Abstract
Reducing tillage has been widely promoted to reduce soil erosion, maintain soil health, and sustain long-term food production. The effects of reducing tillage on crop nutritional quality in organic and conventional systems, however, has not been widely explored. One possible driver of crop nutritional quality might be the changing soil nitrogen (N) availability associated with reduced tillage in various management systems. To test how reducing tillage affects crop nutritional quality under contrasting conventional and organic farming systems with varied N inputs, we measured nutritional quality (protein, fat, starch, ash, net energy, total digestible nutrients, and concentrations of Ca, K, Mg, P, and S) of maize, wheat, oats, and soybeans harvested from a long-term trial comprised of three farming systems under two tillage regimes: a conventional grain system (CNV); a low-input organic grain system (LEG); and an organic, manure-based grain + forage system (MNR) under conventional full-tillage (FT) and reduced-till (RT) management. Although maize and wheat yields were 10–13% lower under RT management, grain quality metrics including protein, fat, starch, energy, and mineral concentrations were not significantly affected by reducing tillage. Differences in nutrient quality were more marked between farming systems: protein levels in maize were highest in the MNR system (8.1%); protein levels in soybeans were highest in the LEG system (40.4%); levels of protein (12.9%), ash (2.0%), and sulfur (1430 ppm) in wheat were highest in the CNV system, and oat quality was largely consistent between the LEG and MNR systems. As grain quality did not significantly respond to reducing tillage, other management decisions that affect nutrient availability appear to have a greater effect on nutrient quality.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Reduced tillage lowered maize yield by 10–13%.
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Although maize and wheat yields were 10–13% lower under RT management”
Claim · model-written summary
Reduced tillage lowered wheat yield by 10–13%.
- Taxon
- wheat
Triticum aestivume0 - Treatment
- RT managemente0
- Outcome
- maize and wheat yieldse0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Value
- 10–13%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Although maize and wheat yields were 10–13% lower under RT management”
Claim · model-written summary
Reducing tillage did not significantly affect grain protein, fat, starch, energy, or mineral concentrations.
- Treatment
- reducing tillagee0
- Outcome
- grain quality metrics including protein, fat, starch, energy, and mineral concentrationse0
- Direction
- not significantly affectede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“grain quality metrics including protein, fat, starch, energy, and mineral concentrations were not significantly affected by reducing tillage”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize protein was highest in MNR at 8.1%.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“protein levels in maize were highest in the MNR system (8.1%)”
Claim · model-written summary
Soybean protein was highest in LEG at 40.4%.
Glycine maxOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“protein levels in soybeans were highest in the LEG system (40.4%)”
Claim · model-written summary
Wheat protein was highest in CNV at 12.9%.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“levels of protein (12.9%), ash (2.0%), and sulfur (1430 ppm) in wheat were highest in the CNV system”
Claim · model-written summary
Wheat ash was highest in CNV at 2.0%.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“levels of protein (12.9%), ash (2.0%), and sulfur (1430 ppm) in wheat were highest in the CNV system”
Claim · model-written summary
Wheat sulfur was highest in CNV at 1430 ppm.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“levels of protein (12.9%), ash (2.0%), and sulfur (1430 ppm) in wheat were highest in the CNV system”
Claim · model-written summary
Oat quality was largely consistent between LEG and MNR.
- Taxon
- oat
Avena sativae0 - Outcome
- oat qualitye0
- Comparator
- LEG and MNR systemse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“oat quality was largely consistent between the LEG and MNR systems”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors infer other management decisions affecting nutrient availability have greater effects on nutrient quality than reduced tillage.
- Outcome
- other management decisions that affect nutrient availabilitye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“other management decisions that affect nutrient availability appear to have a greater effect on nutrient quality”
t0“Maize”
The same questions in other papers
tillage · quality: protein · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
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