The effects of crop rotations and fertilization on wheat productivity

 The effects of crop rotations and fertilization on wheat productivity in the Pampean semiarid region of Argentina. 2. Nutrient balance, yield and grain quality

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the semiarid region of Argentina has often been grown as a low-input crop. Rainfall scarcity and distribution are the main characteristics of the region. Consequently, knowledge of the effect of different management practices is the key to sustainable crop production. The objective of this work was to study the effect of 15 years of different wheat management practices on plant nutrition, dry matter production and grain yield and quality. The treatments were: continuous wheat (WW), wheat-grazing natural grasses (WG) and wheat-legume: [vetch (Vicia sativa L.) plus oat (Avena sativa L.) or Triticale (Triticum aestivum L.  Secale cereale L.)] (WL), with and without fertilizer (N  P) application. The WW and WL treatments involved annual tillage and a long fallow period (4-6 months) under stubble mulch, and WG involved annual alternate tillage and a short fallow (1 month). The experiment was started in 1975 and the data presented were obtained in 1989. Wheat yields were higher with the WW than with the WG rotation, but in both rotations fertilization was required to obtain better grain quality (protein content higher than 11 per cent). The wheat-legume rotation resulted in the highest yield, protein content, and better yield components. Fertilizer application did not increase dry matter production but improved nutrient uptake and grain quality. Yield component differences could be attributed to water availability due to different fallow length. The wheat-legume rotation seemed to be the best practice 

Galantini J.A., M.R. Landriscini, J.O. Iglesias, A.M. Miglierina, R.A. Rosell. 2000. The effects of crop rotations and fertilization on wheat productivity in the Pampean semiarid region of Argentina. 2. Nutrient balance, yield and grain quality. Soil & Tillage Research 53: 137-144.

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Nitrogen balance in a plant-soil system under different cover crop-soybean cropping in Argentina

 Cover crops (CC) provide many benefits for the soil and the following crop but their effects on nitrogen (N) release and balance in continuous no-tillage soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) production are little known. Estimation of the biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) in intensive agricultural systems under soybean is essential to understanding the N dynamics and to determining the balances and crop demands. This study (2006–2011) was performed on a Typic Argiudoll under no-tillage in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. The aims were to study the effect of fall winter CC, such as wheat (W), oats (O), oats + vetch (O + V) and vetch (V), on the yield and N-content of the following crop (soybean) and to quantify the contribution of the BNF and N-balance. Three methodologies were used for BNF estimation: 1) a linear regression model between BNF and N-uptake by soybean; 2) the natural 15N abundance in soybean and 3) the average BNF in the Pampa region. Gramineous CC developed more dry matter than pure legume species, with intermediate values for the gramineous-legume mixture. Biological fixation provides 60–70% of absorbed N, according to the estimation method. Within the rainfall range of 500–1000 mm during the soybean cycle, CC did not affect the grain yield or soybean dry matter production. The partial N-balance was always positive, with differences between the techniques used for BNF estimation. Cover crops have contributed to the positive soil N-balance. Gramineous CC stored 22% more N content in the soil surface layer than the others. Cover crops showed 15% higher index of N-stratification on the surface compared to the control soil. Using CC would be an efficient alternative to produce biomass and to supply N to the soil for the subsequent crop

Cover crops Soybean Biological fixation N-balance Mollisol

Landriscini M.R., J.A. Galantini, M.E. Duval, J.E. Capurro. 2019. Nitrogen balance in a plant-soil system under different cover crop-soybean cropping in Argentina. Applied Soil Ecology 133:124-131.

doi: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2018.10.005

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Cover Crops in the Production System

Autumn-winter cover crop effects on yield and corn N accumulation in Southwestern Buenos Aires

Cover crops (CC) have an effect on nitrogen (N) accumulation and on successive crop yields. The aim of this study was to evaluate yields, yield components and N accumulation of maize using as previous crops different CC and evaluating the response to N fertilization. Five experiments were conductedd on a Typic Argiudioll (USDA Soil Taxonomy) of Coronel Suárez. The species used as CC were: Oats (Avena sativa), Hairy vetch (Vicia sativa) and control (chemical fallow). The experimental design consisted of split-plots in three randomized complete blocks, with main plots corresponding to the cover crops treatment and subplots to the fertilizer treatment (N applied at the V4-V6 corn stage). The treatments in the main plots were the CC. The effects of CC varied according to the corn yield component.. Hairy vetch and N fertilization at different rates increased the N absorption efficiency. A greater N absorption was not always related to increases in corn yields, probably due to the climatic variability among years. There was a tendency for greater corn yields with hairy vetch as a preceding cover crop. N application reduced hairy vetch N recovery during the second year and increased N recovery during the first and third year. Fertilizer application effects varied among previous crops with a low response to N when the previous crop was hairy vetch, a variable response when in fallow and a significant response when the previous crop was oats.

Cover crops, corn, hairy vetch, clover, oats, yield, nitrogen.

Sá Pereira E. de, J.A. Galantini, A. Quiroga, M.R. Landriscini. 2014. Efecto de los cultivos de cobertura otoño invernales, sobre el rendimiento y acumulación de N en maíz en el sudoeste bonaerense. Ciencia del Suelo 32 (2) 219-231.

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Cover Crops in the Production System

Production and quality of cover crops in soybean monoculture

Cover crops (CC) are an alternative to improve soil organic matter, capture labile nutrients and minimizing its leaching losses during long-term fallows, typical of agricultural systems with high frequency soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.). The objective was to evaluate the production and nutrient content of different CC in simplified system (soybean monoculture) under no-tillage. CC used were: (T) bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), (A) oat (Avena sativa L.), (V) vetch (Vicia sativa L.) and (A+V) oat + vetch. Upon drying the CC was determined: production of total aerial dry matter (MS), biochemical composition (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin), macro- and micronutrients. Dry matter production in T and A ranged between 7.2 and 11.1 Mg ha^-1, differing significantly from V with values between 4.1 and 4.6 Mg ha^-1. Carbon concentration did not differ between CC (43-45% C). The amount of N accumulated in aboveground biomass ranged between 102 and 212 kg N ha^-1, showing differences only between years. The concentration of structural polymers clearly differ between CC species, where T and A showed higher concentrations of cellulose and hemicellulose regarding V. Conversely, V showed higher concentrations of nonstructural carbohydrates and lignin than grasses. Winter grasses as CC were more efficient in producing MS and therefore more effectives to contribute to increased soil organic matter, promoting the recycling of macro- and micronutrients, preventing the leaching of those most labile.

Wheat-vetch, Biochemical composition

Duval, Matías E.; Galantini, Juan A.; Capurro, Julia E.; Beltrán, Marcelo J. 2017. Producción y calidad de diferentes cultivos de cobertura en monocultivo de soja. Ciencias Agronómicas (FCA-UNR) XXIX 7-13.
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Effect of sorghum residues on wheat productivity in semi-arid Argentina

Effect of sorghum residues on wheat productivity in semi-arid Argentina. 1. Stover decomposition and N distribution in the crop.

Humification and residual effects of three month-fallowed sorghum residues on the productivity of winter wheat in a petrocalcic Haplustoll soil in semi-arid Argentina were studied. ¹⁵N-labelled urea was applied at sorghum harvesting-mulching (or beginning of fallow, F), wheat seeding (S) and tillering (T). Sorghum residues interacted strongly with N added to the soil. Total aerial plant dry matter (TADM) was lowest (4.94 Mg ha^-1) when N was added at the beginning of fallow thus indicating a strong N immobilization, and highest (8.30 Mg ha^-1) when N was incorporated at S. The N uptake followed a similar pattern. The percentage of N derived from fertilizer and that of recovery as well as the N content of the TADM increased from F to S to T. These data suggest that the sorghum residues immobilize larger amounts of N when it is applied at the beginning of fallowing than when it is incorporated at a later time such as seeding and tillering.

Rosell R.A., Galantini J.A., Iglesias J.O., Miranda R. 1992. Effect of sorghum residues on wheat productivity in semi-arid Argentina. I. Stover decomposition and N distribution in crop. The Science of the Total Environment (Netherlands), 117/118: 253-261.
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