Table 1. Selected physico-chemical properties of soils under zero tillage and conventional tillage*.
| Tillage | Depth (cm) | Bulk density (Mg m−3) | Shear strength (MPa) | Soil moisture (%) | pH | SOM (%) | NH4-N (mg kg−1soil) | NO3-N (mg kg−1soil) | Microbial C (mg kg−1soil) | Microbial N (mg kg−1soil) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zero tilled | 0–10 | 1.16 ± 0.04 | 25.7 ± 1.47 | 31.29 ± 1.40 | 6.98 ± 0.13 | 7.81 ± 0.44 | 2.59 ± 0.10 | 0.66 ± 0.05 | 591.8 ± 55.0 | 104.9 ± 7.92 |
| 10–20 | ND** | ND | 27.90 ± 1.36 | 7.32 ± 0.10 | 7.41 ± 0.42 | 2.42 ± 0.08 | 0.45 ± 0.04 | 442.2 ± 26.6 | 77.3 ± 5.11 | |
| Tilled | 0–10 | 1.09 ± 0.04 | 12.0 ± 1.12 | 26.98 ± 1.06 | 7.22 ± 0.14 | 6.59 ± 0.42 | 2.51 ± 0.16 | 0.62 ± 0.06 | 434.9 ± 44.3 | 73.4 ± 5.11 |
| 10–20 | ND | ND | 24.96 ± 1.11 | 7.29 ± 0.13 | 6.15 ± 0.40 | 2.30 ± 0.14 | 0.54 ± 0.06 | 402.5 ± 39.7 | 66.6 ± 3.79 |
*Mean ± Standard Error of mean (n = 33).
**ND- not determined.