U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Agricultural Systems Research: Sidney, MT
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    Careers


        


                    NPARL
                        NPARL
                                    Pest Management Research
                                    Grasshoppers: Their Biology, Identification and Management:Search small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Plains Area Sidney, Montana Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory Agricultural Systems Research Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            Sainju, Upendra
  Submitted to: Agronomy Journal
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 3/7/2014
                                    Publication  Date: 5/14/2014
                                    Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/58776Citation: Sainju, U.M. 2014. Cropping sequence and nitrogen fertilization impact on surface residue, soil carbon sequestration, and crop yields. Agronomy Journal. 106(4):1231-1242.Interpretive Summary: In the northern Great Plains, USA, traditional dryland farming systems, such as conventional tillage with crop-fallow, have resulted in soil carbon storage decline by 30 to 50% of their original levels in the last 50 to 100 yr. As a result, the traditional farming system has become inefficient, uneconomical, and unsustainable. Information on the long-term effect of management practices on residue and soil C storage for obtaining farm C credit and its relationship with crop yields under semiarid dryland cropping systems is lacking in the northern Great Plains, USA. 
The effects of tillage, cropping sequence, and N fertilization were evaluated on dryland crop and surface residue C and soil organic C (SOC) at the 0-120 cm depth in a Williams loam from 2006 to 2011 in eastern Montana, USA. Treatments were no-till continuous malt barley (NTCB), no-till malt barley-pea (NTB-P), no-till malt barley-fallow (NTB-F), and conventional till malt barley-fallow (CTB-F) (traditional system), each with 0, 40, 80, and 120 kg N ha-1. 
Annualized grain and biomass (stems + leaves) yields, surface residue amount, and C contents were greater in NTB-P and NTCB than in CTB-F and NTB-F in all years, except in 2006 and 2008, and increased with increased N rates. The SOC at 0-5 and 5-10 cm was greater with 40 than with 0 kg N ha-1 in NTB-P, but at 30-60 cm was greater with 120 than with 0 kg N ha-1 in CTB-F, NTB-F, and NTB-P. Tillage had no effect on crop yield and SOC. Surface residue C and SOC related with grain yield and C content (R2 =0.21-0.55, P = 0.10). 
Greater amount of crop residue returned to the soil probably increased crop yields and surface residue and soil C storage at surface layers in NTB-P with 40 kg N ha-1. This management practice may also reduce the potentials for soil erosion, N leaching, and pest incidences compared to the traditional system.
                                Technical Abstract: Information is needed on the effect of management practices on soil C storage for obtaining C credit. The effects of tillage, cropping sequence, and N fertilization were evaluated on dryland crop and surface residue C and soil organic C (SOC) at the 0-120 cm depth in a Williams loam from 2006 to 2011 in eastern Montana, USA. Treatments were no-till continuous malt barley (Hordeum vulgaris L.) (NTCB), no-till malt barley-pea (Pisum sativum L.) (NTB-P), no-till malt barley-fallow (NTB-F), and conventional till malt barley-fallow (CTB-F) (traditional system), each with 0, 40, 80, and 120 kg N ha-1. Annualized grain and biomass (stems + leaves) yields, surface residue amount, and C contents were greater in NTB-P and NTCB than in CTB-F and NTB-F in all years, except in 2006 and 2008, and increased with increased N rates. The SOC at 0-5 and 5-10 cm was greater with 40 than with 0 kg N ha-1 in NTB-P, but at 30-60 cm was greater with 120 than with 0 kg N ha-1 in CTB-F, NTB-F, and NTB-P. Tillage had no effect on crop yield and SOC. Surface residue C and SOC related with grain yield and C content (R2 =0.21-0.55, P = 0.10). Greater amount of crop residue returned to the soil probably increased crop yields and surface residue and soil C storage at surface layers in NTB-P with 40 kg N ha-1. This management practice may also reduce the potentials for soil erosion, N leaching, and pest incidences compared to the traditional system (GRACEnet Publication).


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov