Nitrogen supply from fertilizer and legume cover crop in the transition to no-tillage for irrigated row crops |
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Authors: | Timothy A Doane William R Horwath Jeffrey P Mitchell Jim Jackson Gene Miyao Kent Brittan |
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Affiliation: | (1) Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, University of California Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA;(2) Department of Plant Sciences, University of California Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA;(3) Yolo County Cooperative Extension, 70 Cottonwood Street, Woodland, CA 95695, USA |
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Abstract: | In spite of potential benefits and positive assessments of reducing primary tillage operations, only a small part of irrigated
row crops is currently managed using reduced tillage, for reasons that include concerns about its agronomic suitability for
certain crop rotations. Three years of a tomato/corn rotation under standard and no-tillage management were used to understand
the fate of a fertilizer and cover crop nitrogen (N) application. Uptake of both inputs was reduced under no-tillage during
the year of application, in this case a tomato crop. As a result, more input N was retained in the soil in this system. The
initial challenge of reduced tomato yields diminished as no-tillage management remained in place and the soil N reservoir
developed. Corn production was not affected by tillage treatment. Inclusion of a legume cover crop increased the amount of
fertilizer N retained in the soil over time, more so under no-tillage than under standard tillage, emphasizing the benefit
of cover crops in reducing the amount of fertilizer required to maintain productivity. While acceptance of reduced tillage
ultimately depends on economic performance, the results of this study support its agronomic viability for irrigated row crops. |
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