Effect of Zero and Minimum Tillage on Cotton Productivity and Soil Characteristics under Different Nitrogen Application Rates

Long-term conservation tillage and straw incorporation are reported to improve the soil health, growth, and yield traits of crops; however, little is known regarding the optimal nitrogen (N) supply under conservation tillage with straw incorporation. The present study evaluated the effects of conser...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2021-12, Vol.13 (24), p.13753
Main Authors: Khan, Niamat Ullah, Khan, Aftab Ahmad, Goheer, Muhammad Arif, Shafique, Izwa, Hussain, Sadam, Hussain, Saddam, Javed, Talha, Naz, Maliha, Shabbir, Rubab, Raza, Ali, Zulfiqar, Faisal, Mora-Poblete, Freddy, Ahmar, Sunny, Ali, Qasim, Ali, Hayssam M., Siddiqui, Manzer H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggregates
Agricultural practices
Agricultural production
Conservation
Cotton
Crop residues
Crop yield
Crops
Fertilizers
Fineness
Moisture absorption
Nitrogen
Organic matter
Organic soils
Phosphorus
Potassium
Productivity
Retention
Seeds
Soil characteristics
Soil conservation
Soil fertility
Soil improvement
Soil organic matter
Soil quality
Soil water
Straw
Sustainability
Wheat
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Summary:Long-term conservation tillage and straw incorporation are reported to improve the soil health, growth, and yield traits of crops; however, little is known regarding the optimal nitrogen (N) supply under conservation tillage with straw incorporation. The present study evaluated the effects of conservation tillage practices (ZTsas: zero tillage plus wheat straw on the soil surface as such, and MTsi: minimum tillage plus wheat straw incorporated) and different N application rates (50, 100, 150, and 200 kg ha−1) on the yield and quality traits of cotton and soil characteristics in a five-year field experiment. The results showed that ZTsas produced a higher number of bolls per plant, boll weight, seed cotton yield, 100-seed weight, ginning out-turn (GOT), fiber length, and strength than MTsi. Among different N application rates, the maximum number of bolls per plant, boll weight, seed cotton yield, GOT, 100-seed weight, fiber length, strength, and micronaire were recorded at 150 kg N ha−1. Averaged over the years, tillage × N revealed that ZTsas had a higher boll number plant−1, boll weight, 100-seed weight, GOT, fiber length, and strength with N application at 150 kg ha−1, as compared to other tillage systems. Based on the statistical results, there is no significant difference in total soil N and soil organic matter among different N rates. Further, compared to MTsi, ZTsas recorded higher soil organic matter (SOM, 8%), total soil N (TSN, 29%), water-stable aggregates (WSA, 8%), and mean weight diameter (MWD, 28.5%), particularly when the N application of 150 kg ha−1. The fiber fineness showed that ZTsas had no adverse impact on fiber fineness compared with MTsi. These results indicate that ZTsas with 150 kg N ha−1 may be the optimum and most sustainable approach to improve cotton yield and soil quality in the wheat–cotton system.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su132413753