Strategic Tillage Effects on Crop Yields, Soil Properties, and Weeds in Dryland No-Tillage Systems

Obour, Augustine K.; Holman, Johnathon D.; Simón, L.; Schlegel, Alan J.

doi:10.3390/agronomy11040662

Cited by 30 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Soil compaction is less of a concern in northern climates where the soil is frequently frozen when grazed and freeze–thaw cycles of the soil can reduce or eliminate compaction problems (Larson & Allmaras, 1971; Mapfumo, Chanasyk, Naeth, & Baron, 1999). A one‐time shallow tillage operation can alleviate soil compaction near the soil surface when compaction develops (Obour, Holman, Simon & Johnson, 2020b).…”

Section: Regional Summarymentioning

confidence: 99%

Annual forage impacts on dryland wheat farming in the Great Plains

et al. 2021

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Wheat (Triticum spp.) dominates dryland grain crop production in the North American Great Plains and other regions with semi‐arid steppe climates. A common practice is to alternate winter or spring wheat with a 14‐ to 21‐mo fallow period to allow for soil‐water recharge, despite economic inefficiencies and environmental degradation. Replacing fallow with non‐cereal grain and seed crops often reduces future wheat yields due to increased water stress during grain fill. The use of annual forages may not have the disadvantages associated with grain and seed crops. The objective of this review was to determine benefits and challenges of incorporating annual forages into dryland wheat systems in semi‐arid steppe climates, using the Great Plains within the United States as a model system. Results indicate that: (a) cool‐ and warm‐season, annual grass and broadleaf species can be grown for forage across the region; (b) forage production will be less risky than grain and seed crop production under predicted climate‐change scenarios; (c) grazing annual forages may offer advantages (e.g., nutrient cycling, improved soil structure, added revenue from livestock) over mechanically harvesting annual forages; (d) the lack of infrastructure and local markets impede the use of annual forages to diversify wheat‐based cropping systems in the region; and (e) limited networking among researchers hinders the advancement in knowledge on how annual forages can be used to improve dryland wheat system resilience.

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Section: Regional Summarymentioning

confidence: 99%

Annual forage impacts on dryland wheat farming in the Great Plains

et al. 2021

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“…Based on the original land, we suggest implementation of cultivated land utilization and protection measures, promotion of biological control measures, optimization of farming methods, and promotion of cultivated land rotation while avoiding long-term overload cultivation. Finally, soil can be improved through various utilization measures such as rotation, allowing fields to lay fallow, and alternative planting ecological quality [85].…”

Section: Cultivated Land Use Zoning Based On Soil Functionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultivated Land Use Zoning Based on Soil Function Evaluation from the Perspective of Black Soil Protection

Zhao

et al. 2021

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Given that cultivated land serves as a strategic resource to ensure national food security, blind emphasis on improvement of food production capacity can lead to soil overutilization and impair other soil functions. Therefore, we took Heilongjiang province as an example to conduct a multi-functional evaluation of soil at the provincial scale. A combination of soil, climate, topography, land use, and remote sensing data were used to evaluate the functions of primary productivity, provision and cycling of nutrients, provision of functional and intrinsic biodiversity, water purification and regulation, and carbon sequestration and regulation of cultivated land in 2018. We designed a soil function discriminant matrix, constructed the supply-demand ratio, and evaluated the current status of supply and demand of soil functions. Soil functions demonstrated a distribution pattern of high grade in the northeast and low grade in the southwest, mostly in second-level areas. The actual supply of primary productivity functions in 71.32% of the region cannot meet the current needs of the population. The dominant function of soil in 34.89% of the area is water purification and regulation, and most of the cultivated land belongs to the functional balance region. The results presented herein provide a theoretical basis for optimization of land patterns and improvement of cultivated land use management on a large scale, and is of great significance to the sustainable use of black soil resources and improvement of comprehensive benefits.

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“…The challenges, along with the increasing costs of managing HR weeds coupled with small profit margins, have tempted some dryland producers to revert to tillage (Obour et al., 2021). One driver for reverting to tillage is the economic cost of managing HR weeds in NT systems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, over the short term, it makes economic sense to consider tillage as a low cost option to manage HR weeds. However, long‐term impacts of the re‐introduction of tillage into NT systems on soil and plant health is unknown (Obour et al, 2021), but pose a major threat to the gains made after eliminating tillage. Growing CCs to replace portions of the fallow period may help maintain NT practices by providing integrated management options for HR weeds while enhancing soil quality in dryland production systems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cover crops to improve soil health in the North American Great Plains

et al. 2021

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Rotating cereal crops [e.g., wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) with a 10-to 21-month summer fallow period (fallow) is a common farming practice in dryland (rainfed) agricultural This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. 2 regions. Fallow is associated with several challenges including low precipitation storage efficiency, depletion of soil organic carbon (SOC), loss of soil fertility, little crop residue retention and soil erosion, and few control options for herbicide resistant (HR) weeds. The inability to effectively control HR weeds poses a major challenge to maintaining soil and water conservation practices such as no-till, as some producers are considering tillage to control weeds. Cover crop (CC) integration into wheat-based production systems to replace portions of the fallow period provides an opportunity to increase SOC, improve soil fertility, suppress weeds, and increase profitability of dryland crop production, especially when CCs are used as forage. This forum paper used the North American Great Plains as a model region to review information on (1) challenges of dryland agriculture; (2) integrating CCs in dryland agriculture; (3) benefits, challenges, and limitations of CCs in dryland crop production; (4) management options for CC integration in dryland grain systems; and (5) recommendations for future research efforts. Abbreviations: CC, cover crop; HR, herbicide resistance; NT, no-tillage; SOC, soil organic carbon.

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Strategic Tillage Effects on Crop Yields, Soil Properties, and Weeds in Dryland No-Tillage Systems

Cited by 30 publications

References 47 publications

Annual forage impacts on dryland wheat farming in the Great Plains

Annual forage impacts on dryland wheat farming in the Great Plains

Cultivated Land Use Zoning Based on Soil Function Evaluation from the Perspective of Black Soil Protection

Cover crops to improve soil health in the North American Great Plains

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