Abstract
Despite increasing interest in organic grain crop production, there is inadequate information regarding the performance of organically‐produced grain crops in the United States, especially in Coastal Plain soils of the mid‐Atlantic region. We report on corn ( Zea mays L.), soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.], and wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) yields at the USDA‐ARS Beltsville Farming Systems Project (FSP), a long‐term cropping systems trial established in Maryland in 1996 to evaluate the sustainability of organic and conventional grain crop production. The five FSP cropping systems include a conventional no‐till corn–soybean–wheat/soybean rotation (NT), a conventional chisel‐till corn–soybean–wheat/soybean rotation (CT), a 2‐yr organic corn–soybean rotation (Org2), a 3‐yr organic corn–soybean–wheat rotation (Org3), and a 4‐ to 6‐yr organic corn–soybean–wheat–hay rotation (Org4+). Average corn grain yield during 9 yr was similar in NT and CT (7.88 and 8.03 Mg ha −1 , respectively) but yields in Org2, Org3, and Org4+ were, respectively, 41, 31, and 24% less than in CT. Low N availability explained, on average, 73% of yield losses in organic systems relative to CT while weed competition and plant population explained, on average, 23 and 4%, respectively, of these yield losses. The positive relationship between crop rotation length and corn yield among organic systems was related to increasing N availability and decreasing weed abundance with increasing rotation length. Soybean yield averaged 19% lower in the three organic systems (2.88 Mg ha −1 ) than in the conventional systems (3.57 Mg ha −1 ) and weed competition alone accounted for this difference. There were no consistent differences in wheat yield among cropping systems. Crop rotation length and complexity had little impact on soybean and wheat yields among organic systems. Results indicate that supplying adequate N for corn and controlling weeds in both corn and soybean are the biggest challenges to achieving equivalent yields between organic and conventional cropping systems.
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Claims 15
Claim · model-written summary
Corn grain yield over 9 years was similar under conventional no-till and chisel-till (about 7.9 and 8.0 Mg/ha).
- Taxon
- corn
Zea mays subsp. mayse1 - Treatment
- NTe1
- Outcome
- corn grain yielde1
- Direction
- similare1
- Value
- 7.88 and 8.03 Mg ha −1e1
- Comparator
- CTe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Average corn grain yield during 9 yr was similar in NT and CT (7.88 and 8.03 Mg ha −1 , respectively) but yields in Org2, Org3, and Org4+ were, respectively, 41, 31, and 24% less than in CT”
Claim · model-written summary
Corn yield in the 2-yr organic corn–soybean rotation (Org2) was 41% lower than in CT.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Average corn grain yield during 9 yr was similar in NT and CT (7.88 and 8.03 Mg ha −1 , respectively) but yields in Org2, Org3, and Org4+ were, respectively, 41, 31, and 24% less than in CT”
Claim · model-written summary
Corn yield in the 3-yr organic rotation (Org3) was 31% lower than in CT.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Average corn grain yield during 9 yr was similar in NT and CT (7.88 and 8.03 Mg ha −1 , respectively) but yields in Org2, Org3, and Org4+ were, respectively, 41, 31, and 24% less than in CT”
Claim · model-written summary
Corn yield in the 4- to 6-yr organic rotation (Org4+) was 24% lower than in CT.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse1
- Treatment
- Org4+e1
- Outcome
- yieldse1
- Direction
- lesse1
- Value
- 24%e1
- Comparator
- CTe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Average corn grain yield during 9 yr was similar in NT and CT (7.88 and 8.03 Mg ha −1 , respectively) but yields in Org2, Org3, and Org4+ were, respectively, 41, 31, and 24% less than in CT”
Claim · model-written summary
Low N availability explained about 73% of corn yield losses in organic systems relative to CT.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse1
- Treatment
- Low N availabilitye2
- Outcome
- yield lossese2
- Value
- 73%e2
- Comparator
- CTe2
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Average corn grain yield during 9 yr was similar in NT and CT (7.88 and 8.03 Mg ha −1 , respectively) but yields in Org2, Org3, and Org4+ were, respectively, 41, 31, and 24% less than in CT”
e2“Low N availability explained, on average, 73% of yield losses in organic systems relative to CT while weed competition and plant population explained, on average, 23 and 4%, respectively, of these yield losses”
Claim · model-written summary
Weed competition explained about 23% of corn yield losses in organic systems.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse1
- Treatment
- weed competitione2
- Outcome
- yield lossese2
- Value
- 23e2
- Comparator
- CTe2
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Average corn grain yield during 9 yr was similar in NT and CT (7.88 and 8.03 Mg ha −1 , respectively) but yields in Org2, Org3, and Org4+ were, respectively, 41, 31, and 24% less than in CT”
e2“Low N availability explained, on average, 73% of yield losses in organic systems relative to CT while weed competition and plant population explained, on average, 23 and 4%, respectively, of these yield losses”
Claim · model-written summary
Plant population explained about 4% of corn yield losses in organic systems.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse1
- Treatment
- plant populatione2
- Outcome
- yield lossese2
- Value
- 4%e2
- Comparator
- CTe2
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Average corn grain yield during 9 yr was similar in NT and CT (7.88 and 8.03 Mg ha −1 , respectively) but yields in Org2, Org3, and Org4+ were, respectively, 41, 31, and 24% less than in CT”
e2“Low N availability explained, on average, 73% of yield losses in organic systems relative to CT while weed competition and plant population explained, on average, 23 and 4%, respectively, of these yield losses”
Claim · model-written summary
Corn yield had a positive relationship with crop rotation length among organic systems.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse3
- Treatment
- crop rotation lengthe3
- Outcome
- corn yielde3
- Direction
- positivee3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e3“The positive relationship between crop rotation length and corn yield among organic systems was related to increasing N availability and decreasing weed abundance with increasing rotation length”
Claim · model-written summary
The rotation effect on corn yield was related to increasing N availability and decreasing weed abundance (author interpretation).
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse3
- Outcome
- corn yielde3
- Qualifier
- increasing N availability and decreasing weed abundancee3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e3“The positive relationship between crop rotation length and corn yield among organic systems was related to increasing N availability and decreasing weed abundance with increasing rotation length”
Claim · model-written summary
Soybean yield was 19% lower in the three organic systems than in conventional systems.
- Taxon
- Soybean
Glycine maxe4 - Treatment
- three organic systemse4
- Outcome
- Soybean yielde4
- Direction
- lowere4
- Value
- 19%e4
- Qualifier
- 2.88 Mg ha −1e4
- Comparator
- conventional systemse4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“Soybean yield averaged 19% lower in the three organic systems (2.88 Mg ha −1 ) than in the conventional systems (3.57 Mg ha −1 ) and weed competition alone accounted for this difference”
Claim · model-written summary
Weed competition alone accounted for the soybean yield difference between organic and conventional systems.
- Taxon
- SoybeanGlycine maxe4
- Treatment
- weed competitione4
- Outcome
- Soybean yielde4
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“Soybean yield averaged 19% lower in the three organic systems (2.88 Mg ha −1 ) than in the conventional systems (3.57 Mg ha −1 ) and weed competition alone accounted for this difference”
Claim · model-written summary
Wheat yield showed no consistent differences among cropping systems.
- Taxon
- wheat
Triticum aestivume5 - Treatment
- cropping systemse5
- Outcome
- wheat yielde5
- Direction
- no consistent differencese5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e5“There were no consistent differences in wheat yield among cropping systems”
Claim · model-written summary
Crop rotation length and complexity had little impact on soybean yield among organic systems.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxe6
- Treatment
- Crop rotation length and complexitye6
- Outcome
- yieldse6
- Direction
- little impacte6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e6“Crop rotation length and complexity had little impact on soybean and wheat yields among organic systems”
Claim · model-written summary
Crop rotation length and complexity had little impact on wheat yield among organic systems.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume6
- Treatment
- Crop rotation length and complexitye6
- Outcome
- yieldse6
- Direction
- little impacte6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e6“Crop rotation length and complexity had little impact on soybean and wheat yields among organic systems”
Claim · model-written summary
Adequate N supply for corn and weed control in corn and soybean are the main challenges to equivalent organic and conventional yields (author recommendation).
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse7
- Outcome
- supplying adequate N for corn and controlling weeds in both corn and soybeane7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e7“Results indicate that supplying adequate N for corn and controlling weeds in both corn and soybean are the biggest challenges to achieving equivalent yields between organic and conventional cropping systems”
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