7-days of FREE Audio papers, translation & more with Prime
7-days of FREE Prime access
7-days of FREE Audio papers, translation & more with Prime
7-days of FREE Prime access
https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.20257
Copy DOIJournal: Agronomy Journal | Publication Date: May 23, 2020 |
Citations: 15 | License type: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 |
AbstractSustainable crop production in the Great Plains of North America has been challenging since early settlement times, and mismanagement has severely damaged our dryland agroecosystems. The unintentional damage stemmed from using practices unsuited to dryer climates. In fact, the management practices imported from more humid agricultural areas during the settlement period were considered the best ways to farm. The Dust Bowl era was the disastrous result of creating bare soil surfaces, with aggregates pulverized by excessive tillage on millions of hectares of land. It became obvious to pioneer scientists that retaining cover on the soil surface was critical to sustainability and their early efforts resulted in a widely adopted practice known as stubble mulch. Stubble mulch practices markedly decreased the rate of damage to dryland ecosystems. Advent of herbicidal weed control led to reduced and no‐till practices that not only increased soil cover, but also significantly enhanced soil water conservation. This paper focuses on how and why the coupling of conservation tillage and cropping intensification is ameliorating the damage that accrued over decades of agroecosystem mismanagement. The objectives of this paper are to (a) remind us of fragile nature of the Great Plains ecosystem, (b) review how and why ecosystems were degraded, and (c) identify principles and associated practices for amelioration.
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.