Soil layer displacing plough with a corn stalk collector

Part 2: Construction of a watertable underground

Abstract

Fuxin, a major corn production area, is located in Liaoning province, P. R. of China. The annual precipitation in this area is only 450 mm, mostly during summer. The area receives less rainfall in spring seeding season every year. Droughts in spring are common. We constructed an artificial perched watertable by burying corn stalks. The results showed that before watertable construction, the soil penetration resistance was 5.0 MPa below 200 mm depth. After construction, that became 1.0 MPa down to 400 mm depth. The watertable construction evened out available N, P₂O₅ and K₂O and organic matter in all layers. Therefore, when the top soil and the subsoil were displaced, a deficiency of any chemical element for plants would not be caused.