Abstract
The harvesting of plant biomass in excess of the soil organic carbon (SOC) maintenance requirement can produce short‐term economic benefits at the cost of long‐term sustainability. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of corn ( Zea mays L.) harvesting approach, N rate, and simulated landscape positions on estimated long‐term SOC maintenance, profitability, and the energy efficiency of no‐till corn grown in eastern South Dakota. The 3‐yr experiment (2002–2004) contained four N rates (0, 56, 112, and 168 kg N ha −1 ), two simulated landscape positions (shoulder and backslope), and two harvesting methods (grain with 100% stover returned or grain + 40% corn stover returned). No‐tillage was used at the site. Energy gains (out – input), for a cropping system where corn grain or corn grain plus stover was sold for ethanol production, were calculated. Profitability was estimated and SOC turnover was simulated using the annual time‐step model, SOC t = SOC t‐1 + k NHC NHC – k soc SOC t‐1 , where SOC t was SOC at time t, SOC t‐1 was SOC at the sampling date before time t, k NHC was rate that nonharvested carbon (NHC) was converted to SOC, and k soc was the rate that SOC was converted to CO 2 . Tillage impacts on k SOC was estimated with the model k soc [g SOC‐C (g SOC year) −1 ] = 0.0115 + 0.00631(tillage events). When only grain was harvested, the highest and lowest energy gains and financial were associated with the 112 kg N ha −1 (46.6 GJ ha −1 and $427 ha −1 ) and the 0 kg N per ha −1 (37.5 GJ ha −1 and $192 ha −1 ) treatments, respectively. Applying more than 112 kg N ha −1 did not increase energy gains or financial returns. Profits were increased by 60% when corn stover was harvested for ethanol production and lower yielding simulated shoulder/summit position had a lower energy gain (59.3 GJ ha −1 and $425 ha −1 ) and financial return than the backslope position (66.3 GJ ha −1 and $614 ha −1 ). The SOC sustainability analysis suggests that the ability of a system to maintain SOC depends on many factors including the amount of nonharvested carbon returned to the site, and the amount of carbon contained in the soil.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
With grain-only harvest, the 112 kg N ha −1 rate had the highest energy gain of 46.6 GJ ha −1.
- Taxon
- corn
Zea mays subsp. mayse1 - Treatment
- 112 kg N ha −1e0
- Outcome
- energy gainse0
- Direction
- higheste0
- Value
- 46.6 GJ ha −1e0
- Qualifier
- When only grain was harvestede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“When only grain was harvested, the highest and lowest energy gains and financial were associated with the 112 kg N ha −1 (46.6 GJ ha −1 and $427 ha −1 ) and the 0 kg N per ha −1 (37.5 GJ ha −1 and $192 ha −1 ) treatments, respectively”
e1“corn ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
With grain-only harvest, the 112 kg N ha −1 rate had the highest financial return of $427 ha −1.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse1
- Treatment
- 112 kg N ha −1e0
- Outcome
- financiale0
- Direction
- higheste0
- Value
- $427 ha −1e0
- Qualifier
- When only grain was harvestede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“When only grain was harvested, the highest and lowest energy gains and financial were associated with the 112 kg N ha −1 (46.6 GJ ha −1 and $427 ha −1 ) and the 0 kg N per ha −1 (37.5 GJ ha −1 and $192 ha −1 ) treatments, respectively”
e1“corn ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
With grain-only harvest, zero nitrogen had the lowest energy gain of 37.5 GJ ha −1.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse1
- Treatment
- 0 kg N per ha −1e0
- Outcome
- energy gainse0
- Direction
- loweste0
- Value
- 37.5 GJ ha −1e0
- Qualifier
- When only grain was harvestede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“When only grain was harvested, the highest and lowest energy gains and financial were associated with the 112 kg N ha −1 (46.6 GJ ha −1 and $427 ha −1 ) and the 0 kg N per ha −1 (37.5 GJ ha −1 and $192 ha −1 ) treatments, respectively”
e1“corn ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
With grain-only harvest, zero nitrogen had the lowest financial return of $192 ha −1.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse1
- Treatment
- 0 kg N per ha −1e0
- Outcome
- financiale0
- Direction
- loweste0
- Value
- $192 ha −1e0
- Qualifier
- When only grain was harvestede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“When only grain was harvested, the highest and lowest energy gains and financial were associated with the 112 kg N ha −1 (46.6 GJ ha −1 and $427 ha −1 ) and the 0 kg N per ha −1 (37.5 GJ ha −1 and $192 ha −1 ) treatments, respectively”
e1“corn ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Rates above 112 kg N ha −1 did not increase corn production energy gains.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse1
- Treatment
- more than 112 kg N ha −1e0
- Outcome
- energy gainse0
- Direction
- did not increasee0
- Comparator
- 112 kg N ha −1e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Applying more than 112 kg N ha −1 did not increase energy gains or financial returns”
e1“corn ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Rates above 112 kg N ha −1 did not increase financial returns.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse1
- Treatment
- more than 112 kg N ha −1e0
- Outcome
- financial returnse0
- Direction
- did not increasee0
- Comparator
- 112 kg N ha −1e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Applying more than 112 kg N ha −1 did not increase energy gains or financial returns”
e1“corn ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Harvesting corn stover for ethanol increased profits by 60%.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse1
- Treatment
- corn stover was harvested for ethanol productione0
- Outcome
- Profitse0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 60%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Profits were increased by 60% when corn stover was harvested for ethanol production”
e1“corn ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Simulated shoulder or summit position had lower energy gain, 59.3 GJ ha −1, than backslope, 66.3 GJ ha −1.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse1
- Outcome
- energy gaine0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Value
- 59.3 GJ ha −1e0
- Qualifier
- 66.3 GJ ha −1e0
- Comparator
- backslope positione0
- Setting
- shoulder/summit positione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“lower yielding simulated shoulder/summit position had a lower energy gain (59.3 GJ ha −1 and $425 ha −1 ) and financial return than the backslope position (66.3 GJ ha −1 and $614 ha −1 )”
e1“corn ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Simulated shoulder or summit position had lower financial return, $425 ha −1, than backslope, $614 ha −1.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse1
- Outcome
- financial returne0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Value
- $425 ha −1e0
- Qualifier
- $614 ha −1e0
- Comparator
- backslope positione0
- Setting
- shoulder/summit positione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“lower yielding simulated shoulder/summit position had a lower energy gain (59.3 GJ ha −1 and $425 ha −1 ) and financial return than the backslope position (66.3 GJ ha −1 and $614 ha −1 )”
e1“corn ( Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
The carbon maintenance analysis links soil organic carbon sustainability to returned nonharvested carbon and existing soil carbon.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse1
- Outcome
- ability of a system to maintain SOCe0
- Qualifier
- amount of nonharvested carbon returned to the site, and the amount of carbon contained in the soile0
- Setting
- sitee0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The SOC sustainability analysis suggests that the ability of a system to maintain SOC depends on many factors including the amount of nonharvested carbon returned to the site, and the amount of carbon contained in the soil”
e1“corn ( Zea mays L.)”
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