Tillage systems and crop rotations on grain yield and agronomic characteristics of wheat

Abstract

The adoption of conservation practices can affect the soil properties and, consequently, the yield crop. From 2003 to 2010, the effects of soil managements and crop rotations were assessed in Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul. Four soil management: 1) no-tillage, 2) chisel plow tillage, 3) conventional tillage using disk plow, and 4) conventional tillage using moldboard plow and three crop rotation systems: system I - wheat/soybean; system II - wheat/soybean and common vetch/sorghum; and system III - wheat/soybean, common vetch/sorghum, and white oats/soybean were compared. A random block design with split-plots and three replications was used. The main plot consisted of soil management systems, while the split-plots consisted of crop rotation systems. Wheat yield and final plant population grown under no-tillage was higher than that of wheat grown under conventional soil tillage using either disk plow or moldboard plow and minimum tillage. But tillage systems did not affect significantly severity of root
diseases and weight of 1,000 kernels. The system III (wheat/soybean, common vetch/sorghum, and white oats/soybean) showed higher yield, higher weight of 1,000 kernels, hectolitre weight and harvest index than the systems I and II (monoculture wheat/soybean) and a winter without wheat (wheat/soybean and vetch/sorghum). The final population the plants was the lowest in the system I in comparison to systems II and III.