Effect of planting date and tillage system on soybean root growth

Abstract

Soil erosion and moisture retention are major concerns of soybean growers. Conservation tillage provides residue cover to reduce soil loss and water evaporation. This study was conducted on a Tiptonville silt loam near Portageville, MO, USA. to determine the effect of tillage system and planting date on soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] root growth and distribution. Tillage systems were conventional (clean) tillage, ridge tillage, and no-tillage. 'Essex' soybean was planted Roots were observed 30 and 60 days after emergence (DAE) using a minirhizotron system. Stand density was not affected by tillage in either year or by planting date in 1992. Tillage did not effect rooting depth in either year. In 1992, rooting depth 30 DAE was greater for the 14 May planting date than for either of the other two planting dates. No other planting date effects on rooting depth were found. Among soil depths, root length density (RLD) was greatest for the 14 to 26 cm depth in 1992 and for the 0 to 13 cm depth in 1993. Neither tillage system nor planting date 1

Crop Production in Successive Wheat-Soybean Rotation with No-Tillage Practice in Relation to the Root System Development

“…Lal et al (1989) also reported that soybean yield was greater in plots with plough tillage than without tillage. Turman et al (1995) did not fi nd any effects of three different tillage methods on soybean yield for two years, as in our study, and mentioned that none of the difference in yield could be explained by differences in root growth. The mechanism of such "buffer effect" in soybean is unclear at the moment, hence, further research will be needed concerning the relationship between soil moisture and root growth and that between root growth and productivity in soybean.…”

“…Low soil moisture would have triggered the abundant lateral root emergence in the fi rst and third seasons, while suffi cient precipitation may have caused the relatively poor lateral root development in the second season. In fact, enhancement of lateral root development in soybean under low soil moisture has been reported previously (Kono et al, 1987;Turman et al, 1995). Further, in the non-tilled plot, in which more roots were concentrated in the surface layer than in the tilled plot (Fig.…”

Spatial and temporal deployment of crop roots in CO2‐enriched environments

“…The conversion to more sustainable agricultural practices will increase soil C sequestration, decrease erosion, change soil\plant water relations, and affect the overall growth and development of crop roots (Turman et al, 1995). In fact, the magnitude of the impact of agricultural management practices on fine-root production and mortality, and the resultant transfer of C to soil, might overshadow any effects of elevated [CO # ] on these processes (Canadell et al, 1996).…”

Effect of increasing levels of maize (Zea mays L.) residue on no-till soybean (Glycine max Merr.) in Northern production regions: A review

“…Elmore (1991) observed that population and yield were reduced by 27% and 17%, respectively, with no-till compared to plowing in 1987, but reported no differences between plowing and disc systems in 1986. Other research in Iowa and Wisconsin did not show differences in population or emergence across tillage systems (Kiszonas, 2010;Pedersen and Lauer, 2004;Turnman et al, 1995). Across all studies, the response of emergence and population to tillage is highly dependent on the environment.…”