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Increasing corn yield with no-till cropping systems: a case study in South Dakota

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 November 2015

Randy L. Anderson
Randy L. Anderson*
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS, Brookings South Dakota, 57006, USA.
*
*Corresponding author: randy.anderson@ars.usda.gov
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Abstract

No-till practices have improved crop yields in the semiarid Great Plains. However, a recent assessment of research studies across the globe indicated that crop yields are often reduced by no-till. To understand this contrast, we examined corn yields across time in a no-till cropping system of one producer in central South Dakota to identify factors associated with increased yield. The producer started no-till in 1990; by 2013, corn yield increased 116%. In comparison, corn increased only 32% during this interval with a conventional, tillage-based system in a neighboring county. With no-till, corn yields increased in increments due to changes in management. For example, corn yield increased 52% when crop diversity in the rotation was expanded from 2 to 5 crops. A further 18% gain in yield occurred when dry pea was grown before corn in sequence. Nitrogen (N) requirement for corn is 25% lower in no-till compared with a tillage-based rotation. Furthermore, phosphorus (P) fertilizer input also has been reduced 30% after 20 yr of no-till, even with higher yields. Our case study shows that integrating no-till with crop diversity and soil microbial changes improves corn yield considerably. This integration also reduces need for inputs such as water, N and P.

Keywords

conservation agriculturecrop diversitymanagement tacticssoil microbial communityreduced inputs
Type
New Concepts and Case Studies
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 31 , Issue 6 , December 2016 , pp. 568 - 573
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Creative Commons
This is a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States.
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015

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