Corn residue baling and grazing impacts on corn yield under irrigated conservation tillage systems

Abstract

Crop residue grazing or baling is common in the western Corn Belt. However, its impacts on subsequent crop yields under different irrigation levels and tillage systems are unclear. We investigated the impacts of corn (Zea mays L.) residue baling and cattle grazing on soil compaction, water content, and corn yield under full and limited irrigated no-till in Nebraska during three years. In Years 2 and 3, an additional tillage treatment (strip till) was implemented to evaluate its effects on grain yield under the above treatments. Residue removal effects on compaction and water content did not vary with irrigation level. Grazing (3.68 animal units ha −1 ) minimally impacted compaction and soil profile water content compared to no removal. Baling increased cone index by 34-53% in the 0-to-12.5-cm depth and decreased water content by 6 cm compared to no removal. Residue removal effects on yield did not depend on irrigation. Residue removal impacts depended on tillage in Year 3 only. Full irrigation increased corn yields up to 11% compared to limited irrigation. Strip till increased yield by 11% compared to no-till in Year 2 only. Baling and grazing had no effect on corn yield in Year 1, but baling and grazing increased yield by 9% compared to no removal in Year 2, likely due to lower water content. In Year 3, grazing and baling increased yield by 9% under no-till but not strip till. Overall, grazing had minimal impacts while baling increased yield and compaction and decreased water content with few variations due to irrigation or tillage. INTRODUCTIONBaling and grazing corn residues from the approximately 37 million hectares planted to corn (Zea mays L.) in the United States (USDA-NASS, 2017) are important to meet the need for animal feed and biofuel feedstocks. Corn residues are important feedstocks as pastureland shortages increase (Liebig et al., 2017). However, the amount of corn residue baled and grazed varies by region.

Multiple Linear Regression and Correlation Analysis Of Yield of Summer Maize Varieties in Shaanxi Province, China

“…Beishan and Qinling Mountains divide Shaanxi Province into three natural regions: the northern Shaanxi Plateau, the central Guanzhong Plain, and the southern Qinba Mountains (Nascimento 2020, Yue et al 2021). The Guanzhong Plain has been known as a granary since ancient times (He and Zhou 2016, Forte et al 2017, Ruis 2021, Simão and Johnston 2021, Lu et al 2022). In the process of maize planting, it is necessary to study the main agronomic traits and their correlation with yield, to clarify the main factors affecting yield, and to provide a basis for selecting superior hybrids (Fernando 2020, Hou et al 2020, Tao 2020.…”