Abstract
Winter cereal cropping is marginal in south-west Queensland because of low and variable rainfall and declining soil fertility. Increasing the soil water storage and the efficiency of water and nitrogen (N) use is essential for sustainable cereal production. The effect of zero tillage and N fertiliser application on these factors was evaluated in wheat and barley from 1996 to 2001 on a grey Vertosol. Annual rainfall was above average in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 and below average in 2000 and 2001. Due to drought, no crop was grown in the 2000 winter cropping season. Zero tillage improved fallow soil water storage by a mean value of 20 mm over 4 years, compared with conventional tillage. However, mean grain yield and gross margin of wheat were similar under conventional and zero tillage. Wheat grain yield and/or grain protein increased with N fertiliser application in all years, resulting in an increase in mean gross margin over 5 years from $86/ha, with no N fertiliser applied, to $250/ha, with N applied to target =13% grain protein. A similar increase in gross margin occurred in barley where N fertiliser was applied to target malting grade. The highest N fertiliser application rate in wheat resulted in a residual benefit to soil N supply for the following crop. This study has shown that profitable responses to N fertiliser addition in wheat and barley can be obtained on long-term cultivated Vertosols in south-west Queensland when soil water reserves at sowing are at least 60% of plant available water capacity, or rainfall during the growing season is above average. An integrative benchmark for improved N fertiliser management appears to be the gross margin/water use of ~$1/ha.mm. Greater fallow soil water storage or crop water use efficiency under zero tillage has the potential to improve winter cereal production in drier growing seasons than experienced during the period of this study.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Zero tillage increased fallow soil water storage by 20 mm versus conventional tillage.
- Taxon
- wheat
Triticum aestivumt0 - Treatment
- Zero tillagee0
- Outcome
- fallow soil water storagee0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Value
- 20 mme0
- Comparator
- conventional tillagee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Zero tillage improved fallow soil water storage by a mean value of 20 mm over 4 years, compared with conventional tillage”
t0“wheat and barley”
Claim · model-written summary
Mean wheat grain yield was similar under conventional and zero tillage.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Treatment
- zero tillagee0
- Outcome
- mean grain yielde0
- Direction
- similare0
- Comparator
- conventionale0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“mean grain yield and gross margin of wheat were similar under conventional and zero tillage”
Claim · model-written summary
Mean wheat gross margin was similar under conventional and zero tillage.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Treatment
- zero tillagee0
- Outcome
- gross margine0
- Direction
- similare0
- Comparator
- conventionale0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“mean grain yield and gross margin of wheat were similar under conventional and zero tillage”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen fertilizer increased wheat grain yield and/or grain protein in all years.
- Taxon
- WheatTriticum aestivume0
- Treatment
- N fertiliser applicatione0
- Outcome
- grain yield and/or grain proteine0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Wheat grain yield and/or grain protein increased with N fertiliser application in all years”
Claim · model-written summary
Wheat gross margin rose from $86/ha without N to $250/ha with N targeting 13% protein.
- Taxon
- WheatTriticum aestivume1
- Treatment
- N applied to target =13% grain proteine0
- Outcome
- mean gross margine0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Value
- $250/hae0
- Qualifier
- $86/hae0
- Comparator
- no N fertiliser appliede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increase in mean gross margin over 5 years from $86/ha, with no N fertiliser applied, to $250/ha, with N applied to target =13% grain protein”
e1“Wheat grain yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Barley gross margin similarly increased with N targeting malting grade.
- Taxon
- barley
.jpg?width=60)
Hordeum vulgaree0 - Treatment
- N fertiliser was applied to target malting gradee0
- Outcome
- gross margine0
- Direction
- increasee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“A similar increase in gross margin occurred in barley where N fertiliser was applied to target malting grade”
Claim · model-written summary
The highest N rate in wheat gave residual soil N benefit to the next crop.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Treatment
- highest N fertiliser application ratee0
- Outcome
- soil N supply for the following crope0
- Direction
- benefite0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The highest N fertiliser application rate in wheat resulted in a residual benefit to soil N supply for the following crop”
Claim · model-written summary
N fertilizer was profitable for wheat and barley when sowing water was at least 60% of capacity or growing season rainfall was above average.
- Taxon
- wheat and barleyHordeum vulgareTriticum aestivume0
- Treatment
- N fertiliser additione0
- Outcome
- profitable responsese0
- Direction
- profitablee0
- Qualifier
- at least 60% of plant available water capacitye0
- Setting
- south-west Queenslande0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“profitable responses to N fertiliser addition in wheat and barley can be obtained on long-term cultivated Vertosols in south-west Queensland when soil water reserves at sowing are at least 60% of plant available water capacity, or rainfall during the growing season is above average”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggest a gross margin per water use benchmark of about $1/ha.mm.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Outcome
- gross margin/water usee0
- Value
- ~$1/ha.mme0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“An integrative benchmark for improved N fertiliser management appears to be the gross margin/water use of ~$1/ha.mm”
t0“wheat and barley”
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