41 Management effects on long-term crop yield stability in central and eastern nebraska

Abstract

Abstract The sustainability and resilience of cropping systems will depend on how different management practices impact yield stability over the long-term. Here, we summarize the effects of crop rotation, tillage, crop residue removal, and nitrogen fertilizer rate on corn and soybean yield responses from several long-term research experiments maintained by the USDA-Agricultural Research Service in eastern and central Nebraska. Across all study sites, we found that yield stability is affected most by crop rotation, then tillage, then residue management, where stability can be further improved in all systems by using the optimum N fertilizer rate. While crop rotation and rotation complexity tend to have the greatest impact on long-term yield stability in the western Corn Belt, nearly all combinations of management can produce stable yields if well managed.