A COMPARISON OF ANNUAL CROPS FOR SEED AND RESIDUE IN THE SEMI-ARID REGION OF WESTERN CANADA

Abstract

Eight cereal and oilseed crops were tested in 1965 and 1966 to compare their yields of seed and stubble residue. Barley produced more seed (kg/ha) than any of the other crops tested. Oats outyielded all crops but barley; wheat and rapeseed were equal and surpassed mustard, peas and flax; mustard and peas outyielded flax. In production of crop residue (trash cover), oats outyielded all other crops; wheat and barley were equal and superior to mustard, flax and peas; rapeseed was equal to wheat, barley and mustard and superior to flax and peas. In terms of residue conserved at the soil surface following a 21-month summerfallow period, wheat, oats and barley were equal and superior to mustard, rapeseed, flax and peas. Only the cereal grains provided residues that were adequate for effective control of soil erosion by winds.Although the seed yield of barley and oats exceeded wheat in this experiment, current prices favor wheat as a cash crop.