• Authors:
    • Morse, R. D.
    • Miyao, E. M.
    • Temple, S. R.
    • Lanini, W. T.
    • Mitchell, J. P.
    • Herrero, E. V.
    • Campiglia, E.
  • Source: HortTechnology
  • Volume: 11
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2001
  • Summary: No-tillage processing tomato production in four winter cover crop-derived mulches was evaluated in 1997 and 1998 in Five Points, California, USA. The effectiveness of two medics, 'Sava' snail medic ( Medicago scutellata), and 'Sephi' barrel medic ( Medicago truncatula), and two cereal/legume cover crop mixtures, triticale/'Lana' woolypod vetch ( Triticum x Secale/ Vicia dasycarpa [ Vicia villosa]) and rye/'Lana' woolypod vetch ( Secale cereale/ V. dasycarpa), was compared with two conventionally tilled fallow controls (with and without herbicide) (fallow+h and fallow-h) in suppressing weeds and maintaining yields with reduced fertilizer inputs. The comparison was conducted as a split plot, with three N fertilization rates (0, 100, and 200 lb/acre; 0, 112, and 224 kg/ha) as main plots and cover crops and fallow controls as subplots. Tomato seedlings were transplanted 3 weeks after the cover crops had been mowed and sprayed with herbicide. There were no significant differences in weed cover in the no-till cover crop treatments relative to the fallow controls in 1997. Early season weed suppression in rye/vetch and triticale/vetch plots was similar to herbicide-treated fallow (fallow+h) in 1998, however, later in the 1998 season weed suppression was best in the fallow+h. Tissue N was highest in the fallow treatments in both 1997 and 1998. Yields were highest in the triticale/vetch and fallow and lowest in sephi treatments in 1997, but there were no differences among treatments in 1998.
  • Authors:
    • McRae, F. J.
  • Source: Winter crop variety sowing guide 2001
  • Year: 2001
  • Summary: This guide contains information that aims to assist farmers in New South Wales, Australia, to make better cropping decisions and higher profits as well as increased productivity from the resources invested, along with total sustainability of the farm. Variety guides are given for the following winter crops: wheat (including durum wheat), barley, oats, triticale, cereal rye, grazing cereals, canola [rape], chickpea, faba bean, field pea and lupin. An evaluation of varietal characteristics, reactions to diseases, crop injury and profitable marketing of these winter crops is discussed. Weed control is detailed for some crops. Industry information on wheat receival sites and the different wheat authorities is presented. Options for the control of insect pests of stored grain, the location of various district agronomists, and a list of cereal seed dressings for the control of seed-borne diseases are provided. Hints on volumetric grain weights, typical bulk densities and the angles of repose of some grains is mentioned.
  • Authors:
    • Tonkin, C. J.
    • Dellow, J. J.
    • Mullen, C. L.
  • Source: Weed control in winter crops 2001
  • Year: 2001
  • Summary: This handbook is a guide to chemical weed control in fallows, wheat, barley, oats, rye, triticale, canola [rape], safflower, lentil, linseed, lupin, chickpea, faba bean and field pea. Information are also presented on the optimum rate, timing and method of herbicide application, use of adjuvants, surfactants and oils, and herbicide resistance.
  • Authors:
    • Roggenstein, V.
    • Fischbeck, G.
    • Dennert, J.
  • Source: Getreide Magazin
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2001
  • Summary: A study was initiated in 1980 in Germany on a soil with 4% humus and 18.2 mg P 20 5/100 g soil and 35.7 mg K 20/100 g soil. Crops included winter wheat, barley, rye, oats, rape, and maize. Annual soil analyses showed an unexpectedly large variation following inputs of up to 60 kg P/ha and 80 kg K/ha. The difference in P and K supply between fertilized and unfertilized plots was around 20%. However, the effect on yields was less than might have been expected. Non-application of P did not influence yield, while non-application of K resulted in 5% decrease (despite high K availability). No direct relationship was found between soil analysis and yields.
  • Authors:
    • Nyakatawa,E. Z.
    • Reddy,K. C.
  • Source: Agronomy Journal
  • Volume: 92
  • Issue: 5
  • Year: 2000
  • Summary: Inadequate and less vigorous crop stand is a constraint to adoption of conservation tillage in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production. We evaluated the effects of tillage (conventional till, mulch-till, no-till), cropping system (cotton-winter fallow, cotton-winter rye, Secale cereale L.), and N source and rate (ammonium nitrate and poultry litter; 0, 100, and 200 kg N ha(-1)) on rotten seedling emergence on a Decatur silt loam soil (Typic Paleudults) in northern Alabama, from 1996 to 1998. Cotton seedling counts under no-till were 40 to 150% greater than those under conventional till at 1 and 2 d during seedling emergence. Cotton-winter rye cropping system had 14 to 50% greater seedling counts than cotton-winter fallow cropping during the first 4 d of emergence in 1998. Poultry litter source of N gave 17 to 50% greater cotton seedling counts than ammonium nitrate during the first 4 d of emergence in 1998, In all these cases, the differences progressively narrowed down by the 4th day of seedling emergence. Cotton seedling counts were significantly correlated to cotton growth parameters and lint yield, especially in the drier year (1998). These results were attributed to soil moisture conservation during seedling emergence. Our results show that conservation tillage improved cotton germination, emergence, dry matter, and lint yield. Therefore, no-till with winter rye cover cropping and poultry litter can be used for achieving early cotton seedling emergence and growth in the U.S. cotton belt where dryland cotton production systems are on the increase and safe disposal of poultry litter is becoming an environmental problem.
  • Authors:
    • Blomert, B.
    • Gregorich, E. G.
    • Roloff, G.
    • Liang, B. -C.
    • Zentner, R. P.
    • Campbell, C. A.
  • Source: Canadian Journal of Soil Science
  • Volume: 80
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2000
  • Summary: Because crop management has a strong influence on soil C, we analyzed results of a 30-yr crop rotation experiment, initiated in 1967 on a medium textured Orthic Brown Chernozem at Swift Current, Saskatchewan, to determine the influence of cropping frequency, fertilizers and crop types on soil organic C (SOC) changes in the 0- to 15-cm depth. Soil organic C in the 0- to 15-cm and 15- to 30-cm depths were measured in 1976, 1981, 1984, 1990, 1993, and 1996, but results are only presented for the 0- to 15-cm depth since changes in the 15- to 30-cm depth were not significant. We developed an empirical equation to estimate SOC dynamics in the rotations. This equation uses two first order kinetic expressions, one to estimate crop residue decomposition and the other to estimate soil humus C mineralization. Crop residues (including roots) were estimated from straw yields, either measured or calculated from grain yields. The parameter values in our equation were obtained from the scientific literature or were based on various assumptions. Carbon lost by wind and water erosion was estimated using the EPIC model. We found that (i) SOC was increased most by annual cropping with application of adequate fertilizer N and P; (ii) that frequent fallowing resulted in lowest SOC except when fall-seeded crops, such as fall rye (Secale cereale L.), that reduce erosion were included in the rotation, and (iii) the fallow effects are exacerbated when low residue yielding flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) was included in the rotation. Some of the imprecision in SOC values we speculated to be related to variations in soil texture at the test site. In the first 10 yr of the experiment, SOC was low and constant for fallow-spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (F-W) and F-W-W rotations because this land was managed in this manner for the previous 50 yr. However, in rotations that received N + P fertilizer and were cropped annually [continuous wheat (Cont W) and wheat-lentil (Lens culinaris L.)], or that included fall-seeded crops (e.g., F-Rye-W),SOC appeared to increase sharply in this period. In the drought period (1984–1988) SOC was generally constant, but large increases occurred in the wet period (1990 to 1996) in response to high residue inputs. The efficiency of conversion of residue C to SOC for the 30-yr experimental period was about 10–12% for F-W, F-W-W and Cont W (+P) systems, and it was about 17–18% for the well fertilized F-Rye-W, Cont W, and W-Lent systems. The average annual SOC gains (Mg ha–1 yr–1) between 1967 and 1996 were 0.11 for F-W (N + P), 0.09 for the mean of the three F-W-W rotations (N + P, + N, + P), 0.23 for F-Rye-W (N + P), 0.32 for Cont W (N + P), 0.12 for Cont W (+ P), and 0.28 for W-Lent (N + P). The corresponding mean estimated (by our equation) annual SOC gains for these rotations, were 0.06, 0.10, 0.16, 0.22, 0.14, and 0.22 Mg ha–1 yr–1, respectively. Because soil C measurements are usually so variable, we recommend that calculations such as ours may be employed to assist in the interpretation of measured C trends and to test if they seem reasonable.
  • Authors:
    • Tonkin, C. J.
    • Dellow, J. J.
    • Mullen, C. L.
  • Source: Weed control in winter crops 2000 Weed control in winter crops 2000.
  • Year: 2000
  • Summary: This guide provides information on chemical weed control in New South Wales, Australia, for the following winter crops: wheat; barley; oats; rye; triticale; canola [rape]; safflower; lentils; linseed; lupins; chickpeas; faba beans; field pea; and fallows.
  • Authors:
    • Soderstrom, M.
    • Rydberg, A.
  • Source: Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Precision Agriculture, Bloomington, Minnesota, USA, 16-19 July, 2000
  • Year: 2000
  • Summary: This study investigates the potential of using SPOT multispectral images of agricultural fields to distinguish spatial variation in crop-growth patterns that can be used for site-specific agricultural management. Four years of SPOT data from 1995 to 1997 and 1999 are used in this study over south-western Sweden where satellite derived yield maps are compared to data from commercial yield mapping systems. The crops included rape, wheat, barley, meadow fescue [Festuca pratensis], oats, peas and rye. Our concept of crop growth maps is intended for use in areas where yield mapping, soil sampling and ground spectral measurements are not available. Maps of crop growth variability produced by clustering processes applied to images of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index are compared to clustering of yield maps from the same years. Qualitative yield estimation is derived by dividing each field into several thematic classes, going from lowest to highest potential yield within a particular field. Qualitative comparisons are made within each field. For one year, the satellite data are also compared to three traditional yield maps derived from the same set of yield data. For a few fields where the time of image acquisition coincides with stages of optimum grain fill, high correlations were obtained between yield and NDVI. This study illustrates that satellite images can be a useful tool in precision agriculture management. The clusters created from the NDVI images show similar patterns as clusters created from the yield maps.
  • Authors:
    • Walters, D. T.
    • Kessavalou, A.
  • Source: Agronomy Journal
  • Volume: 91
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 1999
  • Summary: Use of a winter rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crop following soybean [Glyceine max (L.) Merr.] has been shown to reduce the soil erosion potential in a corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean rotation system, but little is known about the effect of rye on residual soil NO(3)-N (RSN). An irrigated field study was conducted for 4 yr on a Sharpsburg silty clay loam (fine, smectitic, mesic Typic Argiudoll) to compare crop rotation and winter rye cover crop following soybean effects on RSN under several tillage practices and N fertilization rates. Treatments each gear were (i) tillage: no-till or disk; (ii) rotation: corn following soybean/rye (Cbr) or soybean/rye following corn (BRc), corn following soybean (Cb) or soybean following corn (Bc), and corn following corn (Cc); and (iii) N rate: 0, 100, and 300 kg N ha(-1) (applied to corn). Rye in the Cbr/BRc rotation was planted in the fall following soybean harvest and chemically killed in the spring of the following year prior to corn planting. Each spring, before tillage and N application, RSN was determined to a depth of 1.5 m, at 30-cm intervals. The net spring-to-spring change in RSN between subsequent spring seasons was computed for each plot, and annual aboveground N uptake for rye, corn, and soybean were determined. Rye, rotation, N rate, and tillage significantly influenced RSN in the top 1.5 m of soil. The presence of rye (BRc) reduced total spring RSN between 18 and 33% prior to corn planting in 2 of the 3 yr, compared with the no-rye system (Bc), as rye immobilized from 42 to 48 kg N ha(-1) in aboveground dry matter. Recycling of N in high-yielding rye cover crop residues led to an increase in RSN accumulation after corn in the succeeding spring. Up to 277 kg RSN ha(-1) accumulated at high rates of N following corn in the Cbr rotation, compared with 67 kg RSN ha(-1) in the no-rye system (Cb) in 1992. Regardless of the presence of rye, significant accumulation of RSN occurred following corn in the rotation sequence, while RSN declined following soybean. Less RSN was found in the top 1.5 m of soil under continuous than rotation corn, and disking tended to increase NO(3)(-) accumulation in rotation systems at high rates of N application. Although RSN declines following a rye cover crop, the ready release of this immobilized N suggests that some N credit should be given, reducing N recommendation for corn following winter rye cover, to minimize potential NO(3)(-) leaching under corn-soybean/rye rotations.
  • Authors:
    • Potter, J. W.
    • Cerkauskas, R. F.
    • McKeown, A. W.
    • Van Driel, L.
  • Source: Canadian Journal of Plant Science
  • Volume: 78
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 1998
  • Summary: A 6-yr (1987-1992) experiment, continuous on the same site, evaluated potential problems for yield, nematodes and diseases with tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) grown in a strip-till system. Treatments consisted of conventional tillage (CT) and strip tillage (ST), rye (Secale cereale L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) cover crops and a 2-yr rye-tomato rotation. Results of the first 5 yr indicated a decrease in tomato yield over time for both tillage treatments and cover crops. However, yield rebounded overall for treatments in 1992 with the highest yield in the rye-tomato rotation. We suspect this was a result of high populations of root-knot nematodes which collapsed over the winter of 1991/1992. Tomato yields were lower following wheat and perennial ryegrass than rye. In only 1 yr out of 6, strip-tillage reduced yield compared with conventional tillage. Bacterial speck/spot symptoms on foliage, although minor, were significantly greater in ST than in CT plots during the last 3 yr. No major trends in incidence and severity of bacterial and fungal diseases and of disorders of fruit were evident during the 5-yr period and neither fruit yield nor quality were significantly affected by these factors. Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne hapla Chitwood) were numerically less in the rye-tomato rotation than in other treatments; both root-knot and root lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus penetrans [Cobb]) tended to be less numerous under CT than under ST. Strip-tillage is feasible for machine harvest processing tomatoes. However, we are concerned about the tendency of tomatoes grown under reduced tillage to have lower yields than those grown under conventional tillage. More work is required on the interactions of cultivars, cover crops and nematodes in soil conservation systems.