Abstract
Producer field-level data have been used in recent studies to identify suites of management practices that consistently increase yield for a given climate-soil environment. However, the physiological drivers underlying the empirical associations between yield and management practices derived from these studies have remained mostly speculative, particularly in terms of resource capture and conversion into economic yield. We followed an approach consisting of a large producer database, satellite imagery, and crop modeling to assess which key physiological parameters best explain on-farm yield response to producer-chosen management practices across different climate-soil production environments. Survey data on yield and management practices were collected from 5291 soybean fields sown across the US North Central region during 2014-2016. Producer data were grouped into 10 technology extrapolation domains (TEDs) to account for variation in soil, climate, and water regime across producer fields. Simulated phenology and satellite imagery were used to estimate incident (IPAR) and absorbed (APAR) photosynthetically active radiation during the entire crop season and also during the time-span beginning with pod setting and ending with physiological maturity. In each TED, seed yield was increased by early sowing (+13 to +39 kg ha-1d-1), which was physiologically driven by increases in the duration of both crop cycle and critical period, and by a higher APAR. In-season application of foliar fungicide and/or insecticide also resulted in significant yield increase (+0.35 Mg ha−1, p < 0.01) that was mediated by improvement in the efficiency in converting capture radiation into seed yield (ec) and, to a lesser degree, efficiency at capturing incident radiation (ea) and APAR. Tilled fields had greater yield than no-tilled fields (+0.12 Mg ha-1, p < 0.01), which was driven by slight improvements in ec and APAR, and partially attributable to earlier sowing. The proposed approach provides new opportunities to understand underlying mechanisms explaining on-farm yield variation due to management and identify alternatives for increasing yield and crop efficiencies in the use of inputs and resources.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Early sowing increased soybean seed yield by 13 to 39 kg ha-1d-1 in each domain.
- Taxon
- soybean
Glycine maxe1 - Treatment
- early sowinge0
- Outcome
- seed yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 13 to +39 kg ha-1d-1e0
- Setting
- US North Central regione1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In each TED, seed yield was increased by early sowing (+13 to +39 kg ha-1d-1)”
e1“5291 soybean fields sown across the US North Central region during 2014-2016.”
Claim · model-written summary
Early sowing increased crop cycle and critical-period duration.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxe2
- Treatment
- early sowinge1
- Outcome
- duration of both crop cycle and critical periode0
- Direction
- increasese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“which was physiologically driven by increases in the duration of both crop cycle and critical period, and by a higher APAR.”
e1“seed yield was increased by early sowing”
e2“5291 soybean fields”
Claim · model-written summary
Early sowing raised absorbed photosynthetically active radiation.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxe2
- Treatment
- early sowinge1
- Outcome
- APARe0
- Direction
- highere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“which was physiologically driven by increases in the duration of both crop cycle and critical period, and by a higher APAR.”
e1“seed yield was increased by early sowing”
e2“5291 soybean fields”
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar fungicide or insecticide application increased soybean yield by 0.35 Mg ha−1.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxe1
- Treatment
- foliar fungicide and/or insecticidee0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Value
- 0.35 Mg ha−1e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In-season application of foliar fungicide and/or insecticide also resulted in significant yield increase (+0.35 Mg ha−1, p < 0.01)”
e1“5291 soybean fields”
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar pesticide yield gains were mediated by improved radiation conversion efficiency.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxe2
- Treatment
- foliar fungicide and/or insecticidee1
- Outcome
- efficiency in converting capture radiation into seed yield (ec)e0
- Qualifier
- to a lesser degree, efficiency at capturing incident radiation (ea) and APARe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“that was mediated by improvement in the efficiency in converting capture radiation into seed yield (ec) and, to a lesser degree, efficiency at capturing incident radiation (ea) and APAR.”
e1“In-season application of foliar fungicide and/or insecticide”
e2“5291 soybean fields”
Claim · model-written summary
Tilled soybean fields yielded 0.12 Mg ha-1 more than no-tilled fields.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxe1
- Treatment
- Tilled fieldse0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- greatere0
- Value
- 0.12 Mg ha-1e0
- Comparator
- no-tilled fieldse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Tilled fields had greater yield than no-tilled fields (+0.12 Mg ha-1, p < 0.01)”
e1“5291 soybean fields”
Claim · model-written summary
Tillage yield gains were attributed to slight improvements in radiation conversion and absorption and earlier sowing.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxe2
- Treatment
- Tilled fieldse1
- Outcome
- ec and APARe0
- Qualifier
- partially attributable to earlier sowinge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“which was driven by slight improvements in ec and APAR, and partially attributable to earlier sowing.”
e1“Tilled fields had greater yield than no-tilled fields”
e2“5291 soybean fields”
Claim · model-written summary
The approach can explain management-related on-farm yield variation and identify ways to raise yield and input efficiency.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxe1
- Outcome
- on-farm yield variatione0
- Qualifier
- identify alternatives for increasing yield and crop efficiencies in the use of inputs and resourcese0
Not reportedComparatorValue
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The proposed approach provides new opportunities to understand underlying mechanisms explaining on-farm yield variation due to management and identify alternatives for increasing yield and crop efficiencies in the use of inputs and resources.”
e1“5291 soybean fields”
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