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Wheat Production in the Semiarid Pacific Northwest as Influenced by Methods of Handling Sweet Clover as a Green Manure Crop 1
Author(s) -
McKay Hugh C.,
Moss W. A.,
Baker G. O.
Publication year - 1952
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1952.00021962004400050006x
Subject(s) - agricultural experiment station , agriculture , crop , manure , agronomy , tillage , moss , soil conservation , agricultural science , environmental science , geography , forestry , archaeology , biology , botany
SWEET clover or alfalfa in combination with grasses has been recommended for many years as the foundation of soil conserving rotation systems in the semiarid areas of the Pacific Northwest where dry farming is practiced. A mixture of sweet clover and grass is primarily used because it is a short rotation and easily used in a cash crop system of farming. Studies (1, 3) conducted in the semiarid areas show that continuous farming under the straight grain fallow system results in a'loss of soil organic matter and nitrogen. Erosion from both wind and water has been observed to increase with the decrease in soil organic matter. There has also been a drop in the protein content of wheat which is associated with decrease in soil nitrogen and organic matter.