Abstract
Research conducted by the Yield Decline Joint Venture has shown that breaking the sugarcane monoculture using grain or green manure legume species, reducing compaction, and minimising the amount of fallow and in-crop tillage can individually increase the productivity of the subsequent sugarcane crop, improve soil health and rainfall capture and reduce production costs. This paper reports results of an experiment designed to evaluate the feasibility of integrating fallow legumes and reduced tillage with a crop row spacing that would minimise soil compaction into a new sugarcane farming system. Treatments had significant effects on various indices of soil health, soil N status, the rate of mineralisation of organic nitrogen reserves, and on the ability of soil to allow rainfall and irrigation water to infiltrate. The latter effect seemed to be associated with effects of treatments on the prevalence and activity of soil macrofauna (especially earthworms), and was the most important factor affecting the crop yield response. There were significant interactions between tillage and fallow management in cane yield, CCS and sugar yield, and there was a negative effect of fertiliser nitrogen on CCS. There were no significant differences in cane yield between bare fallows or soybean crops under conventional tillage, but cane yields were significantly higher after soybeans (either grain or green manure) under direct drill. Fallow management had no significant effects on CCS under direct drill, but both bare fallows and green manure soybeans produced significantly lower CCS under conventional tillage than direct drill. Collectively, there were no significant differences in sugar yields under conventional tillage, and tillage had no effect on sugar yields after a bare fallow. Sugar yields increased after direct drill soybeans, with highest yields after a green manure. Nitrogen fertiliser reduced sugar yields after a bare fallow, but had no significant effects after either soybean system. Results highlight the potential for combining legume fallows with minimum tillage or direct drill systems for the improvement of soil health, crop productivity and water and nutrient use efficiency in future sugarcane farming systems.
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Claims 17
Claim · model-written summary
Treatments significantly affected soil health, soil nitrogen, organic nitrogen mineralisation, and water infiltration.
- Taxon
- SUGARCANEt0
- Treatment
- Treatmentse0
- Outcome
- indices of soil health, soil N status, the rate of mineralisation of organic nitrogen reservese0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Verbatim
e0“Treatments had significant effects on various indices of soil health, soil N status, the rate of mineralisation of organic nitrogen reserves, and on the ability of soil to allow rainfall and irrigation water to infiltrate.”
t0“SUGARCANE FARMING SYSTEMS”
Claim · model-written summary
Treatment effects on infiltration appeared associated with soil macrofauna.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“The latter effect seemed to be associated with effects of treatments on the prevalence and activity of soil macrofauna (especially earthworms)”
t0“SUGARCANE FARMING SYSTEMS”
Claim · model-written summary
Water infiltration was considered the most important factor affecting crop yield response.
- Taxon
- SUGARCANEt0
- Treatment
- rainfall and irrigation watere1
- Outcome
- crop yield responsee0
- Qualifier
- ability of soil to allow rainfall and irrigation water to infiltratee1
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“was the most important factor affecting the crop yield response”
e1“ability of soil to allow rainfall and irrigation water to infiltrate”
t0“SUGARCANE FARMING SYSTEMS”
Claim · model-written summary
Tillage and fallow management significantly interacted for cane yield, CCS, and sugar yield.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“There were significant interactions between tillage and fallow management in cane yield, CCS and sugar yield”
t0“SUGARCANE FARMING SYSTEMS”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertiliser nitrogen decreased CCS.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“there was a negative effect of fertiliser nitrogen on CCS”
t0“SUGARCANE FARMING SYSTEMS”
Claim · model-written summary
Under conventional tillage, cane yield did not differ significantly between bare fallow and soybean crops.
Verbatim
e0“There were no significant differences in cane yield between bare fallows or soybean crops under conventional tillage”
t0“SUGARCANE FARMING SYSTEMS”
Claim · model-written summary
Under direct drill, cane yield was significantly higher after grain soybeans than bare fallow.
Verbatim
e0“cane yields were significantly higher after soybeans (either grain or green manure) under direct drill”
e1“between bare fallows or soybean crops under conventional tillage”
t0“SUGARCANE FARMING SYSTEMS”
Claim · model-written summary
Under direct drill, cane yield was significantly higher after green manure soybeans than bare fallow.
Verbatim
e0“cane yields were significantly higher after soybeans (either grain or green manure) under direct drill”
e1“between bare fallows or soybean crops under conventional tillage”
t0“SUGARCANE FARMING SYSTEMS”
Claim · model-written summary
Fallow management did not significantly affect CCS under direct drill.
- Taxon
- SUGARCANEt0
- Treatment
- Fallow managemente0
- Outcome
- CCSe0
- Direction
- no significant effectse0
- Qualifier
- direct drille0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Fallow management had no significant effects on CCS under direct drill”
t0“SUGARCANE FARMING SYSTEMS”
Claim · model-written summary
Bare fallow under conventional tillage produced lower CCS than direct drill.
Verbatim
e0“both bare fallows and green manure soybeans produced significantly lower CCS under conventional tillage than direct drill”
t0“SUGARCANE FARMING SYSTEMS”
Claim · model-written summary
Green manure soybeans under conventional tillage produced lower CCS than direct drill.
Verbatim
e0“both bare fallows and green manure soybeans produced significantly lower CCS under conventional tillage than direct drill”
t0“SUGARCANE FARMING SYSTEMS”
Claim · model-written summary
Sugar yields did not significantly differ among treatments under conventional tillage.
- Taxon
- SUGARCANEt0
- Treatment
- conventional tillagee0
- Outcome
- sugar yieldse0
- Direction
- no significant differencese0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Collectively, there were no significant differences in sugar yields under conventional tillage”
t0“SUGARCANE FARMING SYSTEMS”
Claim · model-written summary
Tillage did not affect sugar yields after bare fallow.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“tillage had no effect on sugar yields after a bare fallow”
t0“SUGARCANE FARMING SYSTEMS”
Claim · model-written summary
Sugar yields increased after direct drill soybeans, with the highest yield after green manure.
- Taxon
- SUGARCANEt0
- Treatment
- direct drill soybeanse0
- Outcome
- Sugar yieldse0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- highest yields after a green manuree0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Sugar yields increased after direct drill soybeans, with highest yields after a green manure.”
t0“SUGARCANE FARMING SYSTEMS”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen fertiliser reduced sugar yields after bare fallow.
- Taxon
- SUGARCANEt0
- Treatment
- Nitrogen fertilisere0
- Outcome
- sugar yieldse0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Qualifier
- bare fallowe0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Nitrogen fertiliser reduced sugar yields after a bare fallow”
t0“SUGARCANE FARMING SYSTEMS”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen fertiliser had no significant effect on sugar yield after either soybean system.
- Taxon
- SUGARCANEt0
- Treatment
- Nitrogen fertilisere1
- Outcome
- sugar yieldse1
- Direction
- no significant effectse0
- Qualifier
- either soybean systeme0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“but had no significant effects after either soybean system”
e1“Nitrogen fertiliser reduced sugar yields after a bare fallow”
t0“SUGARCANE FARMING SYSTEMS”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors identify combined legume fallows and reduced tillage as promising for sugarcane systems.
Verbatim
e0“Results highlight the potential for combining legume fallows with minimum tillage or direct drill systems for the improvement of soil health, crop productivity and water and nutrient use efficiency in future sugarcane farming systems.”
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