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.