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Evaluating the Effects of Long-Term No-Till and Crop Rotations in Soil Health and Corn Productivity

Gonzalez-Maldonado, Noelymar
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1557142156675221

Abstract Details

2019, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Environment and Natural Resources.
Conservation practices, such as no-till and diversifying crop rotations are known for their capacity to reduce soil erosion and improve soil properties. However, the impact of these management practices on emerging soil health tests and the ability of these tests to reflect active organic matter dynamics and nutrient cycling, and corn productivity has not been explored. This project focused on determining the effects of half a century of continuous tillage treatments (moldboard plow, chisel till, and no-till) and crop rotations (continuous corn, corn-soybean, and corn-forage-forage) on soil health indicators and its relationship with crop productivity. The forages were alfalfa in Wooster and red clover and oats in Northwest. Soil labile carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) temporal dynamics were quantified with permanganate oxidizable C (POXC), mineralizable carbon (Min C), and soil protein at six key stages in corn (Zea mays) development: before planting (around three weeks before planting), V5, V10, R1, R4, R6 in the 2017 and 2018 growing seasons. Corn leaf chlorophyll, aboveground plant biomass, nutrient uptake, and grain yield were also quantified. The soil health indicators (POXC, Min C, soil protein) and crop parameters (leaf chlorophyll, total nitrogen uptake, and total aboveground biomass) were higher in reduced tillage (chisel and no-till) compared to moldboard plow and higher in the most diverse crop rotation (corn-forage-forage) compared to corn-soybean. Corn yields were not significantly different between tillage treatments but were higher in the more diverse rotations (corn-soybean and corn-forage-forage) compared to corn monoculture. Although the treatment effects varied by site and year, rotation had a consistently larger effect on soil health indicators and corn productivity than tillage, highlighting the importance of including crop rotations in corn production. We conclude that Ohio soils under half a century of continuous tillage and rotation treatments have higher soil health and corn productivity in no-till and reduced tillage soils compared to moldboard plow. We also conclude that soil health indicators and maize productivity were higher in rotations including two years of forages compared to monoculture and corn-soybean rotations, especially in no-till soils.
Steve Culman, PhD (Advisor)
M.Scott Demyan, PhD (Committee Member)
Peter Thomison, PhD (Committee Member)
129 p.
Agriculture; Agronomy; Soil Sciences
active organic matter dynamics; labile C; labile N; soil health; soil quality; corn temporal dynamics; corn productivity; long-term no-till; long-term crop rotations

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Gonzalez-Maldonado, N. (2019). Evaluating the Effects of Long-Term No-Till and Crop Rotations in Soil Health and Corn Productivity [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1557142156675221

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Gonzalez-Maldonado, Noelymar. Evaluating the Effects of Long-Term No-Till and Crop Rotations in Soil Health and Corn Productivity. 2019. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1557142156675221.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Gonzalez-Maldonado, Noelymar. "Evaluating the Effects of Long-Term No-Till and Crop Rotations in Soil Health and Corn Productivity." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1557142156675221

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1557142156675221
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