- Authors:
- Kelly, K.
- Phillips, F.
- Baigent, R.
- Source: Greenhouse Gases and Animal Agriculture
- Year: 2007
- Authors:
- Source: ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meetings (November 4-8, 2007)
- Year: 2007
- Authors:
- Denmead, O. T.
- Kelly, K. B.
- Baigent, R.
- Leuning, R.
- Phillips, F. A.
- Source: Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
- Volume: 143
- Issue: 1-2
- Year: 2007
- Authors:
- Baigent, R.
- Leuning, R.
- Kelly, K.
- Phillips, F.
- Source: Non-CO2 greenhouse gas fluxes in Australian landscapes
- Year: 2007
- Authors:
- White, R. E.
- Chapman, D. F.
- Eckard, R. J.
- Source: Australian Journal of Agricultural Research
- Volume: 58
- Issue: 12
- Year: 2007
- Authors:
- Apan, A.
- Maraseni, T. N.
- Cockfield, G.
- Source: Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A: Toxic/Hazardous Substances and Environmental Engineering
- Volume: 42
- Issue: 1
- Year: 2007
- Authors:
- McGregor, A.
- Slattery, B.
- Ugalde, D.
- Brungs, A.
- Kaebernick, M.
- Source: Soil & Tillage Research
- Volume: 97
- Issue: 2
- Year: 2007
- Authors:
- Barlow, E. W. R.
- Whetton, P. H.
- Webb, L. B.
- Source: Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research
- Volume: 13
- Issue: 3
- Year: 2007
- Authors:
- Harben, R.
- Beyer, J.
- Dusault, A.
- Fry, R.
- Shrestha, A.
- Klonsky, K. M.
- Mitchell, J. P.
- Source: Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture
- Volume: 47
- Issue: 12
- Year: 2007
- Summary: While there have been several similarities between the development of cropping systems in Australia and California ( including climate, the need for irrigation and very diverse, highly specialised crop rotations), the historical patterns of conservation tillage development in the two regions have been quite different. Current estimates indicate that conservation tillage ( CT) practices are used on less than 2% of annual crop acreage in California's Central Valley. Tillage management systems have changed relatively little since irrigation and cropping intensification began throughout this region, more than 60 years ago. The University of California ( UC) and United States Department of Agriculture ( USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service ( NRCS) CT Workgroup is a diverse group of UC, NRCS, farmer, private sector, environmental group and other public agency people. It has provided wide- ranging services aimed at developing information on reduced tillage alternatives for California's production valleys. In a short span of 7 years, the CT Workgroup has grown to over 1000 members and has conducted over 60 demonstration evaluations of CT systems. While CT is still quite new in California, a growing number of farmers has become increasingly interested in it, for both economic and environmental reasons. They are now pursuing a wide range of activities and approaches aimed at developing sustainable CT systems. As successful CT systems continue to be demonstrated, the rate of adoption is expected to increase.
- Authors:
- King, A. J.
- Cooper, J. E.
- Strong, W. M.
- Dalal, R. C.
- Source: Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture
- Volume: 47
- Issue: 7
- Year: 2007
- Summary: No-tillage (NT) practice, where straw is retained on the soil surface, is increasingly being used in cereal cropping systems in Australia and elsewhere. Compared to conventional tillage (CT), where straw is mixed with the ploughed soil, NT practice may reduce straw decomposition, increase nitrogen immobilisation and increase organic carbon in the soil. This study examined N-15-labelled wheat straw ( stubble) decomposition in four treatments (NT v. CT, with N rates of 0 and 75 kg/ha. year) and assessed the tillage and fertiliser N effects on mineral N and organic C and N levels over a 10-year period in a field experiment. NT practice decreased the rate of straw decomposition while fertiliser N application increased it. However, there was no tillage practice x N interaction. The mean residence time of the straw N in soil was more than twice as long under the NT (1.2 years) as compared to the CT practice (0.5 years). In comparison, differences in mean residence time due to N fertiliser treatment were small. However, tillage had generally very little effect on either the amounts of mineral N at sowing or soil organic C (and N) over the study period. While application of N fertiliser increased mineral N, it had very little effect on organic C over a 10-year period. Relatively rapid decomposition of straw and short mean residence time of straw N in a Vertisol is likely to have very little long-term effect on N immobilisation and organic C level in an annual cereal cropping system in a subtropical, semiarid environment. Thus, changing the tillage practice from CT to NT may not necessitate additional N requirement unless use is made of additional stored water in the soil or mineral N loss due to increased leaching is compensated for in N supply to crops.
