Yield and Yield Components of Four Spring Wheat Cultivars Grown Under Three Tillage Systems¹

Abstract

Soil erosion is a serious problem in the wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) producing areas of the Palouse Region of the Pacific Northwest. A field study was conducted under three environmental conditions [a Palouse silt loam (Pachic Ultic Haploxerolls, fine‐silty, mixed, mesic) during 1980 and an Athena silt loam (Pachic Haploxerolls, fine‐silty, mixed, mesic) during 1979 and 1980] to determine the effects of three tillage systems on grain yield and yield components of four soft white spring wheat cultivars, WS‐1, Urquie, Fielder, and Walladay. The tests were conducted using conventional (fall plow and spring disk), conservation (fall chisel and spring disk), and no‐tillage (standing stubble) tillage systems. Average grain yields with no‐tillage and conservation tillage were significantly greater than yields using conventional tillage. No‐tillage increased test weights while reducing tillage operations significantly reduced the number of spikelets per head, but increased the 100‐seed weight. Tillage practice had no significant influence on heads/m2, seeds per spikelet or seeds per head. Environment significantly influenced all yield components but not grain yield itself. There were significant differences in yield and yield components among the cultivars examined. Cultivar ✕ tillage interaction for yield (p ≤ 0.06) and test weight (p ≤ 0.03) were significant when examined across all environments. These findings show that no‐tillage spring wheat yields were equal to or greater than that obtained with conventional tillage. Significant cultivar ✕ tillage interactions for yield and test weight emphasize the need to evaluate individual spring wheat cultivars for specific tillage conditions.

Effects of tillage on productivity of a winter wheat-vetch rotation under dryland Mediterranean conditions

“…Similar to the first year of the experiment, significant differences were found among tillage treatments in the third year and the DD treatment provided the highest yield compared with other treatments. Grain yield ranking from the highest to the lowest was ST > DD > CT when averaged across years, indicating that grain production increased as tillage decreased, similar to the findings of others (Ciha, 1982;Cantero-Martínez et al, 2003;Patrick et al, 2003). This study's finding is also consistent with Carter (1991), who found that shallow tillage removed some of the constraints associated with direct drilling and provided an alternative to mouldboard ploughing.…”

“…Among yield components, only thousand kernel weight showed no significant effect due to tillage. Some authors observed a similar response to tillage (Arshad et al, 1994;Patrick et al, 2003), whereas others reported that kernel weight increased as tillage declined (Ciha, 1982). Similarly, Galantini et al (2000) concluded that there was no significant difference on kernel weight in a wheat-vetch rotation.…”

Tillage Effects on Wheat Emergence and Yield at Varying Seeding Rates, and on Labor and Fuel Consumption

“…For example, the relative ranking of four soft white spring wheat cultivars across three tillage systems changed for grain yield in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, prompting the recommendation that cultivars must be developed for specific tillage environments (Ciha, 1982). For example, the relative ranking of four soft white spring wheat cultivars across three tillage systems changed for grain yield in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, prompting the recommendation that cultivars must be developed for specific tillage environments (Ciha, 1982).…”

“…Differences among wheat cultivars both across and possibly within studies may contribute to the inconsistency in yield response to changes in tillage. For example, the relative ranking of four soft white spring wheat cultivars across three tillage systems changed for grain yield in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, prompting the recommendation that cultivars must be developed for specific tillage environments (Ciha, 1982). A similar recommendation resulted when cultivars were compared in tilled and untilled environments in South Dakota (Hall and Cholick, 1989).…”

Winter wheat yield and yield components as affected by soil tillage systems

“…Kernel weight increased for soft white spring wheat as tillage declined in a continuous small-grain system at 2 out of 3 locations in the Pacific Northwest (Ciha, 1982). This researcher attributed the increase in kernel weight to the moisture conservation benefits that resulted from maintaining crop residue on the surface under reduced tillage and NT compared with CT systems.…”