• Authors:
    • Schillinger, W. F.
    • Wuest, S. B.
    • Williams, J. D.
    • Gollany, H. T.
  • Source: Soil & Tillage Research
  • Volume: 86
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2006
  • Summary: Water erosion and runoff can be severe due to poor infiltration through frozen soil in the dryland wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production region of the inland Pacific Northwest (PNW), USA. For more than 70 years, farmers and researchers have used various methods of subsoiling to reduce runoff and erosion and to improve infiltration and soil moisture storage. The practice and equipment have evolved from chiseling continuous open channels across hillslopes to the rotary subsoiler that pits the soil. Farmers often subsoil wheat stubble after harvest, but do not employ this practice on newly planted winter wheat fields. These fields are especially vulnerable to erosion because of meager residue cover after a year of fallow. A 6-year field study was conducted in eastern Washington to determine the effect of rotary subsoiling in newly planted winter wheat on over-winter water storage. erosion, infiltration, and grain yield. There were two treatments, rotary subsoiling and control. The rotary subsoiler created one 40 cm-deep pit with 4 L capacity every 0.7 m(2). Natural precipitation did not cause rill erosion in either treatment because of mild winters during the study period. Net change in water stored over winter was significantly (P < 0.05) improved with rotary subsoiling compared to the control in 2 of 6 years. Grain yield was not affected by treatments in any year or when averaged over years. In 2003, we simulated rainfall for approximately 3 h at a rate of 18 mm/h on both subsoiled and control plots to determine runoff and erosion responses on frozen soils. Rotary subsoiling reduced runoff (P < 0.01) by 38%. Rotary subsoiling also significantly reduced erosion (P < 0.01) during the 20-45 min period after runoff had begun. The total quantities of eroded soils were 1.3 and 3.4 Mg/ha for the subsoiled and control treatments, respectively, with inter-rill the dominant erosion process. The average infiltration rate for the control treatment (3.3 mm/h) was half of the rate for the subsoiled treatment (6.6 mm/h), at the end of the 3 h simulation. Rotary subsoiling of newly-planted winter wheat can increase soil moisture stored over-winter and reduce runoff and soil loss on frozen soils, but the benefit of this practice for increasing grain yield has not been proven.
  • Authors:
    • Bolland, M. D. A.
    • Brennan, R. F.
  • Source: Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture
  • Volume: 46
  • Issue: 10
  • Year: 2006
  • Summary: Zinc (Zn) oxide is the most widely used fertiliser for the predominantly acidic to neutral soils of southwestern Australia. For these soils, the residual value of Zn oxide has been determined for wheat and lupin, but not for barley, oats, canola and triticale, which are also grown in the region. Just after termination of a long-term (17 year) field experiment that measured the residual value of Zn oxide for wheat, soil samples were collected from selected plots to use in 2 glasshouse experiments. The field experiment was on previously unfertilised, newly cleared duplex soil (sand with much lateritic ironstone gravel over clay) and before the experiment started DTPA extractable Zn for the top 10 cm of soil was 17 years for triticale. The 1.0 kg Zn/ha treatment remained fully effective for all crop species. As determined from projected estimates of the data, the time taken for Zn concentrations in young mature growth to reach critical values, the residual value of the 0.5 and 1.0 kg Zn/ ha treatments were least for wheat, barley and oats, were greater for lupin and canola, and greatest for triticale. There were a total of 7 wheat crops and 10 pasture years during the 17 years of the field experiment. For the 0.5 and 1.0 kg Zn/ha treatment applied in the field in 1983, 30 - 34% of the applied Zn was removed in grain of the 7 wheat crops grown before soil samples were collected to do the glasshouse experiments. The pasture was grazed by sheep and it was estimated that 16 - 24% of the Zn applied in 1983 may have been removed in wool and meat. Removal of Zn in grain and animal products therefore decreased the residual value of the Zn oxide fertiliser.
  • Authors:
    • Dellow, J. J.
    • Schipp, A.
    • Haskins, B.
    • Brooke, G.
  • Source: Weed control in winter crops 2006
  • Year: 2006
  • Summary: This publication provides a guide to chemical weed control during different growth stages of fallow, wheat, barley, oats, rye, triticale, rape, safflower, lentil, linseed, lupin, chickpea, faba bean and field pea in New South Wales, Australia. Recommended timing of herbicide application is given. Sensitivity of winter crop cultivars to herbicides is outlined. Information is also included on crop rotation, use of surfactants and oils, water quality for herbicide application, spray equipment clean-up, herbicide spray drift, compatibility of winter crop herbicides and insecticides, and common retail prices of chemicals used on winter crops.
  • Authors:
    • Garbuio, F. J.
    • Barth, G.
    • Caires, E. F.
  • Source: Soil & Tillage Research
  • Volume: 89
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2006
  • Summary: Brazil has extensive pasturelands that could be used, in part, for grain production. A no-till system was established on pastureland to obtain a suitable method for liming upon conversion from pasture to a no-till cropping system. The study was conducted during the period from 1998 to 2003, in Parana State (Brazil), on a clayey, kaolinitic, thermic Rhodic Hapludox. Soil chemical properties and grain production were evaluated after application of dolomitic lime. The experimental treatments were: control (no lime), split application of lime on the surface (three yearly applications of 1.5 t ha -1), surface lime (4.5 t ha -1), and incorporated lime (4.5 t ha -1). The lime rate was calculated to raise the base saturation in the topsoil (0-0.20 m) to 70%. The cropping sequence was: soyabean ( Glycine max L. Merril), barley ( Hordeum distichum L.), soyabean, wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.), soyabean, corn ( Zea mays L.), and soyabean. When surface-applied, liming neutralized acidity and increased exchangeable Ca 2++Mg 2+ to a depth of 0.10 m, and to a depth of 0.20 m, when incorporated. Split application of lime on the surface resulted in a slower neutralization reaction only in the first year after liming. Soil pH increased with liming and resulted in a decline of exchangeable Al 3+ and an increase in base saturation. At 0-0.05 m depth, lime incorporation resulted in lower levels of soil organic matter than surface application. It took 4-5 years after lime incorporation for soil organic matter to return to its baseline value. Liming increased grain yield in only one crop of soyabean, and only when lime was surface-applied at the full rate. However, cumulative grain yield was higher with liming than in the control treatment (no lime), regardless of the application method. Surface application of lime, at either full or split rates, was the best alternative to neutralize soil acidity when establishing a no-till system on pastureland because, in addition to conserving soil structure, it provided a greater economic return.
  • Authors:
    • Cavigelli, M. A.
    • Szlavecz, K.
    • Clark, S.
    • Purrington, F.
  • Source: Environmental Entomology
  • Volume: 35
  • Issue: 5
  • Year: 2006
  • Summary: Ground beetle assemblages were compared in organic, no-till, and chisel-till cropping systems of the USDA Farming Systems Project in Maryland. The cropping systems consisted of 3-yr rotations of corn ( Zea mays L.), soybean ( Glycine max L. Merr.), and wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) that were planted to corn and soybean during the 2 yr of field sampling (2001-2002). Each year, ground beetles were sampled using pitfall traps during three 9- to 14-d periods corresponding to spring, summer, and fall. A total of 2,313 specimens, representing 31 species, were collected over the 2 yr of sampling. The eight most common species represented 87% of the total specimens collected and included Scarites quadriceps Chaudoir, Elaphropus anceps (LeConte), Bembidion rapidum (LeConte), Harpalus pensylvanicus (DeGeer), Poecilus chalcites (Say), Clivina impressefrons LeConte, Agonum punctiforme (Say), and Amara aenea (DeGeer). Canonical variates analysis based on the 10 most abundant species showed that the carabid assemblages in the three cropping systems were distinguishable from each other. The organic system was found to be more different from the no-till and chisel-till systems than these two systems were from each other. In 2002, ground beetle relative abundance, measured species richness, and species diversity were greater in the organic than in the chisel-till system. Similar trends were found in 2001, but no significant differences were found in these measurements. Relatively few differences were found between the no-till and chisel-till systems. The estimated species richness of ground beetles based on several common estimators did not show differences among the three cropping systems. The potential use of ground beetles as ecological indicators is discussed.
  • Authors:
    • Cook, R. J.
  • Source: PNAS, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • Volume: 103
  • Issue: 49
  • Year: 2006
  • Summary: The defining features of any cropping system are (i) the crop rotation and (ii) the kind or intensity of tillage. The trend worldwide starting in the late 20th century has been (i) to specialize competitively in the production of two, three, a single, or closely related crops such as different market classes of wheat and barley, and (ii) to use direct seeding, also known as no-till, to cut costs and save soil, time, and fuel. The availability of glyphosate- and insect-resistant varieties of soybeans, corn, cotton, and canola has helped greatly to address weed and insect pest pressures favored by direct seeding these crops. However, little has been done through genetics and breeding to address diseases caused by residue- and soil-inhabiting pathogens that remain major obstacles to wider adoption of these potentially more productive and sustainable systems. Instead, the gains have been due largely to innovations in management, including enhancement of root defence by antibiotic-producing rhizosphere-inhabiting bacteria inhibitory to root pathogens. Historically, new varieties have facilitated wider adoption of new management, and changes in management have facilitated wider adoption of new varieties. Although actual yields may be lower in direct-seed compared with conventional cropping systems, largely due to diseases, the yield potential is higher because of more available water and increases in soil organic matter. Achieving the full production potential of these more-sustainable cropping systems must now await the development of varieties adapted to or resistant to the hazards shown to account for the yield depressions associated with direct seeding.
  • Authors:
    • Vyn, T.
    • Janovicek, K.
    • Deen, B.
    • Lapen, D.
  • Source: ADVANCES IN GEOECOLOGY
  • Volume: 38
  • Year: 2006
  • Summary: In corn/soybean/wheat rotations in Ontario, Canada, tillage is often conducted intermittently to remediate compaction, address residues, incorporate nutrients or to level the surface. To determine the impact of intermittent tillage on no-till soil structure and crop yield, a 10-year study was initiated in 1995 at the Woodstock Research Station, University of Guelph. Specific objectives were (1) to compare the yield potential of corn, soyabean and wheat under short term and long-term no-till, and (2) to determine the best time to conduct intermittent tillage in a corn/soybean/wheat rotation. Tillage increased corn, soyabean and wheat yields in comparison to both short-term and long-term no-till. No-till soyabean yields did not improve with increasing years under no-till. Corn yields were reduced under first year no-till, but by the second year of no-till, corn yields were equal to long term no-till yields. In a corn/soybean/wheat rotation occasional tillage should be conducted in advance of corn.
  • Authors:
    • Easterly, J. L.
    • Haq, Z.
  • Source: Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology
  • Volume: 129
  • Issue: 1/3
  • Year: 2006
  • Summary: The National Energy Modeling System (NEMS) is used by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) to forecast US energy production, consumption, and price trends for a 25-yr-time horizon. Biomass is one of the technologies within NEMS, which plays a key role in several scenarios. An endogenously determined biomass supply schedule is used to derive the price-quantity relationship of biomass. There are four components to the NEMS biomass supply schedule including: agricultural residues, energy crops, forestry residues, and urban wood waste/mill residues. The EIA's Annual Energy Outlook 2005 includes updated estimates of the agricultural residue portion of the biomass supply schedule. The changes from previous agricultural residue supply estimates include: revised assumptions concerning corn stover and wheat straw residue availabilities, inclusion of non-corn and non-wheat agricultural residues (such as barley, rice straw, and sugarcane bagasse), and the implementation of assumptions concerning increases in no-till farming. This article discusses the impact of these changes on the supply schedule.
  • Authors:
    • Age Pedersen, C.
  • Source: Review of agricultural experiments 2006. Trials and research in the agronomy sector. Oversigt over Landsfors<o>gene 2006. Fors<o>g og unders<o>gelser i de land<o>konomiske foreninger.
  • Year: 2006
  • Summary: The organization and aims of the 'Landsforsgene', the collective name for the body that coordinates agricultural experiments in Denmark, are described. The growing season 2005-2006 in Denmark was characterized by long periods of severe drought in summer that resulted in lower crop yields, although the economic effect was mitigated to some extent by higher prices. Separate sections of the review deal with winter barley, winter rye, triticale, winter wheat, spring barley, oats, spring wheat, various seed crops, field seeds, winter rape, manures and calcium treatments, growing techniques, organic farming, potatoes, sugar beet, grass and green fodder crops, maize, plant breeding, general information on experimental design and aims, and a list of authors.
  • Authors:
    • Kushnak, G. D.
    • Riveland, N.
    • Eckhoff, J. L.
    • Wichman, D. M.
    • Carlson, G. R.
    • Kephart, K. D.
    • Cook, C. R.
    • Stougaard, R. N.
    • Berg, J. E.
    • Nash, D. L.
    • Bruckner, P. L.
  • Source: Crop Science
  • Volume: 46
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2006
  • Summary: MT1159CL (Reg. No. CV-992, PI 641221) hard red winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum) was developed by Montana Agricultural Experiment Station and released in September 2004, for its tolerance to imazamox herbicide, adaptation to dryland production in central and south-central Montana, and improved milling and bread baking qualities relative to other available Clearfield winter wheat cultivars. This double-haploid line developed using the wheat * maize hybridization method from the cross FS2/Tiber (PI 517194) has moderate resistance to stripe rust ( Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici).