Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Sidney, Montana » Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory » Agricultural Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #424419
Research Project: Climate-resilient Sustainable Irrigated and Dryland Cropping Systems in the Semi-arid Northern Great Plains

Location: Agricultural Systems Research

Title: Soil carbon and nitrogen, crop yield, and nitrogen-use efficiency in response to crop rotation sequence

Author
item Sainju, Upendra
item Allen, Brett
item Jabro, Jalal
item Stevens, William
item Rana Dangi, Sadikshya

Submitted to: Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/13/2025
Publication Date: 9/2/2025
Citation: Sainju, U.M., Allen, B.L., Jabro, J.D., Stevens, W.B., Rana Dangi, S. 2025. Soil carbon and nitrogen, crop yield, and nitrogen-use efficiency in response to crop rotation sequence. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-025-10436-2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-025-10436-2

Interpretive Summary: Increased soil carbon and nitrogen sequestration is required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions andimprove soil health while reduced soil residual nitrogen is required to reduce soil acidity and improve environmental quality. Crop rotation can enhance crop yield and quality, but more information on the effect of long-term crop rotation and the sequence of crop in the rotation on soil carbon and nitrogen is needed. The ARS researchers in Sidney, MT have evaluated the effect of 11 crop rotations and 6 sequence of crops in the rotation on soil carbon and nitrogen from 2012 to 2022. They reported that crop rotations with greater amount of crop residue carbon and nitrogen returned to soil and higher carbon/nitrogen ratio increased soil total carbon and nitrogen, but rotations with crops, such as camelina and napus with reduced growth and nitrogen uptake, increased soil residual nitrogen. Producers can use crop rotations containing nonlegume crops that produce greater biomass and higher carbon/nitrogen ratio to enhance soil carbon and nitrogen sequestration as well as to reduce soil residual nitrogen.

Technical Abstract: The effect of long-term no-till dryland crop rotations in sequestering C and N in the soil to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in arid and semiarid regions needs further exploration. We studied the effect of no-till dryland crop rotations and sequence of crops in the rotation on crop residue C and N inputs and soil total C (STC), soil total N (STN), and NH4-N and NO3-N contents at the 0-120 cm depth from 2012 to 2022 in the US northern Great Plains. Crop rotations and sequences included durum (Triticum turgidum L., D) with camelina (Camelina ceantz L., C), pea (Pisum sativum L., P), napus (Brassica napus L., N), and safflower (Carthamaus tinctorius L., S) as well as continuous durum. Residue C was 10-34% greater for DN, DNP, DPS, and DSP; residue N was 19-50% greater for DNP; and residue C/N ratio was 11-20% greater for D than other crop rotations. The STC at 0-15 cm was 10-20% greater for D, DN, and DSP, and at 90-120 and 0-120 cm was 8-19% greater for DS than other crop rotations. The STN at 0-15 cm was 16-19% greater for D and DN than other crop rotations. Soil NH4-N content at 60-120 cm and NO3-N content at 30-60 and 0-120 cm varied with crop rotations and year. Sequence of crops in the rotation did not affect soil C and N. Residue C/N ratio correlated with STC and STN. Increased residue C and N inputs and higher C/N ratio increased STC and STN for D, DN, and DSP at the surface soil, but continuous N fertilization and inefficient N uptake camelina and napus increased NO3-N content for DPN and DC at surface and subsurface soils.