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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lincoln, Nebraska » Agroecosystem Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #103175
Title: STABILITY OF NORMALIZED GRAIN YIELDS IN A LONG-TERM CROP ROTATION STUDY

Author
item Varvel, Gary

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/11/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: VARVEL, G.E. STABILITY OF NORMALIZED GRAIN YIELDS IN A LONG-TERM CROP ROTATION STUDY. AGRONOMY ABSTRACTS, p. 288. 1999.

Interpretive Summary: Agronomists have long recognized that spatial variability greatly affects crop production and have tried to reduce the effect of that variability. It is now much easier to both identify these areas within a field where spatial differences are present and then vary management inputs or factors which may respond differently to that variability. Our objective was to determine if management factors such as crop rotation and N fertilization practices could effectively be used to increase grain yield stability and reduce spatial variability. Sixteen years of grain yield data from 4 crops in a long-term crop rotation study with 7 cropping systems and 3 N fertilizer rates were normalized between systems for this analysis. Results of this analysis demonstrated significant differences in yield stability between cropping systems (rotation>monocultures), but N fertility, obtained from either fertilizer or legumes, was the most important aspect in maintaining yield stability.

Technical Abstract: Agronomists have long recognized that spatial variability greatly affects crop production and have tried to reduce the effect of that variability. It is now much easier to both identify these areas within a field where spatial differences are present and then vary management inputs or factors which may respond differently to that variability. Our objective was to determine if management factors such as crop rotation and N fertilization practices could effectively be used to increase grain yield stability and reduce spatial variability. Sixteen years of grain yield data from 4 crops in a long-term crop rotation study with 7 cropping systems and 3 N fertilizer rates were normalized between systems for this analysis. Results of this analysis demonstrated significant differences in yield stability between cropping systems (rotation>monocultures), but N fertility, obtained from either fertilizer or legumes, was the most important aspect in maintaining yield stability.