Rotation and tillage effects on forage cropping systems productivity and resource use

Abstract

Limited information is available on what forage rotations and tillage practices increase forage productivity in the U.S. Great Plains region. The objectives of this study were to evaluate crop rotation and tillage effects on individual crop and overall system productivity. The study was conducted from 2012–2020 near Garden City, KS. The experiment was an incomplete factorial combination of four rotations and two tillage practices including sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]–sorghum (S–S) no-till (NT), triticale [×Triticosecale Wittm. ex A. Camus (Secale ×Triticum)]/sorghum–sorghum–oat (Avena sativa L.; T/S–S–O) reduced till (RT), triticale/sorghum–sorghum–sorghum-oat (T/S–S–S–O) NT, T/S–S–S–O RT, and triticale–sorghum–oat (T–S–O) NT. Results showed annualized forage accumulation with S–S and T/S–S–S–O (NT and RT) rotations were 31–58% greater than T/S–S–O (NT) and T–S–O (NT). Annualized water use from each rotation was in the order T/S–S–S–O (RT) = T/S–S–S–O (NT) > T/S–S–O (RT) = T/S–S–O (NT) > T–S–O (NT) = S–S (NT). Sorghum forage accumulation was 43% greater and water use was 23% greater in a nondouble crop sequence than sorghum double crop after triticale. We concluded that T/S–S–S–O (NT and RT) rotations have better crop diversity than continuous S–S (NT) and greater annualized forage productivity than T/S–S–O (NT and RT) and T–S–O (NT) rotations.