Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T11:02:06.550Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Can reducing tillage and increasing crop diversity benefit grain and forage production?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 April 2017

Sharon L. Weyers ,
David W. Archer ,
Frank Forcella ,
Russ Gesch  and
Jane M.F. Johnson
Sharon L. Weyers*
Affiliation:
USDA-Agricultural Research Service-North Central Soil Conservation Research Lab., 803 Iowa Ave., Morris, Minnesota 56267, USA
David W. Archer
Affiliation:
USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, 1701 10th Ave. SW, Mandan, North Dakota 58554, USA
Frank Forcella
Affiliation:
USDA-Agricultural Research Service-North Central Soil Conservation Research Lab., 803 Iowa Ave., Morris, Minnesota 56267, USA
Russ Gesch
Affiliation:
USDA-Agricultural Research Service-North Central Soil Conservation Research Lab., 803 Iowa Ave., Morris, Minnesota 56267, USA
Jane M.F. Johnson
Affiliation:
USDA-Agricultural Research Service-North Central Soil Conservation Research Lab., 803 Iowa Ave., Morris, Minnesota 56267, USA
*
*Corresponding author: Sharon.Weyers@ars.usda.gov
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Benefits of reduced tillage and diverse crop rotations include reversing soil C loss, and improving soil quality and function. However, adoption of these strategies is lagging, particularly in the Upper Midwest, due to a perception that reduced tillage lowers crop yields. Therefore, an 8-year comparison of these conservation systems with a conventional, tilled, 2-year rotation system was conducted to evaluate effects on yields, system productivity (measured with potential gross returns) and weed seed densities. This study compared conventional moldboard plow + chisel till (CT) to reduced strip-tillage + no-tillage (ST), each with a 2-year (2y) or 4-year (4y) crop rotation, abbreviated as CT-2y, CT-4y, ST-2y and ST-4y. The 2y rotation was corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.); the 4y rotation was corn, soybean, spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) underseeded with alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and alfalfa. Only corn grain was significantly influenced by tillage strategy; CT systems yielded more than ST systems, regardless of rotation. Soybean grain yields were similar among CT-2y, CT-4y, ST-4y and lowest in the ST-2y. Yields of wheat and alfalfa were the same under both tillage strategies. Weed seed densities were higher in wheat and alfalfa, followed by corn then soybean, but were not influenced by tillage or rotation, nor universally negatively correlated to yield. Due to greater corn yields, overall system productivity was highest in CT-2y, the same between CT-4y and ST-2y, and lowest in ST-4y. Within years, productivity of CT-2y was different from only one other system at a time in 3 of 8 years and had the same productivity as all systems in another 3 of 8 years. Additionally, the similarity of productivity among three of four systems in 6 of 8 years indicated reduced tillage and diverse rotations have potential for adoption. Results support the need for research on a rotational tillage strategy, i.e., moldboard plowing before corn, to improve overall productivity if using ST before soybean, wheat and alfalfa.

Keywords

conservation agricultureyield performancecrop diversity
Type
Research Paper
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 33 , Issue 5 , October 2018 , pp. 406 - 417
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aguilar, J., Gramig, G.G., Hendrickson, J.R., Archer, D.W., Forcella, F., and Liebig, M.A. 2015. Crop species diversity changes in the United States: 1978–2012. PloS ONE, 10:e0136580.Google Scholar
Al-Kaisi, M.M., Archontoulis, S., and Kwaw-Mensah, D. 2016. Soybean spatiotemporal yield and economic variability as affected by tillage and crop rotation. Agronomy Journal, 108:1267–1280.Google Scholar
Andrade, D.S., Colozzi-Filho, A., and Giller, K.E. 2003. The soil microbial community and soil tillage. In El Titi, A. (ed.). Soil Tillage in Agroecosystems. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. p. 51–81.Google Scholar
Andrews, A.C., Clawson, R.A., Gramig, B.M., and Raymond, L. 2013. Why do farmers adopt conservation tillage? An experimental investigation of framing effects. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 68:501–511.Google Scholar
Archer, D.W. and Reicosky, D.C. 2009. Economic performance of alternative tillage systems in the northern Corn Belt. Agronomy Journal 101:296–304.Google Scholar
Archer, D.W., Jaradat, A.A., Johnson, J.M., Weyers, S.L., Gesch, R.W., Forcella, F., and Kludze, H.K. 2007. Crop productivity and economics during the transition to alternative cropping systems. Agronomy Journal 99:1538–1547.Google Scholar
Beckie, H.J., Leeson, J.Y., Thomas, A.G., Hall, L.M., and Brenzil, C.A. 2008. Risk assessment of weed resistance in the Canadian prairies. Weed Technology, 22:741–746.Google Scholar
Berg, W.K., Cunningham, S.M., Brouder, S.M., Joern, B.C., Johnson, K.D., Santini, J., and Volenec, J.J. 2005. Influence of phosphorus and potassium on alfalfa yield and yield components. Crop Science 45:297–304.Google Scholar
Bowman, M.S. and Zilberman, D. 2013. Economic factors affecting diversified farming systems. Ecology and Society 18:33.Google Scholar
Buhler, D.D., Hartzler, R.G., and Forcella, F. 1997. Weed seed bank dynamics: Implications to weed management. Journal of Crop Production 1:145–168.Google Scholar
Cardina, J., Herms, C.P., and Doohan, D.J. 2002. Crop rotation and tillage system effects on weed seedbanks. Weed Science 50:448–460.Google Scholar
Crews, T.E. 1993. Phosphorus regulation of nitrogen fixation in a traditional Mexican agroecosystem. Biogeochemistry 21:141–166.Google Scholar
Davey, K.A. and Furtan, W.H. 2008. Factors that affect the adoption decision of conservation tillage in the prairie region of Canada. Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics 56:257–275.Google Scholar
DeFelice, M.S., Carter, P.R., and Mitchell, S.B. 2006. Influence of tillage on corn and soybean yield in the United States and Canada. Crop Management, 5(1). Online. doi:10.1094/CM-2006-0626-01-RS.Google Scholar
D'Emden, F.H., Llewellyn, R.S., and Burton, M.P. 2008. Factors influencing adoption of conservation tillage in Australian cropping regions. Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 52:169–182.Google Scholar
de Nicola, F., De Pace, P., and Hernandez, M.A. 2016. Co-movement of major energy, agricultural, and food commodity price returns: A time-series assessment. Energy Economics 57:28–41.Google Scholar
DeVuyst, E.A., Foissey, T., and Kegode, G.O. 2006. An economic comparison of alternative and traditional cropping systems in the northern Great Plains, USA. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 21:68–73. doi:10.1079/RAF2005128.Google Scholar
Dogan, K., Celik, I., Gok, M., and Coskan, A. 2011. Effect of different soil tillage methods on rhizobial nodulation, biomass and nitrogen content of second crop soybean. African Journal of Microbiology Research 5:3186–3194.Google Scholar
Fernandez-Perez, A., Frijns, B., and Tourani-Rad, A. 2016. Contemporaneous interactions among fuel, biofuel and agricultural commodities. Energy Economics 58:1–10.Google Scholar
Forcella, F. 1992. Prediction of weed seedling densities from buried seed reserves. Weed Research 32:29–38.Google Scholar
Forcella, F. 2003. Debiting the seedbank: Priorities and predictions. Aspects of Applied Biology 69:151–162.Google Scholar
Forcella, F., Wilson, R.G., Renner, K.A., Dekker, J., Harvey, R.G., Alm, D.A., Buhler, D.D., and Cardina, J. 1992. Weed seedbanks of the US corn belt: Magnitude, variation, emergence, and application. Weed Science 40:636–644.Google Scholar
Gaudin, A.C., Tolhurst, T.N., Ker, A.P., Janovicek, K., Tortora, C., Martin, R.C., and Deen, W. 2015. Increasing crop diversity mitigates weather variations and improves yield stability. PloS ONE 10:e0113261.Google Scholar
Halbrendt, J., Gray, S.A., Crow, S., Radovich, T., Kimura, A.H., and Tamang, B.B. 2014. Differences in farmer and expert beliefs and the perceived impacts of conservation agriculture. Global Environmental Change 28:50–62.Google Scholar
Hendrickson, J.R., Hanson, J.D., Tanaka, D.L., and Sassenrath, G. 2008. Principles of integrated agricultural systems: Introduction to processes and definition. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 23:265–271.Google Scholar
Hill, P.R. 2001. Use of continuous no-till and rotational tillage systems in the central and northern Corn Belt. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 56:286–290.Google Scholar
Johnson, J.M.F., Archer, D.W., Weyers, S.L., and Barbour, N.W. 2011. Do mitigation strategies reduce global warming potential in the northern U.S. corn belt? Journal of Environmental Quality 40:1551–1559. doi:10.2134/jeq2011.0105.Google Scholar
Kalcic, M., Prokopy, L., Frankenberger, J., and Chaubey, I. 2014. An in-depth examination of farmers’ perceptions of targeting conservation practices. Environmental Management 54: 795–813.Google Scholar
Karlen, D.L., Wollenhaupt, N.C., Erbach, D.C., Berry, E.C., Swan, J.B., Eash, N.S., and Jordahl, J.L. 1994. Crop residue effects on soil quality following 10-years of no-till corn. Soil and Tillage Research 31:149–167.Google Scholar
Kaspar, T.C., Erbach, D.C., and Cruse, R.M. 1990. Corn response to seed-row residue removal. Soil Science Society of America Journal 54:1112–1117.Google Scholar
Kegode, G.O. and Forcella, F. 2006. Tillage effect on reproductive output by foxtail cohorts in corn and soybean. Weed science 54:419–427.Google Scholar
Kladivko, E.J. 2001. Tillage systems and soil ecology. Soil and Tillage Research 61:61–76.Google Scholar
Knowler, D. and Bradshaw, B. 2007. Farmers’ adoption of conservation agriculture: A review and synthesis of recent research. Food policy 32:25–48.Google Scholar
Köhl, L., Oehl, F., and van der Heijden, M.G. 2014. Agricultural practices indirectly influence plant productivity and ecosystem services through effects on soil biota. Ecological Applications 24:1842–1853.Google Scholar
Licht, M.A. and Al-Kaisi, M. 2005. Strip-tillage effect on seedbed soil temperature and other soil physical properties. Soil and Tillage Research 80:233–249.Google Scholar
Llewellyn, R.S., D'Emden, F.H., and Kuehne, G. 2012. Extensive use of no-tillage in grain growing regions of Australia. Field Crops Research, 132:204–212.Google Scholar
Mahboubi, A.A. and Lal, R. 1998. Long-term tillage effects on changes in structural properties of two soils in central Ohio. Soil and Tillage Research 45:107–118.Google Scholar
Mohler, C.L. and Calloway, M.B. 1992. Effects of tillage and mulch on the emergence and survival of weeds in sweet corn. Journal of Applied Ecology 29:21–34.Google Scholar
NOAA-NCDC. 2013. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Climate Database Center. Climate Data Online. Available at Web site http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/ (downloaded 27 September 2013).Google Scholar
Olness, A.E., Lopez, D., Archer, D.W., Cordes, J., Sweeney, C., Mattson, N., Rinke, J.L., and Voorhees, W.B. 1999. The ARS Nitrogen Decision Aid. USDA-ARS, Morris, MN. Available at Web site https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/software/download/?softwarei=85&modecode=50-60-05-00 (accessed 19 September 2006; verified 19 September 2016).Google Scholar
Owen, M.D. and Zelaya, I.A. 2005. Herbicide-resistant crops and weed resistance to herbicides. Pesticide Management Science 61:301–311. doi:10.1002/ps.1015.Google Scholar
Paulson, D.D. 1995. Minnesota extension agents’ knowledge and views of alternative agriculture. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture, 10:122–128. doi:10.1017/S0889189300006287.Google Scholar
Rahman, A., James, T.K., and Grbavac, N. 2001. Potential of weed seedbanks for managing weeds: A review of recent New Zealand research. Weed Biology and Management, 1:89–95.Google Scholar
Rice, C.W., Smith, M.S., and Blevins, R.L. 1986. Soil nitrogen availability after long-term continuous no-tillage and conventional tillage corn production. Soil Science Society of America Journal 50:1206–1210.Google Scholar
SAS Institute Inc. 2014a. SAS/STAT® 13.2 User's Guide. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC.Google Scholar
SAS Institute Inc. 2014b. JMP® 11 Basic Analysis. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC.Google Scholar
SAS Institute Inc. 2014c. JMP® 11 Multivariate Methods. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC.Google Scholar
Sharratt, B.S., Benoit, G.R., and Voorhees, W.B. 1998. Winter soil microclimate altered by corn residue management in the northern Corn Belt of the USA. Soil and Tillage Research 49:243–248.Google Scholar
Singh, S.N., Sah, A.K., Singh, R.K., Singh, V.K., and Hasan, S.S. 2010. Diversification of rice (Oryza sativa L.)-based crop sequences for higher production potentials and economic returns in India's central Uttar Pradesh. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture 34:141–152.Google Scholar
Smit, B. and Smithers, J. 1992. Adoption of soil conservation practices: An empirical analysis in Ontario, Canada. Land Degradation & Development, 3:1–14.Google Scholar
Spokas, K., Forcella, F., Archer, D., and Reicosky, D. 2007. SeedChaser: Vertical soil tillage distribution model. Computers & Electronics in Agriculture 57:62–73.Google Scholar
Toliver, D.K., Larson, J.A., Roberts, R.K., English, B.C., De La Torre Ugarte, D.G., and West, T.O. 2012. Effects of no-till on yields as influenced by crop and environmental factors. Agronomy Journal 104:530–541. doi:10.2134/agronj2011.0291.Google Scholar
USDA-SCS. 1971. Soil survey Stevens County, Minnesota. U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Van Den Bossche, A., De Bolle, S., De Neve, S., and Hofman, G. 2009. Effect of tillage intensity on N mineralization of different crop residues in a temperate climate. Soil and Tillage Research 103:316–324.Google Scholar
Vetsch, J.A., Randall, G.W., and Lamb, J.A. 2007. Corn and soybean production as affected by tillage systems. Agronomy Journal 99:952–959.Google Scholar
Vyn, T.J. and Raimbult, B.A. 1993. Long-term effect of five tillage systems on corn response and soil structure. Agronomy Journal 85:1074–1079.Google Scholar
Wade, T., Claassen, R., Wallander, S. 2015. Conservation-Practice Adoption Rates vary Widely by Crop and Region, EIB-147. US Department of Agriculture-Economic Research Service, Washington, DC. Available on-line at Web site https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/eib147/56332_eib147.pdf.Google Scholar
Weyers, S.L., Johnson, J.M., and Archer, D.W. 2013. Assessment of multiple management systems in the Upper Midwest. Agronomy Journal 105:1665–1675.Google Scholar
Whelan, B.M., and McBratney, A.B. 2000. The “null hypothesis” of precision agriculture management. Precision Agriculture 2: 265–279.Google Scholar
Wilson, B.J., Wright, K.J., Brain, P., Clements, M., and Stephens, E. 1995. Predicting the competitive effects of weed and crop density on weed biomass, weed seed production and crop yield in wheat. Weed Research 35:265–278.Google Scholar
Yenish, J.P., Doll, J.D., and Buhler, D.D. 1992. Effects of tillage on vertical distribution and viability of weed seed in soil. Weed Science 40:429–433.Google Scholar
Ziadi, N., Angers, D.A., Gagnon, B., Lalande, R., Morel, C., Rochette, P., and Chantigny, M.H. 2014. Long-term tillage and synthetic fertilization affect soil functioning and crop yields in a corn–soybean rotation in eastern Canada. Canadian Journal of Soil Science, 94:365–376.Google Scholar