• Authors:
    • Li, H. W.
    • He, J.
    • Zhang, X. R.
    • Li, W. Y.
  • Source: Nongye Jixie Xuebao = Transactions of the Chinese Society for Agricultural Machinery
  • Volume: 40
  • Issue: 10
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: This paper put forward the new anti-blocking principle combining residue-throwing by powered-chain finger and residue-cutting by knife type opener, and designed the powered chain anti-blocking mechanism for no-till planter according to the problem of residue blocking of no-till wheat planting in heavy corn residue cover fields in annual double cropping areas of North China plain. Furthermore, the key parameters for powered-chain, chain finger and knife type opener were determined based on the analyses of the movement of anti-blocking mechanism. The field experiment showed that the powered-chain anti-blocking mechanism could solve the residue blocking effectively, so as to ensure the passing of wheat no-till planter. Through real-time clearing of corn residues before the knife type opener, 12.3% of opening force was decreased. Compared with the strip roto-tilling wheat planter, the powered-chain wheat no-till planter could not only seed and fertilize at the suitable depths, but also decrease soil disturbance and fuel consumption by 66.4% and 8.07%, respectively, which indicates that this new planter can meet the requirements of agronomy in North China plain.
  • Authors:
    • Garcia-Oliva, F.
    • Prat, C.
    • Medina-Orozco, L.
    • Mendoza, M. E.
    • Bravo-Espinosa, M.
    • Lopez-Granados, E.
  • Source: Land Degradation & Development
  • Volume: 20
  • Issue: 6
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: In the Transmexican Volcanic Belt a traditional fallow system is practiced, called "ano y vez" (AV), which does not benefit soil conservation due to its low level of nutrient recycling and because soil protection is poor during the cultivation year. The objective of the present work was to measure runoff and soil and nutrient losses during three annual cycles (2002-2004) in Central Mexico under AV rotation and two alternative systems: improved traditional (IT) and traditional organic (TO). Soil losses in the three systems were moderate (
  • Authors:
    • Fonseca, A. F. da
    • Alleoni, L. R. F.
    • Caires, E. F.
    • Churka, S.
  • Source: Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis
  • Volume: 40
  • Issue: 17/18
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: No-till (NT) system with crop rotation is one of the most effective strategies to improve agricultural sustainability in tropical and subtropical regions. To control soil acidity in NT, lime is broadcast on the surface without incorporation. The increase in soil pH due to surface liming may decrease zinc (Zn) availability and its uptake by crops. A field experiment was performed in Paran State, Brazil, on a loamy, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Hapludox to evaluate Zn bioavailability in a NT system after surface liming and re-liming. Dolomitic lime was surface applied on the main plots in July 1993 at the rates of 0, 2, 4, and 6 Mg ha -1. In June 2000, the main plots were divided in two subplots to study of the effect of surface re-liming at the rates of 0 and 3 Mg ha -1. The cropping sequence was soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merrill] (2001-2 and 2002-3), wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) (2003), soybean (2003-4), corn ( Zea mays L.) (2004-5), and soybean (2005-6). Soil samples were collected at the following depths: 0-0.05, 0.05-0.10, and 0.10-0.20 m, 10 years after surface liming and 3 years after surface re-liming. Soil Zn levels were extracted by four extractants: (i) 0.005 mol L -1 diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)+0.1 mol L -1 triethanolamine (TEA)+0.01 mol L -1 calcium chloride (CaCl 2) solution at pH 7.3 (DTPA-TEA), (ii) 0.1 mol L -1 hydrochloric acid (HCl) solution, (iii) Mehlich 1 solution, and (iv) Mehlich 3 solution. Zinc concentrations in leaves and grains of soybean, wheat, and corn were also determined. Soil pH (0.01 mol L -1 CaCl 2 suspension) varied from 4.4 to 6.1, at the 0- to 0.05-m depth, from 4.2 to 5.3 at the 0.05- to 0.10-m depth, and from 4.2 to 4.8 at the 0.10- to 0.20-m depth, after liming and re-liming. Zinc concentrations evaluated by DTPA-TEA, 0.1 mol L -1 HCl, Mehlich 1, and Mehlich 3 solutions were not changed as a result of lime rate application. Re-liming increased Zn concentrations extracted by 0.1 mol L -1 HCl at 0-0.05 m deep and by DTPA-TEA at 0.05-0.10 m deep. Surface-applied lime promoted a decrease in Zn concentrations of the crops, mainly in grains, because of increased soil pH at the surface layers. Regardless of the liming treatments, levels of Zn were sufficient to soybean, wheat, and corn nutrition under NT.
  • Authors:
    • Teasdale, J. R.
    • Hanson, J. C.
    • Hima, B. L.
    • Cavigelli, M. A.
    • Conklin, A. E.
    • Lu, Y. C.
  • Source: Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems
  • Volume: 24
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: We present the results from enterprise budget analyses for individual crops and for complete rotations with and without organic price premiums for five cropping systems at the US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Beltsville Farming Systems Project (FSP) from 2000 to 2005. The FSP is a long-term cropping systems trial established in 1996 to evaluate the sustainability of organic and conventional grain crop production. The five FSP cropping systems include a conventional, three-year no-till corn ( Zea mays L.)-rye ( Secale cereale L.) cover crop/soybean ( Glycine max (L.) Merr)-wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.)/soybean rotation (no-till (NT)), a conventional, three-year chisel-till corn-rye/soybean-wheat/soybean rotation (chisel tillage (CT)), a two-year organic hairy vetch ( Vicia villosa Roth)/corn-rye/soybean rotation (Org2), a three-year organic vetch/corn-rye/soybean-wheat rotation (Org3) and a four- to six-year organic corn-rye/soybean-wheat-red clover ( Trifolium pratense L.)/orchard grass ( Dactylis glomerata L.) or alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) rotation (Org4+). Economic returns were calculated for rotations present from 2000 to 2005, which included some slight changes in crop rotation sequences due to weather conditions and management changes; additional analyses were conducted for 2000 to 2002 when all crops described above were present in all organic rotations. Production costs were, in general, greatest for CT, while those for the organic systems were lower than or similar to those for NT for all crops. Present value of net returns for individual crops and for full rotations were greater and risks were lower for NT than for CT. When price premiums for organic crops were included in the analysis, cumulative present value of net returns for organic systems (US$3933 to 5446 ha -1, 2000 to 2005; US$2653 to 2869 ha -1, 2000 to 2002) were always substantially greater than for the conventional systems (US$1309 to 1909 ha -1, 2000 to 2005; US$634 to 869 ha -1, 2000 to 2002). With price premiums, Org2 had greater net returns but also greater variability of returns and economic risk across all years than all other systems, primarily because economic success of this short rotation was highly dependent on the success of soybean, the crop with the highest returns. Soybean yield variability was high due to the impact of weather on the success of weed control in the organic systems. The longer, more diverse Org4+ rotation had the lowest variability of returns among organic systems and lower economic risk than Org2. With no organic price premiums, economic returns for corn and soybean in the organic systems were generally lower than those for the conventional systems due to lower grain yields in the organic systems. An exception to this pattern is that returns for corn in Org4+ were equal to or greater than those in NT in four of six years due to both lower production costs and greater revenue than for Org2 and Org3. With no organic premiums, present value of net returns for the full rotations was greatest for NT in 4 of 6 years and greatest for Org4+ the other 2 years, when returns for hay crops were high. Returns for individual crops and for full rotations were, in general, among the lowest and economic risk was, in general, among the highest for Org2 and Org3. Results indicate that Org4+, the longest and most diverse rotation, had the most stable economic returns among organic systems but that short-term returns could be greatest with Org2.
  • Authors:
    • Hedtcke, J. L.
    • Posner, J. L.
    • Chavas, J. P.
  • Source: Agronomy Journal
  • Volume: 101
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: This article, the second in a series looking at the Wisconsin Integrated Cropping Systems Trial (WICST), reports on the profitability of six conventional and organic systems, with a focus on net returns and associated risk exposure. Several pricing scenarios were compared to evaluate the impact of government programs and organic price premiums. When net return estimates are made using only neighboring elevator prices (no government programs or organic price premiums), we found that the no-till corn-soybean system [ Zea mays L. and Glycine max (L.) Merr.] was the most profitable grain system, and management intensive rotational grazing (MIRG) the most profitable forage system. When government programs and organic price premiums are included, returns increased by 85 to 110% for the organic grain system corn-soybean-wheat+red clover ( Triticum aestivum L.+ Trifolium pratense L.) and 35 to 40% for the organic forage system [companion seeded alfalfa with oat+field pea ( Medicago sativa L., Avena sativa L., and Pisum sativum L.), hay, and then corn]. This places both organic systems with higher returns than any of the Midwestern standards of no-till corn-soybean, continuous corn, or intensive alfalfa production. Also, the results indicate how risk exposure varied across systems. Interestingly, taking risk into consideration did not drastically affect the ranking among those systems. Our analysis shows that, under the market scenarios that prevailed between 1993 and 2006, intensive rotational grazing and organic grain and forage systems were the most profitable systems on highly productive land in southern Wisconsin.
  • Authors:
    • Kuzyakov, Y.
    • Fan, M.
    • Li, H.
    • Gong, Y.
    • Hou, R.
    • Chen, H.
  • Source: Soil & Tillage Research
  • Volume: 106
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: The Loess Plateau in northwest China is one of the most eroded landscapes in the world, and it is urgent that alternative practices be evaluated to control soil erosion. Our objective was to determine how three different tillage practices for monoculture of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L) affected soil organic carbon (SOC) and N content after 11 years. Conventional tillage with residue removal (CT), shallow tillage with residue cover (ST), and no-tillage with residue cover (NT) were investigated. Carbon and N in various aggregate-size classes and various labile organic C fractions in the 0-15- and 15-30-cm soil layers were evaluated. The ST and NT treatments had 14.2 and 13.7% higher SOC stocks and 14.1 and 3.7% higher total N(N(t))stocks than CT in the upper 15 cm, respectively. Labile C fractions: particulate organic C (POC), permanganate oxidizable C (KMnO(4)-C), hot-water extractable C (HWC), microbial biomass C (MBC) and dissolved organic C (DOC) were all significantly higher in NT and ST than in CT in the upper 15 cm. KMnO(4)-C, POC and HWC were the most sensitive fractions to tillage changes. The portion of 0.25-2 mm aggregates, mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric mean diameter (GMD) of aggregates from ST and NT treatments were larger than from CT at both 0-15- and 15-30-cm soil depths. The ST and NT treatments had significantly higher SOC and Nt in the 0.25-2 mm fraction at both depths and significantly higher N, content in the upper 15 cm. Positive significant correlations were observed between SOC, labile organic C fractions, MWD, GMD, and macroaggregate (0.25-2 mm) C within the upper 15 cm. We conclude that both variants of conservation tillage (NT and ST) increase SOC stock in the rainfed farming areas of northern China and are therefore more sustainable practices than those currently being used. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
  • Authors:
    • Pishbin, Y.
    • Lack, S. H.
    • Dadnia, M. R.
    • Modhej, A.
  • Source: Crop Research (Hisar)
  • Volume: 37
  • Issue: 1-3
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: Diversification and continuous cropping have largely been a consequence of soil moisture saved through the adoption of conservation tillage. Consequently, weed communities have changed and, in some cases, become resistant to commonly used herbicides, thus increasing the complexity of managing weeds. The main plots contain cutivars in two levels and sub-plots contain rye grass and wild oat with 0, 25 and 50 density. Utilizing the principle of varying selection pressure to keep rye grass and wild oat communities off balance has reduced weed densities, minimized crop yield losses, and inhibited adverse community changes towards difficult-to-control species. Varied selection pressure was best achieved with a diverse cropping system where crop seeding date, perennation, and species and herbicide mode of action and use pattern were inherently varied. Approaches to cropping systems, including balancing rotations between cereal and broadleaf crops, reducing herbicide inputs, organic production, and the use of cover crops and perennial forages, are discussed in light of potential systems-level benefits for weed management.
  • Authors:
    • Buschman, L. L.
    • French, B. W.
    • Currie, R. S.
    • Davis, H. N.
  • Source: Southwestern Entomologist
  • Volume: 34
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: This study examined how land management practices can affect the abundance of several arthropods commonly found in agriculture. This work was done in plots that had been subjected to three successive years of an agronomic experiment that evaluated the effects of a wheat, Triticum aestivum L., cover crop or no cover crop on weed and water management. After the third growing season, pitfall traps were installed and arthropods were collected and identified. At one location, carabids (Coleoptera: Carabidae) were identified to genus. Four of the genera ( Amara, Anisodactylus, Harpalus, and Calathus) were more common under no-till conditions. Only one genus ( Stenolophus) was more common in tilled plots. Five genera ( Amara, Bradycellus, Scarites, Stenolophus, and Calathus) were more common in plots with a history of more weeds caused by less herbicide use. Carabids were not more abundant in plots with fewer weeds after herbicides had been applied. Past presence of a winter cover crop never reduced carabid numbers, but significantly increased members of two genera ( Harpalus and Poecilus). As a group, carabids at one location were more common in plots without a history of a cover crop. At another location, more carabids were in tilled than nontilled plots. Crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) were more common under no-till conditions. At all locations, wolf spiders (Araneae: Lycosidae) were more common in plots with no tillage and a previous cover crop. Results suggested that surface residues affected carabids, wolf spiders, and crickets.
  • Authors:
    • Tarau, D.
    • Borza, I.
    • Dicu, D.
  • Source: Research Journal of Agricultural Science
  • Volume: 41
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: This study was conducted on a cambic chernozem in the Banat-Crisana Plain (Romania) to determine the quantitative and qualitative influence of tillage and fertilizer modifications made on the agroecosystem level on wheat, maize and soyabeans. The treatments include with and without deep soil working, conventional and no-tillage, and with (P1, N 80P 80K 80; P2, N 160P 80K 80) and without fertilizer application. Wheat was sown in 17 October 2007 and harvested in 28 June 2008. Maize was sown in 20 April 2008 and harvested in 27 Septerm 2008. Soyabean was sown 22 April 2008 and harvested in 11 October 2008. The field under the no-till system was maintained with more weeding than the conventional tillage. In terms of the evolution of soil humidity, more uniform values were obtained in the soil profile of the no-till system, while a low increase in soil water content was observed in the fields with deep working of soil. For wheat, the highest yield (4579 kg/ha) was obtained from the no-till system without deep working of the soil with P2 treatment, while the lowest yield (3475 kg/ha) was obtained from the conventional tillage system with deep soil working without fertilizer. For maize, the highest yield (5749 kg/ha) was obtained under the no-till system without deep working of soil with P2 treatment, while the lowest yield (3415 kg/ha) in classic system with deep work of soil without fertilizer. For soyabeans, the highest yield (1988 kg/ha) was obtained from the conventional tillage system without deep working of soil with P2 treatment, while the lowest (880 kg/ha) was obtained from the no-till system with deep working of soil without fertilizer treatment.
  • Authors:
    • Miyao, G.
    • Jackson, J.
    • Mitchell, J. P.
    • Horwath, W. R.
    • Doane, T. A.
    • Brittan, K.
  • Source: Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems
  • Volume: 85
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: In spite of potential benefits and positive assessments of reducing primary tillage operations, only a small part of irrigated row crops is currently managed using reduced tillage, for reasons that include concerns about its agronomic suitability for certain crop rotations. Three years of a tomato/corn rotation under standard and no-tillage management were used to understand the fate of a fertilizer and cover crop nitrogen (N) application. Uptake of both inputs was reduced under no-tillage during the year of application, in this case a tomato crop. As a result, more input N was retained in the soil in this system. The initial challenge of reduced tomato yields diminished as no-tillage management remained in place and the soil N reservoir developed. Corn production was not affected by tillage treatment. Inclusion of a legume cover crop increased the amount of fertilizer N retained in the soil over time, more so under no-tillage than under standard tillage, emphasizing the benefit of cover crops in reducing the amount of fertilizer required to maintain productivity. While acceptance of reduced tillage ultimately depends on economic performance, the results of this study support its agronomic viability for irrigated row crops.