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RESEARCH ARTICLE

The benefits of the no-till system on soil health and crop yields in dryland cropping systems

Upendra M. Sainju https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6943-733X A *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, Sidney, MT, USA.

* Correspondence to: upendra.sainju@usda.gov

Handling Editor: Willis Gwenzi

Soil Research 60(4) 399-411 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR21188
Submitted: 24 July 2021  Accepted: 21 November 2021   Published: 9 December 2021

© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing

Abstract

Context: The no-till (NT) system is used to control soil erosion and nutrient losses, but extensive evaluation of NT on soil health and long-term crop yields compared to conventional till (CT) is needed to evaluate the overall benefit of NT.

Aims: The objective of this study was to compare NT and CT on soil health and long-term crop yields in two dryland farming sites in the northern Great Plains, USA.

Methods: Soil samples collected from two long-term (14- and 36-years-old) experiments of dryland farming under NT and CT continuous spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgaris L.)/spring wheat-fallow rotation were analysed for 66 soil physical, chemical, biological and biochemical properties and crop yields determined.

Key results: NT increased wet soil stability index, average slake aggregate and total shrinkage by 12–61%, but reduced saturated hydraulic conductivity by 24–31% compared to CT. Soil Al, Ba, Cu and S concentrations were 10–16% greater, but electrical conductivity, Co, Na and Zn concentrations, and Na-absorption ratio were 9–33% lower with NT than CT. Similarly, NH4-N concentration, CO2 evolution, phospholipid-derived fatty acid (PLFA), phosphomonoesterase and arysulfatase were 13–38% greater, but water extractable N, NO3-N concentration and potential N mineralisation were 16–31% lower with NT than CT. Mean crop yield across years were similar between NT than CT.

Conclusions: NT can enhance overall soil health and sustain dryland crop yields compared to CT in the northern Great Plains, USA.

Implications: Long-term sustainability of dryland cropping system can be maintained by using the NT system.

Keywords: crop production, dryland cropping systems, dryland farming, net return, soil properties, soil quality, soil security, tillage.


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