Effects of sowing cowpea on properties of an irrigated Vertisol and growth and yield of succeeding cotton

Soil Research ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 529 ◽  
Author(s):  
NR Hulugalle ◽  
P Entwistle
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Nutrient Uptake ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Lint Yield ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Fibre Quality ◽  
Plastic Limit ◽  
Cotton Lint ◽  
Nitrate N

The effects of sowing a break crop of cowpea on soil properties, nutrient uptake, growth, and yield of furrow-irrigated cotton were evaluated in a trial conducted from 1993 to 1995 in a Typic Haplustert (Vertisol) with high subsoil compaction in north-western New South Wales, Australia. The experimental treatments were cowpea (Vigna unguiculata Walp.)-cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), continuous cotton, and long-fallow cotton (cotton alternating annually with a bare fallow). Cotton was sown in all plots in 1994 with minimum tillage. Soil was sampled to a depth of 0.6 m in August 1993, May–June 1994, and April 1995. Soil properties evaluated were organic matter fractions, resilience (a measure of the self-mulching ability of the soil), plastic limit, strength (as cone resistance), shrinkage indices derived from shrinkage curves, exchangeable Ca, Mg, K, and Na, pH, nitrate-N, and electrical conductivity. Profile water content and water extraction, nutrient uptake, crop vegetative growth, cotton lint yield, and fibre quality were also quantified. Compared with fallowing, sowing either cotton or cowpea in 1993 decreased pH and aggregate size formed after puddling and drying, and increased soil organic matter and plastic limit. Cropping also increased exchangeable cations in the surface 0.3 m of the soil. Nitrate-N in the 0–0.15 m depth was 23% higher after cowpea than after fallow. Amelioration of soil compaction was quickest in the short-term where continuous cotton was sown, but was also observed with time in plots where cowpea was sown in 1993. In comparison with cowpea-cotton and long-fallow cotton, continuous cotton had the highest nutrient uptake. Growth of cotton sown after either fallow or cotton was greater than that of cotton sown after cowpea, with lint yield being highest in the previously fallowed plots. Lint fibre quality did not differ significantly between treatments. Overall, the benefits of sowing cowpea in terms of improvements in soil properties and crop yields were either small or negligible in comparison with fallowing or sowing cotton.

Rotation crops for irrigated cotton in a medium-fine, self-mulching, grey Vertosol

Soil Research ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 317 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. R. Hulugalle ◽  
P. C. Entwistle ◽  
F. Scott ◽  
J. Kahl
Keyword(s):  
Grain Legumes ◽  
Lint Yield ◽  
Fibre Quality ◽  
Cotton Lint ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Nitrate N ◽  
Cotton Lint Yield ◽  
Rotation Crops ◽  
Rotation Crop ◽  
Gross Margins

Many cotton growers sow rotation crops after irrigated cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), assuming that they will improve soil quality and maintain profitability of cotton. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the most common rotation crop, although more recently, legumes such as faba bean (Vicia Faba L.) and chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) have come into favour. This paper reports data on soil quality (organic C, nitrate-N, soil structure), yield (cotton lint and rotation crop grain yield, fibre quality), economic returns (gross margins/ha, gross margins/ML irrigation water), and management constraints from an experiment conducted from 1993 to 1998 near Wee Waa, north-western New South Wales, Australia. The soil is a medium-fine, self-mulching, grey Vertosol. The cropping sequences used were cotton followed by N-fertilised wheat (urea at 140 kg N/ha in 1993; 120 kg N/ha thereafter), unfertilised wheat, and unfertilised grain legumes (chickpea in 1993; faba bean thereafter), which were either harvested or the grain incorporated during land preparation. Soil organic C in the 0—0.6 m depth was not affected by the rotation crop, although variations occurred between times of sampling. Regression analysis indicated that there had been no net gain or loss of organic C between June 1993 and October 1998. Sowing leguminous rotation crops increased nitrate-N values. A net increase in root-zone nitrate-N reserves occurred with time (from June 1993 to October 1998) with all rotation crops. Soil compaction (measured as specific volume of oven-dried soil) was lower with wheat by October 1998. A net decrease in soil compaction occurred in the surface 0.15 m with all rotation crops between 1993 and 1998, whereas it increased in the 0.15–0.60 m depth. Cotton lint yield and quality, and gross margins/ha and gross margins/ML, were always higher where wheat was sown, with highest gross margins occurring when N fertiliser was applied. Applying N fertiliser to wheat did not significantly increase cotton lint yield and fibre quality, but increased gross margins of the cotton–wheat sequence due to higher wheat yield and protein percentage. Lint yield and fibre quality were decreased by sowing leguminous rotation crops. Management constraints such as lack of effective herbicides, insect damage, harvesting damage, and availability of suitable marketing options were greater with legumes than with wheat. Overall, wheat was a better rotation crop than grain legumes for irrigated cotton.

scholarly journals Effects of Selected Soil Amendments and Mulch Type on Soil Properties and Productivity in Organic Vegetable Production

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 795
Author(s):  
Robert P. Larkin
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Fish Meal ◽  
Soil Amendments ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Dairy Manure ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Vegetable Production ◽  
Organic Vegetable Production

The potential benefits of different types of soil amendments and mulch ground covers on soil chemical and biological properties, crop development and yield, and disease and pest issues in organic vegetable production, as represented by legume (green snap bean), cucurbit (green zucchini squash), and brassicaceous (turnip) vegetable crops, were evaluated in a two-year field trial in Maine, USA. Soil amendments evaluated (following an initial fertilizer base) included a commercial organic fertilizer alone, composted dairy manure, compost plus fish meal, and compost plus Wollastonite, a natural source of silicon (Si). A paper mulch was also compared with a woven polypropylene fabric mulch for their performance and effects as weed barriers within these systems. Mulch type significantly affected soil properties, with the fabric mulch associated with increases in soil moisture, organic matter, and other soil chemical and biological properties relative to the paper mulch. The fabric mulch also resulted in earlier emergence and earlier harvests for bean and zucchini. Soil amendments affected soil properties and crop growth and yield of bean and zucchini, with compost amendments increasing soil pH, organic matter, and several nutrient concentrations, as well as crop emergence and yield relative to a fertilizer-only treatment. Compost treatment also reduced the infestation and damage caused by mites on beans in 2018. Addition of fish meal increased most nutrient element concentrations and microbial respiration, and Si amendment increased emergence of beans, and reduced powdery mildew on squash and late season browning of beans. These results help define specific management practices to improve organic vegetable production and provide useful information and options for growers.

Cotton Growth and Yield Response to Simulated 2,4-D and Dicamba Drift

2009 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 503-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Everitt ◽  
J. Wayne Keeling
Keyword(s):  
Good Predictor ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Yield Loss ◽  
Lint Yield ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Yield Response ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Cotton Lint ◽  
Late Season ◽  
Crop Injury

Field experiments were conducted in Hale Co., TX, in 2005 and 2006 to determine the effects of 2,4-D amine and dicamba applied at varying rates and growth stages on cotton growth and yield, and to correlate cotton injury levels and lint yield reductions. Dicamba or 2,4-D amine was applied at four growth stages including cotyledon to two-leaf, four- to five-leaf, pinhead square, and early bloom. Dicamba and 2,4-D amine were applied at 1/2, 1/20, 1/200, and 1/2000 of the recommended use rate. Crop injury was recorded at 14 days after treatments and late-season, and cotton lint yields were determined. Across all growth stages, 2,4-D caused more crop injury and yield loss than dicamba. Cotton lint was reduced more by later applications (especially pinhead square) and injury underestimated yield loss with 2,4-D. Visual estimates of injury overestimated yield loss when 2,4-D or dicamba was applied early (cotyledon to two leaf) and was not a good predictor of yield loss.

An evaluation of a no-tillage, unfertilised, direct-sown, wheat - rice cropping system in Korea

2001 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. S. Cho ◽  
B. Z. Lee ◽  
Z. R. Choe ◽  
S. E. Ockerby
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Rice Growth

A no-tillage, direct-sown, unfertilised, wheat–rice relaying cropping system has major advantages over a conventional transplanted-rice system. For example, when rice is sown simultaneously with the wheat harvest, there are savings in labor and costs as a result of eliminating the tillage required to prepare the seedbed and for transplanting. A field experiment was conducted between 1996 and 1998 at Hadong, Korea. The experiment compared the soil microbial-N status, the soil physical and chemical characteristics, and rice growth and yield in a long-term conventional rice system with those in a no-tillage, unfertilised, direct-sown, wheat–rice, relay cropping system. The wheat–rice system was imposed for 2, 4 and 7 years to identify the time course of responses in the soil and crop. Agricultural chemicals including fertilisers were not applied in the wheat–rice cropping system. Rice crop yields after 2, 4 and 7 years of a direct-sown, wheat–rice cropping system were similar to those in the conventional rice system. Rice yields were high, ranging from 4.7 to 6.9 t/ha. Since 110 kg N/ha was applied to the conventional rice system, a large amount of N was mineralised during the wheat–rice system. The pattern of rice growth and yield formation, however, differed between the 2 systems. Rice in the wheat–rice system generally had more panicles, fewer spikelets per panicle and heavier grains. These responses reflected temporal changes in the N content and greenness of the rice leaf and were related to soluble N levels in the soil. Generally the soil was fertile with a high initial organic matter content. Organic matter increased by 30% during the 7 years of wheat–rice cropping. Other soil physical measures, bulk density and permeability to air and water, indicated that soil structure improved in response to wheat–rice cropping. Problems of pathogens and perennial weeds associated with new cultural practices in the wheat–rice cropping were minor; however, a higher rate of seeding was necessary to achieve satisfactory seedling establishment. Benefits to weed control and soil moisture conditions during crop establishment were derived from the increased level of crop mulch. The wheat–rice cropping system was found to be high yielding and sustainable over the 7-year period of experimentation.

scholarly journals Effect of Different Organic Wastes on Soil Propertie s and Plant Growth and Yield: a Review

2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 224-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Z. Hossain ◽  
P. von Fragstein ◽  
P. von Niemsdorff ◽  
J. Heß
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Exchange Capacity ◽  
Organic Wastes ◽  
Plant Nutrients ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Stimulate Plant Growth

Abstract The use of organic wastes in agriculture plays a great role in recycling essential plant nutrients, sustaining soil security as well as protecting the environment from unwanted hazards. This review article deals with the effect of different kinds of organic wastes on soil properties and plant growth and yield. Municipal solid waste is mainly used as a source of nitrogen and organic matter, improving soil properties and microbial activity that are closely related to soil fertility. Biowaste and food waste increase pH, nitrogen content, cation exchange capacity, water holding capacity, and microbial biomass in soil. Sewage sludge contains various amounts of organic matter and huge amounts of plant nutrients. Manure is a common waste which improves soil properties by adding nutrients and increases microbial and enzyme activity in soil. It also reduces toxicity of some heavy metals. These organic wastes have a great positive impact on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties as well as stimulate plant growth and thus increase the yield of crops.

Effect of long-fallow on soil quality and cotton lint yield in an irrigated, self-mulching, grey Vertosol in the central-west of New South Wales

Soil Research ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 621 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. R. Hulugalle ◽  
P. C. Entwistle ◽  
J. L. Cooper ◽  
S. J. Allen ◽  
D. B. Nehl
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Root Rot ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Plastic Limit ◽  
Cotton Lint ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Black Root Rot ◽  
Nitrate N ◽  
South Wales

Reduced crop growth rates (‘long-fallow disorder’) can be a feature of long-fallow cotton (cotton, alternating with a bare fallow, is sown every other year). This is usually attributed to decreased development of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM), although associated soil physical, chemical, and biological properties are very rarely reported. A study was conducted from 1993 to 1997 in a grey, self-mulching Vertosol in the central-west of New South Wales to characterise soil properties under long-fallow cotton with a view to identifying soil factors other than AM that could contribute to cotton growth rate reductions. Soil quality indicators monitored were compaction (bulk density and air-filled porosity), strength (cone resistance), plastic limit, exchangeable cations, nitrate-N, pH, organic C, development of AM, and incidence of cotton root diseases. In comparison with continuous cotton, long-fallow cotton had lower soil strength, and lower plastic limit. Exchangeable Ca and Mg were higher with continuous cotton only in 1994. Higher nitrate-N was also observed with long-fallow during the first fallow phase of the experiment. Long-fallow did not have any significant effect on soil organic carbon. However, a net decline in soil organic C and exchangeable Mg occurred with both treatments. During the cotton phase, subsoil nitrate-N and incidence of black root rot were lower with long-fallow cotton. Uptake of nitrogen by continuous cotton may have been reduced by greater severity of black root rot. Vegetative and reproductive growth, water extraction, and cotton lint yields in long-fallow cotton plots were higher than those in continuous cotton plots. AM development was similar with continuous cotton and long-fallow cotton. Compared with long-fallow cotton, the lower lint yield in continuous cotton was thought to be due to the interactive effects of declining nutrient availability, higher soil strength, and greater severity of black root rot causing decreases in nutrient and water uptake.

scholarly journals Influence of straw incorporation-to-planting interval on soil physical properties and maize performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Imtiaz A. Dahri ◽  
Ahmed A. Tagar ◽  
Jan Adamowski ◽  
Naimatullah Leghari ◽  
Ali R. Shah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Structure ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Straw Incorporation

Abstract Long-term soil disturbance due to regular tillage destroys the soil structure, particularly by reducing the soil organic matter content. This, in turn, can lead to declining crop yields. This study assessed the influence of wheat (Triticum æstivum L.) straw incorporation and timing prior to seeding at 6 Mg ha−1 (S+), relative to no straw (S−), on maize (Zea mays L.) growth and yield parameters, as well as on soil characteristics. There were four intervals between straw incorporation and maize seeding, i.e. 60, 45, 30 and 15 days before sowing. Compared to the S− (control), soil dry bulk density increased (p ≤ 0.05) under all S+ treatments. A significantly greater proportion of undesirable small aggregates (<0.5 mm), and a lesser proportion of desirable medium sized (0.5-8.0mm) aggregates, occurred under S− treatment, as compared to $S_{60}^ +$ treatment. A similar, but less pronounced, trend was observed under $S_{45}^ +$ treatment. This trend was also evident for the $S_{30}^ +$ and $S_{15}^ +$ treatments. Generally, incorporation of straw 60 days prior to sowing led to achieving the best soil structure in terms of aggregation. Compared to S−, the soil organic matter showed a weakly significant (0.05 ≤ p ≤ 0.06) increase under straw amendment. Seedling emergence, plant height, cob length, the number of grain rows per plant, the number of grains per cob, as well as 1000 grain weight and yield were the highest under $S_{60}^ +$ , and the lowest under S−. The present study suggests that more research is necessary over longer time periods between straw incorporation and seeding on different crops, and in different soil types, in order to study the effects on soil properties, and on the growth and yield of crops.

Patterns of change in soil organic matter, physical properties and crop productivity under tillage practices and cropping systems in Bangladesh

2016 ◽  
Vol 155 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
MD. KHAIRUL ALAM ◽  
N. SALAHIN ◽  
S. ISLAM ◽  
R. A. BEGUM ◽  
M. HASANUZZAMAN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Tillage Practices

SUMMARYConservation agriculture (CA) is inadequately developed for rice-based cropping systems widely practiced in Bangladesh. The current drawback is the implementation of CA for all crops including rice (Oryza sativaL., ecotype ‘transplanted aman’ [T. aman]) to increase rice–wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) rotation productivity. It is important to identify the best combination of tillage types and cropping systems to achieve a high yield of component crops and improve soil health. Three tillage practices, assigned to main experimental plots [namely, zero tillage (ZT), conventional tillage using a rotary tiller (CT) and deep tillage using a chisel plough (DT)] and three different cropping systems, assigned to sub-plots [namely, WFT: wheat–fallow–T. aman, WMT: wheat–mungbean (Vigna radiataL. Wilczek)–T. aman and WDT: wheat–dhaincha (Sesbania rostrata)–T. aman], were tested. After 4 years, ZT under WDT and WMT significantly increased soil organic matter (SOM) at 0–150 mm depth, and these replicates also held the highest levels of total organic carbon. Soil organic carbon (C) increased at a rate of 1.17 and 1.14 t/ha/y in ZT under WDT and WMT, respectively, while CT and DT under WFT were almost unchanged. After 4 years, SOM build-up by the three-crop system (WDT and WMT) under ZT helped conserve soil moisture and improve other soil properties, such as reduction in soil strength and bulk density and increase plant available water content, thus maintaining an optimum soil water infiltration rate. Zero tillage under WMT and WDT showed significant improvements in root mass density of rice and wheat at increased soil depth. The WDT and WMT plots under DT consistently gave the highest yield followed by WDT and WMT under CT, in contrast with ZT under WMT or WDT, which showed the highest improvement in crop yields over the years. In summary, minimum soil disturbance together with incorporation of a legume/green manure crop into the rice–wheat system as well as the retention of their residues increased soil C status, improved soil properties and maximized grain yields.

scholarly journals Response of Acala Cotton to Nitrogen Rates in the San Joaquin Valley of California

2001 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 691-698
Author(s):  
R.B. Hutmacher ◽  
R.L. Travis ◽  
R.L. Nichols ◽  
D.E. Rains ◽  
B.A. Roberts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
N Fertilization ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Residual Soil ◽  
Cotton Lint ◽  
Nitrate N ◽  
Application Rates ◽  
Cotton Lint Yield ◽  
Yield Responses ◽  
Nitrogen Rates

The responses of Acala cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) in California to a range of applied nitrogen (N) treatments were investigated in a 5-year, multisite experiment. The experiment’s goals were to identify crop growth and yield responses to applied N and provide information to better assess the utility of soil residual N estimates in improving fertilizer management. Baseline fertilizer application rates for the lowest applied N treatments were based on residual soil nitrate-N (NO3-N) levels determined on soil samples from the upper 0.6 m of the soil collected prior to spring N fertilization and within 1 week postplanting each year. Results have shown positive cotton lint yield responses to increases in applied N across the 56 to 224 kg N/ha range in only 41% (16 out of 39) of test sites. Soil NO3-N monitoring to a depth of 2.4 m in the spring (after planting) and fall (postharvest) indicate most changes in soil NO3-occur within the upper 1.2 m of soil. However, some sites (those most prone to leaching losses of soluble nutrients) also exhibited net increases in soil NO3-N in the 1.2- to 2.4-m depth zone when comparing planting time vs. postharvest data. The lack of yield responses and soil NO3-N accumulations at some sites indicate that more efforts should be put into identifying the amount of plant N requirements that can be met from residual soil N, rather than solely from fertilizer N applications.

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