Effects Of Tillage Systems Research Articles

Soil Tillage and Cropping System Effects on the Physical-Hydric Properties of a Soil under No-Tillage

A no-tillage system (NT) is an alternative to replace soil management with intense soil tillage and degradation. Our objective was to evaluate the physical–hydric properties of soil under NT for four years after undergoing 13 years of minimum (4NTM) and conventional tillage (4NTC) with reference to continuous NT for 17 years (17NT). The soil bulk density, porosity, storage capacities of water and air, visual evaluation of soil structure (VESS), and saturated hydraulic conductivity were determined. The root dry biomass of soybean, maize, and palisade grass was also measured. NT during four years established after receiving 13 years of tillage did not significantly affect soil properties compared to 17NT, which means that four years of NT reached structural stability similar to continuous 17NT. The VESS scores were less sensitive to identifying soil compaction. Crops have no significative influence on soil properties, but the roots of maize seem to be less sensitive to soil compaction, which is important considering it is in a crop rotation system. The treatments (soil tillage and crop rotation) presented soil compaction below a 10 cm depth, and to our loamy textural class soil, a Bd > 1.60 Mg m−3 restricted soil aeration due to macroporosity < 0.10 m3 m−3.

Effect of tillage systems on the quality of different soil types

Effect of tillage systems on the quality of different soil types

The effect of the basic tillage system on soybean weediness in the right-bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine

Goal. To improve the system of soybean crops weed control under different methods of tillage.
 Methods. Field and laboratory experiment, mathematical and statistical method to assess the reliability of the obtained results.
 Results. The researched species composition of weeds in soybean crops included 12 species of 7 families, with a predominance of dicotyledonous species (80.1—93.3%), regardless of the tillage method the proportion of the monocotyledonous species made up 6.7—19.9%. The following species were most common: Chenopodium album L., Amaranthus retroflexus L., Polygonum lapathifolia L., Galinsoga parviflora Cav., Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Pal. Beauv. and Setaria glauca (L.) Pal. Beauv. The maximum weediness of soybean crops before herbicides application was observed under the moldboardless main tillage use (to a depth of 10—12 cm) and amounted to 481.5 pcs./m2, of which dicotyledonous species made up 81.7% and monocots — 18.3%. The lowest number of weeds (at the level of 254 pcs./m2) was observed under the No-till technology, the share of dicot species made up 80.1%. With the use of the moldboard tillage in soybean crops before herbicides use, the total number of weeds was 425.5 pcs./ m2, where annual dicotyledonous species predominated (93.3%). Soybean crops subject to herbicides use on the moldboard tillage variant formed a 2.49 t/ha yield, which was 50% higher than that of the weeded control variant. The use of the moldboardless tillage and No-till technology ensured productivity in the range of 2.34—2.40 t/ ha.
 Conclusions. Regardless of the soil tillage method, dicotyledonous weed species occupied from 80.1 to 93.3% of the soybean crops, with the predominance of Chenopodium album L., the share of which was 66.6—77.3% and Polygonum lapathifoliа L. — 17.6—24.9%. The use of various methods of soil tillage and weed control ensures elimination of weeds at the level of 91.0—91.5% and maintaining productivity in the range of 45—50%.

Pengaruh Jarak Tanam dan Sistem Olah Tanah Terhadap Produksi Benih Jagung Komposit Varietas Lamuru (Zea mays L.)

Corn production every year is getting higher which results in higher demand for corn seeds. So efforts are needed to optimize the rate of corn seed production. One of the efforts to increase corn seed production is to improve the cultivation technique of the lamuru variety by choosing the right spacing and tillage system. This study aims to determine the effect of spacing and soil tillage systems on the production of lamuru varieties of maize seeds. This research was conducted in the Jember State Polytechnic research field from August to November 2022. The research used factorial Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) method with 3 replications. The data will be analyzed using ANOVA and followed by the DMRT test at the 5% level. The first factor is the spacing (80×20 cm), (80×25 cm), and (80×30 cm). The second factor is the tillage system, with intervals without tillage, minimum tillage and maximum tillage. The results showed that the treatment spacing (80 × 30cm) had a highly significant effect on the parameters of the weight of the cobs planted 308.73 gr, the weight of seeds per ear 178.07 gr, and production per hectare 6.64 ton/ha. The perfect tillage system had a highly significant effect on the parameters production per hectare 7,08 ton/ha.

Seasonal and annual methane and nitrous oxide emissions affected by tillage and cover crops in flood-irrigated rice

Soil tillage plays an important role in methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in flood-irrigated rice production. Hence, this study measured the effects of soil tillage and cover crops on the seasonal and annual CH4 and N2O emissions in flood-irrigated rice. A field experiment was conducted for two agricultural years with conventional tillage (CT), minimum tillage (MT), no-tillage (NT), and NT with Persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum) (NT+PC). The effect of different tillage systems on CH4 emissions, which occur predominantly in rice cultivation, depends on the impact of tillage and the amount of straw remaining at the time of rice seeding. When straw incorporation in MT and CT reduces the quantity of straw remaining relative to NT, lower CH4 emissions occurred in the CT and MT. In contrast, when the amount of straw remaining on the soil is similar among the types of soil tillage, lower CH4 emissions occurred in the NT. The effect of tillage on annual N2O emissions was unclear, although the highest in-season N2O emissions occurred in the NT, where the highest water-filled pore space values were recorded in both years. High N2O emissions during rice cultivation occurred in the CT after nitrogen fertilization. The effect of the cover crop in the NT varied as a function of the performance of the clover. When the PC biomass production was satisfactory in the second year, annual CH4 and N2O emissions increased by 8 % and 23 %, respectively. The seasonal and annual quantification of CH4 and N2O emissions is important to reduce the uncertainty of the effect of different land management systems on CH4 and N2O emissions.

Effect of Tillage Systems and Foliar Boron Application on Growth and Yield of Soft Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

A field experiment was carried out in the Um Al-Akf region,(5 km from the center of Al-Muthanna Governorate), in the season (2021-2022), with the aim of studying the effect of tillage systems and foliar spraying of boron on the growth and yield characteristics of soft wheat. The experiment was carried out according to the Split Block Design method, using sector design. Completely randomized (RCBD) and with three replications, the experiment included two factors, the first factor was the tillage systems (no-till and Reduce tillage at a depth of (10 cm) and conventional tillage at a depth of (20 cm) and operated in the vertical position, and the second factor was spraying boron element (0, 50, 100, 150 mg B L-1), and operated in the horizontal position. The results of the experiment showed the superiority of the no-till system significantly, as the highest averages were recorded in the characteristic of plant height 79.66 cm, leaf area 38.84 cm2, the number of spikes 276.8 spikes m-2, the grain yield 3.540 ton ha-1, and the biological yield 8.285 ton ha-1, As for the spraying of boron, the concentration of 150 mg B L-1 was significantly superior, as it recorded the highest averages for the characteristic of the weight of a thousand grains 36.30 g, the grain yield 3.498 ton ha-1, and the biological yield 8.713 ton ha-1, while the interaction between tillage and boron spraying systems showed superiority Significant in the weight of 1000 grains, as the treatment of interference (Reduce Tillage × 100 mg B L-1) recorded the highest average weight per thousand tablets was 38.03 g.

Avena sterilis ssp. ludoviciana (Durieu) Control in Wheat Through Integration of Tillage, Seeding Rate, and Herbicide Application

Avena sterilis ssp. ludoviciana (Durieu) is a problematic weed in the wheat crop of Australia. Pinoxaden is an effective herbicide for the control of this weed. However, late cohorts of A. ludoviciana escape from the early application of pinoxaden and produce seeds. This research investigated the integrated effect of tillage systems (no-tillage and conventional tillage), seeding rates (100 and 200 seeds m−2), and weed control treatments (nontreated control and pinoxaden application at Z12 and Z33 stages of wheat) on Avena ludoviciana control and wheat yield. The wheat yield remained similar in no-tillage and conventional tillage systems; however, the no-tillage system helped in reducing A. ludoviciana seed production by 28% compared with the conventional tillage system. In the nontreated control, the increased seeding rate of wheat reduced A. ludoviciana biomass and seed production by 33 and 66%, respectively, compared with the low seeding rate. These results suggest that a high seeding rate could be useful in the organic production of wheat. Application of pinoxaden at Z12 and Z33 stages of wheat resulted in an improvement in grain yield by 170 and 150%, respectively, compared with the nontreated control. At both seeding rates, the application of pinoxaden at the Z33 stage of wheat reduced weed seed production by 99% compared with the nontreated control. These results implied that the delayed application of pinoxaden at the Z33 stage of wheat effectively reduced weed biomass and seed production of A. ludoviciana without compromising grain yield as the yield in this treatment was similar to the pinoxaden application at the Z12 stage.

Tillage system and cover crop effects on organic carbon and available nutrient contents in light chestnut soil

Optimal use of management systems including tillage and cover crops are recommended to improve available nutrient contents in soils and sustain agricultural production. The effects on organic carbon and available nutrient contents of three tillage methods (conventional tillage, minimum tillage and no-tillage) and different cover crops such as flaxseed oil, buckwheat, soybean, pea, corn, sorghum, spring oilseed rape and sugar beet were evaluated in a short-term experiment on a light chestnut soil in Kazakhstan. Organic carbon and available nutrient contents were measured in the autumn of 2021. The field measurements included the yield of cover crops and input of organic matter into soils with root and other residues of cover crops. In the laboratory, total organic carbon, labile organic carbon, easily hydrolyzable nitrogen (NH4-N), NO3-N, available P and exchangeable K were measured. The results showed that one season of cover crop growth was not enough to find detectable changes in soil organic matter and available nutrient status in light chestnut soils. On the other hand, even in a short-term field experiment period of 3 months, the most labile organic carbon in soil organic carbon was obtained in conventional tillage. Overall, the results show that at least in the short term and under lower drip irrigation rate in summer for the study area, reduced tillage methods (no-tillage and minimum tillage) is suitable in the study area for soybean, corn and sugar beet production after intensive tillage in the previous year.

Effect of tillage systems combined with plastic film mulches and fertilizers on soil physical properties in a wheat-agricultural site in southern Iraq

This study researches the influence of the three tillage systems (conventional, economical and mulch tillage) when combined with different soil plastic mulching and fertilizer applications on key selected soil physical properties (SPP) at 0-20 cm soil depth in a wheat agricultural site, during summer (from 1st June to 31st July 2015). SPP include soil porosity (Φ), volumetric soil water content 60 days after irrigation to field capacity (q60), and mean weight diameter of aggregates (MWD). The term mulch tillage refers here to a soil conservation practice where the soil surface is disturbed by tillage whereby crop residues are mixed with the soil and a certain amount of residues remain on the soil surface, while mulching refers to the placement of inorganic material over the top of a soil surface to protect it. Soil treatments included tillage system: conventional tillage using a combination of a mouldboard plough and a disc harrow (MP+DH), economical tillage using a rotary cultivator (RC), and mulch tillage using a chisel plough (MT+CP); soil plastic mulching: transparent mulching (TM), black mulching (BM) of 200 cm wide with 0.05 cm thick, and without mulching (WM); and fertilisers: composed organic fertiliser (CoF), no-composed organic fertiliser (NoF), and chemical fertiliser (ChF). The split–split-plot design under the randomized complete block design (RCBD) was established in 27 treatments with 3 replicated, to map Φ, q60, and MWD based on 81 soil samples from all treatments. Results showed that the different soil treatments have diverse impacts on SPP. MP+DH resulted in the higher q60 (0.22 cm3 cm-3), MWD (0.85 mm), and Φ (56.87%). Our findings showed that MT+CP obtained a higher MWD of 0.98 mm and lower Φ of 49% compared to other tillage systems. Soil mulching had significantly modified SPP, with BM resulting in the highest Φ (55.65%), q60 (0.35 cm3 cm-3), and MWD (1.06 mm). Results indicated no significant differences between fertiliser types on SPP. The CoF had a significant effect on MWD and related soil characteristics studied. These findings can help us to understand the individual and combined effects of the tillage system, mulching, and fertilization application on some soil characteristics in wheat agriculture. A further study with more focus on the influence of tillage depths and mulching types (plastic vs organic mulch for different crops) under a variety of soils and climatic conditions, as well as on soil thermal properties needs further investigation.

Effects of different tillage systems and mowing time on nutrient accumulation and forage nutritive value of Cyperus esculentus.

Revealing the complex relationships between management practices, crop growth, forage nutritive value and soil quality will facilitate the development of more sustainable agricultural and livestock production systems. Cyperus esculentus is known as the king of oil crops and high-quality forage. However, there is little information about the effects of different planting modes {continuous cropping (CC)/rotation cropping (RC)} and initial mowing time on the plant nutrient accumulation and forage nutritive value. Here, in a field experiment, we designed two planting patterns, C. esculentus CC and C. esculentus - wheat RC. The leaves, tubers, roots, and soil samples were collected at three mowing time (on the 78th, 101th, and 124th days after seed sowing). Results revealed that RC significantly increased the total nitrogen (TN) and potassium (TK) content of the tuber (p<0.05), while significantly decreased the TN, total phosphorus (TP), crude protein (CP), and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents of the leaves. Under the CC pattern, the TN, TP, and TK content of roots increased significantly on the 78th days after seed sowing, and the TK content of tubers increased significantly. Under the RC pattern, the ether extract (EE) content of tubers increased significantly on the 124th days after seed sowing, while the CP and TN content of leaves decreased significantly. Correlation analysis showed that soil pH was negatively correlated with TN content in leaves, tubers, and roots. The structural equation model showed that the soil pH directly affected the plant nutrient accumulation and forage nutritive value (β=0.68) via regulating these properties by changing soil available nutrients, anions, cations, and total nutrients. Overall, we propose that RC for C. esculentus-wheat is should not be recommended to maximize tubers and forage yield.

The Effect of Reduced and Conventional Tillage Systems on Soil Aggregates and Organic Carbon Parameters of Different Soil Types

Tillage is a significant type of soil intervention and should be conducted based on the specific soil type. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of different tillage intensities (RT: reduced tillage; CT: conventional tillage), which are correlated with carbon sequestration, on soil properties. The study areas included fields on real farms in Eutric Fluvisol (EF), Mollic Fluvisol (MF), Haplic Chernozem (HC), Haplic Luvisol (HL), Eutric Regosol (ER), Eutric Gleysol (EG), and Stagnic Planosol (SP). The effects of tillage systems depended on the soil type and were more evident in soil aggregates of more productive soils. Agronomically, the most valuable fractions of aggregates were dominant in more productive soils (EF, MF, HC) in the CT system and less dominant in less productive soils (HL, ER, EG, SP) in the RT system. Smaller aggregates (&lt;0.5 mm), which indicate deterioration of soil properties, were negatively correlated with clay (r = −0.364, p &lt; 0.01), total organic carbon (r = −0.245, p &lt; 0.05), and stabile carbon fractions (r = −0.250, p &lt; 0.05). In the case of soil organic carbon, tillage system was mainly correlated with soil texture. Tillage had no influence on soils with lower proportions of silt. On the whole, the suitability of the tillage system for a specific soil type depended on soil productivity and soil texture; however, EG was an exception and showed no differences in response to the tillage system used. The results of this study show that the main factors influencing the choice of tillage system are soil type and genesis, soil texture, and soil production ability.

How can pore characteristics of soil aggregates from contrasting tillage systems affect their intrinsic permeability and hydraulic conductivity?

Studies on how the alteration in the soil pore architecture can influence the permeability of small soil aggregates are still scarce. These aggregates affect the water dynamics mainly at the intra-aggregate pore scale. Thus, investigating the intra-aggregate pore space properties becomes crucial for comprehending the matter and energy transported into the soil. This paper focuses on analyzing the permeability and hydraulic conductivity of small soil aggregates from contrasting tillage systems (no-tillage – NT, minimum tillage – MT, conventional tillage – CT, and secondary forest – F) through synchrotron-based X-ray Computed Tomography. The 3D image segmentation was performed using machine and deep learning strategies. Permeability was measured based on the image-based parametrization of the Kozeny-Carman equation, which is dependent on porosity, hydraulic radius, and tortuosity. The porosity, hydraulic radius, and pore connectivity were not affected by the soil tillage systems at the scale of analysis (aggregates of a few millimeters). Conventional tillage had higher pore tortuosity relative to NT, demonstrating less favorable fluid transport at the aggregate scale. However, only the aggregates under F had significantly higher permeability and hydraulic conductivity relative to NT, MT, and CT. Our results brought new insights into the effects of different tillage systems on the soil structure and their possible impact on water dynamics at the microscale.

Effect of tillage systems on changes in the aggregate composition of dark gray forest soils in the Northern Trans-Urals

In a long-term stationary experiment (1988-2019) the impact of mouldboard, non-mouldboard, combined, differentiated, surface and sweep-blade tillage systems on the change in the aggregate composition of dark gray forest soils was studied. The research took place in the northern foreststeppe of the Northern Trans-Ural (Tyumen Region). Over a 30-year period of use in arable land, the soil of 0-20 cm layer retained its structural condition not inferior to the initial one for most of the studied variants of cultivation. With increasing the depth of the soil profile up to 0-30 cm layer due to an increase in the proportion of clumpy fraction in the lower layer 10-30 cm there was a decrease in the content of agronomically valuable structure compared to the layer 0-20 cm, as well as with the initial state on most of the studied systems of cultivation. The highest content of agronomically valuable structure in the soil layer 0-20 cm was on the mouldboard, sweep-blade and differentiated tillage systems (72.8-77.8%). Over the 30-year period, the agronomically valuable structure content (10-0.25 mm) in the soil layer 0-20 cm increased by 6.12-13.45% in these treatments, the structure coefficient by 21.9-60.3%. For the other treatment systems, the content of this fraction (67.5-69.8%) and the structure coefficient (2.07-2.31) were close to the initial condition - 68.6% and 2.19, respectively. The average weighted diameter of agronomically valuable aggregates increased from 2.71 mm in the initial condition to 3.00-3.29 mm (7.7-21.2%) due to a significant increase in the proportion of these aggregates in the 0-10 cm layer. In general, the highest indicators of the structural condition of the soil profile of 0-30 cm remained on the mouldboard, sweep-blade and differentiated systems of cultivation. Non-mouldboard, combined and surface tillage reduced the content of agronomically valuable structure by 9.7-15.9% compared with the mouldboard system, and led to a decrease in the coefficient of structure by 0.99-1.39 units.

Effect of tillage systems and boron spraying on some physical properties of the soil and growth and yield of wheat crop(Triticum aestivum L.)

A field experiment was carried out during the agricultural season (2021-2022) in Al-Samawah district in the Um Al-Akf region, which is (5 km from the center of Al-Muthanna Governorate). The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of tillage systems and boron spraying on some physical properties of the soil and growth and yield of wheat crop .The experiment was carried out according to the Split Block Design method, using the randomized complete block design (R.C.B.D), and with three replications. The experiment contained (36) experimental units, each area of which was 4.0 m2.Each experimental unit contained (10) lines, the Distance between one line and another was (20) cm. The experiment included two factors, the first was the tillage systems (no tillage ; reduce tillage at a depth of (10 cm) and conventional tillage at a depth of (20 cm) which occupied the vertical distribution. The second factor was the spraying of boron (0, 50, 100 and 150) mg B L-1, which occupied the horizontal distribution. Boron was sprayed at the stage of 75% flowering, and on 18/11/2021 wheat cultivar (Ibaa 99) was planted. The results of the study indicated that the conventional tillage system was significantly superior in reducing the value of bulk density, as it gave the lowest average of 1.41 mg m-3, and was also superior in increasing porosity by giving it the highest average of 46.64 %. While the no-till system was significantly superior in the characteristics of plant height, number of tillers, number of grains per spike, and grain yield, as it gave the highest averages (79.66 cm, 279.1 tillers m-2, 55.95 grains spike-1, and 3.540 ton h-1) respectively. While the Reduce tillage system was significantly superior. in the characteristic of harvest index by giving it the highest average amounted to 43.57%. As for the effect of boron, it was significant in most of the characteristics of the yield and its components, as the concentration of 150 mg B L-1 was significantly superior in the characteristic of the number of grains per spike 60.66 grains spike-1, the weight of 1000 grain 36.30 g, and the yield 3.498 ton h-1, the treatment of overlapping (Reduce tillage x 100 mg B L-1) recorded the highest average weight of 1000 grains was 38.03g

Effects of Tillage Systems on the Physical Properties of Soils in a Semi-Arid Region of Morocco

Climate change, drought, erosion, water contamination resources, desertification, and loss of soil quality represent major environmental risks worldwide. Facing these risks is the most important issue for sustainable development. Conventional tillage (CT) practices seem to expose the soils of semi-arid regions, which are initially fragile, to degradation that is accentuated by the overuse of the environment. The benefits of conservation agriculture (CA) could mitigate the degradation of natural resources, particularly soils. The adaptation and transfer of the no-till (NT) system with mulch open new perspectives for the development of agriculture in semi-arid regions. The main objective of this study is to assess the impact of conservation agriculture, especially no-till (NT) system, on the physical properties of soil (structural stability (SS), bulk density (BD), gravimetric water content (θg), and soil organic matter (SOM)) compared to conventional tillage (CT). The main changes associated with the transition from a CT system to an NT system were evaluated at the experimental site, Merchouch (M13), which is typified by vertisol soil, and at the Ain Sbit (AS7) site, which is characterized by isohumic soil. Under a no-till system, most of the physical properties of the soil were improved in both sites, with a clear difference in the M13 site. Structural stability under NT showed a significant increase in both sites (fast wetting (FW), slow wetting (SW), and wet stirring (WS) improved by 88, 43, and 83% at the M13 site, respectively, against, 16, 23, and 7%, respectively, at the AS7 site). On the other hand, the SOM increased from 2.0 to 2.6% (an improvement of 28%) at AS7 and from 1.2% to 1.9% (an improvement of 52%) at M13. This research demonstrated that conservation agriculture, especially NT, improves the soil physical quality in both medium and long terms, confirming its suitability for the climatic and edaphic constraints of semi-arid areas in Morocco as well as in other parts of the world.

Influence of Organic Fertilization and Soil Tillage on the Yield and Quality of Cold-Pressed Camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] Seed Cake: An Alternative Feed Ingredient

Camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] oilseed cake has been identified as an alternative protein feedstuff and as a valuable feed resource. Moreover, over the last decades, there has been an increased interest in the organic production of feed supplements. A 2-year field experiment was conducted in a split-plot design with three replications, two main plots (conventional tillage: moldboard ploughing at 25 cm followed by rotary hoeing at 10–15 cm, and minimum tillage: chiseling at 25 cm depth followed by rotary hoeing at 10–15 cm), and three sub-plots (organic fertilization type: untreated, vermicompost, and compost) to evaluate the fertilization and tillage system effect on the yield and quality of cold-pressed camelina seed cake. Seed yield and cake yield were only affected by organic fertilization, with the highest values observed in the compost treatment. Crude protein was influenced by both factors examined, and the greatest content was found under conventional tillage and compost application. As for the fatty acid composition of oilseed cake, this can be characterized as a major source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (~52% of total FAs), particularly linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid, which were only affected by fertilization, with the highest values found after compost application. To conclude, the cold-pressed cake from camelina seed cultivated under compost fertilization and conventional tillage appears to be an effective alternative to conventionally used protein feed ingredients.

Genetic Variability for Iron, Zinc, and Protein Content in a Mediterranean Lentil Collection Grown under No-Till Conditions: Towards Biofortification under Conservation Agriculture

Biofortification is a promising and sustainable way to improve lentil nutritional value. No-till is an eco-friendly agricultural practice for sustainable agricultural production under climate change conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic variation of lentil grain quality traits under no-till and conventional tillage systems, and to investigate the significance of tillage and genotype by tillage interaction. A Mediterranean lentil collection of 120 accessions, including landraces, advanced breeding lines, local varieties, and improved varieties was assessed for protein, iron, and zinc genetic variability under no-till and conventional tillage systems. Under no-till, substantial genetic variation for protein (19–32%), iron (17–184 mg/kg), and zinc (9–48 mg/kg) was observed, indicating the possibility of lentil biofortification under conservation agriculture. Significant effects of tillage system and genotype by tillage interaction were observed for protein and iron contents. Furthermore, significant effect of tillage system on zinc content was recorded. No-till yielded slightly higher protein and zinc content than conventional tillage. Overall, the results indicated that shifting lentil production from a conventional tillage system to a no-till system would be of interest to increase lentil nutritional value.

Could conservation tillage increase the resistance to drought in Mediterranean faba bean crops?

Climate change, especially in Mediterranean countries, might have a detrimental effect on agro‑ecosystems and agricultural production, as well as on the price, quantity and quality of the products. This study assesses the potential impact of drought predictions on a faba bean crop, and evaluates the adoption of conservation tillage practices to reduce this effect. For this purpose, a rainfall exclusion experiment was carried out in a Mediterranean rotation in Southwest Spain, where a long-term tillage experiment was running since 2008. Soil water storage (SWS), crop productivity and mineral nutrition, plant ecophysiology and biomass quality, as well as the colonization of roots by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and symbiotic Rhizobium bacteria were evaluated over one growth cycle to study the combined effect of different tillage systems - non-tillage (NT), reduced tillage (RT) and traditional tillage (TT)- and rainfall reduction. Rainfall reduction had a negative impact on faba bean germination on the TT system, and on its aboveground biomass across the three tillage systems, but did not affect grain production. The percentage of biomass yield reduction by rainfall exclusion was 30% for NT, 50% for RT and 20% for TT. In the case of RT, low yields were influenced by a high incidence of weeds under rainfall reduction. The negative effect of water exclusion was especially evident on photosynthesis rates and stomatal conductance across all tillage types, while leaf water potential was affected by drought only in the TT system. These ecophysiological indicators were positively associated to some variables of arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization and Rhizobium nodulation in roots. Changes in the patterns of symbiotic interactions in response to drought depended on the tillage type. We conclude that, despite no effect on soil water storage, in the conservation tillage systems the increase in the mycorrhizal colonization in roots, particularly under NT, could be beneficial for plants to face drought stress. However, in a scenario of reduced rainfall it will be necessary to invest more resources in weed control under RT.

Economics of no‐tilling winter cereal pasture for growing beef cattle in Oklahoma

AbstractGrazing winter cereal pasture with stocker cattle is a common production practice on water‐limited cropland acres in the southern Great Plains. Soil erosion and loss of soil water holding capacity from interactions with tillage operations, wind, and rainfall are common problems with these systems. Despite the environmental and economic benefits reported for no‐till (NT) techniques, clean‐till (CT) establishment remains a common practice in the region. The objectives were to determine the effects of tillage system (CT and NT) on measures of animal performance and net returns, and to determine the sensitivity of net returns to the prices of glyphosate, labor, and fuel. Data representing average daily gain (ADG), steer grazing days (SGD) (ha−1), and total gain (TG) (ha−1) were obtained from a 4‐year (2010–2013) grazing trial conducted in south‐central Oklahoma. Enterprise budgeting was used to determine average revenues, costs, and net returns for each establishment system. Mixed model regression results indicated that SGD ha−1 was 11.1 greater (p &lt; 0.0001) for CT compared to NT but ADG was 0.025 kg day−1 greater (p &lt; 0.0001) for the NT system. The CT system realized a TG of 6.63 kg ha−1 greater (p &lt; 0.0001) than NT. Conversely, the NT system realized a total cost of US$1067.27 ha−1, which was $105.29 ha−1 lower than the cost of the CT system. On average, the NT system realized a $67.63 ha−1 greater net return than CT. The NT system remained the most profitable even with substantial changes in prices of glyphosate, machinery labor, and fuel.

Weed seed bank as affected by tillage, residue, and fertilization management under sweet corn‐wheat cropping sequence in Iran

AbstractSoil weed seed bank is an important factor determining above‐ground floristic composition and weed density in agricultural systems. The quantitative and qualitative measures of weed seed bank can help growers to predict the extent to which they are facing weed problems. Along with tillage, crop residues can affect the fate of weeds in the upcoming crops. To investigate such effects, we compared the effects of tillage systems [conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT), and no tillage (NT)], wheat residue retention, and nitrogen (N) rates (0, 69, 138, and 207 kg N ha−1) on depth‐related characteristics of the weed seed bank under a sweet corn‐wheat sequence during 2014–2015 growing seasons in Shiraz, Iran. Soil bank was not affected by tillage systems but tended to be slightly higher under RT. The highest (898 seeds m−2) and lowest (322 seeds m−2) weed population at 0–10 cm depth were found when 138 kg N ha−1 in 2015 and 207 kg N ha−1 in 2014 were applied. Species richness and diversity were higher under NT and RT practices at the top layer, but CT system was more diversified at deeper depths. They were higher when crop residues were retained as well. Barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus‐galli [L.] Beauv), common lambsquarter (Chenopodium album L.), common purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.), field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis L.), flixweed (Descoreinia sofia [L.] Webb. &amp; Berth.), henbit (Lamium amplexicaule L.), pigweeds (Amaranthus spp.), and stinking goosefoot (Chenopodium vulvaria L.) were the most common weeds found in all tillage systems and soil depths. Grasses were relatively lower than broadleaves regardless of treatments. Weed seed bank was mostly affected by weather conditions than treatments in this short‐term experiment.