Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Influence of tillage practices and fertilization on crop yields and soil properties in long-term crop rotation (soybean-wheat-maize) experiments

Author(s):

Costica Ailincai ^*, Gerard Jitareanu, Daniel Bucur, Adrian Mercus

Recieved Date: 2010-10-17, Accepted Date: 2011-01-03

Abstract:

The experiments were conducted during 1998-2010 to evaluate the effect of various tillage practices on yield of wheat and maize in a 3-year crop rotation (soybean-wheat-maize) and soil chemical and physical properties. Experiments were set up in split-split plots on a typical Cambic Chernozem of clay-loam texture, mean humus content (3.3%), weakly acid reaction and mean supply in mineral elements. After 13 years of experiments, ploughing at a depth of 20 cm resulted in settling the soil layer at the depth of 19-26 cm, causing the increase in apparent density at 1.52 g·cm^-3, the decrease in total porosity at 43.3% and the increase in settling degree until 16.4% of the volume. In case of chisel tillage, apparent density decreased from 1.41 to 1.33 g·cm^-3, settling degree diminished at 0.8% and hydraulic conductivity increased from 6.4 to 21.5 mm·h^-1 at the depth of 40 cm. The mean wheat yield obtained during 1998-2010 was 3265 kg·ha^-1 at 20 cm ploughing, 3521 kg·ha^-1 at 30 cm ploughing, 3143 kg·ha^-1 at chisel and disk till and 3042 kg·ha^-1 in case of soil treatment by repeated disking. The mean wheat yield was 1818 kg·ha^-1 under unfertilized, 3532 kg·ha^-1 at rate of N₁₂₀+ 80 kg·ha^-1 P₂O₅ and 3940 kg·ha^-1 at rate of N₈₀ + 80 kg·ha^-1 P₂O₂+ 30 t·ha^-1 manure. The fertilizer application resulted in gaining yield increases between 59% (1071 kg·ha^-1) at rates of N₈₀+ 80 kg·ha^-1 P₂O₅ + 6 t·ha^-1 hashed straw and 117% (2122 kg·ha^-1) at rates of N₈₀ + 80 kg·ha^-1 P₂O₅+ 30 t·ha^-1 manure. The paper presented the results of investigations concerning the influence of long-term fertilization on some chemical characteristics of soil and on the wheat and maize yields. On slope lands, the high rate fertilization of maize crop (N₁₄₀P₁₀₀) in the latest 13 years, gave an average yield increase of 103% (3373 kg·ha^-1), against control, and applying a rate of N₇₀P₇₀+40 t·ha^-1 manure resulted in very close yield increase (99%, 3258 kg·ha^-1). The total carbon content in soil had significant increases at rates higher than N₁₄₀P₁₄₀ and in case of organo-mineral fertilization. The annual fertilization of wheat and maize, at the rate of 70 kg N + 70 kg P₂O₅·ha^-1 + 6 t·ha^-1 stalks of wheat, compared to the unfertilized variant gave an increase in the content of soil organic carbon by 14.5% (2.4 g organic C·ha^-1) on weakly eroded soils and by 29.5% (4.2 g organic C·ha^-1) on highly eroded soils. During the long-term fertilizing of wheat and maize with high rates of mineral fertilizers (N₁₄₀P₁₀₀) on highly eroded lands the total content of carbon increased by 16.9% (2.4 g organic C·ha^-1 soil), against the unfertilized control.

Keywords:

Soil tillage, cropping systems, fertilization, organic matter, crop residue, wheat, maize, soil erosion

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2011
Volume: 9
Issue: 1
Category: Agriculture
Pages: 285-289

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