Abstract
The agronomic and environmental benefits of diversified cropping systems have been well documented in the Canadian prairies. However, little is known about the profitability of diversified rotations with oilseeds, cereals, legumes, and specialty crops. This study consisted of two 5-year (2018-2022) experiments carried out at four sites in Saskatchewan and Alberta. Treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replicates. Net return (NR) was defined as total revenue minus total costs. Results showed diversified sequences with Oriental mustard, red lentil, yellow field pea and yellow mustard had higher NR than continuous wheat and wheat with chemical fallow sequences. Moreover, sequences diversified with quinoa, yellow mustard, field pea and wheat showed high NR across all sites. Wheat after chemical fallow in the wheat with chemical fallow sequence (wheat-wheat-chemical fallow-wheat-wheat) had high NR; however, this did not compensate for the loss of NR in the chemical fallow phase, resulting in the lowest NR. The inclusion of industrial, oriental, and yellow mustard in sequences with wheat and field pea decreased nitrogen cost by 30% compared to a continuous wheat sequence, concluding that such sequences not only improved NRs but also showed a significant reduction in nitrogen requirement costs.
Published Version
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