TY - JOUR
T1 - Rotation impact on on-farm yield and input-use efficiency in high-yield irrigated maize–soybean systems
AU - Farmaha, Bhupinder S.
AU - Eskridge, Kent M.
AU - Cassman, Kenneth G.
AU - Specht, James E.
AU - Yang, Haishun
AU - Grassini, Patricio
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 by the American Society of Agronomy.
PY - 2016/11/1
Y1 - 2016/11/1
N2 - Cereal yields tend to be higher in cereal–legume rotations relative to cereal monoculture yields. We investigated the influence of crop rotation on yield and input-use efficiency in high-yield irrigated maize (Zea mays L.)-based cropping systems using producer-reported data from western U.S. Corn Belt (about 11,000 observations). Across regions, average yield of maize grown after soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] (S–M) was 0.2 to 0.6 Mg ha–1 (2–5%) higher, relative to yield of maize grown after maize (M–M). Soybean yield was 5% greater after two consecutive maize crops (M–M–S) than after only 1 yr of maize (S–M–S). Nitrogen fertilizer rate in maize fields was 13 kg N ha–1 (6%) lower in S–M than M–M fields, which, together with higher maize yields in S–M fields, resulted in 11% higher nitrogen partial factor productivity (PFPN). Difference in PFPN was unrelated with residual soil N–NO3– from prior crop. Analysis of rotation data indicated that rotation effect persists across a wide range of maize yields, from 6 to 15 Mg ha–1, though magnitude of rotation effect decreases with increasing yield level. Trends toward greater proportion of total maize area in S–M, rather than M–M, accounts for 8% of maize yield gain in U.S. Corn Belt since 1970. Similarity between our findings and previous research highlights the opportunity to quantify impact of management on yield and efficiencies by using producer data as a complement to high-cost multi-year, multi-site field experiments.
AB - Cereal yields tend to be higher in cereal–legume rotations relative to cereal monoculture yields. We investigated the influence of crop rotation on yield and input-use efficiency in high-yield irrigated maize (Zea mays L.)-based cropping systems using producer-reported data from western U.S. Corn Belt (about 11,000 observations). Across regions, average yield of maize grown after soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] (S–M) was 0.2 to 0.6 Mg ha–1 (2–5%) higher, relative to yield of maize grown after maize (M–M). Soybean yield was 5% greater after two consecutive maize crops (M–M–S) than after only 1 yr of maize (S–M–S). Nitrogen fertilizer rate in maize fields was 13 kg N ha–1 (6%) lower in S–M than M–M fields, which, together with higher maize yields in S–M fields, resulted in 11% higher nitrogen partial factor productivity (PFPN). Difference in PFPN was unrelated with residual soil N–NO3– from prior crop. Analysis of rotation data indicated that rotation effect persists across a wide range of maize yields, from 6 to 15 Mg ha–1, though magnitude of rotation effect decreases with increasing yield level. Trends toward greater proportion of total maize area in S–M, rather than M–M, accounts for 8% of maize yield gain in U.S. Corn Belt since 1970. Similarity between our findings and previous research highlights the opportunity to quantify impact of management on yield and efficiencies by using producer data as a complement to high-cost multi-year, multi-site field experiments.
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U2 - 10.2134/agronj2016.01.0046
DO - 10.2134/agronj2016.01.0046
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84994910648
SN - 0002-1962
VL - 108
SP - 2313
EP - 2321
JO - Agronomy Journal
JF - Agronomy Journal
IS - 6
ER -