Direct drilling compared with ploughing for winter wheat grown continuously and the effects of subsoiling

Abstract. Direct drilling was compared with mouldboard ploughing on a sandy clay loam using winter wheat as the test crop for a period of four years (1978/79 to 1981/82). The effect of short- and long-term sequences of direct-drilling on grain yield from 1981/85 was also investigated and in 1983/84 and 1984/85 the effect of soil loosening by a slant-legged subsoiler, the'Paraplow'. The range in annual mean yields was 7.19 to 9.32 t ha^-1. There were no significant differences in grain yield between direct-drilling and ploughing except in 1979 when direct-drilled wheat yielded 0.60 t ha^-1 more than wheat after ploughing. The number of years the land had been direct-drilled had no effect on grain yield.
Using a slant-legged subsoiler on direct-drilled land significantly reduced cone resistance and increased root density, but these effects were variable across the working width of the implement. Subsoiling did not increase yield in 1983/84, and in 1984/85 it reduced yield by 0.45 t ha^-1.
Long-term direct drilling of winter wheat on the Tickenham soil series is unlikely to result in a loss of yield provided straw is burnt and grass weeds are controlled.     

Ploughless tillage in Sweden. Results and experiences from 15 years of field trials

Results and experience from 140 field trials carried out during the period 1974–1988 are presented. The whole of Sweden was represented in the investigation, but the majority of sites were in the central and southern areas of the country. In the unploughed experimental plots, conventional autumn ploughing to 20–25 cm was compared with two or three stubble cultivations to approximately 10–12 cm depth. on average, use of ploughless tillage reduced yields of winter wheat, spring barley, winter and spring oilseed rape and sugarbeet and somewhat improved yields of oats and potatoes. The results from ploughless tillage were generally improved by the use of dual rear tractor wheels instead of single wheels, by the placement of artificial fertilizer instead of broadcasting and by the removal of straw. The incidence of annual weeds increased on average by 25% and stoloniferous weeds by 100%. The most suitable soils were peats, sandy loamy tills, silty loams or silty clay loams and heavy clays.     

Effects of reduced tillage and liming on microbial activity and soil properties in a weakly-structured soil

The effects of reduced tillage and lime on crop yield and soil physical and microbial properties were studied in a weakly-structured silty clay loam soil. Two autumn primary tillage practices were compared, mouldboard ploughing to 20–25 cm and cultivation to 12 cm. Seedbed preparation was carried out by several harrowing operations in the mouldboard ploughed treatment, and with a PTO-driven harrow in the same operation as sowing in the shallow cultivation treatment. The tillage treatments were applied alone or were combined with liming aimed at soil structural improvement. Lime was added as 6.5 Mg CaO ha⁻¹ before the start of the experiment and mixed into the top 12 cm of soil with a disc cultivator. A 4-year crop rotation was used: spring barley, spring oilseed rape, spring/winter wheat and oats, and all crops were compared each year. Crop residues were retained in the experiment and incorporated at cultivation. Aggregate stability was improved by the shallower tillage depth, probably as an effect of an increase in soil organic matter and a more active microbial biomass. Liming had little effect on soil structure variables but increased microbial activity to some extent. This was reflected in higher crop yields, especially when the shallow tillage depth was combined with liming. Penetration resistance in the seedbed subsoil was highest when mouldboard ploughing was carried out in plots without liming. Data were examined with principal component analyses, and the structures in the data were presented as scores and loading plots, which revealed groupings between samples and relationships between variables, respectively.     

Amelioration of a hardsetting Alfisol through deep mouldboard ploughing, gypsum application and double cropping. III. Crop production and profitability

Deep mouldoard ploughing to 0.45 m, gypsum application (5 t ha⁻¹), and double cropping were evaluated, alone and combined, as ameliorants for a hardsetting red-brown earth (Alfisol). The double cropped treatment consisted of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) and a summer forage crop consisting of sudax (Sorghum sudanese) intersown with cowpea (Vigna unguiculata). This paper describes the effect of these treatments on crop development, yield, crop-water relations and economic returns. Crop emergence was not affected by any treatment. Mouldboard ploughing significantly increased wheat grain yield from 1.86 to 2.15 t ha⁻¹, in 1984, but not in 1985. Yield was also increased from 5.18 to 5.68 t ha⁻¹ as a result of gypsum addition in 1985—after no significant difference in 1984. Double cropping significantly increased yield (by 0.6 t ha⁻¹) in 1985. Greater increases were obtained with the summer cropping phase where higher evaporative demand during the summer would have aggravated soil structural problems associated with hardsetting. Sudax-cowpea dry matter yields were increased from 13.6 to 17 t ha⁻¹ and from 13.0 to 17.5 t ha⁻¹ during summer 1984–1985 by gypsum and mouldboard ploughing, respectively. The higher yields are attributed to increased water storage and depletion, and reduced soil strength for the mouldboard ploughed and gypsum main treatments. No interactions were found between the main treatments, except at the end of the 1985 winter cropping phase when there was a negative interaction between mouldboard ploughing and gypsum application for dry matter, equivalent root length and yield. The yield increases associated with mouldboard ploughing did not persist beyond the second year of the experiment. Double cropping combined with mouldboard ploughing (Mb+DC) was the most profitable treatment, whereas mouldboard ploughing with gypsum (Mb+G) was the least profitable for the crops grown in this experiment.     

Managing traffic-induced soil compaction by using conservation tillage

The term ‘Konservierende Bodenbearbeitung’ has a somewhat different meaning than conservation tillage as used worldwide. In Germany the term is used not only in relation to the retention of surface residues to reduce erosion but in association with compaction control by carefully timed loosening operations.Field experiments were conducted from 1985 to 1990 on a loamy sand (Dystric-Luvisol) in north-central Germany. The effect of crop rotation-specific soil loosening on some soil physical properties and crop yields was studied in the presence and absence of wheel-induced soil compaction when growing sugar beet, winter wheat, winter barley and a cover crop. Five tillage treatments were studied in a 3-year crop rotation: sugar beet; winter wheat; winter barley; cover crop. These included conventional mouldboard ploughing, conservation tillage with no loosening and conservation tillage where loosening was carried out with a wide blade chisel plough, (1) before winter barley, (2) before the cover crop (mustard or California bluebell) and (3) before winter barley and the cover crop.Wheel-induced compaction decreased the pore space and in most cases eliminated differences due to tillage practice. Pore space on the wheel-tracked plots of the conventional treatment was considerably lower than on the non-wheel-tracked plots. Similar results were obtained for the conservation tillage plots but only where loosening had been carried out within the last 18 months.In summary of the 6 years experiment, there was in general no evidence that conventional tillage was superior to conservation tillage with respect to the yields of sugar beet, winter wheat, or, within certain limits, winter barley on loamy sand.Accordingly, conservation tillage with crop rotation-specific non-inverting soil loosening, promises to be a potential strategy not only with regard to reducing soil erosion, but a programme for reducing costs and alleviating traffic-induced soil compaction.     

Yield and N uptake as affected by soil tillage and catch crop

Two field trials with spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) were conducted at two locations in Denmark in order to evaluate the effects of tillage and growth of a catch crop on yield parameters under temperate coastal climate conditions. Ploughing in autumn or spring in combination with perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) as a catch crop was evaluated on a coarse sand (Orthic Haplohumod) from 1987 to 1992 at three rates of N fertiliser application (60, 90 and 120 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹). Rotovating and direct drilling were also included as additional tillage practices. The experiment was conducted on a 19-year-old field trial with continuous production of spring barley. Ploughing in autumn or spring in combination with stubble cultivation and a catch crop, in addition to minimum tillage, was evaluated in a newly established field trial on a sandy loam (Typic Agrudalf) from 1988 to 1992. Yield parameters and N concentrations in grain and straw were determined. On the coarse sand, N uptake in the grain in ploughed plots without a catch crop was significantly greater when spring ploughed as opposed to autumn ploughed, but grain and straw yields did not differ significantly. Grain yield, straw yield and total N uptake did not differ significantly between direct drilled and autumn ploughed plots, but the trend was for grain yield to be lower with direct drilling. After 19 years of catch crop use, yield parameters in ploughed plots were greater than in plots without catch crops. This was most pronounced in the autumn ploughed plots. Rotovating the catch crop in the spring decreased grain yield compared with underploughing the catch crop in autumn or spring. No significant interactions were found between tillage and N rates. On the sandy loam, grain as well as straw yield and total N uptake were not significantly affected by catch crop or time of ploughing. Grain yield was significantly lower with reduced tillage (stubble cultivation in autumn) than in all other treatments.     

Changes in N leaching and crop production as a result of measures to reduce N losses to water in a 6‐yr crop rotation

The effects of various measures introduced to increase nitrogen (N)‐use efficiency and reduce N losses to water in a 6‐yr crop rotation (winter wheat, spring barley, green manure, winter wheat, spring barley, spring oilseed rape) were examined with respect to N leaching, soil mineral N (SMN) accumulation and grain yield. An N‐use efficient system (NUE) with delayed tillage until late autumn and spring, direct drilling of winter wheat, earlier sowing of winter and spring crops and use of a catch crop in winter wheat was compared with a conventional system (CON) in a field experiment with six separately tile‐drained plots in south‐western Sweden during the period 1999–2011 (two crop rotation cycles). Total leaching of NO₃‐N from the NUE system was significantly 46 and 33% lower than in the CON system during the first and second crop rotation cycle, respectively, with the most pronounced differences apparently related to management strategies for winter wheat. Differences in NO₃‐N leaching largely reflected differences in SMN during autumn and winter. There was a tendency for lower yields in the NUE system, probably due to problems with couch grass. Overall, the measures for conserving N, when frequently used within a crop rotation, effectively reduced NO₃ concentrations in drainage water and NO₃‐N leaching losses, without severely affecting yield.     

Direct drilling and soil loosening for spring cereals on a fine sandy loam in Atlantic Canada

Changes in soil structure and properties, plant growth and diseases and agronomic aspects were determined, after 3 years, on a Charlottetown fine sandy loam, an Orthic Podzol with a perhumid soil moisture regime, subjected to three tillage systems for spring cereals. The tillage systems consisted of direct drilling, soil loosening with a “paraplow” followed by direct drilling and mouldboard ploughing.

Rate of plant growth and other crop measurements were not changed by the tillage systems, except for the depth of seeding. Direct drilling reduced the accumulation of N and K in the plant, and reduced grain N, compared with mouldboard ploughing. Soil loosening prior to direct drilling prevented the decline in N and K accumulation, and increased grain yield and N content, in comparison with mouldboard ploughing. Direct drilling caused changes in soil macro-aggregation and reduced the evaporation rate, and increased microbial biomass C and N, total organic C and N and extractable ions at the soil surface (0–5 cm), compared with mouldboard ploughing. In addition, earthworm numbers were increased under direct drilling. Root lesion and spiral nematodes were not influenced by tillage differences.

Soil loosening prior to direct drilling alleviated the significant reductions in soil macroporosity, and prevented the increase in soil bulk density, soil strength and percentage water-filled pore space (%WFPS) associated with direct drilling alone. Although soil permeability was optimum under direct drilling alone, the relative increase in %WFPS and reduction in soil aeration were associated with a concomitant increase in common root rot.     

Assessment of tillage strategies to decrease nitrate leaching in the Brimstone Farm Experiment, Oxfordshire, UK

Tillage may influence nitrate losses from agricultural soils. Losses of nitrate were measured in drainflow at 60 cm depth and in combined surface runoff and interflow in the A horizon (=surface layer flow) on hydrologically sealed plots with a two-year comparison (1988–1990) of shallow-tine cultivation vs. mouldboard ploughing. Ploughing increased concentrations and loadings of nitrate in drainflow and surface layer flow, especially in the first year. After these two years the shallow-tined plots were ploughed to plant winter beans (Vicia faba L.), and nitrate in drainflow then increased over the next three winters, slightly exceeding that from the plots which had been ploughed throughout for winter cereals. The composition of the surface layer flow did not show this effect, however. Calculations of net winter mineralisation of soil organic nitrogen showed that shallow-tine cultivation may have decreased mineralisation slightly compared with ploughing in the first two years. These calculations did not indicate any increase in mineralisation for two winters after the minimally cultivated plots were ploughed in autumn 1990, probably because the soil was then very dry. This increase was apparently delayed until the fifth winter (1992/1993), which was much wetter than any since autumn 1990. In the previous eight years (1980–1988) half of the plots had been ploughed and half had been direct drilled. Averaged over the five winters 1988/1989–1992/1993, the five measures of nitrate loss in drainflow from plots previously direct drilled were 6–57% more than from plots previously ploughed, and winter mineralisation was 20% more, with no evidence of any decline in either with time. The nitrate produced by mineralisation of organic matter conserved by the eight years of direct drilling was mainly lost by leaching or denitrification; it was of little or no benefit to the crops. The results suggest that in the long term more nitrate is leached from land subject to periods of minimal or zero tillage and ploughing than from land ploughed every year.     

Soil and residue management effects on arable cropping conditions and nitrous oxide fluxes under controlled traffic in Scotland 1. Soil and crop responses

Soil compaction can affect crop growth and greenhouse gas emission and information is required of how both these aspects are affected by compaction intensity and weather. In this paper we describe treatments of compaction intensity and their effects on soil physical conditions and crop growth in loam to sandy loam cambisol soils. Soil conditions and crop performance were measured over three seasons in a field experiment on soil compacted by wheels on freshly ploughed seedbeds. Ploughing buried the chopped residues of the previous crop. After ploughing, traffic was controlled such that the experimental plots received wheel traffic only as treatments. The overall objective was to discover how the intensity and distribution of soil compaction just before sowing influenced crop performance, soil conditions and emissions of nitrous oxide. Compaction treatments were zero, light compaction by roller (up to 1 Mg m⁻¹) and heavy compaction by loaded tractor, (up to 4.2 Mg). The experiment was located at Boghall, near Edinburgh (860 mm average annual rainfall) for the first two seasons under spring and winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and in a drier area at North Berwick (610 mm average annual rainfall) for the third season under winter oil-seed rape (Brassica napus L.). Heavy compaction in dry soil conditions had little effect on crop growth. However, in wet conditions heavy compaction reduced air porosity, air permeability and gas diffusivity, increased cone resistance and limited winter barley growth and grain yield. Heavy compaction in wet conditions reduced winter barley yields to 7.1 Mg ha⁻¹, in comparison to 8.8 Mg ha⁻¹ in the zero compaction treatment. The compaction status of the top 15 cm of soil seemed to be particularly important. Loosening of the top 10 cm of soil immediately after heavy compaction restored soil conditions for crop growth. However, zero seed bed compaction gave patchy and uneven crop emergence in dry conditions. Both zero and light compaction to a target depth of 10 cm gave similar crop productivity. Maintenance of a correct compaction level near the soil surface is particularly important for establishment and overwintering of barley and oil seed rape.     

Direct drilling,shallow tine-cultivation and ploughing on a silt loam soil, 1974–1980

Results are given for an experiment in which direct drilling, shallow tine-cultivation and ploughing were compared on a silt loam soil over 7 years. A rotation of cereal and oilseed rape crops was established to minimise a possible interaction between disease, particularly take-all (Gaeumannomyces graminis), and cultivation treatment. Over the six harvest years shallow tillage produced on average a 6 and 9% heavier yield than ploughing and direct drilling, respectively. The importance of surface soil conditions at the time of seedling establishment was clearly evident. In years when the passage of the direct drill caused little soil disturbance and seeds were placed in a smeared slot, and particularly when crop residues were pressed into the slot, plant populations were diminished and so were yields. The degree of soil shattering by the passage of the drill and the consequent friability of the tilth varied between the extremes of water content of the top soil (0–5 cm). Direct drilling produced larger yields relative to ploughing after the first three seasons and this may reflect the increased organic matter content and stability of the soil aggregates in the surface layer (0–2.5 cm) which have already been reported for this soil. These changes may have facilitated the greater friability of the soil and the creation of tilth by the passage of the drill which ensured uniform germination and rapid establishment of the seedlings.The site was characterised by variations in the depth of topsoil over gravel (< 50 to > 100 cm), and the deepest soil gave the heaviest yield. This effect was relatively greater in dry seasons but it never interacted with the effect of tillage method.     

Traffic and tillage effects on soil conditions and crop growth on a swelling clay soil

Abstract. Trafficked and non-trafficked (12 m gantry) crop production systems, which had been maintained on an Evesham series 60% clay soil since 1986, were used again in 1993 during the cultivation and sowing of winter wheat. After a one year set-aside break, mouldboard ploughing, tine cultivation and rotary digging were compared. Measurements were made of tillage energy, soil tilth, cone penetration resistance, biological activity and crop performance, and on specific plots, soil density, seedbed tilth and water release characteristics. Despite the one year's set-aside break, the effect of the previously applied traffic treatments remained and resulted in a smaller specific plough resistance and tillage energy on the non-trafficked soil. Tine cultivator draught however was greater on the non-trafficked compared with the trafficked plots. The specific energy required for rotary digging on non-trafficked soil was similar to that required during the ploughing of similar plots. A measure of indefinite biotic activity indicated that this was apparently greater on the non-traffficked soil, while soil density was decreased by up to 18% in these conditions compared with the trafficked land. Average cone resistance over the depth range 0 to 0.5 m was 1.51 MPa on the trafficked, compared with 1.24 MPa on the non-trafficked soil. Cone resistance also tended to be greater after tine cultivation compared with that after ploughing. Water release curves were interpreted as showing more macropores within the topsoil of the non-trafficked compared with the trafficked plots. Tine cultivation on trafficked soil had more smaller pores than mouldboard plough cultivation. Winter wheat yield was increased by 25% (from 8 to 10 t/ha) on non-trafficked compared with trafficked soil.     

Effects of alternative tillage systems on soil quality and yield of spring cereals on silty clay loam and sandy loam soils in the cool, wet climate of central Norway

Tillage trials were established on a poorly drained silty loam overlying silty clay loam and on a freely drained sandy loam overlying medium sand, in 1988 and 1989, respectively. Autumn and spring ploughing and two ploughless systems were compared for 12–13 years, with three replications at each site. The ploughless treatments comprised deep versus shallow spring harrowing until 1999, and thereafter autumn plus spring harrowing versus spring harrowing only. In 6 years, treatments with and without fungal spraying of the cereal crops were included. In other years, fungicides were not used. Perennial weeds were controlled by herbicides as necessary, on nine occasions up until 2001. Average spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and spring oat (Avena sativa L.) yields were similar with spring ploughing as with autumn ploughing at both sites. In treatments without ploughing, average yields on the silty loam over clay were 93% of those obtained with ploughing, and on the sandy loam over sand they were 81%. Smaller and non-significant yield differences were found between spring harrowing versus deep spring harrowing, and between autumn plus spring harrowing versus spring harrowing only. Fungal spraying increased yields markedly at both sites (25%), but there was no significant interaction between this treatment and tillage system. Oat was compared with barley in 2 years, with oat performing better under ploughless tillage. At both sites increases in penetrometer resistance occurred in the topsoil of unploughed treatments. These were considered particularly limiting on the sandy loam. On the silty loam there was an increase in surface horizon porosity in the absence of ploughing, which was associated with an increase in topsoil organic matter content. On this soil there was also a tendency toward lower penetrometer resistance at >30 cm depth on autumn plus spring harrowed soil than on ploughed soil, indicating that the plough pan may have diminished. This was supported by observations of greater earthworm activity on unploughed soil. Soil chemical analyses revealed that mineral N and plant-available P and K accumulated in the upper horizon under ploughless tillage. The percentage yields obtained in individual years with autumn as opposed to spring ploughing, were positively correlated with air temperature during 0–4 weeks after planting on the silty loam, and with precipitation during 0–12 weeks after planting on the sandy loam. In the case of yields obtained with spring harrowing only, relative to spring ploughing, positive correlations were found with 0–4 week temperature on both soil types, suggesting that low early season temperatures may limit yields under ploughless tillage.     

Effect of stubble height and tillage on winter soil temperature in central Alberta

Production of winter wheat in central Alberta may be risky due to winter-kill by low temperatures. Winter survival can be enhanced with a snow-trapping stubble. The effect of barley stubble height and tillage on snow depth and soil temperature was investigated during the winters of 1983–1984 and 1984–1985 on a Black Chernozemic soil at Lacombe, Alberta. Snow depth was measured only in 1984–1985 and was deepest under zero tillage with the tallest stubble (30 cm). Under zero tillage, stubble height had a significant effect on soil temperature. Soil temperatures under zero tillage with no stubble were the lowest and fluctuated greatly in response to air temperatures. Soil temperatures increased with an increase in stubble height and were highest at a stubble height of 15 or 30 cm. Soil temperatures in plots with stubble 15 cm tall were 3.9-5.3°C higher than in plots with no stubble. Under conventional tillage, stubble did not affect soil temperatures in 1983–1984, but in 1984–1985 soil temperatures in November and December were warmer when stubble was incorporated than when it was removed. Soil temperatures under conventional tillage were generally similar to temperatures under zero tillage with no stubble or with stubble of 7.5 cm. Although the soil temperatures during the course of this study did not go below the critical lethal limits of −20°C, the results indicated that stubble height and zero tillage may provide a solution to some of the problems associated with winter kill of winter wheat in central Alberta.     

Ridging in autumn as an alternative to mouldboard ploughing in a humid-temperate region

In the original ridge tillage system as practiced in the US Corn Belt, ridges are formed during the growing season. Several studies have documented that this can reduce leaching of nutrients and improve fertilizer efficiency. This study was conducted to determine whether ridges formed in autumn can be used as an alternative to ploughing to reduce N leaching during autumn and winter, and thereby increase growth and N uptake of a subsequent unfertilized crop. A factorial field experiment with tillage and residues as factors was conducted during 1998–2000. Tillage treatments were autumn ridging and ploughing. Residue treatments were stubble, stubble + straw and stubble + liquid manure in order to create a gradient of C/N ratios. From the time of harvest until planting of a subsequent barley crop (Hordeum vulgare L.), inorganic N was determined 11 times in 1998–1999 and 10 times in 1999–2000 in the 0–10, 10–30, 30–60 and 60–90 cm soil layers. Growth and N uptake of barley was quantified nine times in both 1999 and 2000. Barley grain and straw yields were determined. Ridging resulted in lower levels of inorganic N in the 30–90 cm soil layer in November and a significantly higher level of inorganic N in the 0–30 cm soil layer in late April, indicating reduced leaching and increased N availability for the subsequent crop. Ridging significantly increased growth, yield and N uptake of barley whereas incorporation of straw generally reduced growth, yield and N uptake. It is concluded that ridging in autumn has a N conserving effect, and it is suggested that the potential of ridging in autumn as an alternative to ploughing is further investigated in detailed studies of solute movement, N immobilization/mineralization and crop performance.     

The role of tillage and crops on a soil loss of an arable Stagnic Luvisol

The poor physical, chemical and biological properties make Stagnic Luvisol highly susceptible to water erosion on sloping terrains. The objective of this paper is to estimate the effect of different tillage treatments and crops (maize, soybean, winter wheat, spring barley, oilseed rape) on water erosion. The highest erosion in investigation period (1995–2014) was recorded in the control treatment with fallow, followed by the treatment that involved ploughing and sowing up and down the slope. Significantly, lower soil losses were recorded in no-tillage and treatments with ploughing and sowing across the slope. Regarding the crops significantly higher soil losses were recorded in spring row crops (maize and soybean) compared to high-density winter crops (wheat and oilseed rape) and double crop (spring barley with soybean). In the studied period, an average loss of 46 mm of the plough layer was recorded in the control treatment, while in treatment with ploughing and sowing up and down the slope average annual soil loss was 10 mm. According to the results of this study no-tillage and tillage across the slope are recommended as tillage which preserves soil for the next generations in agro-ecological conditions of continental Croatia.     

Type and time of autumn tillage with and without herbicides at reduced rates in southern Sweden: 1. Yields and weed quantity

Environmental as well as economic incentives support the use of integrated weed management (IWM) systems for crop production. In order to reduce the input of agrochemicals for weed control, it may be possible to combine reduced doses of herbicides with appropriate tillage strategies and still maintain acceptable weed population levels. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficiency of different tillage strategies, with and without herbicides at 50% of normal rates, on weed populations and crop yields. The influences of type and time of stubble cultivation, harrowing and mouldboard ploughing were followed in eight long-term field trials in southern Sweden from 1988 until the spring of 1994. The crop rotations were dominated by spring-sown oats (Avena sativa L.) and barley (Hordeum distichon L.). Although significant site-by-year-by-treatment interactions were found, certain trends in influences of tillage on weeds and yields were identified. Weed density and weight often decreased in the order: stubble cultivation without ploughing > solely ploughing > stubble cultivation succeeded by ploughing. Grain yields of oats and barley varied 6–50% among tillage systems and the highest yields were often obtained in plots where ploughing succeeded stubble cultivation. Effects of tillage on weeds or yields were usually not influenced by herbicide application. Although only subnormal herbicide rates were used, weed density and weight were mostly reduced by 70–90%, while yields increased by 10–20%. In the spring of 1994, 1 year after the last herbicide application, densities of annual broad-leaved weeds were 40–65% lower in plots previously treated by herbicides than in non-treated plots, and differences among tillage systems were still significant. This study shows the advantage of combining herbicides at reduced rates with stubble cultivation and ploughing.     

The impact of tillage and residual nitrogen on wheat

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield and quality is influenced by management of the previous crop but is highly dependent on current year management. The objective of this study was to evaluate the response of winter wheat seeded in two tillage systems [conventional tillage (CT) and no-till (NT)] to four N rates applied to a previous cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) crop (0, 67, 134, and 202 kg ha⁻¹). The experiment with wheat was conducted on a Dothan sandy loam (fine, loamy siliceous, thermic Plinthic Kandiudults) at the University of Florida North Florida Research and Education Center near Quincy, FL from 1995 to 1997. For most plant characteristics, there was a tillage x N x year interaction. Greater plant emergence (79.4 vs. 65.3%) and grain N (23.5 vs. 21.5 g kg⁻¹), and lower grain moisture (139 vs. 142 g kg⁻¹) were obtained under NT than CT, respectively, in one out of two years. Nitrogen applied to a previous cotton crop increased wheat grain yields, plant height and seed number under NT in 1995–1996 and CT in 1996–1997, head density under NT in both years, harvest index under CT in 1996–1997, and grain N concentration in 1995–1996 and 1996–1997 due to residual plant and soil N. With every 1 kg N applied to a previous cotton crop, wheat grain yields increased by 5.38 kg ha⁻¹ under NT, whereas grain yield under CT was not influenced by N application to cotton in 1995–1996. In 1996–1997, grain yields increased by 4.96 and 4.23 kg ha⁻¹ for wheat grown in NT and CT, respectively. Generally, wheat seeded in NT following cotton did not decrease stand or yields compared to CT and wheat grain yields and grain N content increased with N fertilization of the previous crop. However, we would have to apply about 134 kg N ha⁻¹ to a previous cotton crop to maximize wheat production under NT and CT.     

Subsoil loosening in a crop rotation for organic farming eliminated plough pan with mixed effects on crop yield

Compacted subsoil may reduce plant root growth with resulting effects on plant uptake of water and nutrients. In organic farming systems subsoil loosening may therefore be considered an option to increase nutrient use. We investigated the effect of subsoil loosening with a paraplow to ca. 35 cm depth within a four-crop rotation in an organic farming experiment at Foulum (loamy sand) and Flakkebjerg (sandy loam) in Denmark. In each of the years 2000–2003, half of four plots per site were loosened in the autumn bearing a young grass-clover crop (mixture of Lolium perenne L., Trifolium repens L. and Trifolium pratense L.) established by undersowing in spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). The grass-clover was grown for another year as a green manure crop and was followed by winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.):barley and spring barley in the following 3 years. On-land ploughing was used for all cereal and pulse crops. Penetration resistance was recorded in all crops, and the results clearly showed that subsoil loosening had effectively reduced the plough pan and that the effect lasted at least for 3.5 years. Measurements of wheat root growth using minirhizotrons at Foulum in 2002/2003 did not show marked effects of subsoil loosening on root frequency in the subsoil. Subsoil loosening resulted in reduced growth and less N uptake of the grass-clover crop in which the subsoil loosening was carried out, probably due to a reduced biological nitrogen (N) fixation resulting from a smaller clover proportion. This had a marked effect on the growth of the succeeding winter wheat. Negative effect of subsoil loosening on yield of winter wheat and spring barley was observed without manure application, whereas small positive yield effect of subsoil loosening was observed in crops with a higher N supply from manure. Yield decrease in winter wheat was observed in years with high winter rainfall. There was no significant effect of subsoiling on grain yield of the lupin:barley crops, although subsoiling had a tendency to increase crop growth and yield during dry summers. Our results suggest that subsoil loosening should not be recommended in general under Danish conditions as a measure to ameliorate subsoil compaction.     

Tillage, crop residue and N fertilizer effects on crop yield, nutrient uptake, soil quality and nitrous oxide gas emissions in a second 4-yr rotation cycle

An 8-yr (1998–2005) field experiment was conducted on a Gray Luvisol (Boralf) soil near Star City, Saskatchewan, Canada, to determine the effects of tillage (no-tillage – NT and conventional tillage – CT), straw management (straw retained – R and straw not retained – NR) and N fertilizer (0, 40, 80 and 120 kg N ha⁻¹, except no N to pea (Pisum sativum L.) phase of the rotation) on seed and straw yield, mass of N and C in crop, organic C and N, inorganic N and aggregation in soil, and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions for a second 4-yr rotation cycle (2002–2005). The plots were seeded to barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in 2002, pea in 2003, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in 2004 and canola (Brassica napus L.) in 2005. Seed, straw and chaff yield, root mass, and mass of N and C in crop increased with increasing N rate for barley in 2002, wheat in 2004 and canola in 2005. No-till produced greater seed (by 51%), straw (23%) and chaff (13%) yield of barley than CT in 2002, but seed yield for wheat in 2004, and seed and straw yield for canola in 2005 were greater under CT than NT. Straw retention increased seed (by 62%), straw (by 43%) and chaff (by 12%) yield, and root mass (by 11%) compared to straw removal for barley in 2002, wheat in 2004, and seed and straw yield for pea in 2003. No-till resulted in greater mass of N in seed, and mass of C in seed, straw, chaff and root than CT for barley in 2002, but mass of N and C were greater under CT than NT for wheat in 2004 and for canola in 2005 in many cases. Straw retention had greater mass of N and C in seed, straw, chaff and root in most cases compared to straw removal for barley in 2002, pea in 2003 and wheat in 2004. Soil moisture content in spring was higher under NT than CT and with R than NR in the 0–15 cm depth, with the highest moisture content in the NT + R treatment in many cases. After eight crop seasons, tillage and straw management had no effect on total organic C (TOC) and N (TON) in the 0–15 cm soil, but light fraction organic C (LFOC) and N (LFON), respectively, were greater by 1.275 Mg C ha⁻¹ and 0.031 Mg N ha⁻¹ with R than NR, and also greater by 0.563 Mg C ha⁻¹ and 0.044 Mg N ha⁻¹ under NT than CT. There was no effect of tillage, straw and N fertilization on the NH₄-N in soil in most cases, but R treatment had higher NO₃-N concentration in the 0–15 cm soil than NR. The NO₃-N concentration in the 0–15, 15–30 and 30–60 cm soil layers increased (though small) with increasing N rate. The R treatment had 6.7% lower proportion of fine (<0.83 mm diameter) and 8.6% greater proportion of large (>38.0 mm) dry aggregates, and 4.5 mm larger mean weight diameter (MWD) compared to NR treatment. This suggests a lower potential for soil erosion when crop residues are retained. There was no beneficial effect of elimination of tillage on soil aggregation. The amount of N lost as N₂O was higher from N-fertilized (580 g N ha⁻¹) than from zero-N (155 g N ha⁻¹) plots, and also higher in CT (398 g N ha⁻¹) than NT (340 g N ha⁻¹) in some cases. In conclusion, retaining crop residues along with no-tillage improved some soil properties and may also be better for the environment and the sustainability of high crop production. Nitrogen fertilization improved crop production and some soil quality attributes, but also increased the potential for NO₃-N leaching and N₂O-N emissions, especially when applied in excess of crop requirements.