Range Claypan Soil Improvement: Response from Furrowing and Ripping in Northwestern South Dakota

Abstract

Ripping and furrowing increased water infiltration and herbage production on some claypan range soils for 4 to 13 years. Infiltrating water in the ripped or furrowed soil zones redistributed extractable Na and salt toward the soils between the disturbed soil zones. This distribution of the water probably accelerates natural soil processes and will give long term increased forage production on nonsaline sodic soils.