Influences of crop rotation, tillage, residue management and winter cover crop on take-all in spring wheat

Abstract

The effects of soil and residue management factors (tillage, post-harvest crop residue management and winter cover crops) and crop rotation (wheat following two barley crops, wheat following ryegrass) on take-all were compared in a 3-year field trial in Canterbury. Incidence of take-all was very high in plots that had previously grown barley, and very low in plots that followed ryegrass. Take-all incidence was also much greater in plots that were disced than in plots that were direct-drilled. Differences in soil pH and in plant emergence were also recorded between disced and direct-drilled plots, but there was no evidence that they caused the increased levels of take-all. There was a tendency towards reduced yields in the disced plots that had severe levels of take-all.