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ARS Home » Plains Area » Sidney, Montana » Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory » Agricultural Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #311784
Title: Dryland soil chemical properties and crop yields affected by long-term tillage and cropping sequence

Author
item Sainju, Upendra
item Allen, Brett
item Caesar, Thecan
item LENSSEN, ANDREW - University Of Iowa

Submitted to: SpringerPlus
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/29/2015
Publication Date: 7/4/2015
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/61376
Citation: Sainju, U.M., Allen, B.L., Caesar, T., Lenssen, A.W. 2015. Dryland soil chemical properties and crop yields affected by long-term tillage and cropping sequence. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 4:230. DOI: 10.1186/s40064-015-1122-4.

Interpretive Summary: Long-term sustainability of dryland farming systems depends on soil quality and fertility. Poor soil management can lead to degraded soil and environmental quality and reduction in crop yields. In the northern Great Plains, wheat-fallow systems have been used as the conventional dryland farming practice since the last century. Novel management techniques are needed to maintain the long-term sustainability of soil resources and crop yields without seriously degrading the environment. We examined the effect of 30 years of tillage frequency and cropping sequence combination on dryland soil Olsen-phosphorus (P), exchangeable potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), sulfate-sulfur (SO4-S), and zinc (Zn) contents, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and cation exchange capacity (CEC) at the 0- to 120-cm depth and annualized crop yield in the northern Great Plains. Treatments were no-till continuous spring wheat (NTCW), spring till continuous spring wheat (STCW), fall and spring till continuous spring wheat (FSTCW), fall and spring till spring wheat-barley (1984-1999) followed by spring wheat-pea (2000-2013) (FSTW-B/P), and spring till spring wheat-fallow (STW-F, traditional system). At 0 to 7.5 cm, P, K, and SO4-S were greater in FSTW-B/P, but Ca, Mg, and pH were greater in STW-F than FSTCW. In contrast, Zn and CEC were lower in STW-F than NTCW. At 7.5 to 15 cm, P and SO4-S were greater in FSTW-B/P, K was greater in NTCW, STCW and FSTCW, and pH and Mg were greater in STW-F than the other treatments. At 60 to 90 and 90 to 120 cm, EC, Na, and SO4-S were greater in FSTCW and FSTW-B/P than NTCW and STW-F. Annualized crop yield was lower in STW-F than the other treatments. Soil pH, P, Ca, and Mg were negatively, but CEC was positively correlated with mean annualized crop yield. Continuous N fertilization may have reduced soil pH and Ca and Mg contents in the continuous wheat system, but increased tillage frequency with crop rotation increased P, K, Na, and SO4-S contents. For maintaining long-term dryland soil fertility and quality as well as crop yields and reducing chemical and energy inputs, no-tillage with legume-nonlegume crop rotation can be adopted.

Technical Abstract: Information on the effects of long-term tillage and cropping sequence on dryland soil nutrients and chemical properties is scanty. We examined the effect of 30 yr of tillage frequency and cropping sequence combination on dryland soil Olsen-P, exchangeable K, Ca, Mg, Na, SO4-S, and Zn contents, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and cation exchange capacity (CEC) at the 0- to 120-cm depth and annualized crop yield in the northern Great Plains. Treatments were no-till continuous spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (NTCW), spring till continuous spring wheat (STCW), fall and spring till continuous spring wheat (FSTCW), fall and spring till spring wheat-barley (Hordeum vulgare L., 1984-1999) followed by spring wheat-pea (Pisum sativum L., 2000-2013) (FSTW-B/P), and spring till spring wheat-fallow (STW-F, traditional system). At 0 to 7.5 cm, P, K, and SO4-S were greater in FSTW-B/P, but Ca, Mg, and pH were greater in STW-F than FSTCW. In contrast, Zn and CEC were lower in STW-F than NTCW. At 7.5 to 15 cm, P and SO4-S were greater in FSTW-B/P, K was greater in NTCW, STCW and FSTCW, and pH and Mg were greater in STW-F than the other treatments. At 60 to 90 and 90 to 120 cm, EC, Na, and SO4-S were greater in FSTCW and FSTW-B/P than NTCW and STW-F. Annualized crop yield was lower in STW-F than the other treatments. Soil pH, P, Ca, and Mg were negatively, but CEC was positively correlated with mean annualized crop yield. Continuous N fertilization may have reduced soil pH and Ca and Mg contents in the continuous wheat system, but increased tillage frequency with crop rotation increased P, K, Na, and SO4-S contents. For maintaining long-term dryland soil fertility and quality as well as crop yields and reducing chemical and energy inputs, no-tillage with legume-nonlegume crop rotation can be adopted.