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Tillage
Rainfed Wheat and Soybean Productivity in a Long-Term Tillage Experiment in Central Italy
Marco Mazzoncini,
Claudia Di Bene,
Antonio Coli,
Daniele Antichi,
Monica Petri,
Enrico Bonari,
Corresponding Author
Marco Mazzoncini
Dep. of Agronomy and Agroecosystem Management, Univ. of Pisa, via San Michele degli Scalzi n. 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Corresponding author ([email protected]).Search for more papers by this authorClaudia Di Bene
Land Lab, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Piazza Martiri della Libertà n. 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorAntonio Coli
Avanzi Interdepartmental Cent. for Agro-Environmental Res. (CIRAA), Univ. of Pisa, via Vecchia di Marina n. 6, 56122 San Piero a Grado, PI, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorDaniele Antichi
Land Lab, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Piazza Martiri della Libertà n. 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorMonica Petri
Land Lab, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Piazza Martiri della Libertà n. 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorEnrico Bonari
Land Lab, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Piazza Martiri della Libertà n. 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorMarco Mazzoncini,
Claudia Di Bene,
Antonio Coli,
Daniele Antichi,
Monica Petri,
Enrico Bonari,
Corresponding Author
Marco Mazzoncini
Dep. of Agronomy and Agroecosystem Management, Univ. of Pisa, via San Michele degli Scalzi n. 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Corresponding author ([email protected]).Search for more papers by this authorClaudia Di Bene
Land Lab, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Piazza Martiri della Libertà n. 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorAntonio Coli
Avanzi Interdepartmental Cent. for Agro-Environmental Res. (CIRAA), Univ. of Pisa, via Vecchia di Marina n. 6, 56122 San Piero a Grado, PI, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorDaniele Antichi
Land Lab, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Piazza Martiri della Libertà n. 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorMonica Petri
Land Lab, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Piazza Martiri della Libertà n. 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorEnrico Bonari
Land Lab, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Piazza Martiri della Libertà n. 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorAll rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Abstract
Tillage plays a key role in cropping system sustainability due to its impact on soil properties, crop yields, economic returns, labor, and energy requirements. The objective of our research was to compare the effects of no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) on durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] productivity in a long-term, 2-yr rotation field experiment initiated in 1986 under a Mediterranean climate. The 16-yr (1990–2005) average grain yield for NT wheat was 8.9% lower than that for CT wheat (3.97 vs. 4.36 Mg ha−1). Differences between tillage systems were significant in 6 out of the 16 seasons and were small when planting was early, weed control was good, and rainfall deficit occurred during the grain filling period. The 16-yr average grain yield for soybean was significantly lower under NT than under CT (2.60 vs. 3.08 Mg ha−1) but differences between tillage systems were small and not significant in 12 out of the 16 seasons. In comparison to wheat, NT soybean had higher weed pressure. Nitrogen concentrations in wheat and soybean were little affected by tillage. Phosphorus concentrations in wheat grain and straw were generally higher under NT, while differences in soybean tissue P due to tillage were negligible.
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