Nitrogen fertiliser residues for wheat cropping in subtropical Australia

1996 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 695 ◽  
Author(s):  
WM Strong ◽  
RC Dalal ◽  
EJ Weston ◽  
JE Cooper ◽  
KJ Lehane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Effective Means ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Soil N ◽  
Winter Cereals ◽  
Cropping Sequence ◽  
Fertiliser Application ◽  
Summer Fallow ◽  
Rainfall Region ◽  
Subtropical Australia

Applied nitrogen (N) recovered by fertilised wheat and by successive wheat crops in a 4-crop sequence (1987-90) was studied by applying 15N-depleted ammonium nitrate (0, 2.5, and 7.5 g/m2) to a Vertisol in the summer-dominant rainfall region of northern Australia. Recoveries of applied N by each of the 4 crops in order of cropping sequence were 60.3� 4.2, 4.4 � 2.3, 1 . 3 � 0.49, and 0- 8 � 0.56%, there being no effect of 2 tillage treatments, conventional tillage (CT) and no till (NT), on uptake of applied N. There was very low recovery of residual fertiliser N after the first wheat crop was harvested; usually <lo% of the applied N was recovered. There was evidence of a substantial N carryover benefit where fertiliser N (7.5 g/m2) was applied in 1987, but not when applied at the same rate in 1988 or 1989. Carryover effect was shown only when fertiliser N was applied after a long fallow when antecedent NOT-N was already high (100-150 v. 30-55 kg/ha with a normal summer fallow). Carryover of subsoil NO3 -N from a single N fertiliser application to the crop, as occurred with application in 1987, will provide useful buffer for declining N supplies of soil N in seasons of good crop response. Routine application of N at moderate rates (<75 kg/ha) provides an effective means of supplementing declining soil N reserves for winter cereals in this region of unreliable rainfall.

Chickpea in wheat-based cropping systems of northern New South Wales I. N2 fixation and influence on soil nitrate and water

1998 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 391 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Marcellos ◽  
W. L. Felton ◽  
D. F. Herridge
Keyword(s):  
N2 Fixation ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Soil N ◽  
Cereal Crop ◽  
Mineral N ◽  
South Wales ◽  
N Fertility ◽  
Summer Fallow

Chickpea has potential as a rotation or break crop in the northern grains region of New South Wales and Queensland. Definition of that potential requires information on chickpea N2 fixation and on effects of chickpea on maintenance of soil N fertility and delivery of mineral N for use by a following cereal crop. Results from 6 experiments in northern NSW in which chickpea and wheat in one season were followed by wheat in subsequent seasons indicated variable N2 fixation by chickpea (mean 73 kg/ha; range 4-116 kg/ha), associated with variable Pfix (percentage of chickpea N derived from N2 fixation) (mean 57%; range 4-79%). There were no consistent differences between chickpea and wheat in effects on soil water, either pre-harvest or after the summer fallow. Chickpea ‘spared’ nitrate, relative to wheat (mean 15 kg/ha; range 1-35 kg/ha), and mineralised additional nitrate during the summer fallow (mean 18 kg/ha; range 5-40 kg/ha). Nitrate-N in the top 1·2 m of the soil profile at sowing of the following wheat crop was on average 89 kg/ha after chickpea (range 63-113 kg/ha) and 56 kg/ha after wheat (range 33-94 kg/ha). Nitrogen mineralisation rates during the summer fallow at 2 sites of 0·17 and 0· 21 kg N/ha · day (after chickpea), although greater than the rates after wheat (0· 07 and 0·12 kg N/ha · day), were not sufficient to meet the N requirements of a moderate to high yielding cereal crop. We concluded that chickpea did not fix sufficient N2 or mineralise sufficient N from residues either to maintain soil N fertility or to sustain a productive chickpea{wheat rotation without inputs of additional fertiliser N.

scholarly journals Nitrogen fertility in semiarid dryland wheat production is challenging for beginning organic farmers

2012 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Drew J. Lyon ◽  
Gary W. Hergert
Keyword(s):  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Green Manure ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Cattle Manure ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
N Fertility ◽  
Summer Fallow

AbstractOrganic farming systems use green and animal manures to supply nitrogen (N) to their fields for crop production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of green manure and composted cattle manure on the subsequent winter wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) crop in a semiarid environment. Dry pea (Pisum sativumL.) was seeded in early April and terminated at first flower in late June. Composted cattle manure was applied at 0, 11.2 or 22.5 Mg ha−1just prior to pea termination. Winter wheat was planted in mid September following the green manure or tilled summer fallow. No positive wheat response to green manure or composted cattle manure was observed in any of the 3 years of the study. In 2 of the 3 years, wheat yields and grain test weight were reduced following green manure. Green manure reduced grain yields compared with summer fallow by 220 and 1190 kg ha−1in 2009 and 2010, respectively. This may partially be explained by 40 and 47 mm less soil water at wheat planting following peas compared with tilled summer fallow in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Also, in 2008 and 2009, soil nitrate level averaged 45 kg ha−1higher for black fallow compared with green manure fallow when no compost was added. Organic growers in the semiarid Central Great Plains will be challenged to supply N fertility to their winter wheat crop in a rapid and consistent manner as a result of the inherently variable precipitation. Growers may need to allow several years to pass before seeing the benefits of fertility practices in their winter wheat cropping systems.

WHEAT YIELD AND WATER USE EFFICIENCY UNDER CONTRASTING RESIDUE AND TILLAGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN A SEMIARID AREA OF MOROCCO

2002 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Mrabet
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Wheat Yield ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Partial Removal ◽  
No Till ◽  
Management Technology ◽  
Use Efficiency

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) production using no-tillage is becoming an increasingly accepted management technology. Major obstacles to its adoption in Morocco, however, are exportation of wheat straw from the field and stubble grazing. Among pertinent solutions is the control of these practices. A four-year field study was conducted to determine the effect of residue level under no-tillage on wheat grain and total dry-matter yields, water use and water-use efficiency, and to compare this with conventional tillage systems. The aim was to evaluate whether all the straw produced is needed for no-till cropping or whether partial removal of straw from the field is possible without any adverse effect on production. No-tillage and deep tillage with disk plough performed equally well and subsurface tillage with an off-set disk produced the lowest yields. Both bare and full no-tillage covers depressed wheat production. Uo to 30% of straw produced under no-tillage can be removed without jeopardizing wheat crop performance.

Quantifying N response and N use efficiency in rice–wheat (RW) cropping systems under different water management

2009 ◽  
Vol 147 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q. JING ◽  
H. VAN KEULEN ◽  
H. HENGSDIJK ◽  
W. CAO ◽  
P. S. BINDRABAN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
N Uptake ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
N Recovery ◽  
Soil Nitrate ◽  
Soil N ◽  
N Use

SUMMARYAbout 0·10 of the food supply in China is produced in rice–wheat (RW) cropping systems. In recent decades, nitrogen (N) input associated with intensification has increased much more rapidly than N use in these systems. The resulting nitrogen surplus increases the risk of environmental pollution as well as production costs. Limited information on N dynamics in RW systems in relation to water management hampers development of management practices leading to more efficient use of nitrogen and water. The present work studied the effects of N and water management on yields of rice and wheat, and nitrogen use efficiencies (NUEs) in RW systems. A RW field experiment with nitrogen rates from 0 to 300 kg N/ha with continuously flooded and intermittently irrigated rice crops was carried out at the Jiangpu experimental station of Nanjing Agricultural University of China from 2002 to 2004 to identify improved nitrogen management practices in terms of land productivity and NUE.Nitrogen uptake by rice and wheat increased with increasing N rates, while agronomic NUE (kg grain/kg N applied) declined at rates exceeding 150 kg N/ha. The highest combined grain yields of rice and wheat were obtained at 150 and 300 kg N/ha per season in rice and wheat, respectively. Carry-over of residual N from rice to the subsequent wheat crop was limited, consistent with low soil nitrate after rice harvest. Total soil N hardly changed during the experiment, while soil nitrate was much lower after wheat than after rice harvest. Water management did not affect yield and N uptake by rice, but apparent N recovery was higher under intermittent irrigation (II). In one season, II management in rice resulted in higher yield and N uptake in the subsequent wheat season. Uptake of indigenous soil N was much higher in rice than in wheat, while in rice it was much higher than values reported in the literature, which may have consequences for nitrogen fertilizer recommendations based on indigenous N supply.

Changes in the acidity and fertility of a red earth soil under wheat–annual pasture rotations

1997 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 561 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. R. Helyar ◽  
B. R. Cullis ◽  
K. Furniss ◽  
G. D. Kohn ◽  
A. C. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Soil N ◽  
Alkaline Ph ◽  
Waste Products ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Acid Ph ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
Red Earth ◽  
Ph Increase ◽  
Ph Decrease

This paper reports the effects of 6 wheat–annual pasture rotations over 18 years on soil N, organic C, P, and pH in a red earth soil at Wagga Wagga (35° 03′ S, 147° 21′E), in southern NSW. There were 3 cropping intensities (33, 50, 67%) with pastures dominated by subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L. cv. Bacchus Marsh) and annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaud. cv. Wimmera). Rotations were long (6-year) or short (2- or 3-year). Initial soil N and organic C concentrations (0–10 cm) were low, 1300–1400 kg N/ha and 0·7–0·9 g organic C/100 g. The rate of increase of total N in the top 20 cm was the same on short and long rotations, and increased with the proportion of pasture in the rotation from 2·0 to 12·1 to 20·7 kg N/ha · year for pasture to crop ratios of 0·33, 0·50, and 0·67. Estimates of the amounts of N fixed and the measured accumulation of N per pasture year varied within the narrow ranges of 95–113 and 45–64 kg N/ha · pasture year. Organic C increased faster as the proportion of pasture in the rotation increased and there was no evidence that steady-state concentrations were achieved by Year 18. Estimates of the average amount of N leached below 30 cm varied in the range 22–29 kg N/ha · year. Analysis of the individual crop and pasture effects on soil N in the surface 10 cm indicated that net nitrate leaching was greatest in the second pasture year or in the first crop year following 1 year of pasture. A significant amount of N leached during the first 2 or 3 pasture years in a rotation was recovered by the first wheat crop or by the third and fourth year pastures. Second to fourth cereal crops depleted soil N by an amount similar to that removed in the grain. Average grain N% for the rotation treatments was closely described (R2 = 0·96) as a function of the length of the pasture phase, the pasture to crop ratio, and the interaction pasture to crop ratio number of preceding wheat crops. In the top 30 cm the pH changed at a rate near –0·04 units/year on all treatments, equivalent to addition of 2·3–2·8 kmol H+/ha · year. The acid addition rate, and hence the long-term lime requirement (50 kg lime/kmol H+), did not vary with pasture to crop ratio or with the length of the rotation. The proportion of the acid added to the top 30 cm of soil that was contributed from the N cycle (nitrification followed by nitrate loss by leaching below 30 cm or by run-off) was 0·65 for rotations with 67% pasture and 0·80 for rotations with 33% pasture. Carbon cycle acids, produced during organic matter accumulation and the synthesis of products that were subsequently removed, accounted for the remainder. Individual crop and pasture effects on soil pH were near the overall mean of –0·04 units except in years preceding and following the transition from pasture to cereal phases of the rotations. In cereal-dominated rotations the last pasture year was strongly acid (pH decrease 0·13–0·17) and the following cereal year was alkaline (pH increase 0·05–0·08). In pasture-dominated rotations the effects were reversed, the last pasture being alkaline (pH increase 0·07–0·12) and the following cereal being acid (pH decrease 0·13–0·19). In the 50% rotations, effects were intermediate. Organic and inorganic forms of soil P in the surface 10 cm increased linearly with time, accounting for 38% of the applied fertiliser P. Of the applied P, 88% was accounted for by the sum of P accumulated in the surface 20 cm of soil and by removal in products and waste products. The remainder may have been lost by erosion or accumulated in forms resistant to extraction by 0·1 M H2SO4 after ignition at 550°C. There was a slightly greater rate of increase of organic P as the proportion of pasture in the rotation increased. The annual addition of 11·8 kg P/ha·year marginally exceeded the amount required to maintain the available P concentration.

Nitrogen benefits of lupins, field pea, and chickpea to wheat production in south-eastern Australia

1997 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. L. Armstrong ◽  
D. P. Heenan ◽  
J. S. Pate ◽  
M. J. Unkovich
Keyword(s):  
N2 Fixation ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Crop Residues ◽  
Field Pea ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Wagga Wagga ◽  
Soil N ◽  
Narrow Leaf ◽  
Eastern Australia

Nitrogen balances of narrow leaf lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.), albus lupin (L. albus L.), field pea (Pisum sativum L.), chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) sown over a range of dates were examined in 1992 in a rotation study at Wagga Wagga, NSW. Each N budget included assessment of dependence on fixed as opposed to soil N, peak aboveground biomass N, and N removed as grain or returned as unharvested aboveground crop residues. N balances of wheat sown across the plots in 1993 were assessed similarly in terms of biomass and grain yield. Yields, N2 fixation, and crop residue N balances of the legumes were markedly influenced by sowing time, and superior performance of lupins over other species was related to higher biomass production and proportional dependence on N2 fixation, together with a poorer harvest index. Residual N balances in aboveground biomass after harvest of the 1992 crops were significantly correlated with soil mineral N at 1993 sowing and with biomass and grain N yields of the resulting wheat crop. Best mean fixation and grain N yield came from albus lupin. Wheat grain N yields following the 2 lupins were some 20% greater than after fiield pea and chickpea and 3 times greater than after barley. Net soil N balance based solely on aboveground returns of N of legumes in 1992 through to harvest of wheat in 1993 was least for narrow leaf lupin-wheat ( –20 kg N/ha), followed by albus lupin-wheat ( –44), chickpea-wheat ( –74), and field pea-wheat ( –96). Corresponding combined grain N yields (legume+wheat) from the 4 rotations were 269, 361, 178, and 229 kg N/ha, respectively. The barley-wheat rotation yielded a similarly computed soil N deficit of 67 kg/ha. Data are discussed in relation to other studies on legume-based rotations.

Productivity and nitrogen use of three different wheat-based rotations in North West Syria

1998 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 451 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Wood ◽  
C. J. Pilbeam ◽  
H. C. Harris ◽  
J. Tuladhar
Keyword(s):  
Crop Residues ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
N Mineralisation ◽  
Soil N ◽  
N Budget ◽  
Mineral N ◽  
North West ◽  
System A ◽  
To Come ◽  
C 50

Productivity of 3 different 2-year crop rotations, namely continuous wheat, wheat-chickpea, and wheat-fallow, was measured over 4 consecutive seasons beginning in 1991-92 at the ICARDA station, Tel Hadya, Syria. Nitrogen (N) fertiliser (30 kg N/ha at sowing) was broadcast every other year in the continuous wheat only. 15N-labelled fertiliser was used to quantify the amount of nitrogen supplied to the crops through current and past applications of fertiliser and by N2 fixation. The remaining N in the crop was assumed to come from the soil. In any single season, wheat yields were unaffected by rotation or N level. However, 2-year biomass production was significantly greater (32%, on average) in the continuously cropped plots than in the wheat-fallow rotation. On average, <10% of the N in the wheat crop came from fertiliser in the season of application, and <1·2 kg N/ha of the residual fertiliser was recovered by a subsequent wheat crop. Chickpea fixed 16-48 kg N/ha, depending on the season, but a negative soil N budget was still likely because the amount of N removed in the grain was usually greater than the amount of atmospheric N2 fixed. Uptake of soil N was similar in the cereal phase of all 3 rotations (38 kg N/ha, on average), but over the whole rotation at least 33% more soil N was removed from continuously cropped plots than from the wheat-fallow rotation, suggesting that the latter is a more sustainable system. A laboratory study showed that although wheat and chickpea residues enhanced the gross rate of N mineralisation by c. 50%, net rates of N mineralisation were usually negative. Given the high C/N ratio of the residue, immobilisation, rather than loss processes, is the likely cause of the decline in the mineral N content of the soil. Consequently, decomposition of crop residues in the field may in the short term reduce rather than increase the availability of N for crop growth.

Nitrogen balance in Australia and nitrogen use efficiency on Australian farms

Soil Research ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 435 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Angus ◽  
P. R. Grace
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Land ◽  
International Standards ◽  
N Balance ◽  
Yield Potential ◽  
N Fixation ◽  
Soil N ◽  
N Losses ◽  
Dryland Farming ◽  
Australian Continent ◽  
Fertiliser Application

The amount of reactive N in soils on the Australian continent appears to be increasing, mainly because of biological N-fixation by permanent pastures in the dryland farming zone. This gain is partly offset by N-mining by crops, which we estimate have removed between one-fifth and one-quarter of the original soil N. The vast areas of non-agricultural land and arid rangelands appear to be in neutral N balance and the relatively small area of intensive agriculture is in negative balance. There are regional N losses from the sugar and dairy industries to groundwater, estuaries and lagoons, including the Great Barrier Reef. Fertiliser N application is increasing, and is likely to increase further, to compensate for the soil-N mining and to meet increasing crop yield potential, but fertiliser-N represents a relatively small fraction of the Australian N balance. The dryland farming zone utilises the largest amounts of native and fertiliser N. The average fertiliser application to dryland cereals and oilseeds, 45 kg N ha–1, is low by international standards because of the small N-demand by dryland crops and because there are no subsidies on crops or fertiliser that promote overuse. The efficiency of N-use is relatively low, for example about 40% of fertiliser N is recovered in the aboveground parts of dryland wheat and the rest is retained in the soil, denitrified or otherwise lost. We suggest further research on fertiliser-application methods to increase crop recovery of fertiliser, as well as research to reduce the surplus N from permanent pasture.

Cereal cover crops for weed suppression in a summer fallow-wheat cropping sequence

2000 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 441-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Moyer ◽  
R. E. Blackshaw ◽  
E. G. Smith ◽  
S. M. McGinn
Keyword(s):  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Weed Control ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Soil Conservation ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Wheat Yield ◽  
Weed Suppression ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Weed Growth ◽  
Summer Fallow

Cropping systems in western Canada that include summer fallow can leave the soil exposed to erosion and require frequent weed control treatments. Cover crops have been used for soil conservation and to suppress weed growth. Experiments were conducted under rain-fed conditions at Lethbridge, Alberta to determine the effect of short-term fall rye (Secale cereale L.), winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and annual rye cover crops in the fallow year on weed growth and subsequent wheat yield. Under favorable weather conditions fall rye was as effective as post-harvest plus early spring tillage or herbicides in spring weed control. Winter wheat and fall rye residues, after growth was terminated in June, reduced weed biomass in September by 50% compared to no cover crop in 1993 but had little effect on weeds in 1995. Fall-seeded cover crops reduced the density of dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Weber in Wiggers) and Canada thistle [Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.] but increased the density of downy brome (Bromus tectorum L.), wild buckwheat (Polygonum convolvulus L.), and thyme-leaved spurge (Euphorbia serpyllifolia Pers.) in the following fall or spring. Wheat yields after fall rye and no cover crop were similar but yields after spring-seeded annual rye were less than after no cover crop. Spring-seeded annual rye did not adequately compete with weeds. Cover crops, unlike the no cover crop treatment, always left sufficient plant residue to protect the soil from erosion until the following wheat crop was seeded. Key words: Allelopathies, fall rye, nitrogen, soil conservation, soil moisture, weed control, spring rye, winter wheat

ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF MINIMUM TILLAGE SYSTEMS FOR SUMMER FALLOW IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA

1982 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 631-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. P. ZENTNER ◽  
C. W. LINDWALL
Keyword(s):  
Economic Evaluation ◽  
Spring Wheat ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
Minimum Tillage ◽  
Southern Alberta ◽  
Resource Requirements ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Summer Fallow

The economic feasibility of substituting herbicides for mechanical tillage of summer fallow was assessed under a spring-wheat-fallow rotation at Lethbridge, Alberta. Six minimum tillage and two conventional tillage treatments were evaluated over a 9-yr period for differences in resource requirements and overhead costs. Also, break-even costs for herbicides that equate the cost of fallowing with minimum and conventional tillage systems were estimated at three prices for wheat and three prices for labor. The minimum tillage treatments required an average of 14.2% and 4.1% less resources than for the blade-only and one-way disc-only treatments (i.e., conventional tillage treatments), respectively. The herbicides-only treatment required the least amount of labor, fuel and oil, and machine repairs averaging 15.0, 22.7 and 22.9% less, respectively, than that required for the blade-only treatment. Break-even costs for herbicides were highest for the herbicides/fall blade treatment averaging $54.98, $77.59, and $100.20/ha relative to the blade-only treatment at wheat prices of $147, $220, and $294/t, respectively, and a price for labor of $5/h. The herbicides-only treatment ranked second with break-even costs averaging 16–33% lower than for the herbicides/fall blade treatment under similar price assumptions.

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