Influence of changing tillage practices on crop production

1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 641-649 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. P. Lafond ◽  
S. M. Boyetchko ◽  
S. A. Brandt ◽  
G. W. Clayton ◽  
M. H. Entz
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Crop Residues ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Plant Diseases ◽  
Ecological Zone ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
Crop Establishment ◽  
Residue Decomposition ◽  
Crop Residue Decomposition

The most efficient and practical way of protecting the soil against wind and water erosion is with surface and anchored crop residues. The rate and extent of crop establishment is not adversely affected by conservation tillage provided shallow seeding is used and adequate seed-to-soil contact is achieved. Soil water conservation can be enhanced with conservation tillage systems and the amount conserved is directly influenced by the type and amount of crop residues present and the agro-ecological zone. Crop residue decomposition is 1.5× slower on the surface than when buried and the rate of decomposition can be explained almost entirely by the location and nitrogen content of the residues and growing degree days. Grain yield can be improved with conservation tillage and is directly related to the amount of extra water conserved, regardless of the crop. Crop establishment, which is critical in forage production, can be improved with conservation tillage. Removing forage stands with herbicides as opposed to tillage favoured subsequent crops. Further research is required on the manipulation of stubble height and row spacing to enhance water conservation and to determine the impact of such changes on crop growth and development, weeds and plant diseases. There is need to develop crop-specific conservation production practices for each agro-ecological zone. Key words: Residue decomposition, grain yield, water conservation, forage production, conservation tillage

scholarly journals Crop residue decomposition in Minnesota biochar-amended plots

Solid Earth ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 499-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. L. Weyers ◽  
K. A. Spokas
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Crop Residue ◽  
Crop Residues ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Microbial Dynamics ◽  
Wood Pellet ◽  
First Order ◽  
Residue Decomposition ◽  
Continuous Corn ◽  
Crop Residue Decomposition

Abstract. Impacts of biochar application at laboratory scales are routinely studied, but impacts of biochar application on decomposition of crop residues at field scales have not been widely addressed. The priming or hindrance of crop residue decomposition could have a cascading impact on soil processes, particularly those influencing nutrient availability. Our objectives were to evaluate biochar effects on field decomposition of crop residue, using plots that were amended with biochars made from different plant-based feedstocks and pyrolysis platforms in the fall of 2008. Litterbags containing wheat straw material were buried in July of 2011 below the soil surface in a continuous-corn cropped field in plots that had received one of seven different biochar amendments or a uncharred wood-pellet amendment 2.5 yr prior to start of this study. Litterbags were collected over the course of 14 weeks. Microbial biomass was assessed in treatment plots the previous fall. Though first-order decomposition rate constants were positively correlated to microbial biomass, neither parameter was statistically affected by biochar or wood-pellet treatments. The findings indicated only a residual of potentially positive and negative initial impacts of biochars on residue decomposition, which fit in line with established feedstock and pyrolysis influences. Overall, these findings indicate that no significant alteration in the microbial dynamics of the soil decomposer communities occurred as a consequence of the application of plant-based biochars evaluated here.

scholarly journals Crop residue decomposition in Minnesota biochar amended plots

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 599-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. L. Weyers ◽  
K. A. Spokas
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Crop Residue ◽  
Crop Residues ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Wood Pellet ◽  
First Order ◽  
Residue Decomposition ◽  
Continuous Corn ◽  
Crop Residue Decomposition ◽  
Charred Wood

Abstract. Impacts of biochar application at laboratory scales are routinely studied, but impacts of biochar application on decomposition of crop residues at field scales have not been widely addressed. The priming or hindrance of crop residue decomposition could have a cascading impact on soil processes, particularly those influencing nutrient availability. Our objectives were to evaluate biochar effects on field decomposition of crop residue, using plots that were amended with biochars made from different feedstocks and pyrolysis platforms prior to the start of this study. Litterbags containing wheat straw material were buried below the soil surface in a continuous-corn cropped field in plots that had received one of seven different biochar amendments or a non-charred wood pellet amendment 2.5 yr prior to start of this study. Litterbags were collected over the course of 14 weeks. Microbial biomass was assessed in treatment plots the previous fall. Though first-order decomposition rate constants were positively correlated to microbial biomass, neither parameter was statistically affected by biochar or wood-pellet treatments. The findings indicated only a residual of potentially positive and negative initial impacts of biochars on residue decomposition, which fit in line with established feedstock and pyrolysis influences. Though no significant impacts were observed with field-weathered biochars, effective soil management may yet have to account for repeat applications of biochar.

Fungal associations on field-weathered plants and their role in residue decomposition

1986 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion E. Simpson ◽  
Paul B. Marsh ◽  
Lawrence J. Sikora
Keyword(s):  
Crop Residues ◽  
Free Water ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Microbial Populations ◽  
Tillage Practices ◽  
Residue Decomposition ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Fungal Associations ◽  
Crop Residue Decomposition ◽  
Plant Waxes

AbstractBasic microbiological information is presented which is relevant to an understanding of the decomposition of crop residues in conservation and conventional tillage practices. Little has been known about the role in crop residue decomposition of microbial populations that grow on dead leaves and stems of crop plants standing in the field after maturation. Even the identity of such organisms has not been thoroughly defined. Dead leaves and stems were collected from corn and from other field crop, garden, and native plants standing during weathering after maturation in fields at Beltsville, Md., and at seven other U.S. locations in the fall of 1984 and the spring of 1985. Certain “field fungi” from the genera Alternaria, Cladosporium, Fusarium, and Helminthosporium (Bipolaris) occurred as a common population growing on samples from most locations in spite of major differences in temperature and precipitation during the weathering. All fungi observed are known from the literature to be able to decompose native cellulose in pure culture. Some can grow on plant waxes. They grow poorly, if at all, in the absence of oxygen. All grow best in the presence of free water; none are true xerophytes, although some can resist wetting-drying cycles. They are mesophiles and exhibit most rapid growth at about 25–28 C. Some can survive over winter in plant tissues in cold climates. Probable relevance of these characteristics to residue decomposition in field situations is discussed.

Potassium release during decomposition of crop residues under conventional and zero tillage

2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 473-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Z Lupwayi ◽  
G W Clayton ◽  
J T O’Donovan ◽  
K N Harker ◽  
T K Turkington ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Crop Residues ◽  
Nutrient Management ◽  
Trifolium Pratense ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Residue Quality ◽  
Residue Decomposition ◽  
K Release

Nutrient cycling is an important part of integrated nutrient management. The litterbag method was used in field experiments to determine potassium (K) release patterns from red clover (Trifolium pratense) green manure (GM), field pea (Pisum sativum), canola (Brassica rapa) and monoculture wheat (Triticum aestivum) residues under conventional and zero tillage from 1998 to 1999 and from 1999 to 2000. Potassium contained in crop residues ranged from 25 kg ha-1 in wheat to 121 kg ha-1 in pea residues, both under zero tillage. The percentage of K released over a 52-wk period ranged from 65% of pea K under zero tillage to 99% of clover K under conventional tillage, and the amounts released were 20–32 kg ha-1 from wheat, 31–52 kg ha-1 from canola, 28–79 kg ha-1 from pea, and 31–118 kg ha-1 from legume GM residues. In both trial periods, K from wheat residues was released at a faster rate under conventional tillage than under zero tillage during the first 10 wk of residue decomposition. In contrast, K from pea and canola residues was released more quickly under zero tillage than under conventional tillage. The effect of tillage on K release from GM residues was similar to that on pea and canola residues in 1998–1999, but similar to that on wheat residues in 1999–2000. Correlations between K release and residue quality were inconsistent, presumably because K is not a structural component of plant tissue, and therefore its release is probably related more to leaching than to residue decomposition. These results show that crop residues recycle substantial amounts of K for use by subsequent crops in rotation. Key words: Conservation tillage, crop residue quality, crop rotation, organic soil amendments

Improved Plant Diversity as a Strategy to Increase Available Soil Phosphorus

2019 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Crusciol ◽  
João Rigon ◽  
Juliano Calonego ◽  
Rogério Soratto
Keyword(s):  
Crop Yields ◽  
Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
P Availability ◽  
P Fractions ◽  
Crop Species ◽  
Soil P ◽  
Residue Decomposition ◽  
Available Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Crop Residue Decomposition

Some crop species could be used inside a cropping system as part of a strategy to increase soil P availability due to their capacity to recycle P and shift the equilibrium between soil P fractions to benefit the main crop. The release of P by crop residue decomposition, and mobilization and uptake of otherwise recalcitrant P are important mechanisms capable of increasing P availability and crop yields.

Soil Nitrogen Movement under Sustainable Vegetable Production Systems

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 494f-495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy M. Johnson ◽  
Greg D. Hoyt
Keyword(s):  
Pest Management ◽  
Soil Nitrogen ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Plant Diseases ◽  
Vegetable Production ◽  
Beneficial Arthropods ◽  
Weed Species ◽  
Available Nitrogen

An experiment was established to determine the effect of different tillage practices, vegetable crop rotations, and pest management strategies on crop yield, plant diseases, pest and beneficial arthropods, weed species changes over time, and soil environmental consequences. This poster describes nitrogen movement from the various treatments over a 3-year rotation. The treatments are: 1) conventional tillage with chemically based IPM; 2) conventional tillage with biologically based IPM; 3) conservation tillage with chemically based IPM; 4) conservation tillage with biologically based IPM; and 5) conventional tillage with no fertilizer or pest management. Mid-season soil analyses with depth showed chemical-fertilized plowed and conservation-tilled treatments with more soil available nitrogen at most depths compared to the biological-based IPM systems (soybean meal was used as a nitrogen source). However, the biological-based systems did supply enough soil nitrogen to produce similar yield results as the chemical-based systems. Less soil nitrate was measured in the 30- to 90-cm depths at harvest from the biological-based systems than chemical-based systems. Conservation-tilled systems had greater nitrate with depth compared to conventional-tilled systems.

scholarly journals Seed Priming with Potassium Nitrate and Gibberellic Acid Enhances the Performance of Dry Direct Seeded Rice (Oryza sativa L.) in North-Western India

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 849
Author(s):  
Buta Singh Dhillon ◽  
Virender Kumar ◽  
Pardeep Sagwal ◽  
Navjyot Kaur ◽  
Gurjit Singh Mangat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gibberellic Acid ◽  
Grain Yield ◽  
Oryza Sativa L ◽  
Seed Priming ◽  
Potassium Nitrate ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Western India ◽  
Yield Attributes ◽  
Crop Establishment ◽  
Direct Seeded

Poor early growth and uneven crop establishment are reported as the major bottlenecks in wide-scale adoption and optimal yield realization of dry direct-seeded rice (DSR). Seed priming can potentially help overcome these problems in DSR. Therefore, laboratory and field studies were conducted at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India, during kharif/wet-season 2018 and 2019 to evaluate the effect of different priming techniques on germination, establishment, growth, and grain yield of rice under DSR conditions. The following priming treatments were evaluated: dry non-primed seed (control), hydropriming with distilled water, halopriming with 2.0% potassium nitrate, hormopriming with 50 ppm gibberellic acid (GA3), and osmopriming with polyethylene glycol (PEG)(−0.6 MPa), each with 12 and 24 h priming duration. In 2019, priming treatments were tested under two DSR establishment methods—conventional DSR (sowing in dry soil followed by irrigation) and soil mulch DSR (locally known as vattar DSR) (sowing in moist soil after pre-sowing irrigation), whereas in 2018, priming treatments were evaluated under conventional DSR only. In both years, halopriming and hormopriming resulted in a 7–11% increase in rice yields compared to non-primed dry seed (control). Osmopriming resulted in a 4% yield increase compared to control in 2018 but not in 2019. The higher yields in halopriming and hormopriming were attributed to higher and rapid germination/crop emergence, better root growth, and improvement in yield attributes. Priming effect on crop emergence, growth, and yield did not differ by DSR establishment methods and duration of priming. Conventional DSR and soil mulch DSR did not differ in grain yield, whereas they differed in crop emergence, growth, and yield attributes. These results suggest that halopriming with 2.0% potassium nitrate and hormopriming with 50 ppm GA3 has good potential to improve crop establishment and yield of rice in both conventional and soil mulch DSR systems.

Forage and grain yield of grazed or defoliated spring and winter cereals in a winter-dominant, low-rainfall environment

2015 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison. J. Frischke ◽  
James R. Hunt ◽  
Dannielle K. McMillan ◽  
Claire J. Browne
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Cereal Crops ◽  
Grain Production ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
Dual Purpose ◽  
Winter Cereals ◽  
Yield And Quality ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Grain Yield And Quality

In the Mallee region of north-western Victoria, Australia, there is very little grazing of crops that are intended for grain production. The success of dual-purpose crops in other regions in south-eastern Australia with higher and more evenly distributed rainfall has driven interest in assessing the performance of dual-purpose cereals in the region. Five experiments were established in five consecutive years (2009–13) in the southern Mallee to measure the forage production and grain yield and quality response in wheat and barley to grazing by sheep or mechanical defoliation. The first three experiments focused on spring cultivars sown from late April to June, and the last two on winter cultivars planted from late February to early March. Cereal crops provided early and nutritious feed for livestock, with earlier sowing increasing the amount of dry matter available for winter grazing, and barley consistently produced more dry matter at the time of grazing or defoliation than wheat. However, the grain-production response of cereals to grazing or defoliation was variable and unpredictable. Effects on yield varied from –0.7 to +0.6 t/ha, with most site × year × cultivar combinations neutral (23) or negative (14), and few positive (2). Changes in grain protein were generally consistent with yield dilution effects. Defoliation increased the percentage of screenings (grains passing a 2-mm sieve) in three of five experiments. Given the risk of reduced grain yield and quality found in this study, and the importance of grain income in determining farm profitability in the region, it is unlikely that dual-purpose use of current cereal cultivars will become widespread under existing grazing management guidelines for dual-purpose crops (i.e. that cereal crops can be safely grazed once anchored, until Zadoks growth stage Z30, without grain yield penalty). It was demonstrated that early-sown winter wheat cultivars could produce more dry matter for grazing (0.4–0.5 t/ha) than later sown spring wheat and barley cultivars popular in the region (0.03–0.21 t/ha), and development of regionally adapted winter cultivars may facilitate adoption of dual-purpose cereals on mixed farms.

scholarly journals Long Term Effects of Ploughing and Conservation Tillage Methods on Earthworm Abundance and Crumb Ratio

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Dekemati ◽  
Barbara Simon ◽  
Igor Bogunovic ◽  
Ivica Kisic ◽  
Katalin Kassai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Soil Tillage ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
No Till ◽  
Cover Ratio ◽  
One Year ◽  
Tillage Methods

In addition to the dry (D) and rainy (R) seasons, a combination of the two i.e., rainy-dry (RD) and dry-rainy (DR), can also be observed in one year. The effects of the dry (D) and rainy (R) on soil are known, hence we hypothesized that the effects of the rainy-dry (RD) and dry-rainy (DR) periods on soil may differ from the former assessments. The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of six tillage treatments (ploughing—P, disk tillage—DT, loosening—L, tine tillage (a deeper—T and a shallower—ST) and no-till—NT) on earthworm abundance and crumb ratio during a long-term research (16 years) on Chernozems. The results related to the four year-groups (D, R, RD, and DR) with different residue cover. Seven degrees of cover ratio (between 12.5% and 62.5%) were selected on stubbles. Higher cover ratio (≥52.5%) improved water conservation, increased earthworm abundance (31 and 41 ind m–2) and crumb (78 and 82%) ratio (p < 0.01). R year came first in the rank of water content and earthworm abundance and DR proved to be more favorable for crumb formation. Considering the rank of soil tillage treatments, ST takes first place in evaluation of soil water content (SWC) and crumb ratio, and NT for earthworm abundance.

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