Abstract
Crop yields are affected by tillage-induced changes in soil chemical and physical parameters. This study was conducted to determine the tillage-induced soil changes and related grain yield and grain N concentration for two crop rotations in a semi-arid region. Soil physical and chemical properties were measured in winter wheat-barley-fallow and continuous wheat rotations under no-till (NT) and conventional till (CT). The field measurements were made in 1983 and 1984 on a Lethbridge loam and a Chin clay loam in a semi-arid region of Alberta. Soil moisture, temperature, bulk density and inorganic N were measured. The effects of tillage-induced soil changes on grain yield and grain N concentration were assessed. In 1983, at Lethbridge, tillage had no effect on grain yield. Grain yield was greater for NT than for CT crops in 1984, a year characterized by early summer drought. At Vauxhall, yield of NT crops was equal to or greater than that of CT crops except for barley in 1983, where volunteer winter wheat growth was a severe problem in the NT treatment. May soil temperatures (2-cm soil depth) for spring-seeded barley averaged 14.7 °C in the CT compared with 13.9 °C in the NT treatment. Inorganic N (0 to 30 cm) was not significantly affected by tillage in 1983, but in 1984 inorganic N was consistently greater in the CT than in the NT treatments at midseason and in the fall. The dominant effect on grain N concentration was an inverse relationship with grain yield. However, when grain yields were similar between tillage systems, greater inorganic N with the CT treatment was reflected in larger grain N concentrations for CT. Greater grain yield with NT than with CT at Lethbridge was associated with greater total soil water and improved seedbed moisture resulting in greater seed imbibition of water and plant emergence. At Vauxhall, tillage treatment did not significantly affect total soil water conservation, but greater grain yields with NT than with CT were attributed to improved plant emergence with NT. Conserving both seedbed moisture and total soil water by reducing tillage had beneficial effects on crop yield in this semi-arid region. Key words: No-till, conventional till, soil water, soil temperature, soil nitrogen
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Tillage did not affect grain yield at Lethbridge in 1983.
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“In 1983, at Lethbridge, tillage had no effect on grain yield.”
Claim · model-written summary
No-till crops yielded more grain than conventional-till crops at Lethbridge in the drought year 1984.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Grain yield was greater for NT than for CT crops in 1984, a year characterized by early summer drought.”
Claim · model-written summary
At Vauxhall, no-till crop yield was equal to or greater than conventional-till crop yield, except barley in 1983.
- Taxon
- barley
.jpg?width=60)
Hordeum vulgaree0 - Treatment
- NTe0
- Interactor
- volunteer winter wheate0weed
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- equal to or greatere0
- Qualifier
- except for barley in 1983e0
- Comparator
- CTe0
- Setting
- Vauxhalle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“At Vauxhall, yield of NT crops was equal to or greater than that of CT crops except for barley in 1983, where volunteer winter wheat growth was a severe problem in the NT treatment.”
Claim · model-written summary
Conventional tillage had higher May soil temperature than no tillage for spring-seeded barley.
- Taxon
- barleyHordeum vulgaree0
- Organ / stage
- spring-seedede0
- Treatment
- CTe0
- Outcome
- soil temperaturese0
- Value
- 14.7 °Ce0
- Qualifier
- 13.9 °Ce0
- Comparator
- NTe0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“May soil temperatures (2-cm soil depth) for spring-seeded barley averaged 14.7 °C in the CT compared with 13.9 °C in the NT treatment.”
Claim · model-written summary
Tillage did not significantly affect inorganic nitrogen in 1983.
Not reportedTaxonComparatorDirection
Verbatim
e0“Inorganic N (0 to 30 cm) was not significantly affected by tillage in 1983”
Claim · model-written summary
Conventional tillage had more inorganic nitrogen than no tillage at midseason and fall in 1984.
- Treatment
- CTe0
- Outcome
- inorganic Ne0
- Direction
- greatere0
- Qualifier
- midseason and in the falle0
- Comparator
- NTe0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“in 1984 inorganic N was consistently greater in the CT than in the NT treatments at midseason and in the fall.”
Claim · model-written summary
Grain nitrogen concentration was inversely related to grain yield.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“The dominant effect on grain N concentration was an inverse relationship with grain yield.”
Claim · model-written summary
With similar grain yields, conventional tillage had higher grain nitrogen concentration alongside greater inorganic nitrogen.
- Treatment
- CTe0
- Outcome
- grain N concentrationse0
- Direction
- largere0
- Qualifier
- when grain yields were similare0
- Comparator
- tillage systemse0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“when grain yields were similar between tillage systems, greater inorganic N with the CT treatment was reflected in larger grain N concentrations for CT.”
Claim · model-written summary
At Lethbridge, higher no-till grain yield was associated with more soil water and seedbed moisture, improving imbibition and emergence.
- Treatment
- NTe0
- Outcome
- grain yielde0
- Direction
- Greatere0
- Qualifier
- greater total soil water and improved seedbed moisturee0
- Comparator
- CTe0
- Setting
- Lethbridgee0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Greater grain yield with NT than with CT at Lethbridge was associated with greater total soil water and improved seedbed moisture resulting in greater seed imbibition of water and plant emergence.”
Claim · model-written summary
At Vauxhall, tillage did not significantly affect total soil water conservation.
Not reportedTaxonComparatorDirection
Verbatim
e0“At Vauxhall, tillage treatment did not significantly affect total soil water conservation”
Claim · model-written summary
At Vauxhall, higher no-till grain yield was attributed to improved plant emergence.
- Treatment
- NTe0
- Outcome
- grain yieldse0
- Direction
- greatere0
- Qualifier
- improved plant emergencee0
- Comparator
- CTe0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“greater grain yields with NT than with CT were attributed to improved plant emergence with NT.”
Claim · model-written summary
Reducing tillage to conserve seedbed moisture and total soil water benefited crop yield.
- Treatment
- reducing tillagee0
- Outcome
- crop yielde0
- Direction
- beneficiale0
- Qualifier
- seedbed moisture and total soil watere0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Conserving both seedbed moisture and total soil water by reducing tillage had beneficial effects on crop yield in this semi-arid region.”
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See all 161 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.