Large-Scale Dryland Cropping Systems (original) (raw)
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Soil Water and Water Use in Long-Term Dryland Crop Rotations
Agronomy Journal
Dryland crop rotation systems are sustainable only if there is sufficient water available for profitable crop production. The objective of our study was to identify potential crop rotation systems for the central Great Plains and similar semiarid areas that increase soil water, fallow water accumulation, fallow efficiency, and water productivity of major crops. The study was conducted from 2000 through 2017 near Tribune, KS. Four summer crops [corn (Zea mays L.) (CR), grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) (GS), soybean (Glycine max L.) (SB), and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) (SF)] along with winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (W) were grown in 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-yr rotations, with most rotations including a fallow (F) phase.
Crop Rotations with Full and Limited Irrigation and Dryland Management
Transactions of the ASAE, 1991
Irrigated cropping systems need to maximize the economic value of both rainfall and irrigation water, especially in areas of declining groundwater. This study compared water management systems in a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum, L.)-corn {Zea mays, L.)-soybean (Glycine max, L.) (W-C-S) and continuous corn (CC) rotation in west central Nebraska for dryland, limited irrigation (150 mm/yr), and full irrigation. Crop yield, evapotranspiration, and soil water storage were determined from field studies conducted at North Platte, Nebraska, on a Cozad silt loam (Fluventic HaplustoU) soil. Dryland com used 21.5% more evapotranspiration (ET) in the W-C-S rotation compare to CC. ET for the limited and full irrigation com was 4.6% and 4.9% more for the W-C-S rotation compared to the CC and was statistically significant at the P > 0.08 level. Water use efficiency, defined by the slope of the linear relationship between grain yield and ET (3Y 3ET-^), was the same for com in the W-C-S and CC rotations. Com grain yield response to irrigation and ET was more than the yield response of winter wheat and soybean. The W-C-S rotation increased com grain yields in two out of three years at this location for dryland management and increased the seasonal ET of corn compared to continuous corn. Full irrigation management did not consistently increase winter wheat and soybean grain yields above the limited irrigation treatments. Soil water storage for the full irrigation management was greatly reduced compared to dryland and limited irrigation management for both rotations. KEYWORDS. Irrigation, Crop rotation. Dryland management. INTRODUCTION F armers in irrigated areas need to adapt cropping systems to maximize the economic retum from both rainfall and irrigation water, especially in areas of declining groundwater. Current practices which maximize profits based on unlimited water availability will further Article was submitted for publication in June 1991; reviewed and approved for publication by the Soil and Water Div. of ASAE in October 1991.
Journal of Production Agriculture, 1990
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the central or southern Great Plains is grown in a 2-yr wheat-fallow (WF) cropping system or with grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] in a 3-yr wheat-sorghum-fallow (WSF) system. Tillage during fallow causes loss of crop residue and soil water. Long-term studies were conducted at Garden City and Tribune, KS, to determine the effects of cropping system and reduced tillage on available soil water and yield of dryland winter wheat and grain sorghum. Conventional (CT), reduced (RT), minimum (MT), and notillage (NT) systems were compared in WF and WSF. These treatments also were compared with CT in sorghum-fallow (SF), continuous sorghum (SS), and continuous wheat (WW). Reductions in tillage resulted in increased available soil water and yield. Reduced tillage resulted in increased WF yields at both locations, while WSF wheat yields were increased at Tribune. Sorghum yields were more consistently increased by reduced tillage at Tribune. Sorghum-fallow yields were higher than WSF sorghum yields at Tribune. Wheat-fallow yields usually did not differ from WSF wheat yields at either location. Sorghum yields in WSF exceeded SS yields 67% of the time at Garden City. At Tribune, WSF-RT yields exceeded SS yields 73% of the time, while WSF-CT yields were no better or less than SS yields 60% of the time. Continuous wheat yields were less than other wheat yields 98% of the time. In terms of soil water storage and yield, the WSF system is appropriate for both locations, and is more effective when combined with reduced tillage, particularly at Tribune. HEAT is the most commonly grown dryland crop in the Great Plains. Fallowing is a common practice used to store water for the following wheat crop. The wheat-fallow cropping system produces one crop in 2 yr with a 15-mo fallow period between crops. Five to seven tillage operations are typically necessary during this period to control weeds. Excessive tillage results in soil water loss and destruction of virtually all residue from the preceding crop. Thus, the soil is subject to erosion by both wind and water. Herbicide use to replace tillage (chemical fallow) has resulted in increased soil water storage and increased crop yields (Fenster and Peterson, 1979; Fenster and Wicks, 1982). Tanaka (1986) found chemical fallow resulted in 37% more standing residue than with stubble mulch. Substantial reductions in erosion (Good and Smika, 1978) and weed growth (Greb and Zimdahl, 1980) have been reported when chemical fallow was practiced.
Comparison of Two Tillage Practices in a Semi‐Arid Cotton–Grain Sorghum Rotation
Agronomy Journal, 2018
Cotton and sorghum yield were more dependent on precipitation than tillage management. No‐till produced a greater cotton and sorghum crop yield in some years. Economic analyses indicate a reduction of costs with no‐till versus conventional practices. Conventional tillage (CT) cropping systems in semiarid regions of south Texas are associated with soil degradation and increasing fuel costs. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of no‐till (NT) compared with CT on a dryland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)–grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] rotation system with respect to crop yields, yield stability, soil moisture and structure, and economics. The experiment (four replicated plots of each crop and tillage treatment annually) was conducted on a Vertisol at Corpus Christi, TX, from 2011 to 2015. Cotton yield was similar among tillage treatments, except for the drought year of 2013 when 86% greater yield occurred with NT and above average precipitation year of 20...
Research achievements and adoption of no-till, dryland cropping in the semi-arid U.S. Great Plains
Field Crops Research, 2012
The Great Plains region of the United States is an area of widespread dryland crop production, with wheat being the dominant crop. Precipitation in the region ranges from 300 to 500 mm annually, with the majority of precipitation falling during hot summer months. The prevailing cropping system is a two-year rotation of wheat and summer fallow. The adoption of no-till practices has resulted in greater precipitation storage and use efficiency, which has led to greater cropping intensity, higher productivity, more diverse crop rotations, and improvements in soil properties. In Colorado, for example, a no-till rotation of winter wheat-maize-fallow increased total annualized grain yield by 75% compared to winter wheat-summer fallow. Soil erosion was reduced to just 25% of that from a conventional tillage wheat-summer fallow system. The primary challenge with reducing fallow frequency is the increase in yield variability and risk of crop failure. Improved approaches for choosing crop or fallow are being developed based on soil water content and forecasted weather. Development of alternative crops, crop rotations, and integrated livestock systems that are sustainable from both economic and ecological perspectives is an on-going effort. Other research is addressing adaptation of cropping practices to climate change and the potential for dryland biomass crop production for the developing biofuel industry.
Spring and Summer Cover Crop Effects on Dryland Wheat and Grain Sorghum Yields in Western Kansas
Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports
Incorporating cover crops (CC) to replace fallow in traditional dryland cropping systems in the semi-arid conditions of western Kansas has the potential to enhance soil health, suppress weeds, and increase precipitation use efficiency. The returns from haying or grazing can help cover costs of CC establishment and any reduction in yield from the subsequent grain crop. Two studies were initiated in 2015 and 2016 near Brownell, KS, to investigate dual-purpose spring and summer CC management effects on subsequent grain yields in a three-year no-till (NT) dryland winter wheat-grain sorghum-fallow cropping system. Cover crops were planted in early spring between grain sorghum and winter wheat or in midsummer soon after wheat harvest. Cover crops were grazed with yearling heifers, hayed at a six-inch stubble height, or left standing (no forage removal). All CC treatments were compared to NT fallow with no CC. Results showed spring CCs reduced wheat yields between 25 and 31% compared to fallow (59 bu/ a) in two of three years, with no difference in the other year. Wheat yields were not different among CC management strategies. Summer CCs reduced grain sorghum yields at rates up to 39% compared to fallow (67 bu/a) in one of three years only when CCs were grazed or left standing but not when CCs were hayed. Sorghum yields were not different in the other two years. Yields of wheat or grain sorghum grown more than one year following CCs in the crop rotation were unaffected by CC treatments. These results showed CCs reduced subsequent crop yields compared to fallow. However, grazed or hayed CCs had no negative effects on dryland wheat and grain sorghum yields compared to standing CCs. Allowing grazing or haying of CCs on land enrolled in Natural Resources Conservation Service cost-share programs could increase producer adoption of CCs in semi-arid western Kansas to enhance regional soil health and increase dryland cropping system profitability.
Crop Rotation Affects Corn, Grain Sorghum, and Soybean Yields and Nitrogen Recovery
Agronomy Journal, 2016
Long‐term cropping system and fertilizer N studies are essential to understanding production potential and yield stability of corn (Zea mays L.), grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in rain‐fed environments. A no‐till experiment (2007–2013) was conducted in eastern Nebraska to evaluate crop rotation (continuous corn, continuous grain sorghum, continuous soybean, corn–soybean, grain sorghum–soybean, corn–soybean–grain sorghum–oat [Avena sativa (L.)]/clover mixture [80% Melilotus officinalis Lam. + 20% Trifolium pretense L.], and corn–oat/clover–grain sorghum–soybean) and fertilizer N (corn and grain sorghum: 0, 90, 180 kg N ha−1; soybean and oat/clover: 0, 36, 67 kg N ha−1) on grain yield, plant N uptake, and N recovery efficiency. Diversified crop rotations increased corn and grain sorghum yields and improved yield stability. A positive corn grain yield response to fertilizer N was consistent across crop rotations, but fertilizer N addit...
Cattle Gain and Crop Yield for a Dryland Wheat-Sorghum-Fallow Rotation
Agronomy Journal, 2009
All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. I ntensive production of cultivated crops in the Texas High Plains depends on supplemental water from irrigation that is supplied from the declining Ogallala Aquifer (Musick et al., 1990). As a result, irrigated land area has decreased from a peak of 2.42 million ha in 1974 to 1.87 million ha in 2000 (Colaizzi et al., 2008). Increasing profi tability of sustainable dryland cropping systems is critical for continued success of the southern Great Plains agriculture. For example, dryland wheat and grain sorghum are grown using the WSF crop rotation (Fig. 1). Th e WSF rotation begins during September of the fi rst year with planting of winter wheat, which is harvested for grain 10 mo later in July. Grain sorghum is planted in June of the second year and harvested for grain in November. Th e land is, subsequently, fallowed through the next summer cropping season until wheat is planted at the end of the third year and the rotation cycle is repeated. Th is rotation uses the soil water stored during fallow plus seasonal precipitation to consistently produce two dryland crops in a 3-yr cycle with mean grain yields of 3.1 Mg ha-1 for sorghum and 1.2 Mg ha-1 for wheat (Jones and Popham, 1997). Th e dryland WSF cropping system can be intensifi ed by integrating cattle grazing wheat forage and nearby sorghum stover during all or part of a period from November to March (Fig. 1). Th is adds cattle gain for greater productivity and profi tability as a potential avenue to transition from irrigated crops.
Journal of Production Agriculture, 1995
Groundwater levels in areas of the Central Great Plains have declined significantly since the introduction of irrigation. Public concern with groundwater depletion has resulted in pumping allocations for irrigated agriculture in Nebraska and Kansas. Introduction of pumping allocations has resulted in increased efficiencies of water application in order to overcome the reduction in groundwater use to maintain crop yields. If further reductions in pumping allocations occur, crop yields, irrigated acreage, or crop rotations may change because less water will be available than is needed to produce maximum yields. The objective of this study was to estimate the impacts of government commodity programs on profitability and riskiness of cropping rotations under three water levels-full irrigation (meet crop evapotranspiration demands), limited irrigation (6 in. water allocation per crop per year), and rainfed. A related issue is whether or not the commodity program affects the choice of cropping rotations. The use of water conserving rotations such as a winter wheat-cornfallow have been shown to increase rainfed corn grain yields over continuous corn. The concept of fallow following winter wheat for moisture conservation was included into a limited irrigation rotation of winter wheat-corn-soybean. Corn grain yields were greater following wheat than when following corn. Theoretical models for allocating water for irrigated crops have also been developed. These models theorized that only the crop which most effectively uses water shall be irrigated and that the amount of irrigation water that crop receives shall decrease from optimal until the marginal return equals the reduction in return from lowering the area of rainfed production. These studies did not incorporate the moisture conservation effects of the preceding crop on subsequent yields. Most studies did not incorporate the effects of farm programs on the water allocation and rotation decisions. An economic analysis was conducted using grain yields collected from 1986 to 1991 at North Platte, NE, to compare net returns of crop rotations and three irrigation levels. Average yearly grain prices for the prior 10 yr were used to determine the effects of price variability. The soil type was a Cozad silt loam with a pH of 7.5. Combinations of irrigation and crop rotations were used to give the following treatments: Water Treatments Rain fed Limited irrigation Full irrigation 1. Continuous corn (CC) Crop rotations Full scientific article from which this summary was written begins on page 415 of this issue.
Agricultural Systems, 2013
There is an increased demand on agricultural systems in the United States and the world to provide food, fiber, and feedstock for the emerging bioenergy industry. The agricultural intensification that this requires could have positive and negative feedbacks in productivity and the environment. In this paper we used the simulation model EPIC to evaluate the impact of alternative tillage and management systems on grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) production in central and south Texas and to provide longterm insights into the sustainability of the proposed systems as avenues to increase agricultural output. Three tillage systems were tested: conventional (CT), reduced (RT), and no-tillage (NT). These tillage systems were tested on irrigated and rainfed conditions, and in soils with varying levels of structural erosion control practices (no practice, contour tillage, and contours + terraces). Grain yield differed only slightly across the three tillage systems with an average grain yield of 5.7 Mg ha À1. Over the course of 100-year simulations, NT and RT systems had higher soil organic carbon (SOC) storage (100 and 91 Mg ha À1 , respectively) than CT (85 Mg ha À1), with most of the difference originating in the first 25 years of the simulations. As a result, NT and RT systems showed lower net global warming potentials (GWPs) (0.20 and 0.50 Mg C ha À1 year À1) than CT (0.60 Mg C ha À1 year À1). Irrigated systems had 26% higher grain yields than rainfed systems; yet the high energy needed to pump irrigation water (0.10 Mg C ha À1 year À1) resulted in a higher net GWP for irrigated systems (0.50 vs. 0.40 Mg C ha À1 year À1). Contours and contours + terraces had minimal impact on grain yields, SOC storage and GWP. No-till was the single technology with the largest positive impact on GWP and preservation or enhancement of SOC. Overall, the impact of individual tillage cropping systems on GWP seems to be decoupled from the productivity of a given location as determined by weather or soil type. When expressed per unit of output, high yield locations have a much lower GWP than low yield locations and would be therefore prime targets for production intensification.