Alternate wet–dry regime during fallow failed to improve nitrogen release from added legume residues in legume–wheat rotations on a Vertisol
S. J. Thomson A , J. A. L. Cameron A , R. C. Dalal B C and E. Hoult AA University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.
B Department of Natural Resources and Water, 80 Meiers Road, Indooroopilly, Qld 4068, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: Ram.Dalal@nrw.qld.gov.au
Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 47(7) 855-861 https://doi.org/10.1071/EA05290
Submitted: 1 November 2005 Accepted: 13 December 2006 Published: 2 July 2007
Abstract
Forage and grain legumes are integral components of sustainable crop rotations and farming systems in semiarid subtropical agricultural systems of northern Australia. The sustainability of these farming systems largely depends on the contribution of legumes to the nitrogen (N) requirement of non-legume crops. The potential legume contribution to a succeeding wheat crop was measured in a Vertisol for 17 weeks under optimum moisture (–0.006 to –0.05 MPa) or alternate wet–dry moisture regime (–0.006 to –1.2 MPa) with or without plant residue additions (4 t/ha equivalent) following the legume phase in a glasshouse experiment. The N release from the residues followed first order kinetics. Both the N release rate and net N mineralised were positively correlated with the N concentration and negatively but log-linearly correlated with carbon and N ratios of tops and roots residues. The net N mineralised and N mineralisation potentials (N0) were not significantly affected by different moisture regimes. The proportions of net N mineralised from the annual medics, chickpea and lucerne residues were 30, 52, and 64%, respectively.
The amount of nitrate N accumulated in the field during the fallow periods from 1989–98 was not related to the amount of rainfall during these periods, and most likely limited by the amount of labile or mineralisable N. Its positive correlation with N0 values showed that even during the relatively dry fallows (≥250 mm) in this semiarid subtropical environment, soils growing legumes could mineralise enough N to make a significant N contribution to the following crop in legume–cereal rotations.
Acknowledgements
We thank Mrs J. Glasby and Ms K. Prior, for technical assistance, Messers J. E. Cooper, A. J. King and K. J. Lehane, and Mrs C. J. Holmes for sampling and collating field nitrate data, and Dr Bryan Bridge for soil moisture characteristic curves. We also thank Grains Research and Development Corporation for funding the Warra Experiment, and the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and suggestions.
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