Tuesday, November 6, 2007
163-1

Crop Rotation and Tillage Effects on Soil Properties after Ten Years.

Kenneth Kelley, KSU - SE Ag Research Center, North 32nd & Pefley St, Parsons, KS 67357

Crop rotation and tillage can affect soil properties over time. A two-yr crop rotation study consisting of corn, grain sorghum, and soybean in rotation with wheat and double-crop soybean was evaluated on two adjacent sites in southeastern Kansas from 1996 through 2006. Tillage treatments were to plant all crop with conventional tillage (CT) and to plant all crops with no tillage (NT). After 10 years, changes in soil properties were most significant in the 0 to 7.5 cm soil depth. Soil organic carbon (SOC) and total soil nitrogen (TSN) were greater with NT than CT. But, soil pH was reduced more with NT than with CT. Soil organic C and TSN were highest when high-residue crops were planted NT in the cropping system. Soil bulk density (SBD) was lower with NT than CT, but crop rotation affected SBD very little. Results show that both crop rotation and tillage can influence soil properties within a 10-yr period, but effects were most significant in the upper soil profile.