Comparison of legume-based cropping systems at Warra, Queensland. 2. Mineral nitrogen accumulation and availability to the subsequent wheat crop

Soil Research ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 289 ◽  
Author(s):  
SA Hossain ◽  
WM Strong ◽  
SA Waring ◽  
RC Dalal ◽  
EJ Weston

Mineral nitrogen release following legume-based cropping systems for restoring the fertility of a Vertisol and the yield response and N uptake of subsequent wheat crops was studied. Legume phases of pastures, including a 4 year grass+legume ley, and lucerne and medic leys (~1 year) were terminated in October 1988 or 1989 and rotated with wheat. Chickpea-wheat rotations matched those of lucerne and medic leys. Mineral N accumulations during a subsequent fallow period were determined by core sampling to 1.5 m in October, February and May. Grain yield and N uptake of wheat enabled comparisons of the fertility restorative effects of the various systems relative to continuous wheat cropping. Averaged for two fallow periods, increases in mineral N down to 1.2 m depth were 93, 91, 68, and 37 kg/ha following grass+legume, lucerne and medic leys, and chickpea, respectively, compared with the continuous wheat treatment. Wheat yields were generally lower in 1989 (1.85–2.88 t/ha) than in 1990 (2.08–3.59 t/ha) following all leys and crops due to seasonal conditions. There was a grain yield increase of 0.11 and 0.52 t/ha in 1989 and 1.23 and 1.26 t/ha in 1990 following lucerne and medic leys, respectively and 0.85 t/ha in 1990 following a 4 year grass+legume ley. Following chickpea there was a yield increase of 0.81 and 1.36 t/ha in 1989 and 1990 respectively. Nitrogen uptake by wheat was increased by 40 and 49 kg/ha in 1989 and 48 and 58 kg/ha in 1990 following lucerne and medic leys respectively and 63 kg/ha in 1990 following a 4 year grass+legume ley. Following chickpea N uptake by wheat was increased by 27 and 32 kg/ha in 1989 and 1990 respectively. Grain protein concentration of wheat was substantially higher following all pasture leys (11.7–15.8%) than following wheat (8.0–9.4%) or chickpea (9.4–10.1%). Therefore, there was substantial evidence of the effectiveness of pasture leys in soil fertility restoration, as reflected in mineral N, yield response and N uptake by subsequent wheat crops.

1960 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
SA Waring ◽  
LJH Teakle

The level of mineral nitrogen in the soil under fallow and crop was measured for the years 1951 to 1953. Relationships of mineral nitrogen at planting to yield and nitrogen content of wheat grain and straw were examined. Values for nitrate nitrogen at the end of the fallow period ranged most commonly from 10 to 20 µg/g in the surface 2 ft and from 0 to 10 µg/g at 2-4 ft. Approximately one-third of the sites showed an increase from the third to the fourth foot. One site showed extremely high values throughout the profile, particularly at 3-4 ft where a value of 127 µg/g was recorded. Values for ammonia nitrogen were most commonly in the range of 0-3 µg/g . Under the growing crop, mineral nitrogen declined for most depths in the period from planting up to September or October, after which there was little further change to harvest. Uptake of mineral nitrogen was normally greatest from the surface 2 ft of soil. Below 3 ft there were two groups of sites. One group showed moderate to high uptake and the second group low uptake. The low uptake in the latter group provides a reason for mineral nitrogen accumulation below 3 ft at some sites. Mineral nitrogen to 4 ft at planting averaged 126 lb/ac, excluding the one site with exceptionally high values. This was double the mean value of 63 lb/ac for nitrogen recovered in grain and straw, for crops planted in May-June. These figures, combined with trends in the soil under crop, suggest that most of the nitrogen used by the crop was derived from that in the soil at planting. Correlations between mineral nitrogen at planting and grain yield were mostly non-significant, suggesting that in general nitrogen was not an important factor limiting yield. Low grain yield and protein percentage were recorded at a number of sites which had been cultivated more than 50 years.


1966 ◽  
Vol 6 (22) ◽  
pp. 233 ◽  
Author(s):  
GD Kohn ◽  
RR Storrier ◽  
EG Cuthbertson

The response of wheat to the length of fallow, to the number of cultivations, and to pre-planting chemical control of weeds on high fertility soils was determined under winter rainfall conditions at Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, over four years commencing 1960-61. Length of fallow had little influence on the conservation of rainfall except in 1961-62, when approximately twice the average summer rainfall added 1.8 inches of soil moisture per acre 48 inches. Long fallow increased available nitrogen accumulation, but this did not increase yield over either the mechanically prepared shorter fallows, or pre-planting chemical weed control. This was due to losses during the autumn-winter period of some of the excess mineral nitrogen that accrued during the long fallow. High mineral nitrogen concentrations also occurred during the summer on weed-free, uncultivated soils. Grain yield after a single autumn cultivation was as high as after a long fallow except in 1961-62. In this year the long fallow (September to May) significantly increased yields over all other treatments. The absence of any positive yield response to the application of 60 to 80 lb nitrogen an acre to short fallows suggests that mineral nitrogen concentrations were generally adequate for grain production. The addition of nitrogen to long fallows often depressed yields. The dependence of grain yield on adequate weed control is illustrated by a highly significant negative correlation (r = -0.849 ; P<0.001) of grain yield with weed growth. It is concluded that in the Wagga Wagga environment weed control is more important than moisture conservation and mineral nitrogen accumulation through fallowing.


Soil Research ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (8) ◽  
pp. 859 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. D. Schwenke ◽  
B. M. Haigh

Most soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from rain-fed grain sorghum grown on sub-tropical Vertosols in north-west New South Wales, Australia, occur between fertiliser nitrogen (N) application at sowing and booting growth stage. At three experiments, we investigated the potential for deferring some (split-N) or all (delayed) fertiliser N until booting to mitigate N2O produced without compromising optimum crop yields. N products included urea, 3,4-dimethyl pyrazole phosphate (DMPP)-urea, polymer-coated urea (PCU) and N-(n-butyl)thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT)-urea. For a fourth experiment, the N fertiliser rate was varied according to pre-sowing soil mineral N stocks left by different previous crops. All experiments incorporated 15N mini-plots to determine whether delayed or split-N affected crop N uptake or residual soil N. Compared to urea applied at-sowing, delayed applications of urea, DMPP-urea or NBPT-urea at booting reduced the N2O emission factor (EF, percentage of applied N emitted) by 67–81%. Crop N uptake, grain yield and protein tended to be lower with delayed N than N at-sowing due to dry mid-season conditions. Much of the unused N remained in the soil at harvest. Split-N (33% sowing:67% booting) using urea, reduced EF by 59% compared to at-sowing urea, but maintained crop N uptake, grain yield and protein. Using DMPP-urea or PCU for the at-sowing portion of the split reduced EF by 84–86%. Grain yield was maintained using PCU, but was lower with DMPP-urea, which had more N in vegetative biomass. Using NBPT-urea for the in-crop portion of the split did not affect N2O emissions or crop productivity. Nitrogen budgeting to account for high pre-sowing soil mineral N nullified urea-induced N2O emissions. An N-budgeted, split-N strategy using urea offers the best balance between N2O mitigation, grain productivity and provision of a soil mineral N buffer against dry mid-season conditions. Split-N using DMPP-urea or PCU further enhanced N2O mitigation but there was no yield response to justify the extra expense.


1994 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 93 ◽  
Author(s):  
DP Heenan ◽  
AC Taylor ◽  
BR Cullis ◽  
WJ Lill

A long term field experiment began in 1979 at Wagga Wagga, N.S.W., to compare the sustainability of a range of rotation, tillage and stubble management systems on a red earth. This paper reports yield, yield components and grain protein of wheat for 1979-90. Rotations considered were alternating lupin-wheat (LW), lupin-wheat-wheat (LWW), continuous wheat (WW) with and without N fertilizer (100 kg N/ha), and alternating sub-clover-wheat (CW). Soil N supply at the start of the experiment was high following many years of sub-clover based pasture. From 1979 to 1983, there was a negative grain yield response to N fertilizer and no response to a legume in rotation except in the drought of 1982 when low yields were recorded from LW. Thereafter, a positive grain yield response was usually produced to N fertilizer in WW rotations, until 1989 and 1990, when these crops displayed aluminium toxicity sym ptoms. Overall, average grain yields from legume rotations were higher than WW with added N fertilizer. Since 1983, LW rotations consistently produced higher mean grain yields than CW, but mean grain protein and total N uptake were lower. Yields and N uptake by the second wheat crop in a LWW rotation indicated little carryover of benefits from the lupins. Slightly higher mean grain yield and harvest index, but lower mean grain protein, were produced by direct drilling, compared with cultivation before sowing, following lupins or sub-clover. However, retaining stubble rather than burning in autumn consistently reduced grain yields. There was no evidence that early burial of wheat stubble following summer rain, rather than incorporation in autumn, improved grain yield or total N uptake. The build-up of giant brome grass and diseases, particularly where stubble was retained and crops direct-drilled, casts some doubt on the long term sustainability of these short term rotations in this environment.


Author(s):  
Syed Azam Shah ◽  
Wisal Mohammad ◽  
Haroon Haroon ◽  
Adnan Anwar Khan

The study was designed to asses the residual effect of organic N (Poultry Manure) and mineral N on maize crop in field experiments carried out on silty clay loam soil at NIFA, Tarnab, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Pakistan during 2014-15. Combined dose of N from both sources were 120 kg ha-1 applied to wheat crop alone and in different combination making six treatments. Maize variety (Azam) was sown in Randomized complete block (RCB) design with four replications. Agronomic data, grains ear-1, 1000 grain weight, biomass grain yield data, N-uptake in maize grain and straw were recorded. Results showed that maximum grain ear−1, 1000 grain weight, biomass and grain yield was obtained from treatment where 25% N applied from poultry manure + 75% from mineral N source applied to previous wheat crop. Agronomic efficiency and nitrogen use efficiency were also found maximum in treatment where 75% poultry manure + 25% mineral N was applied. It was concluded from the study that residual effect of organic manure with mineral N in different ratios enhances crop productivity and soil fertility.


2009 ◽  
Vol 147 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q. JING ◽  
H. VAN KEULEN ◽  
H. HENGSDIJK ◽  
W. CAO ◽  
P. S. BINDRABAN ◽  
...  

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.


2015 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 314-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANITA IERNA ◽  
GRAZIA MARIA LOMBARDO ◽  
GIOVANNI MAUROMICALE

SUMMARYLimited information is available concerning the influence of nitrogen fertilization jointly on yield response, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and grain quality of durum wheat under semi-arid Mediterranean conditions. The study focused on evaluating, through a systematic study, over three seasons in southern Italy the effects of three nitrogen fertilization rates (0, 80 and 160 kg N ha−1– N0, N80and N160), on grain yield, yield components, nitrogen efficiency indices and grain quality characteristics of three durum wheat genotypes (‘Creso’, ‘Trinakria’ and ‘Line 25’) from different breeding eras to achieve a more sustainable fertilization management of the durum wheat crop. We found that nitrogen fertilization at 80 kg N ha−1was able to maximize the yield performances (2.1 t ha−1year–1) of the crop and keep NUE index at an acceptable level (16.3 kg kg−1). On the other hand, nitrogen fertilization at 160 kg N ha−1improved grain quality measured through protein (up to 14.3%) and dry gluten concentration (up to 12.8%), but had a detrimental effect on grain yield and nitrogen efficiency. Among the genotypes studied, ‘Trinakria’ showed the greatest potential to utilize nitrogen fertilization to improve grain yield and NUE (at N80) and quality (at N160), ‘Line 25’ made good use of N80both for yield and quality, whereas ‘Creso’ proved wholly unresponsive to nitrogen. The effect of N fertilization on grain yield and N use efficiency depends on rainfall distribution, giving the best results when about 80% of total rainfall occurred from sowing to heading. Overall, our data show that in seasons with regular rainfall in quantity and distribution, combining no more than 80 kg ha−1of nitrogen fertilization with genotypes characterized by a more efficient response to nitrogen, is a useful tool to improve the agronomic and quality performance of the crop, ensuring, at the same time, a more environment-friendly nitrogen fertilization.


2009 ◽  
Vol 55 (No. 12) ◽  
pp. 519-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Potarzycki ◽  
W. Grzebisz

Actual yields of maize harvested by farmers are at level much below attainable yield potential of currently cultivated varieties. Among many growth factors zinc was recognized as one of main limiting factors of maize crop growth and yielding. This hypothesis has been verified within a three-year field study, where zinc fertilizer was applied to maize plants at the 5<sup>th</sup> leaf stage. Maize crop responded significantly to zinc foliar application in two of three years of study. The optimal rate of zinc foliar spray for achieving significant grain yield response was in the range from 1.0 to 1.5 kg Zn/ha. Grain yield increase was circa 18% (mean of three years) as compared to the treatment fertilized only with NPK. Plants fertilized with 1.0 kg Zn/ha significantly increased both total N uptake and grain yield. Yield forming effect of zinc fertilizer revealed via improvement of yield structure elements. The number of kernels per plant showed the highest response (+17.8% as compared to the NPK plot) and simultaneously the highest dependence on N uptake (<i>R</i><sup>2</sup> = 0.79). For this particular zinc treatment, however, the length of cob can also be applied as a component of yield structure significantly shaping the final grain yield.


1998 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 345 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. C. Anderson ◽  
I. R. P. Fillery ◽  
F. X. Dunin ◽  
P. J. Dolling ◽  
S. Asseng

Quantification of nitrate (NO-3) leaching is fundamental to understanding the efficiency with which plants use soil-derived nitrogen (N). A deep sand located in the northern wheatbelt of Western Australia was maintained under a lupin (Lupinus angustifolius)-wheat (Triticum aestivum) and a subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) based annual pasture-wheat rotation from 1994to 1996. Fluxes of water and NO-3 through, and beyond, the root-zone were examined. Drainage was calculated on a daily basis from measurements of rainfall, evapotranspiration, and the change in soil water content to a depth of 1·5 m. Evapotranspiration was estimated from Bowen ratio measurements,and soil water content was determined by time domain reflectrometry. Soil was sampled in layers to1·5 m at the onset of winter rains and analysed for NO-3 . Ceramic suction cups were installed at 0·25, 0·4, 0·6, 0·8, 1·0, 1·2, and 1·4 m to sample soil solution from June to mid August. The NO-3 leached from each layer was computed by multiplying the daily drainage through each layer by the estimated concentration of NO-3 within the layer. The estimated concentration of NO-3 in a layer was calculated by taking into account NO-3 either entering that layer through mineralisation and leachingor leaving the layer through plant uptake. Mineral N was added to the surface 0·2 m in accordance with measured rates of net N mineralisation, and daily N uptake was calculated from the measured above-ground plant N derived from soil N. Root sampling was undertaken to determine root lengthdensity under pastures, lupin, and wheat. Cumulative drainage below 1·5 m was similar under wheat and lupin, and accounted for 214 mmfrom 11 May to 15 August 1995 and 114 mm from 2 July to 15 September 1996. The cumulative evapotranspiration (Ea) over these periods was 169 mm from a wheat crop in 1995, and 178 mm from a lupin crop in 1996. The amount of NO-3 in soil at the start of the growing season was afiected by previous crop, with a lower range following wheat (31-68 kg N/ha) than following legumes (40-106 kgN/ha). These large quantities of NO-3 in the soil at the break of the season contributed substantially to NO-3 leaching. Leaching of NO-3 below 1·5 m in wheat crops accounted for 40-59 kg N/ha where these followed either lupin or pasture. In contrast, less NO-3 was found to leach below 1·5 m in pastures (17-28 kg N/ha). Greater N uptake by capeweed (Arctotheca calendula L.) than by either wheat or lupin was the main reason for the lower amount of NO-3 leached in pastures.


1998 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 437 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Armstrong ◽  
K. McCosker ◽  
G. Millar ◽  
M. E. Probert

The feasibility of using legume leys to redress declining levels of soil nitrogen (N) fertility on the heavy clay Vertisols of the northern Australian grain belt depends partly on the ability of plant residues to supply N directly to subsequent cereal crops. An alternative is the use of fertiliser N in continuous cereal cropping. Two experiments were conducted (one in the field, the other under polyhouse conditions) to compare the uptake of N from either plant residues or ammonium sulfate fertiliser that had been labelled with 15N. In a field trial, 15N-labelled shoots of grain sorghum and Desmanthus virgatus and ammonium sulfate were applied to micro-plots and the flux of the added N between different soil pools and a wheat crop was followed over 219 days. Only small amounts of residue-derived N (<5%) were recovered in the mineral N of the soil at a depth of 0-10 cm, whereas over 88% of the fertiliser N was present as mineral N soon after adding the fertiliser. Soil microbial biomass-N was increased following addition of residues. Recovery of added 15N in the wheat crop was much higher from the fertiliser (35%) than from the 2 residue sources (<5%). The pot trial compared a wider range of 15N-labelled residues (shoot and root residues of Desmanthus virgatus, Lablab purpureus, and sorghum) with several rates of ammonium sulfate, applied in the presence and absence of non-labelled grain sorghum residues, over 4 cropping cycles. Dry matter production and N uptake were increased by application of fertiliser N, although the response was reduced in the presence of non-labelled sorghum residues; responses to residue N were much smaller than those to fertiliser N. In the first crop following residue application <7% of residue N was recovered, increasing to 12-23% over the 4 crops. Recovery of fertiliser N by the crops increased with the rate of application, and also depended on whether it was applied together with residues. A feature of the results, in both the field and pot experiments, was the large proportion of applied 15N that could not be accounted for in either the soil or the crops, and these losses have been attributed to denitrification.


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