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Does No–Tillage Mitigate Stover Removal in Irrigated Continuous Corn? A Multi–Location Assessment

Journal Article · · Soil Science Society of America Journal
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [2];  [4];  [4]
  1. US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), Fort Collins, CO (United States). Agricultural Research Service (ARS); Antares Group Inc.
  2. US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), Fort Collins, CO (United States). Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
  3. BAYER U.S. Crop Science, Lincoln, NE (United States)
  4. Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE (United States); US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), Lincoln, NE (United States). Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
+ Show Author Affiliations
No-tillage (NT) may ameliorate negative effects on soil properties from corn (Zea mays L.) stover harvest, but few long-term irrigated continuous corn production systems have been evaluated to test this hypothesis. We evaluated three long-term no-tillage sites (4–13 yr) in Nebraska and Colorado that spanned a range of precipitation and soil organic carbon (SOC) levels. We measured SOC, δ13C of SOC, soil microbial biomass (SMB) and composition (i.e., phospholipid fatty acids, PLFAs), and water stable aggregation at all sites under stover retention vs. removal (~60%). Surface SOC stocks (0–30- cm depth) increased across the gradient and were 46.4, 57.4, and 63.1 Mg C ha–1 for Colorado, central Nebraska, and eastern Nebraska, respectively. Overall, residue removal decreased SOC stocks by 6% and soil aggregation by 12% in the 0- to 30-cm depth. The δ13C signature of SOC indicated less new surface C storage under residue removal in Colorado, but not at the two Nebraska sites. Residue harvest did not decrease SMB or change soil microbial community structure, suggesting that high plant productivity buffered community composition from stover harvest impacts under NT but stimulated microbial activity levels that led to SOC loss. Here, the high rates of stover removal used in this study decreased SOC stocks and aggregation at all sites compared to residue retained treatments, suggesting that no-tillage alone was not sufficient to maintain erosion protection and soil function.
Research Organization:
Antares Group Inc., Conyers, GA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Transportation Office. Bioenergy Technologies Office
Grant/Contract Number:
EE0007088
OSTI ID:
1853946
Report Number(s):
DOE-ANTARES--07088-2-3
Journal Information:
Soil Science Society of America Journal, Journal Name: Soil Science Society of America Journal Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 83; ISSN 0361-5995
Publisher:
Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science SocietiesCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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