Zero tillage and nitrogen fertiliser application in wheat and barley on a Vertosol in a marginal cropping area of south-west Queensland

2007 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 965 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A. Thomas ◽  
R. C. Dalal ◽  
E. J. Weston ◽  
C. J. Holmes ◽  
A. J. King ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Gross Margin ◽  
Winter Cereal ◽  
South West ◽  
Cereal Production ◽  
Fallow Soil ◽  
Fertiliser Application

Winter cereal cropping is marginal in south-west Queensland because of low and variable rainfall and declining soil fertility. Increasing the soil water storage and the efficiency of water and nitrogen (N) use is essential for sustainable cereal production. The effect of zero tillage and N fertiliser application on these factors was evaluated in wheat and barley from 1996 to 2001 on a grey Vertosol. Annual rainfall was above average in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 and below average in 2000 and 2001. Due to drought, no crop was grown in the 2000 winter cropping season. Zero tillage improved fallow soil water storage by a mean value of 20 mm over 4 years, compared with conventional tillage. However, mean grain yield and gross margin of wheat were similar under conventional and zero tillage. Wheat grain yield and/or grain protein increased with N fertiliser application in all years, resulting in an increase in mean gross margin over 5 years from $86/ha, with no N fertiliser applied, to $250/ha, with N applied to target ≥13% grain protein. A similar increase in gross margin occurred in barley where N fertiliser was applied to target malting grade. The highest N fertiliser application rate in wheat resulted in a residual benefit to soil N supply for the following crop. This study has shown that profitable responses to N fertiliser addition in wheat and barley can be obtained on long-term cultivated Vertosols in south-west Queensland when soil water reserves at sowing are at least 60% of plant available water capacity, or rainfall during the growing season is above average. An integrative benchmark for improved N fertiliser management appears to be the gross margin/water use of ~$1/ha.mm. Greater fallow soil water storage or crop water use efficiency under zero tillage has the potential to improve winter cereal production in drier growing seasons than experienced during the period of this study.

Following practices, soil water storage, plant-available soil nitrogen accumulation and wheat performance in South West Queensland

1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 73-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.J. Radford ◽  
G. Gibson ◽  
R.G.H. Nielsen ◽  
D.G. Butler ◽  
G.D. Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Nitrogen ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Nitrogen Accumulation ◽  
South West

Winter cereal production on the Darling Downs dash an 11 year study of fallowing practices

1989 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 807 ◽  
Author(s):  
JM Marley ◽  
JW Littler
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Early Growth ◽  
Yield Potential ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Storage Efficiency ◽  
Winter Cereal ◽  
Available N ◽  
Cereal Production

A long term field experiment to compare 4 methods of fallowing for annual winter cereal production on a Darling Downs Vertisol was started in 1968 on the Hermitage Research Station near Warwick, Queensland. Fallowing systems being investigated are (i) tined tillage with stubble burnt (TcSb); (ii) tined tillage with stubble retained (TcSr); (iii) zero tillage with stubble burnt (TzSb); and (iv) zero tillage with stubble retained (TzSr); each at 3 rates of nitrogen (N) fertiliser application. This paper reports the effect of these treatments on fallow water accumulation, fallow N mineralisation, crop growth and yield, for the period 1968-79. Average values for available soil water in the 0-150 cm zone at sowing were 195 mm for TcSb, 212 mm for TcSr, 225 mm for TzSb and 252 mm for TzSr, and for storage efficiency (percentage of fallow rainfall stored) were 18, 20, 25 and 27% respectively. The relatively greater water storage efficiency of Tz treatments occurred mainly in fallow seasons when initial storage was low. Nitrogen mineralisation during fallows averaged 61 kg/ha and was depressed in some years by Sr. Carryover of available N in excess of crop requirements was shown at the higher rate of N fertilisation. Grain yields averaged over 12 crops were similar for the 4 fallowing systems. The lack of grain yield response to the improved water storage under TzSr was probably caused by yellow spot disease (Pyrenophora tritici-repentis) and root lesion nematode (Pratylenchus thornei), which were most prevalent under this treatment in wheat crops. Poor early growth of barley under TzSr limited its water use and grain yield potential, however, the cause of the poor early growth of barley is not known. A reduction in grain yield of 232 kg/ha associated with Sr was overcome with the addition of 23 kg N/ha as urea.

Winter cereal production on the Darling Downs dash a comparison of reduced tillage practices

1990 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 83 ◽  
Author(s):  
JM Marley ◽  
JW Littler
Keyword(s):  
Water Storage ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Reduced Tillage ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Storage Efficiency ◽  
Winter Cereal ◽  
Tillage Practices ◽  
Weed Growth ◽  
Major Treatment ◽  
Cracking Clays

Five experiments, 1 of which was continued over 3 years on the same site, were established on non-sloping Darling Downs cracking clays to compare conventional, reduced and zero tillage systems of fallowing for annual wheat production. Average values for soil water storage efficiency (percentage of fallow rainfall stored) were 14.0% for stubble burnt and conventional cultivation with tined implements (TI); 19.8% for stubble retained and conventional cultivation with tined implements (T2); 25.3% for stubble retained and zero tillage with chemical control of fallow weed growth (T3); 21.1% for stubble retained with no tillage but chemical weed control until early March, followed by cultivations with tined implements until sowing (T4); and 21.1% for stubble retained and fallow cultivations with a sweep plough (T6). Nitrogen mineralisation during fallow periods was measured over 3 seasons at the final site. No major treatment differences occurred. A small mean grain yield advantage of 4.6% to T3 over T1 was established in those seasons when improved fallow water storage was obtained with T3. The lack of yield improvement by reduced tillage treatments (T4, T5 and T6) over T1 is attributed largely to above-average crop period rainfall in those seasons when the treatments had resulted in improved presowing water.

scholarly journals Regression Models for Soil Water Storage Estimation Using the ESA CCI Satellite Soil Moisture Product: A Case Study in Northeast Portugal

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Tomás de Figueiredo ◽  
Ana Caroline Royer ◽  
Felícia Fonseca ◽  
Fabiana Costa de Araújo Schütz ◽  
Zulimar Hernández
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Soil Water Balance ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
The Relationship

The European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative Soil Moisture (ESA CCI SM) product provides soil moisture estimates from radar satellite data with a daily temporal resolution. Despite validation exercises with ground data that have been performed since the product’s launch, SM has not yet been consistently related to soil water storage, which is a key step for its application for prediction purposes. This study aimed to analyse the relationship between soil water storage (S), which was obtained from soil water balance computations with ground meteorological data, and soil moisture, which was obtained from radar data, as affected by soil water storage capacity (Smax). As a case study, a 14-year monthly series of soil water storage, produced via soil water balance computations using ground meteorological data from northeast Portugal and Smax from 25 mm to 150 mm, were matched with the corresponding monthly averaged SM product. Linear (I) and logistic (II) regression models relating S with SM were compared. Model performance (r2 in the 0.8–0.9 range) varied non-monotonically with Smax, with it being the highest at an Smax of 50 mm. The logistic model (II) performed better than the linear model (I) in the lower range of Smax. Improvements in model performance obtained with segregation of the data series in two subsets, representing soil water recharge and depletion phases throughout the year, outlined the hysteresis in the relationship between S and SM.

Fallow management, soil water, plant-available soil nitrogen and grain sorghum production in south west Queensland

1992 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 473 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Gibson ◽  
BJ Radford ◽  
RGH Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Nitrate Nitrogen ◽  
Soil Nitrate ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Fallow Management ◽  
South West ◽  
Primary Tillage ◽  
Grain Nitrogen ◽  
Texture Contrast ◽  
Gypsum Application

The effects of tillage frequency (conventional, reduced and zero), primary tillage implement (disc, blade and chisel plough), stubble management (retention and removal), gypsum application, and paraplowing were examined with respect to soil water storage, soil nitrate accumulation, crop establishment, crop growth, grain yield and grain nitrogen content for 4 successive sorghum crops on a sodic, texture-contrast soil in south west Queensland. Retention of sorghum stubble (v. removal) produced an increase in mean yield of sorghum grain of 393 kg/ha, due to increased soil water extraction and increased water use efficiency by the following crop. The highest mean yield occurred after reduced blade tillage with stubble retained. Zero tillage with stubble removed gave the lowest mean grain yield. Zero tillage always had the lowest quantity of soil nitrate-nitrogen at sowing. In one fallow, increased aggressiveness of primary tillage (disc v. blade plough) increased the quantity of nitrate-nitrogen in the top 60 cm of soil at sowing. These effects on available soil nitrogen did not result in corresponding differences in grain nitrogen content. Results indicate that for optimum fallow management on this texture-contrast soil in south west Queensland, sorghum residues should be retained, tillage frequency should be reduced, but not to zero, blade ploughing should be preferred to discing, and gypsum application should not be practised.

scholarly journals Energy balance closure on a winter wheat stand: comparing the eddy covariance technique with the soil water balance method

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Imukova ◽  
J. Ingwersen ◽  
M. Hevart ◽  
T. Streck
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Water Balance ◽  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Soil Water Balance ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Water Balance Method ◽  
Closure Method

Abstract. The energy balance of eddy covariance (EC) flux data is typically not closed. The nature of the gap is usually not known, which hampers using EC data to parameterize and test models. In the present study we cross-checked the evapotranspiration data obtained with the EC method (ETEC) against ET rates measured with the soil water balance method (ETWB) at winter wheat stands in southwest Germany. During the growing seasons 2012 and 2013, we continuously measured, in a half-hourly resolution, latent heat (LE) and sensible (H) heat fluxes using the EC technique. Measured fluxes were adjusted with either the Bowen-ratio (BR), H or LE post-closure method. ETWB was estimated based on rainfall, seepage and soil water storage measurements. The soil water storage term was determined at sixteen locations within the footprint of an EC station, by measuring the soil water content down to a soil depth of 1.5 m. In the second year, the volumetric soil water content was additionally continuously measured in 15 min resolution in 10 cm intervals down to 90 cm depth with sixteen capacitance soil moisture sensors. During the 2012 growing season, the H post-closed LE flux data (ETEC =  3.4 ± 0.6 mm day−1) corresponded closest with the result of the WB method (3.3 ± 0.3 mm day−1). ETEC adjusted by the BR (4.1 ± 0.6 mm day−1) or LE (4.9 ± 0.9 mm day−1) post-closure method were higher than the ETWB by 24 and 48 %, respectively. In 2013, ETWB was in best agreement with ETEC adjusted with the H post-closure method during the periods with low amount of rain and seepage. During these periods the BR and LE post-closure methods overestimated ET by about 46 and 70 %, respectively. During a period with high and frequent rainfalls, ETWB was in-between ETEC adjusted by H and BR post-closure methods. We conclude that, at most observation periods on our site, LE is not a major component of the energy balance gap. Our results indicate that the energy balance gap is made up by other energy fluxes and unconsidered or biased energy storage terms.

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