Tuesday, November 6, 2007
151-8

Tillage x Rotation Interaction: Strip-Tillage compared to Conventional Tillage and No-Tillage under Various Corn Crop Rotations.

Justin T. Hopf, University of Wisconsin Madison - Agronomy Department, 1575 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706 and Joseph G. Lauer, University of Wisconsin, Agronomy, 1575 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706.

            Current crop production practices leave increased residue from corn monocultures forcing producers towards more aggressive tillage operations. Crop rotation has the ability to increase yields, decrease pest pressure, while minimum tillage saves soil moisture, fuel, labor, and machinery costs, while reducing erosion. The objective of this research is to better understand the interaction between tillage operations and crop rotations. During the 2006 growing season, strip-tillage treatments were introduced to ongoing no-tillage treatments in a tillage experiment at the University of Wisconsin Agricultural Research Station near Arlington, WI. Crop rotations for the experiment include continuous corn (CC) and a corn/soybean (CS) rotation. Tillage systems include fall and spring conventional tillage (CT) with two spring cultivator passes, no-tillage (NT), and strip-tillage (ST) treatments that included 10-, 5- and 0-cm berms. Plots were established using a planter fitted with one 13-wave coulter and trash whippers, followed by double disk openers. No rotation or tillage X rotation effects were significant. The ST 0-cm, yielded highest with 14.6 Mg ha-1, followed by fall CP, ST 5-cm, ST 10-cm, spring CP, and NT, with 13.8, 13.6, 13.4, 13.2, and 13.1 Mg ha-1 respectively. Grain moisture was lowest for ST 0-cm, at 17.9 percent moisture, followed by fall CP, spring CP, ST 10-cm, ST 5-cm, and NT with 18.6, 19.2, 20, 20.2, and 20.4 percent moisture respectively. The CS rotation averaged 18.5 percent moisture, compared to 20.3 percent moisture for CC. Test weight was highest for ST 0-cm, with 733 g  L-1, followed by fall CP, spring CP, ST 10-cm, ST 5-cm, and NT with 724, 717, 710, 706, and 702 g L-1 respectively. The CS rotation averaged 724.3 g L-1, compared to 706.3 for CC. Results suggest that ST produces higher yield, lower moisture, and higher test weight than NT, and is comparable to CT.