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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Oxford, Mississippi » National Sedimentation Laboratory » Water Quality and Ecology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #251930
Title: Long-Term No-Till and Conventional-Till Soybean Yields

Author
item MCGREGOR, KEITH - Retired ARS Employee
item Cullum, Robert
item MUTCHLER, CALVIN - Retired ARS Employee
item JOHNSON, JOSEPH - Mississippi State University

Submitted to: Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Research Report
Publication Type: Experiment Station
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/3/2006
Publication Date: 6/1/2006
Citation: Mcgregor, K.C., Cullum, R.F., Mutchler, C.K., Johnson, J.R. 2006. Long-Term No-Till and Conventional-Till Soybean Yields. Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Research Report. Bulletin No. 1146, 14 pp.

Interpretive Summary: A complete data set of crop yields, cultural practices, and chemical applications used for weed control were reported for long-term no-till and conventional-till soybean (Glycine max) grown at the North Mississippi Branch of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station at Holly Springs, Mississippi from 1984 through 1999. The soybean plots were located on shallow Loring (Typic Fragiudalfs) silt loam soil that was underlain by a restrictive fragipan. Although poor soybean yields from both no-till and conventional-till were produced during several years, the sustained trend for lower yields from conventional-till as compared to no-till indicated a negative effect of excessive erosion and tillage on crop yield. Continued erosion of the soil overlying a fragipan soil creates an environment where crop yields cannot be maintained even under optimum climatic growing conditions. This information is useful for action agencies providing advice to farmers that produce soybean in areas where shallow fragipan exist.

Technical Abstract: Annual crop yields of long-term no-till soybean (Glycine max) and conventional-till soybean at Holly Springs, Mississippi were summarized for a 16-year period, 1984 through 1999. This research report provides a complete data set of crop yields, cultural practices, and chemical applications used for weed control. The soybean plots were located on shallow Loring (Typic Fragiudalfs) silt loam soil that was underlain by a restrictive fragipan. The no-till practices provided minimal erosion and the conventional-till provided excessive erosion. Although poor soybean yields from both no-till and conventional-till were produced during several years, the sustained trend for lower yields from conventional-till as compared to no-till indicated an adverse effect of excessive erosion and tillage on soil productivity. Continued erosion of the soil overlying a fragipan soil creates an environment where crop yields cannot be maintained even under optimum climatic growing conditions.