% during the three years in the DS and DSC soils; organic C, nitrogen, and aggregate stability increased after the second year; total culturable microorganisms were twice as numerous in DSCLT as in the CT soil; and soil penetration resistance was 50% less in all soils under any of the conservation management regimes. Hence, there was a major improvement in soil quality related to a potential increase of crop yields, and a reduced environmental impact, after short-term as well as after long-term conservation management.