Transition cropping system impacts on organic wheat yield and quality

AbstractOrganic wheat and small grains are produced on relatively few acres in the inland Pacific Northwest. The objective of this study was to examine how the nitrogen (N) dynamics of cropping systems (CSs) produced during the transition phase impacted organic wheat yield and protein levels in the first 2 years of certified organic production. Certified organic spring wheat (SW) was produced in 2006 and winter wheat (WW) in 2007 following nine, 3-year transitional cereal, small grain and legume-intensive CSs. SW and WW following perennial alfalfa + oat/pea forage or 3 years of legume green manure tended to be more productive than wheat that followed systems that contained a small grain crop for at least 1 year during the transition. In addition to increasing soil N, well-established stands of forage and green manure provided adequate cover to reduce weed establishment prior to organic production. Effective weed control strategies were as important as increasing soil inorganic N levels for improving organic wheat production. Choice of crop type, cultivar and rotation is important in organic wheat systems and in this study, WW had better stand establishment, competition with weeds and higher overall yield than SW and would be a better-suited class of wheat for organic production in situations where spring weeds are the dominant problem. Regardless of CS or crop type, supplemental soil fertility (primarily N) during the organic production phase will be necessary to maintain high soil N levels and wheat yields in these dryland systems.

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Assessing soil nitrogen availability in contrasting cropping systems at the end of transition to organic production

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/cjss2010-039 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 91 (4) ◽

pp. 493-501 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

K. Liu ◽

A. M. Hammermeister ◽

P. R. Warman ◽

C. F. Drury ◽

R. C. Martin

Keyword(s):

Soil Nitrogen ◽

Nitrogen Availability ◽

Transition Period ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

N Uptake ◽

Cropping System ◽

Organic Production ◽

N Availability ◽

Soil N ◽

Soil Nitrogen Availability

Liu, K., Hammermeister, A. M., Warman, P. R., Drury, C. F. and Martin, R. C. 2011. Assessing soil nitrogen availability in contrasting cropping systems at the end of transition to organic production. Can. J. Soil Sci. 91: 493–501. Quantifying soil nitrogen (N) availability at the end of a transition period for converting conventional fields to organic fields could enhance N management during the subsequent organic crop production phase. Soil total N (Ntot), KCl extractable N (KCl N) and potentially mineralizable N (No) were determined at the end of a 3-yr transition period. A complementary greenhouse ryegrass N bioassay was conducted using soils collected from the treated field plots. The field experiment consisted of six cropping systems comprising two N inputs (legume-based vs. manure-based) and three forage cropping treatments (0, 1 or 2 yr of forage in 4-yr rotations). The N input treatments consisted of alfalfa meal in the legume-based cropping system (LBCS) and composted beef manure in the manure-based cropping system (MBCS). Orthogonal contrasts suggested no differences in Ntot or KCl N either between LBCS and MBCS or between no-forage and forage cropping systems. However, in the greenhouse study, high cumulative N inputs in the MBCS resulted in significantly higher ryegrass N uptake and potentially mineralizable soil N than in the LBCS. Ryegrass N uptake ranged from 101 to 139 kg ha−1, which should be an adequate N supply for the succeeding potato crop. In the greenhouse, a ryegrass N bioassay effectively identified the differences in soil N availability. Ryegrass N uptake was linearly related to cumulative soil amendment N inputs but had no apparent relationship with N o. A systems approach provided a good assessment of N availability at the end of the transition period to organic production.

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Long-Term Green Manure Rotations Improve Soil Biochemical Properties, Yield Sustainability and Nutrient Balances in Acidic Paddy Soil under a Rice-Based Cropping System

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy9120780 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 780

Author(s):

Muhammad Qaswar ◽

Jing Huang ◽

Waqas Ahmed ◽

Dongchu Li ◽

Shujun Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Grain Yield ◽

Green Manure ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Cropping System ◽

Biochemical Properties ◽

Control Treatment ◽

Yield Sustainability ◽

Double Rice ◽

Winter Fallow

Cultivation of green manure (GM) crops in intensive cropping systems is important for enhancing crop productivity through soil quality improvement. We investigated yield sustainability, nutrient stocks, nutrient balances and enzyme activities affected by different long-term (1982–2016) green manure rotations in acidic paddy soil in a double-rice cropping system. We selected four treatments from a long-term experiment, including (1) rice-rice-winter fallow as a control treatment (R-R-F), (2) rice-rice-milkvetch (R-R-M), (3) rice-rice-rapeseed (R-R-R), and (4) rice-rice-ryegrass (R-R-G). The results showed that different GM rotations increased grain yield and the sustainable yield index compared with those of the R-R-F treatment. Compared with those of R-R-F, the average grain yield of early rice in R-R-M, R-R-R, and R-R-G increased by 45%, 29%, and 27%, respectively and that of late rice increased by 46%, 28%, and 26%, respectively. Over the years, grain yield increased in all treatments except R-R-F. Green manure also improved the soil chemical properties (SOM and total and available N and P), except soil pH, compared to those of the control treatment. During the 1983–1990 cultivation period, the soil pH of the R-R-M treatment was lower than that of the R-R-F treatment. The addition of green manure did not mitigate the soil acidification caused by the use of inorganic fertilizers. The soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) contents and stocks of C, N and P increased over the years. Furthermore, GM significantly increased phosphatase and urease activities and decreased the apparent N and P balances compared with those in the winter fallow treatment. Variance partitioning analysis revealed that soil properties, cropping systems, and climatic factors significantly influenced annual grain yield. Aggregated boosted tree (ABT) analysis quantified the relative influences of the different soil properties on annual grain yield and showed that the relative influences of TN content, SOM, pH, and TP content on annual crop yield were 27.8%, 25.7%, 22.9%, and 20.7%, respectively. In conclusion, GM rotation is beneficial for sustaining high crop yields by improving soil biochemical properties and reducing N and P balances in acidic soil under double- rice cropping systems.

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Effect of Cropping System and Rice Residue Retention on Crop Productivity and Soil Physical Properties in Rice Based Cropping System of Bangladesh

The Agriculturists ◽

10.3329/agric.v17i1-2.44693 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (1-2) ◽

pp. 14-30

Author(s):

M Jahangir Alam ◽

S Ahmed ◽

MK Islam ◽

R Islam ◽

M Islam

Keyword(s):

Crop Production ◽

Crop Yields ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Wheat Yield ◽

Cropping System ◽

Physical Property ◽

Crop Productivity ◽

System Productivity ◽

Transplanted Rice ◽

Residue Retention

Cropping systems of Bangladesh are highly diverse and cultivation costs of puddled transplanted rice (PTR) are high. Therefore, an improved system is needed to address the issues, a field experiment was conducted during 2011-2013 to evaluate system intensification with varying degrees of cropping systems and residue retention. Four cropping systems (CSE) namely CSE1: T. boro rice-T. aman rice (control), CSE2: wheat-mungbean-T. aman rice (wheat and mungbean sown using a power tiller-operated seeder (PTOS) with full tillage in a single pass; puddled transplanted aman), CSE3: wheat-mungbean-dry seeded DS aman rice (DSR), and CSE4: wheat-mungbean-DS aman rice (all sown by PTOS with strip tillage) were compared. Two levels of aman rice residue retention (removed; partial retention i.e. 40 cm of standing stubble) were compared in sub plots. Grain yield was significantly higher (by 11%) when wheat was grown after DSR than PTR. Similarly, PTR and DSR (aman rice) produced statistically similar crop yields. Rice residue retention resulted a significantly higher (by 10%) wheat yield and a slightly increased (by 6%) mungbean yield than that of residues removed. The system productivity of CSE4 was significantly higher (by 10%) than CSE1 when averaged of the two years data. Partial aman residue retention gave significantly higher system yield than residue removal (by 0.6 t ha-1). After two years, no effect of CSE or partial aman residue retention was found on soil physical property (bulk density) of the top soil. Therefore, CSE4 along with residue retention would be more effective for sustainable crop production. The Agriculturists 2019; 17(1-2) 14-30

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Effects of contrasted cropping systems on yield and N balance of upland rainfed rice in Madagascar: Inputs from the DSSAT model

Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s0014479720000010 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 56 (3) ◽

pp. 355-370

Author(s):

Julie Dusserre ◽

Patrice Autfray ◽

Miora Rakotoarivelo ◽

Tatiana Rakotoson ◽

Louis-Marie Raboin

Keyword(s):

Upland Rice ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

N Uptake ◽

Cropping System ◽

N Balance ◽

Soil N ◽

Smallholder Farming ◽

Velvet Bean ◽

Experimental Conditions

AbstractIn response to the extensive development of upland rice on the hillsides of the Malagasy highlands, alternative cropping systems have been designed based on conservation agriculture (CA). As the promotion of CA in smallholder farming systems is still the subject of debate, its potential benefits for smallholder farmers require further assessment. In the context of resource-poor farmers and low-input production systems, nitrogen (N) is a major limiting nutrient. The effects of contrasted cropping systems have been studied on upland rice yield and N uptake in rainfed conditions: conventional tillage (CT) and CA with a mulch of maize or a legume (Stylosanthes or velvet bean). Decision Support Systems for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) crop growth model was used to quantify the soil N balance according to the season and the cropping system. The lowest yields were obtained in CA with a mulch of maize and were also associated with the lowest crop N uptake. Upland rice yields were higher or equivalent under CA with a legume mulch than under CT cropping systems. The supply of N was considerably higher in CA with a legume mulch than in CT, but due to higher leaching and immobilization in CA, the final contribution of N from the mulch to the crop was reduced although not negligible. DSSAT has been shown to be sufficiently robust and flexible to simulate the soil N balance in contrasting cropping systems. The challenge is now to evaluate the model in less contrasted experimental conditions in order to validate its use for N uptake and yield prediction in support to the optimization and design of new cropping systems.

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Impacts of Repeated Glyphosate Use on Wheat-Associated Bacteria Are Small and Depend on Glyphosate Use History

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.01354-17 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 83 (22) ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Daniel C. Schlatter ◽

Chuntao Yin ◽

Scot Hulbert ◽

Ian Burke ◽

Timothy Paulitz

Keyword(s):

Pacific Northwest ◽

Bacterial Communities ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Soil Microbial Communities ◽

Cropping System ◽

Environmental Benefits ◽

No Till ◽

History Of ◽

History Of Use

ABSTRACT Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide worldwide and a critical tool for weed control in no-till cropping systems. However, there are concerns about the nontarget impacts of long-term glyphosate use on soil microbial communities. We investigated the impacts of repeated glyphosate treatments on bacterial communities in the soil and rhizosphere of wheat in soils with and without long-term history of glyphosate use. We cycled wheat in the greenhouse using soils from 4 paired fields under no-till (20+-year history of glyphosate) or no history of use. At each cycle, we terminated plants with glyphosate (2× the field rate) or by removing the crowns, and soil and rhizosphere bacterial communities were characterized. Location, cropping history, year, and proximity to the roots had much stronger effects on bacterial communities than did glyphosate, which only explained 2 to 5% of the variation. Less than 1% of all taxa were impacted by glyphosate, more in soils with a long history of use, and more increased than decreased in relative abundance. Glyphosate had minimal impacts on soil and rhizosphere bacteria of wheat, although dying roots after glyphosate application may provide a “greenbridge” favoring some copiotrophic taxa. IMPORTANCE Glyphosate (Roundup) is the most widely used herbicide in the world and the foundation of Roundup Ready soybeans, corn, and the no-till cropping system. However, there have been recent concerns about nontarget impacts of glyphosate on soil microbes. Using next-generation sequencing methods and glyphosate treatments of wheat plants, we described the bacterial communities in the soil and rhizosphere of wheat grown in Pacific Northwest soils across multiple years, different locations, and soils with different histories of glyphosate use. The effects of glyphosate were subtle and much less than those of drivers such as location and cropping systems. Only a small percentage of the bacterial groups were influenced by glyphosate, and most of those were stimulated, probably because of the dying roots. This study provides important information for the future of this important tool for no-till systems and the environmental benefits of reducing soil erosion and fossil fuel inputs.

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Field Management Effects on Damping-Off and Early Season Vigor of Crops in a Transitional Organic Cropping System

Phytopathology ◽

10.1094/phyto-98-5-0562 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 98 (5) ◽

pp. 562-570 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Fulya Baysal ◽

Maria-Soledad Benitez ◽

Matthew D. Kleinhenz ◽

Sally A. Miller ◽

Brian B. McSpadden Gardener

Keyword(s):

Soil Chemistry ◽

Cropping System ◽

Organic Production ◽

Vegetable Production ◽

Damping Off ◽

Area Index ◽

Soil Suppressiveness ◽

Compost Amendment ◽

Compost Amendments ◽

Certified Organic

Transitioning farmland to certified organic vegetable production can take many paths, each varying in their costs and benefits. Here, the effects of four organic transition strategies (i.e., tilled fallowing, mixed-species hay, low-intensity vegetables, and intensive vegetable production under high tunnels), each with and without annual compost applications for 3 years prior to assessment, were characterized. Although transition cropping strategies differed in soil chemistry (P < 0.05), the magnitude of the changes typically were marginal and pairwise comparisons were rarely significant. In contrast, the compost amendment had a much greater impact on soil chemistry regardless of cropping strategy. For example, percent C and total P increased by 2- to 5-fold and K increased from 6- to 12-fold. Under controlled conditions, damping-off of both edamame soybean (cv. Sayamusume) and tomato (cv. Tiny Tim) was reduced from 2 to 30% in soils from the mixed-hay transition. In the field, damping-off of both crops was also significantly lower in plots previously cropped to hay (P < 0.05). Although not always significant (P < 0.05), this pattern of suppression was observed in all four of the soybean experiments and three of the four tomato experiments independent of compost application. The compost amendments alone did not consistently suppress damping-off. However, plant height, fresh weight, and leaf area index of the surviving seedlings of both crops were greater in the compost-amended soils regardless of the transitional cropping treatment used (P < 0.05 for most comparisons). These data indicate that mixed-hay cropping during the transition periods can enhance soil suppressiveness to damping-off. In addition, although compost amendments applied during transition can improve crop vigor by significantly enhancing soil fertility, their effects on soilborne diseases are not yet predictable when transitioning to certified organic production.

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Tillage Systems Affecting Rice-Wheat Cropping System

Sains Malaysiana ◽

10.17576/jsm-2021-5006-04 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 50 (6) ◽

pp. 1543-1562

Author(s):

Rafi Qamar ◽

Atique ur Rehman ◽

Hafiz Muhammad Rashad Javeed ◽

Abdul Rehman Abdul Rehman ◽

Muhammad Ehsan Safdar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Asia ◽

Management Practices ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Wheat Yield ◽

Cropping System ◽

Zero Tillage ◽

Tillage Systems ◽

Wheat Production ◽

Tillage System ◽

The Cost

Rice-wheat production is an essential component of cropping systems in the Indus-Ganga Plains (IGP) which play a pivotal role in food security of south Asia. These crops are being cultivated on an area of about 13.5 M ha of South Asia. In rice-wheat cropping system, the major reason for lower wheat grain yield is use of unwise tillage practices during wheat seedbed preparation, cultivation of late maturing rice varieties, water shortage, labor shortage, high cost of fertilizers and poor crop management practices. Resource-conserving technology improves the sustainability and productivity of wheat, which ultimately increase the farmer’s livelihood and reduce poverty. Tillage plays an important role in agricultural operation for soil manipulation to optimize the crop productivity. Different tillage systems are being practiced for wheat production in rice-wheat cropping systems including intensive tillage system, conventional and deep tillage, conservation tillage that consisting of minimum tillage, ridge tillage, and no-till or zero tillage system. Zero tillage gives more accessible and efficient planting system that ensures timely wheat cultivation, cut off the tillage operation, better crop residue management that ultimately minimize the cost of production and keeps environment clean. Operational costs for wheat sowing are 50-60% lower with zero tillage (ZT) sowing than with conventional sowing. The cost saving effect is the main reason for the spread of zero tillage technology in rice-wheat system. Current paper presented a review of different tillage systems and their effects on soil physical properties, plant available water, soil organic matter and nutrients, rice residues, wheat yield and farmer’s economics.

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Synthetic Mulches in Organic Hardneck Garlic (Allium sativum subsp. ophioscorodon) Production

USURJ University of Saskatchewan Undergraduate Research Journal ◽

10.32396/usurj.v6i2.435 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Matthew A Carr ◽

Kate A Congreves

Keyword(s):

Weed Control ◽

Allium Sativum ◽

Production Systems ◽

Block Design ◽

Cropping System ◽

Organic Production ◽

Soil Conditions ◽

Vegetable Production ◽

Soil Nutrition ◽

Certified Organic

The demand for certified organic garlic (Allium sativum) in Canada is increasing; however, garlic can be challenging to produce organically, as it does not compete well with weeds, requires relatively fertile soils, and is grown in a biennial cropping system. Synthetic mulches have been adopted in organic production as they can be an economical method to improve vegetable production by reducing weed pressure and modifying soil conditions. We hypothesize that garlic quality and overall yield will be improved when using synthetic mulches. In 2017-18, we conducted a randomized complete block design experiment to compare garlic production of black plastic, white plastic, and Kraft paper mulch treatments to a control with no mulch at a certified organic farm in Krestova, British Columbia. We evaluated garlic characteristics associated with yield and quality, changes in soil nutrition, and weed control of the mulch treatments. We found that plastic mulches had the best weed control, and all synthetic mulches increased minimum and maximum bulb diameter, clove count, and yield compared to the control. Mulching materials did not influence soil nitrate concentrations. The results support the hypothesis that synthetic mulches increase the quality and yield of the garlic compared to the control. Our findings suggest that synthetic mulching may be a key component of improving garlic production systems.

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A Review of Weed Management Challenges in Organic Peanut Production

Peanut Science ◽

10.3146/ps18-12.1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 46 (1) ◽

pp. 56-66 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

W. Carroll Johnson

Keyword(s):

Weed Control ◽

Weed Management ◽

Cropping System ◽

Organic Production ◽

Integrated System ◽

Integrated Weed Management ◽

Annual Grasses ◽

Peanut Production ◽

Certified Organic ◽

Mechanical Weed Control

ABSTRACT Organic peanut production is a high-risk cropping system, largely due to difficulties in managing weeds using methods acceptable for certified-organic production. In contrast with conventional peanut production that relies heavily on synthetic herbicides, organic peanut production must use an integrated system to manage weeds. The foundation for an integrated weed management system is cultural weed control which is a system of production practices that promote uniform peanut growth to suppress weeds. Cultural weed control includes practices that promote vigorous early-season peanut growth and lessen chances for weed escapes. Mechanical weed control is based on repeated cultivation using a tine weeder and sweep cultivator to control weeds before they emerge. However, weed control consistency from cultivation is affected by rainfall that can delay scheduled cultivations and hinder implement function. Handweeding is also a form of mechanical weed control that is used to supplement other weed control efforts by controlling escapes. Herbicides derived from natural products and thermal weed control using propane flaming have limited value in organic peanut production due to limited weed control spectra, specifically poor control of annual grasses and perennial weeds. Successful weed management in certified organic peanut production will depend on an integrated system, not a single form of weed control.

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Geocenamus brevidens Associated with Reduced Yield of No-Till Annual Spring Wheat in Oregon

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pd-90-0885 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 90 (7) ◽

pp. 885-890 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Richard W. Smiley ◽

Ruth G. Whittaker ◽

Jennifer A. Gourlie ◽

Sandra A. Easley

Keyword(s):

Triticum Aestivum ◽

Pacific Northwest ◽

Spring Wheat ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Wheat Yield ◽

Economic Damage ◽

Nematode Density ◽

No Till ◽

Single Location ◽

The Pacific

Associations between stunt nematodes and yield of no-till annual spring wheat (Triticum aestivum) were examined at two eastern Oregon locations. Geocenamus brevidens was the only species detected at one location and was mixed with Tylenchorhynchus clarus at another location. Six cultivars were planted with or without application of aldicarb during 2001. Inverse correlations between yield and stunt nematode density were significant at the G. brevidens-only site (P = 0.04) but not the G. brevidens + T. clarus site (P = 0.44). Yields were inversely correlated (P < 0.01) with stunt nematode populations at both sites during 2002. Aldicarb improved grain yields at both locations during 2001 (17 and 24%, P < 0.01) but not at the single location treated with aldicarb during 2002 (10%, P = 0.06). A lack of association between yield and T. clarus in 19 previously unreported experiments is discussed. Reduced wheat yield in response to stunt nematodes in Oregon is likely due to parasitism by G. brevidens and not T. clarus. This is the first report associating G. brevidens with suppression of wheat yield in the Pacific Northwest. Further studies are needed to define cropping systems and locations where G. brevidens may cause economic damage.

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