Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Pendleton, Oregon » Columbia Plateau Conservation Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #95545
Title: FERTILITY AND TILLAGE EFFECTS ON WATER-USE EFFICIENCY OF CEREALS

Author
item Rasmussen, Paul
item Douglas Jr, Clyde

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/1/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Water-use efficiency (WUE) was determined in a semi-arid region for spring wheat (SW), winter wheat (WW), and spring barley (SB) in consecutive years. Fertility variables were None, nitrogen alone (N), nitrogen plus sulfur (NS), and nitrogen plus sulfur plus phosphorus (NPS). Tillage was conventional (moldboard plow) or no-till. WUE for grain production increased with increasing fertilizer addition, with N increase in all three crops, S increase in spring grains, and P increase in SB and WW. WUE increases for dry matter production were similar to those for grain. Maximum WUE for grain (kg mm-1 of water use) was 12.4, 14.6, and 9.4 for SB, WW, and SW, resp. Cereal WUE was much lower for no-till than conventional tillage when fertility was inadequate (None, N, NS), but similar when NPS was applied.