Growth and yield responses to amendments to the sugarcane monoculture: effects of crop, pasture and bare fallow breaks and soil fumigation on plant and ratoon crops

2011 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 396 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. Garside ◽  
M. J. Bell
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fumigation ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Grain Legume ◽  
Yield Decline ◽  
Late Season ◽  
Bare Fallow ◽  
Yield Responses ◽  
Stalk Weight ◽  
Plant Crop

Yield decline has been a major issue limiting productivity improvement in the Australian sugar industry since the early 1970s and is suspected to be largely due to growing sugarcane in a long-term monoculture. In order to address this issue, rotation experiments were established in several sugarcane-growing regions in Queensland, Australia, to ascertain whether breaking the sugarcane monoculture could, at least in part, assist in overcoming yield decline. The rotation experiments involved other crop species, pasture and bare fallow for different periods of time. When cane was replanted, the growth and yield following breaks was compared with that in a sugarcane monoculture system where the soil was unamended or fumigated before replanting. Yield increases were recorded in the plant and first ratoon (R1) crops in all experiments: in response to soil fumigation (average of 42 and 18%, respectively), and breaks (average of 27 and 30%, respectively). The data indicated that the response to breaks, while smaller in the plant crop, may have greater longevity than the response to fumigation. Further, there were indications that the response to breaks could continue into later ratoons (R2 and R3). Break type had little overall effect with the average response in the plant and R1 crops being 35% for breaks in excess of 30 months. Breaks of longer duration produced larger yield responses: 17% (<12 months), 24% (18–30 months) and 28% (>30 months) in the plant crop. However, the average yield increase over a plant and three ratoon crops when one cane crop was missed (6–12 months’ break) and a grain legume or maize break included was ~20%. Yield increases with breaks and fumigation were due to either increased stalk number, increased individual stalk weight or a combination of both. The component accounting for the majority of the variance changed between experiments, with a general trend for individual stalk weight to have more impact under better late season growing conditions and/or conditions that hampered early stalk development, while stalk number was more important under conditions of late season water stress and/or low radiation input. The results demonstrate that the long-term sugarcane monoculture is having an adverse effect on productivity. Further, breaking the sugarcane monoculture and sacrificing one sugarcane crop is likely to have minimal impact on the supply of cane to the mill. The increase in yield during other stages of the cane cycle is likely to compensate for the loss of 1 year of sugarcane, especially as the crop that is sacrificed is the last and almost always lowest-yielding ratoon.

Growth and yield responses to amendments to the sugarcane monoculture: towards identifying the reasons behind the response to breaks

2011 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
pp. 776 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. Garside ◽  
M. J. Bell
Keyword(s):  
Positive Response ◽  
Soil Biota ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Grain Crop ◽  
Bare Fallow ◽  
Yield Responses ◽  
Plant Crop

Experiments involving breaks to the sugarcane monoculture, soil fumigation and the application of biocides were conducted in Bundaberg, the Burdekin Valley and at Tully, three sugarcane-growing regions in Queensland, Australia. The aim was to elucidate the cause(s) of previously observed positive yield responses to breaks in the monoculture and assess persistence into a subsequent cane cycle. In all three experiments there was a positive response in the plant cane crop to fumigation of land that was under sugarcane monoculture, the response being 32, 39 and 21% for the Burdekin, Tully and Bundaberg experiments, respectively. Further, at Tully, the response was maintained into the ratoons. Fumigation after breaks also enhanced yields but the results were variable and were generally less than the response following sugarcane monoculture. At Tully, fumigating after bare fallow, grain crop and pasture breaks enhanced cane yields by 23, 26 and 29%, respectively, while in the Burdekin, responses to fumigation were much smaller at 9% (bare fallow), 4% (grain crop) and 8% (pasture). In Bundaberg, responses ranged from nil following a long-term (70 months) grass pasture up to 35% following a short-term (12 months) grass pasture, with a general trend for the response to fumigation being larger following short-term than long-term breaks. In the Tully experiment, biocides had variable effects on sugarcane growth and yield. Fungicide application produced as good a yield as fumigation whereas nematicides had little direct influence. However, when combined with fungicides, nematicides provided a synergistic effect in terms of shoot development. The results suggested that at the Tully site, fungi were the major detrimental biota associated with poor yields in long-term sugarcane monoculture, but nematodes had some influence once fungi were controlled. In two additional experiments at Bundaberg and Burdekin, it was shown that if the cane stool was removed after the plant crop (Bundaberg) and second ratoon (Burdekin) and sugarcane re-planted, there were no residual effects of breaks and fumigation. Thus it appears that the positive effects of breaks and fumigation measured in the ratoons were more associated with the development of a healthy stool in the plant crop than any residual effect on soil biota. In general the similarly positive response to fumigation and breaks indicated that a considerable part of the overall response to breaks was due to reducing the adverse effect of detrimental soil biota (largely fungi although there was an effect on nematodes). The type and duration of break was also important with long-term pasture being the most effective. However, the duration of the fumigation and break effects on soil biota only lasted for the plant crop.

Row spacing and planting density effects on the growth and yield of sugarcane. 1. Responses in fumigated and non-fumigated soil

2009 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 532 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. Garside ◽  
M. J. Bell
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Soil Fumigation ◽  
Sugar Yield ◽  
High Density ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Planting Density ◽  
Row Spacing ◽  
Subsequent Loss ◽  
Stalk Weight

It has been reported that high-density planting of sugarcane can improve cane and sugar yield through promoting rapid canopy closure and increasing radiation interception earlier in crop growth. It is widely known that the control of adverse soil biota through fumigation (removes soil biological constraints and improves soil health) can improve cane and sugar yield. Whether the responses to high-density planting and improved soil health are additive or interactive has important implications for the sugarcane production system. Field experiments established at Bundaberg and Mackay, Queensland, Australia, involved all combinations of 2-row spacings (0.5 and 1.5 m), two planting densities (27 000 and 81 000 two-eyed setts/ha), and two soil fumigation treatments (fumigated and non-fumigated). The Bundaberg experiment had two cultivars (Q124, Q155), was fully irrigated, and harvested 15 months after planting. The Mackay experiment had one cultivar (Q117), was grown under rainfed conditions, and harvested 10 months after planting. High-density planting (81 000 setts/ha in 0.5-m rows) did not produce any more cane or sugar yield at harvest than low-density planting (27 000 setts/ha in 1.5-m rows) regardless of location, crop duration (15 v. 10 months), water supply (irrigated v. rainfed), or soil health (fumigated v. non-fumigated). Conversely, soil fumigation generally increased cane and sugar yields regardless of site, row spacing, and planting density. In the Bundaberg experiment there was a large fumigation × cultivar × density interaction (P < 0.01). Cultivar Q155 responded positively to higher planting density in non-fumigated soil but not in fumigated soil, while Q124 showed a negative response to higher planting density in non-fumigated soil but no response in fumigated soil. In the Mackay experiment, Q117 showed a non-significant trend of increasing yield in response to increasing planting density in non-fumigated soil, similar to the Q155 response in non-fumigated soil at Bundaberg. The similarity in yield across the range of row spacings and planting densities within experiments was largely due to compensation between stalk number and stalk weight, particularly when fumigation was used to address soil health. Further, the different cultivars (Q124 and Q155 at Bundaberg and Q117 at Mackay) exhibited differing physiological responses to the fumigation, row spacing, and planting density treatments. These included the rate of tiller initiation and subsequent loss, changes in stalk weight, and propensity to lodging. These responses suggest that there may be potential for selecting cultivars suited to different planting configurations.

Metolachlor Effects on Peanut Growth and Development

1988 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Cardina ◽  
C. W. Swann
Keyword(s):  
Linear Response ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Canopy Height ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Yield Response ◽  
Late Season ◽  
Pod Yield ◽  
Pod Development ◽  
Yield Responses

Abstract Growth and yield responses of peanuts (Arachis hypogaca L.) to preplant incorporated applications of metolachlor (2-chloro-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl)acetamide] herbicide were studied at two locations in Georgia. At Sycamore, GK-7 peanuts which received 3.8 cm irrigation immediately following herbicide incorporation and planting were generally stunted and yielded less than non-irrigated peanuts. Metolachlor rates from 2.2 to 6.7 kg ai/ha reduced early and late season growth of irrigated peanuts in 1985 and 1986 but non-irrigated peanuts recovered by mid-August. Yields were suppressed only at the highest rate of metolachor in 1985, but there was no yield response in 1986 or 1987. At Tifton, emergence of Florunner peanuts was delayed and canopy height and width were reduced by metolachlor. Initial flower, peg and pod production were reduced in a linear response to metolachlor rate, resulting in differences in pod development 95 days after planting. There was a rate response for pod yield in 1985 but not in 1986 and grade did not differ either year. In general, emergence and growth were delayed and reduced by preplant incorporated metolachlor when rainfall or irrigation followed application, but yields were not reduced at labeled rates.

Long-term growth and yield responses of olive trees to different irrigation regimes

2008 ◽  
Vol 95 (8) ◽  
pp. 968-972 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.C. Melgar ◽  
Y. Mohamed ◽  
C. Navarro ◽  
M.A. Parra ◽  
M. Benlloch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Irrigation Regimes ◽  
Olive Trees ◽  
Yield Responses

Long-term response of spruce–fir stands to herbicide and precommercial thinning: observed and projected growth, yield, and financial returns in central Maine, USA

2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 385-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad M. Bataineh ◽  
Robert G. Wagner ◽  
Aaron R. Weiskittel
Keyword(s):  
Net Present Value ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Growth Yield ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Financial Returns ◽  
Precommercial Thinning ◽  
Silvicultural Treatments ◽  
Yield Responses ◽  
Term Response

Herbicide application and precommercial thinning (PCT) are common silvicultural treatments used across North America and Europe. Despite this widespread use, long-term growth and yield responses from controlled experiments that include both of these treatments are relatively rare. We used 40-year growth and yield responses of spruce–fir stands to various combinations of early herbicide and PCT in a long-term silvicultural experiment in central Maine, USA, to calibrate the Forest Vegetation Simulator (Northeast Variant). Using the calibrated model, we projected rotation-length outcomes for stand development, merchantable wood volumes, and stumpage-based financial returns. Projections indicated gains in total yield (17%–31%) from herbicide treatments at the end of the rotation (∼60 years postharvest) relative to untreated stands. Substantial increases in merchantable wood volume also were achieved with PCT. Twenty-four years after PCT, stand stumpage value averaged $907 USD·ha−1 higher than that for unthinned stands. Total yield and stumpage gains from PCT were projected to continue through the end of rotation. Highest stumpage values resulted from combined herbicide and PCT treatments, followed by PCT-only and then herbicide-only. At end of rotation, highest net present value (NPV) resulted from PCT, whether alone or in combination with herbicides. PCT and herbicide investments substantially improved the NPV relative to untreated stands when using discount rates of 2% and 4%, but not when using a 6% rate. Our results documented that good financial returns are possible over the long-term from early investments in herbicide and PCT treatments in Maine spruce–fir stands.

Dynamics of biologically fixed N in legume-cereal rotations: a review

1998 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 303 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. M. Chalk
Keyword(s):  
Grain Legumes ◽  
Grain Legume ◽  
Soil N ◽  
Symbiotic Dependence ◽  
N Harvest Index ◽  
Yield Responses ◽  
Total Soil N ◽  
N Pool

Agronomically significant N yield responses of cereals following grain legumes compared with cereal monoculture are frequently measured. The positive N response of the cereal has been attributed to the transfer of biologically fixed N, to N-sparing under the antecedent legume, and to less immobilisation of nitrate during the decomposition of legume residues. Methods for estimating the transfer of biologically fixed N in rotations, and for separating the N benefit into fixed N and non-fixed N components, are reviewed. Available data indicate that both sources of N contribute to the N benefit. The role of the grain legume in the gain or drain of soil N is evaluated by considering the balance between symbiotic dependence and N harvest index, as well as long-term changes in total soil N. Several 15N-based techniques for direct estimation of inputs of biologically fixed N to the soil N pool are reviewed. N balances in grain legume-cereal rotations may be positive or negative depending on the legume species, symbiotic performance, and agronomic factors.

Nitrogen and phosphorus fertility management for desi and kabuli chickpea

2005 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fran L. Walley ◽  
Steve Kyei-Boahen ◽  
Garry Hnatowich ◽  
Craig Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
Seed Yield ◽  
Vegetative Growth ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Grain Legume ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
P Accumulation ◽  
P Application ◽  
Yield Responses

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a relatively new crop in Saskatchewan and acreage has undergone a rapid expansion during the past decade. However, uncertainty remains regarding growth and yield responses of this grain legume to N and P fertilization under the semiarid environment of Saskatchewan. Field experiments were conducted at various locations in Saskatchewan to investigate chick pea response to starter N (0, 15, 30, and 45 kg N ha-1) and P (0, 20 and 40 kg P2O5 ha-1) using desi cv. Myles and kabuli cv. Sanford. Starter N was side banded (2.5 cm to the side and 4 cm below the seed) and the P was placed in the seed row or side banded. Starter N promoted early vegetative growth of both desi and kabuli chickpea, but kabuli seed yield was unaffected by N application. Application of 30 or 45 kg N ha-1 enhanced desi yield by as much as 221 kg ha-1. Starter N reduced N2 fixation by kabuli chickpea whereas N2 fixation by desi apparently was not as sensitive to inorganic N. Phosphorus (40 kg P2O5 ha-1) enhanced chickpea vegetative growth, although only desi seed yield was significantly enhanced (121 kg ha-1). Shoot N and P accumulation in both chickpea types generally increased with P application, but N2 fixation was unaffected. The results suggest that although N and P application had no effect on kabuli seed yield, desi yields may be optimized by the application of low rates of starter N (i.e., 30 kg N ha-1) and P (20 kg P2O5 ha-1). Key words: Chickpea, nitrogen, phosphorus, N2 fixation

Growth and Yield responses of Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) varieties to Elevated CO2

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (33) ◽  
pp. cs242050124
Author(s):  
Manasa ◽  
R.V. Manju ◽  
Roy Stephen ◽  
M.M. Viji ◽  
R. Beena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Elevated Co2 ◽  
Zingiber Officinale ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Yield Responses

Growth and Yield Responses of Field‐Grown Sweetpotato to Elevated Carbon Dioxide

Crop Science ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 1234-1239 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. K. Biswas ◽  
D. R. Hileman ◽  
P. P. Ghosh ◽  
N. C. Bhattacharya ◽  
J. N. McCrimmon
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Elevated Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Yield Responses
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