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Corn and Soil Fertility Responses to Crop Rotation with Low, Medium, or High Inputs
Author(s) -
Riedell Walter E.,
Schumacher Thomas E.,
Clay Sharon A.,
Ellsbury Michael M.,
Pravecek Max,
Evenson Paul D.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci1998.0011183x003800020026x
Subject(s) - loam , crop rotation , agronomy , biology , nutrient , udic moisture regime , monoculture , fertilizer , soil fertility , tillage , crop , soil water , ecology
Corn ( Zea mays L.) grown in annual rotation with soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] has greater mineral nutrient accumulation and higher yields than corn grown in monoculture. This study was conducted to determine how crop rotation (continuous corn vs. corn rotated with soybean) with different input levels (tillage, herbicide, insecticide, and fertilizer rates varied to achieve high, intermediate, and low treatments) affected corn shoot dry weight, mineral nutrient (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn) composition at tasseling, pregrowing‐season soil fertility (pH, organic matter, NO − 3 ‐N, P, K, and total N), and grain yield on a Vienna loam (fine‐loamy, mixed Udic Haploboroll) near Brookings, SD. Crop rotation increased total soil N and NO − 3 ‐N but decreased P when compared with continuous corn. The high input treatment resulted in higher soil NO − 3 ‐N levels than either the intermediate or low input treatments. Rotation with intermediate input increased corn shoot dry weight and P, K, and Ca accumulation compared with continuous corn with intermediate input. Grain yield responded differently to input levels within the two rotations. Corn yield following soybean was 32% greater than for continuous corn with intermediate inputs, but with high input levels there was no difference between rotation treatments. These results suggest that the level of inputs provided for com can affect the crop rotation response.