Grain yield and N benefits to sequential wheat and barley crops from single-year alfalfa, berseem and red clover, chickling vetch and lentil

Abstract

Grain yield and N benefits to sequential wheat and barley crops from single-year alfalfa, berseem and red clover, chickling vetch and lentil. Can. J. Plant Sci. 82: 53-65. Singleyear hay alfalfas (Medicago sativa L.), berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) and red clovers (Trifolium pratense L.), chickling vetch (Lathyrus sativus L.) and lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) were evaluated for rotational yield and N benefits to the following first-year wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and second-year barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) crops. Field experiments were initiated in 1997 and 1998 on a Riverdale silty clay soil at Winnipeg, Manitoba. Yield and N content of the following wheat crop were increased following legumes compared to wheat following a canola control. Wheat yield and N content averaged 2955 kg ha -1 and 76.1 kg ha -1 , respectively, following the chickling vetch and lentil, 2456 kg ha -1 and 56.4 kg ha -1 following single-year hay legumes, compared with 1706 kg ha -1 and 37.9 kg ha -1 following canola. Non-dormant alfalfas (dormancy rating of eight or greater) contributed to larger grain yields than the dormant alfalfas only in the first year of each experiment. The chickling vetch and lentil provided similar or higher subsequent crop yields and N content for 2 yr compared to a canola control or fallow treatment. This study shows that some increase in yield can be achieved by using a single-year alfalfa hay crop instead of fallow; however, exclusive green manuring of chickling vetch and lentil crops can produce the most increase in yield and N uptake in subsequent crops. par hectare, respectivement, après la culture annuelle de légumineuses, comparativement à 1 706 kg et à 37,9 kg par hectare, respectivement, après la culture de canola. La luzerne non dormante (facteur de dormance au moins égal à huit) a concouru à un meilleur rendement grainier que la luzerne dormante, mais la première année seulement dans chaque cas. La culture de gesette et de lentille entraîne un rendement et une concentration d'azote analogues ou supérieurs à ceux obtenus avec le canola ou la jachère, les deux années suivantes. L'étude indique qu'on peut parvenir à une certaine hausse de rendement après une culture annuelle de luzerne au lieu de jachère, mais la plus grande amélioration de rendement et de la concentration d'azote survient quand on utilise la gesette et la lentille comme engrais verts.

Late-season catch crops reduce nitrate leaching risk after grazed green manures but release N slower than wheat demand

“…Fall rye biomass production ranged from 6290 to 7670 kg ha À1 and grain yield ranged from 3160 to 3640 kg ha À1 . Bullied et al (2002) also reported no effect from a low N single year green manure to the second grain crop. Similar to what was observed in the wheat year, N "stored" in catch crop biomass did not benefit fall rye productivity.…”

Agronomic benefits of alfalfa mulch applied to organically managed spring wheat

“…Bullied et al (2002) found greater grain yield, protein content, and grain N yield in second-crop barley grown after single-year alfalfa stands (alfalfa was seeded in spring, hayed twice during the summer and incorporated in the fall) compared with second-crop barley grown after canola or fallow controls. Long-term N and non-N benefits of alfalfa to following crops have been reported by many workers (Ladd et al 1985;Janzen et al 1990;Hoyt 1990;Janzen and McGinn 1991).…”

“…This indicates that mulch-supplied N was the source of increased second-year oat yields in the mulched plots. Other workers have also found positive N uptake benefits for multiple years in crops grown after incorporation of alfalfa residues (Bullied et al 2002).…”

Beneficial management practices and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in the agriculture of the Canadian Prairie: a review

“…The interest of growing legumes has been increasing with the rising price of N fertilizers (Bullied et al 2002). In legume-non-legume crop sequences, the amount of N fertilizer that can be replaced depends on:…”