Medium-Term Crop Rotations with Different Residue Incorporation Rates: Effect on Durum Wheat Production and Plant Nutrient Concentration and Extraction

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the medium-term effect of two biannual rotations and four residue rate incorporation on durum wheat production and its nutritional composition and nutrient extraction. The effects of two biannual rotations of canola (Brassica napus L.) durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L.) and bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)-durum wheat and four incorporation rates (0%, 50%, 100%, and 200%) of residues of each preceding crop were evaluated after four seasons on durum wheat production and on its nutritional composition and nutrient extraction, in a volcanic soil in south-central Chile. Results indicated that the highest grain yield and residue production of durum wheat was obtained after bean (7.40 and 7.92 Mg ha −1 , respectively). In the grain were obtained lower N and P concentrations after bean, and higher K, Ca, and Mg concentrations in the residue. The extraction of most durum wheat grain and residue nutrients was higher after bean. Nutrient distribution in the durum wheat plant concentrated in the grain was 79.9 to 80.

Three Biannual Rotations Cycles with Residue Incorporation Affect Wheat Production and Chemical Soil Properties

“…Additionally, residue incorporation helps mitigate the greenhouse gas effect by reducing CO 2 emissions [ 13 ]. Regarding the use of crop residues in agriculture, there are still many questions, like possible negative effects on nutrient availability such as N due to microbial organization processes [ 11 , 12 , 14 , 15 ], and physical limitations for soil preparation and the establishment of the following crop within a rotation [ 16 ]. In turn, one of the practices that has contributed to facilitating the use of agricultural residues is precisely the use of crop rotations, which allows for time windows to be left between the incorporation of residues from the recently harvested crop and the sowing of the next crop, as well as improving microbial biodiversity in the soil, which increases the natural capacity of the soil system to achieve residue decomposition within the soil [ 11 , 17 ].…”