Recent increases in corn (Zea mays L.) production in the U.S. Corn Belt have necessitated the conversion of rotations to continuous corn, and an increase in the frequency of tillage. e objective of this study was to assess the e ect of rotation and tillage on soil physical and chemical properties in soils typical of Illinois. Sequences of continuous corn (CCC), 2-yr corn-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] (CS) rotation, 3-yr corn-soybean-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (CSW) rotation, and continuous soybean (SSS) were split into conventional tillage (CT) and no-till (NT) subplots at two Illinois sites. A er 15 yr, bulk density (BD) under NT was 2.4% greater than under CT. Water aggregate stability (WAS) was 0.84 kg kg -1 under NT compared to 0.81 kg kg -1 under CT. Similarly, soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) were greater under NT than under CT with SOC values for 0 to 60 cm of 96.0 and 91.0 Mg ha -1 and TN values of 8.87 and 8.40 Mg ha -1 for NT and CT, respectively. Rotations a ected WAS, TN, and K levels with WAS being greatest for the CSW rotation at 0.87 kg kg -1 , decreasing with more soybean years (CS, 0.82 kg kg -1 and SSS, 0.79 kg kg -1 ). A similar pattern was detected for TN and exchangeable K. Results indicated that while the use of NT improved soil quality, long-term implementation of continuous corn had similar soil quality parameters to those found under a corn-soybean rotation.

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