Effects of Green Manuring in Rotation with Corn on the Physical Properties of Two Quebec Soils

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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine whether green manure used either in rotation or intercropped with corn could increase soil organic-matter levels and improve soil physical conditions. Eight treatments were applied for a 3-year period to a Bearbrook clay and a Franklin gravelly loamy sand in a rotation experiment. Aggregate-size distribution, bulk density, moisture retention, and water flow were measured for each soil. Green manures tended to increase organic-matter levels on the Bearbrook site over the three years of the experiment, although the increase was not statistically significant. On the Franklin site, no increase in organic-matter levels due to treatment was noted. Incorporating red clover into the Bearbrook soil improved dry-aggregate distribution and reduced bulk density but did not increase the stability of aggregates in water. Infiltration did not improve in response to green manuring. Incorporating common vetch or buckwheat into the Franklin soil did not affect any physical parameter differently from the monoculture-corn treatment though a laboratory study suggested that buckwheat residue was more suitable than vetch residue for producing aggregates. Row cropping in general proved deterimental to the physical condition of this soil.