Citation Information

  • Title : Dryland crop yields and soil organic matter as influenced by long-term tillage and cropping sequence.
  • Source : Agronomy Journal
  • Publisher : American Society of Agronomy
  • Volume : 101
  • Issue : 2
  • Year : 2009
  • DOI : 10.2134/agronj20
  • ISBN : 10.2134/agronj20
  • Document Type : Journal Article
  • Language : English
  • Authors:
    • Caesar-TonThat, T.
    • Lenssen, A.
    • Sainju, U.
    • Evans, R.
  • Climates: Semiarid.
  • Cropping Systems: Barley. Dryland cropping system. Wheat.
  • Countries: USA.

Summary

Novel management practices are needed to improve the declining dryland crop yields and soil organic matter contents using conventional farming practices in the northern Great Plains. We evaluated the 21-yr effect of tillage and cropping sequence on dryland grain and biomass (stems+leaves) yields of spring wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.), barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.), and pea ( Pisum sativum L.) and soil organic matter at the 0- to 20-cm depth in eastern Montana, USA. Treatments were no-tilled continuous spring wheat (NTCW), spring-tilled continuous spring wheat (STCW), fall- and spring-tilled continuous spring wheat (FSTCW), fall- and spring-tilled spring wheat-barley (1984-1999) followed by spring wheat-pea (2000-2004) (FSTW-B/P), and the conventional spring-tilled spring wheat-fallow (STW-F). Spring wheat grain and biomass yields increased with crop growing season precipitation (GSP) and were greater in STW-F than in FSTCW and FSTW-B/P when GSP was

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