Stubble management and microclimate, yield and water use efficiency of canola grown in the semiarid Canadian prairie

Abstract

Cutforth, H. W., Angadi, S. V. and McConkey, B. G. 2006. Stubble management and microclimate, yield and water use efficiency of canola grown in the semiarid Canadian prairie. Can. J. Plant Sci. 86: 99-107. Standing stubble traps snow and creates a favorable microclimate, which increases yields in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and pulses [chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), field pea (Pisum sativum L.) and lentil (Lens culinaris L.)]. Generally, the taller the stubble the greater is the effect on microclimate and yield. A field study using farm-scale seeding and harvesting equipment was conducted over four seasons (1999 to 2002) to assess the effect of stubble management on the microclimate, water use and seed yield of argentine canola (Brassica napus L. 'Arrow') in the semiarid prairie surrounding Swift Current. Tall (30 cm), short (15 cm) and cultivated stubble treatments were deployed in fall and in spring. An additional tall stubble treatment with extra fertilizer N (application rate recommended for the Black soil zone in the subhumid prairie) was included to assess the role of fertilizer in canola response to stubble management practices. The differences in wind velocity, soil temperature and solar radiation reaching the soil surface indicated significant modification of the microclimate by tall compared with cultivated stubble. Yields were highest from the tall stubble receiving extra fertilizer. Further research is needed to determine optimum fertilizer rates to maximize canola yields in the semiarid prairie. For treatments receiving equivalent rates of fertilizer, tall stubble increased seed yield of canola by about 24% and water use efficiency (WUE) by about 19% compared with stubble cultivated in the fall. Comparing between stubble treatments deployed on fields that overwintered as tall stubble and which received equivalent rates of fertilizer, tall stubble increased canola yield by about 16% and WUE by about 11% compared with cultivated stubble. Crop water use was not affected by stubble management so the increased grain production was due to increased WUE. . En général, plus haut est le chaume, meilleurs sont ses effets sur le microclimat et le rendement. Les auteurs ont procédé à une étude sur le terrain en recourant à de l'équipement commercial pour les semis et la récolte; l'étude a duré quatre saisons (de 1999 à 2002) et devait servir à évaluer l'incidence de la gestion du chaume sur le microclimat, l'utilisation de l'eau et le rendement grainier du canola argentin (Brassica napus L. cv Arrow) dans la région semi-aride des Prairies qui entoure Swift Current. À cette fin, les auteurs ont recouru à du chaume élevé (30 cm), du chaume court (15 cm) et du chaume cultivé à l'automne et au printemps. Ils ont aussi examiné un autre traitement consistant en du chaume élevé avec application d'engrais N supplémentaire (au taux recommandé pour les sols noirs dans la zone sub-humide des Prairies) de manière à évaluer le rôle de l'engrais dans la réaction du canola aux pratiques de gestion du chaume. Les variations...

Yield, water use, and protein content of spring wheat grown after six years of alfalfa, crested wheatgrass, or spring wheat in semiarid southwestern Saskatchewan

“…Reducing tillage has increased the water use efficiency of crops in extended crop rotations with less frequent summerfallow and demonstrated that nearly continuously cropping is economically and agronomically viable in semiarid regions . For example, direct seeding into tall standing stubble increases soil water conservation by increasing snow trapping and reducing water loss via evaporation from the soil surface (Campbell et al 1992;Steppuhn 1994), and promotes more efficient use of water throughout the growing season (Cutforth and McConkey 1997;Campbell et al 2002;Cutforth et al 2002Cutforth et al , 2006. The development of simple technologies, such as no-till seeding, has markedly enhanced the possibilities for short durations ( 53 yr) of forages in crop rotations in semiarid regions.…”

Development of Dryland Oilseed Production Systems in Northwestern Region of the USA

“…By creating a more complicated microclimate that could influence the distribution of surface soil water content, studies in southeastern Saskatchewan show that seeding into tall stubble increases yield and water use efficiency of wheat, pulses, and canola versus seeding into cultivated cereal stubble [37][38][39]. Extratall (45 cm) stubble can further increase yield of these crops [40], but the effect disappears at row spacing >30 cm [62].…”

Circles of live buffer strips in a center pivot to improve multiple ecosystem services and sustainability of irrigated agriculture in the southern Great Plains

“…Some farmers plant into herbicide-terminated wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to reduce wind damage, but growing wheat also uses water. Standing stubble from the previous crop will decrease wind speeds near the soil surface and provide a more positive microclimate for the crop growth (Cutforth et al 2006). As well, standing wheat stubble will increase ponding of heavy rainfall or snowmelt and allow more time for infiltration of water that would otherwise be lost by runoff or evaporation.…”