A.K. Vyas et al.44

Influence of crop rotation and tillage systems on soil properties andproductivity of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) and wheat (Triticumaestivum) in Malwa region of Central India

A.K. Vyas1*, Hariom Meena, A. Ramesh, S.D. Billore, N. Pandya and I.R. Khan

Directorate of Soybean Research (ICAR), Khandwa Road, Indore - 452 001 (Madhya Pradesh)1Present Address: Division of Agronomy, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi - 110 012*e-mail: drakvyas@yahoo.co.in

ABSTRACT

Soil physical, chemical and biochemical properties and productivity of soybean and wheat in Malwaregion of Central India were studied under a long-term field trial involving four soybean basedcrop rotations (soybean-wheat, soybean-wheat-maize-wheat, soybean-wheat-soybean-wheat-maize-wheat and soybean+maize-wheat) and three tillage systems (conventional-conventional,conventional-reduced and reduced-reduced) being continuously maintained since, 2001. Aftercompleting six cropping seasons, the reduced-reduced (R-R) tillage system considerably increasedthe bulk density, porosity and water filled pore space (WFPS) at wheat harvest during 2007-08. TheR-R and conventional-reduced (C-R) tillage systems had significantly higher available P and Kcontent in the surface soil. The R-R tillage system significantly increased soil organic carbon (SOC),particulate organic carbon (POC) and light fraction carbon (LFC) contents as compared to C-C andC-R systems. On mean basis, maximum soybean yield was obtained in C-C tillage system (2.13 t/ha) which was 1.4 and 6.5% higher over C-R and R-R systems, respectively while, wheat grain yieldunder C-C tillage system was higher to the tune of 2.2 and 5.1% over C-R and R-R system.

There was no significant influence of crop rotation on bulk density, porosity and WFPS at wheatharvest during 2007-08. Inclusion of maize in the crop rotation increased the available P and Kcontent in the soil. The crop rotations viz. S-W-M-W and S-W-S-W-M-W had higher SOC, POC andLFC contents as compared to S-W rotation. On mean basis, maximum soybean seed yield (2.54 t/ha)was recorded in S+M-W rotation which was higher to the tune of 21.5, 39.6 and 36.6 % over S-W, S-W-M-W and S-W-S-W-M-W rotations, respectively. Crop rotations did not show considerable effecton wheat grain yield.

Key words: Crop rotation, tillage systems, soil properties, soybean, wheat.

Ann. Agric. Res. New Series Vol. 34 (1) : 44-49 (2013)

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) is themost important oilseed crop in India as well asin the world. The crop has been playing animportant role in national economy by earningabout Rs. 62,000 million per annum throughexport of soy meal and contributing about 25%to the edible oil production in India. On the otherhand, wheat is the most important cereal cropof Central India and occupies second positionafter rice in the country.

The high cost of agro-inputs, low purchasingpower of small and marginal farmers and

adverse effects of agro-chemicals on theenvironment have necessitated searching anddeveloping alternate production strategies inview of globalization, wherein cost effectivenessis foremost important. Besides, there is urgentneed to restore soil quality on sustainable basisto improve soybean and wheat productivitywhich have been hovering around 1.0 and 2.7 t/ha,respectively.

A number of technical innovations offerpossibilities to improve the productivity and bio-physical sustainability of the cropping systems.

Influence of crop rotation and tillage systems on soil properties and productivity of soybean and wheat 45

These include crop rotation and tillage (Karlenet al., 1994; Govaerts et al., 2006), which aredominant components of Low Input SustainableAgriculture. Reduced tillage, planting withminimal soil disturbance combined with croprotation protects the soil against degradationtoward sustainability. Reduced tillage systemsoffer advantages over conventional tillagethrough the reduced costs and the conservationof soil and water (Deen and Kataki, 2003; Sisti etal., 2004 as well as enhancing fertility andintensifying crop production (Six et al., 2002).

Rotational tillage may be particularly usefulin crop rotations where residue characteristicsvary substantially between crops. Rotationalregimes allow tillage intensity to be more finelyadjusted so that benefits can be more optimallybalanced against risks on a site-specific basis. Itis pertinent that information is needed on theeffect of different rotational tillage and croprotation on yield and changes in various soilproperties. In view of above, the presentinvestigation was undertaken with the objectivesto study the effect of various soybean based croprotations and tillage systems on soil propertiesand crop productivity after six cropping seasons.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A long-term field experiment was initiatedduring kharif 2001 at the National ResearchCentre for Soybean, Indore to assess the impactof tillage and crop rotation on sustainability andsoil quality. The long-term field trial consistedof four soybean based crop rotations (soybean-wheat, soybean-wheat-maize-wheat, soybean-wheat-soybean-wheat-maize-wheat and soybean+maize-wheat) and three tillage systems(conventional-conventional, conventional-reduced and reduced-reduced). The climate ofthe region i.e. Malawa Plateau is semi-arid withgrowing period of 150-180 days. Generally,duration of monsoon is about 98 days with about800 mm rainfall. Soil of experimental site wasdeep black cotton soil. The physico-chemicalproperties of experimental soil are given in theTable 1. Soil physical, chemical and biochemicalquality indicators were evaluated after six yearsof cropping seasons.

A uniform recommended dose of

20:60:20:20 kg/ha of N: P2O5: K2O:S was appliedat the time sowing through urea, single superphosphate and muriate of potash, respectivelyto soybean crop. Wheat crop was uniformlyapplied with 120:80:40 kg N: P2O5:K2O/hathrough the same sources as used in soybean.The seeds of soybean variety JS 335 were treatedwith Thiram @ 2 g/kg seed + Carbendazim @1g/kg seed before sowing to avoid fungalinfections. Seeds were also treated withBradyrhizobium japonicum @ 5 g/kg seed + PSB @5 g/kg seed and sowing was done in the lastweek of June in 2006 and 2007 with thecommencement of monsoon. Wheat varietySujata was sown dry followed by irrigation inthe first fortnight of November during bothyears.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Effect on soil physical properties

Bulk density: The data presented in Table 2showed an increase in bulk density underreduced-reduced (R-R) tillage system but did notattain the level of significance as compared toconventional-reduced (C-R) or conventional-conventional (C-C) tillage systems. Six et al. (2000)reviewed the literature on soil bulk densityvalues under no-till ( NT) and conventionaltillage (CT) and found that in tropical and sub-tropical soils there was hardly any differencesin this parameter between these two tillagesystems. There was also no significant variationin bulk density values between crop rotations.

Porosity: The porosity increased in the R-R tillagesystem and was on par with C-R and significantlyhigher as compared to C-C tillage system (Table 2).

Properties Value

pH 8.03EC (dS m-1) 0.18Total porosity (%) 38.5Bulk density (Mg m-3) 1.44Organic C (g kg-1) 4.2Mineral-N (mg kg-1) 6.8Available-P (mg kg-1) 3.9Exchangeable-K (mg kg-1) 246

Table 1. Physico-chemical properties ofexperimental soil

A.K. Vyas et al.46

There was no significant difference between C-C and C-R tillage system. The crop rotations didnot significantly affect porosity. Though, highervalues were obtained in those rotations whichincluded maize crop.

Water filled pore space (WFPS): The tillagesystem did not influence water filled pore spacesignificantly (Table 2). However, S-W and S-W-S-W-M-W rotations recorded higher values ofWFPS as compared to other rotations.

Effect on soil chemical properties

Available phosphorus: The R-R and C-R tillagesystems significantly increased available Pcontent in the surface soil layer as compared toC-C tillage system (Fig. 1). This is in consonancewith the findings of Hussain et al. (1999) andMartin-Rueda et al. (2007). The long-term no-till(NT) system accumulates nutrients in the soilsurface, whereas mouldbold plough (MP)distributes nutrients relatively uniformlythroughout the tillage depth. The inclusion ofmaize in the crop rotation increased the availableP content in the soil. The results are in conformitywith the findings of Martin-Rueda et al. (2007).

Exchangeable potassium: The exch.- K contentin the surface soil layer was significantly higherunder R-R tillage system as compared to C-Ctillage (Fig. 2). This is in consonance with thefindings of Hussain et al. (1999) and Martin-Rueda et al. (2007). There was no significant

effect of crop rotation on exch. - K content insoil.

Effect on biochemical soil quality indicators

Soil organic carbon: The long termapplication of tillage system and crop rotationrevealed that R-R tillage significantly increasedsoil organic carbon content and was significantlyhigher as compared to C-C and C-R tillagesystems (Fig. 3). The crop rotations S-W-M-Wand S-W-S-W-M-W had higher soil organiccarbon (SOC) content. This corroborates with thefindings of Six et al. (2000) who reported thatunder no-tillage or decreasing the intensity oftillage, the rate of macro aggregate formationand degradation leads to a formation of stablemicro-aggregates in which C is stabilized andsequestered in the long-term.

Particulate organic carbon: Particulate organiccarbon (POC) significantly increased in the R-Rtillage system (Fig. 3) over conventional tillage.This result is in line with the findings ofNeedelman et al. (1999). There was also significantvariation in POC with the crop rotation andinclusion of maize in the rotation increased POCsignificantly in all such rotations.

Light fraction carbon: It is evident from Fig. 3that the management system that included R-Rtillage and crop rotation which included maizehad significantly higher light fraction carbon(LFC) content. The LFC was higher under

Table 2. Effect of tillage system and crop rotation on bulk density, porosity and water filled pore space after wheat harvest

Treatment Bulk density Porosity Water filled pore (Mg m-3) (%) space (m m-3)

Crop rotation

Soybean (S)-Wheat (W) 1.40 43.53 0.71S-W-Maize (M)-W 1.37 46.92 0.68S-W-S-W-M-W 1.39 45.70 0.72S+M-W 1.37 46.79 0.66C.D. (P=0.05) NS NS 0.04

Tillage system

Conventional-Conventional 1.38 44.34 0.67Conventional-Reduced 1.37 46.12 0.68Reduced-Reduced 1.40 46.75 0.73C.D. (P=0.05) NS 1.88 NS

Influence of crop rotation and tillage systems on soil properties and productivity of soybean and wheat 47

reduced tillage as compared to conventionaltillage and can be attributed to the greaterprotection of SOC by aggregates in the lightfraction of minimally disturbed soils than thatof disturbed soils (Tan et al., 2007). Light fractioncarbon primarily represents partially degradedplant litter together with microbial and faunaldebris (Golchin et al., 1994). The differences inLFC among the management regimes can beexplained to the amount of residue present andthe rate of substrate decomposition.

Yield

Soybean seed yield: There was significant effect

Fig. 1. Effect of tillage and crop rotation on available P content in soil after wheat harvest

Fig. 2. Effect of tillage and crop rotation on exchangible K content (mg/kg) in soil after wheat harvest

of tillage and crop rotation on soybean seed yield(Table 3). On mean basis, the maximum seedyield was recorded under C-C tillage system (2.13t/ha) which was 1.4 and 6.5 % higher over C-Rand R-R tillage systems, respectively. Theseresults corroborate with the finding of Webberet al. (1987) and Husnjak et al. (2002).

The significantly highest seed yield wasrecorded in S-W rotation during 2006, while inS+M-W rotation during 2007. On mean basis,maximum seed yield was recorded in S+M-Wrotation which was 21.5, 39.6 and 36.6% higherover S-W, S-W-M-W and S-W-S-W-M-W

7

7.2

7.4

7.6

7.8

8

8.2

8.4

8.6

S-W

S-W-M

-W

S-W-S-W

-M-W

S+M-W C-C C-R R-R

Crop rotation Tillage system

P co

nten

t (m

g/kg

)

250260

270280

290300

310

S -W

S -W-M

-W

S -W-S

-W-M

-W

S +M-W C -C C -R R -R

C rop rotation T illag e s ys te m

Ex

ch

. K

(m

g/k

g)

A.K. Vyas et al.48

Fig. 3. Effect of tillage and crop rotation on soil organic

Table. 3. Effect of tillage system and crop rotation on productivity of soybean (t/ha) during 2006- 07 and 2007-08

tnemtaerT )ah/t( taehW)ah/t( naebyoS

2006 2007 Mean 2006-07 2007-08 Mean

Crop rotation

Soybean (S)-Wheat (W) 2.46 1.72 2.09 3.66 4.22 3.94S-W-Maize (M)-W 1.95 1.68 1.82 3.84 4.31 4.08S-W-S-W-M-W 2.07 1.64 1.86 3.70 4.32 4.01S+M-W 2.26 2.81 2.54 3.77 4.36 4.07C.D. (P=0.05) 0.178 0.170 - NS NSTillage systemConventional- Conventional 2.19 2.06 2.13 3.77 4.47 4.12Conventional -Reduced 2.26 1.93 2.10 3.81 4.25 4.03Reduced- Reduced 2.10 1.90 2.00 3.65 4.18 3.92C.D. (P=0.05) 0.146 0.160 - NS 0.244

rotations, respectively. This may be ascribed tohigher land equivalent ratio (LER) underintercropping system. This is due to the fact thatthe productivity of maize is proportionatelyhigher than the difference in prices of soybeanand maize. Intercropping systems normally haveyield advantages (Willey and Rao, 1980). Theinteraction of tillage system and crop rotationwas found significant during 2007 and maximum

yield was recorded under C-C tillage system andS+M-W rotation (2.99 t/ha).

Wheat grain yield: The crop rotation could notinfluence significantly the grain yield of wheatduring both years, whereas there was significanteffect of tillage system only during 2007-08. Themaximum grain yield was recorded under C-Ctillage system which was significantly higher

Influence of crop rotation and tillage systems on soil properties and productivity of soybean and wheat 49

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over R-R system but at par with C-R system. Onmean basis, higher grain yield was recordedunder S-W-M-W/ S+M-W rotations and C-Ctillage system.

It may be concluded that reduction in thelevel of tillage during rabi season and inclusion

of maize in the soybean based crop rotation havefavorable effect on soil nutrient status and qualityand productivity of both the crops. These resultsindicate the potential of appropriate tillagesystem and crop rotation for providingsustainability to the soybean based productionsystem.