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Performance of conventional and alternative cropping systems in cryoboreal subhumid central Alberta

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

R. C. Izaurralde ,
N. G. Juma ,
W. B. McGill ,
D. S. Chanasyk ,
S. Pawluk  and
M. J. Dudas
R. C. Izaurralde
Affiliation:
Department of Soil Science, University of Alberta, 4–42 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E3
N. G. Juma
Affiliation:
Department of Soil Science, University of Alberta, 4–42 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E3
W. B. McGill
Affiliation:
Department of Soil Science, University of Alberta, 4–42 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E3
D. S. Chanasyk
Affiliation:
Department of Soil Science, University of Alberta, 4–42 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E3
S. Pawluk
Affiliation:
Department of Soil Science, University of Alberta, 4–42 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E3
M. J. Dudas
Affiliation:
Department of Soil Science, University of Alberta, 4–42 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E3
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Summary

A 3-year field study (1986–88) was conducted in central Alberta to discover how diverse soil-plant systems function under cryoboreal subhumid conditions. Barley, fescue, faba (field) bean and a barley/field pea intercrop were grown continuously on different soils at Ellerslie and Breton using two distinct tillage methods. The agronomic performance, weed-crop interactions and below-ground productivity of these cropping systems were examined. The main findings were as follows: different soil properties did not affect yields of barley, barley/field pea and fescue fertilized with N and P; silage yield of faba bean at Breton was greater than at Ellerslie; barley/field pea and faba bean could be grown without tillage at Ellerslie; barley/field pea plots had the lowest weed counts; fescue root biomass was greatest at all depths followed by faba bean and barley; and soil properties appeared not to induce differences in root production of a cereal, an annual forage legume and a perennial grass. Increasing the use of annual legumes into rotations, either as sole crops or as intercrops with cereals, may be a viable alternative to continuous cereal cropping because annual legumes contribute N through biological N fixation, reduce weed competition and increase the input of root mass in soil.

Type
Crops and Soils
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 120 , Issue 1 , February 1993 , pp. 33 - 42
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

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