Tuesday, November 6, 2007
163-12

The Effect of Tillage System, Nitrogen Fertility, and Crop Rotation on Hard Red Spring Wheat (HRSW) Production for Cycle Five (2003-2006) of a Long-Term Cropping Systems Study.

Ezra Aberle, Blaine Schatz, Greg Endres, Paul Hendrickson, and Steve Zwinger. North Dakota State University, 663 Hwy 281 N. PO Box 219, Carrington, ND 58421-0219

The study consisted of three, four-year, crop rotations with three replicates. Each crop in each rotation occurred in every year. Within each crop (main plot) in a rotation, four fertility treatments were imposed (sub-plots). They were 0 (F1), 45 (F2), or 90 (F3) kg of nitrogen (N) per hectare or composted beef feedlot manure (M) applied once in the spring at 180 kg of N per hectare the first year of each four-year rotation. The tillage systems were conventional (CT), minimum tillage (MT), and no till (NT) and created 12 sub-sub plots. Data was analyzed using SAS GLM procedures with significant differences expressed at the P<0.05 level. The data presented in this abstract is the effect of these treatments on HRSW yield. Tillage significantly impacted HRSW yield with MT >NT. The 45, 90 and M fertility treatments produced significantly higher yields than the 0 fertility treatment. Preceding crop significantly affected HRSW yield with Field Pea > Soybean > HRSW. The MT and CT F2, F3, and M treatments were significantly higher than F1. For NT, M was significantly higher than F1. CT produced significantly higher yields in the rotations where legumes preceded HRSW verses the ones that did not. NT produced significantly higher yields when field pea preceded HRSW than all of the other rotations. F1 had significantly higher yields following field pea verses rotations with non-legumes preceding HRSW. M had significance in regards to yields based on preceding crop with Field Pea > Soybean = Canola> HRSW.