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Effects of Conservation Tillage on Crop Cultivation and Production
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Effects of Conservation Tillage on Crop Cultivation and Production

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Physiology and Crop Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2025 | Viewed by 6499

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Danijel Jug

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Vladimira Preloga 1, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Interests: conservation soil tillage; sustainable soil/land management; climate change in agriculture
Dr. Vladimír Smutný

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Guest Editor
Department of Agrosystems and Bioclimatology, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 61300 Brno, Czech Republic
Interests: research and development of conservation tillage systems; crop protection; sustainable agriculture; cultivation systems of field crops
Prof. Dr. Irena Jug

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Vladimira Preloga 1, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Interests: agroecology; conservation agriculture; sustainable crop production; climate smart agriculture; fertilization; sustainable soil/land management; sustainability of agroecosystems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Edward Wilczewski

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, J. J. Śniadeckich in Bydgoszcz, Kaliskiego 7, 85-796 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Interests: cultivation technology; cereal crop rotation; cultivation management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Conservation tillage, along with some complimentary practices such as soil cover and crop diversity has emerged as a viable option to ensure sustainable food production and maintain environmental integrity. The principle of conservation tillage involves maintenance of surface soil cover through retention of crop residues achievable by practicing different intensity of tillage treatments and mechanical soil disturbance. Retention of crop residue protects the soil from direct impact of raindrops and sunlight while the minimal soil disturbance enhances soil biological activities as well as soil air and water movement. Crop grown with conservation tillage system has more climate adaptation (e.g., drought and high temperatures) benefits. The potential benefits of conservation tillage along with other practices such as soil cover in reducing carbon and nitrous-oxide emissions to the atmosphere, economic advantages associated with reductions in crop establishment time and energy use cannot be over emphasized. Soil become as most vulnerable natural resources and its quality status directly and indirectly influence human possibilities in food production. Questions about soil degradation and how can we prevent its further degradation, especially in the lights of climate changes, today is one of the most important aspects of human existence on global, regional and especially on local levels.

Therefore, to achieve sustainable food production with minimal impact on the (agro)environment (soil, water and the atmosphere), conservation soil tillage practices become more important now than ever.

Dr. Danijel Jug
Dr. Vladimír Smutný
Dr. Irena Jug
Dr. Edward Wilczewski
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • conservation soil tillage
  • sustainability
  • soil fertility
  • crop production
  • cover crop
  • soil degradation
  • climate change
  • agro-ecosystems resilience
  • yield and yield quality
  • food security
  • crop modeling

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2441 KiB  
Article
Effect of Compound Planting Mode on Nutrient Distribution in Cotton
by Lirong He, Lei Shi, Qiaoni Gao, Guobin Liu and Chutao Liang
Plants 2025, 14(7), 1051; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14071051 - 28 Mar 2025
Viewed by 366
Abstract
Composite planting has become one of the primary agricultural practices promoted in recent years, especially in the northwest inland cotton regions of China, where various economic trees and crops are intercropped with cotton. However, research on the microclimatic differences affecting cotton growth and [...] Read more.
Composite planting has become one of the primary agricultural practices promoted in recent years, especially in the northwest inland cotton regions of China, where various economic trees and crops are intercropped with cotton. However, research on the microclimatic differences affecting cotton growth and the nutrient allocation strategies for cotton’s key economic organs (i.e., seed, batt, and shell) in strip composite cropping systems remains limited. In this study, we examined the nutrient allocation strategies of cotton under multiple composite cropping patterns and proposed the most suitable cultivation patterns for this region in the northwest inland region of China, utilizing an allometry partitioning index and ecological stoichiometry, based on a long-term positional experiment. The results revealed that the nutrient distribution of cotton was of equal speed with the combined planting with trees, while there was an allometric distribution index of N and P between the combined planting with maize. The effect of the compound planting mode on the nutrient-use efficiency of cotton was mainly reflected in the organ differentiation stage of its reproductive growth stage. Specifically, cotton showed lower nutrient-use efficiency in reproductive organs when intercropped with low shrubs and herbaceous crops, likely due to the insufficient protective capacity of these plants for cotton. Interestingly, strip intercropping with tall trees improved cotton’s nutrient-utilization efficiency. However, it also resulted in reduced nitrogen and phosphorus content in cotton batt. Moreover, soil indicators such as available nitrogen and electrical conductivity positively influenced the nutrient uptake of cotton shells and roots, while soil phosphorus promoted the nutrient absorption of cotton seed but inhibited the nitrogen and phosphorus of cotton shell and the nitrogen of cotton batt. These findings suggest that nutrient partitioning in cotton is influenced by a variety of soil factors. According to these results, the combined planting pattern of cotton and apple trees should be considered in practice to improve cotton yield and economic benefits in the northwest inland region of China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Conservation Tillage on Crop Cultivation and Production)
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20 pages, 6788 KiB  
Article
One-Off Irrigation Combined Subsoiling and Nitrogen Management Enhances Wheat Grain Yield by Optimizing Physiological Characteristics in Leaves in Dryland Regions
by Ming Huang, Shuai Zhang, Mengqi Yang, Yuhao Sun, Qinglei Xie, Cuiping Zhao, Kaiming Ren, Kainan Zhao, Yulin Jia, Jun Zhang, Shanwei Wu, Chunxia Li, Hezheng Wang, Guozhan Fu, Muhammad Shaaban, Jinzhi Wu and Youjun Li
Plants 2024, 13(24), 3526; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13243526 - 17 Dec 2024
Viewed by 689
Abstract
Irrigation practice, tillage method, and nitrogen (N) management are the three most important agronomic measures for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production, but the combined effects on grain yield and wheat physiological characteristics are still poorly understood. We conducted a three-year split–split field [...] Read more.
Irrigation practice, tillage method, and nitrogen (N) management are the three most important agronomic measures for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production, but the combined effects on grain yield and wheat physiological characteristics are still poorly understood. We conducted a three-year split–split field experiment at the junction of the Loess Plateau and Huang-Huai-Hai Plain in China. The two irrigation practices (I0: non-irrigation and I1: one-off irrigation), three tillage methods (RT: rotary tillage, PT: plowing, and ST: subsoiling), and four N managements (N0, N120, N180, and N240) were assigned to the main plots, subplots, and sub-subplots, respectively. Irrigation practice, tillage method, N management, and most of their two-factor and three-factor interactions could significantly affect grain yield and the physiological characteristics of the leaves of winter wheat. One-off irrigation increased the grain yield by 46.9% by optimizing the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT), the contents of proline (Pro) and soluble sugar (SS), and the net photosynthesis rate (Pn) in leaves during most growth stages of wheat. The improvement of grain yield and physiological characteristics under one-off irrigation was considerably affected by the tillage method and N management, and the effectiveness of one-off irrigation was improved under subsoiling and N180 or N240. One-off irrigation combining subsoiling and N180 had no significant difference relative to one-off irrigation combining subsoiling and N240, while it significantly increased grain yield by 47.1% over the three years, as well as increasing the activities of SOD, POD, and CAT, and Pn in wheat leaves by 23.2%, 41.2%, 26.1%, and 53.0%, respectively, and decreasing the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), Pro, and SS by 29.2%, 65.4%, and 18.2% compared to non-irrigation rotary tillage combined with N240 across the two years and three stages. The wheat grain yield was significantly associated with the physiological characteristics in flag leaves, and the coefficient was greatest for POD activity, followed by SOD activity and Pn. Therefore, one-off irrigation combining subsoiling and N180 is an optimal strategy for the high-yield production of wheat in dryland regions where the one-off irrigation is assured. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Conservation Tillage on Crop Cultivation and Production)
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15 pages, 2197 KiB  
Article
Effects of Diverse Crop Rotation Sequences on Rice Growth, Yield, and Soil Properties: A Field Study in Gewu Station
by Ruiping Yang, Yu Shen, Xiangyi Kong, Baoming Ge, Xiaoping Sun and Mingchang Cao
Plants 2024, 13(23), 3273; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13233273 - 21 Nov 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1766
Abstract
This long-term field study conducted in Yancheng, China, evaluated the effects of diverse crop rotation sequences on rice growth, yield, and soil properties. Six rotation treatments were implemented from 2016 to 2023 as follows: rice–wheat (control), rice–rape, rice–hairy vetch, rice–barley, rice–faba bean, and [...] Read more.
This long-term field study conducted in Yancheng, China, evaluated the effects of diverse crop rotation sequences on rice growth, yield, and soil properties. Six rotation treatments were implemented from 2016 to 2023 as follows: rice–wheat (control), rice–rape, rice–hairy vetch, rice–barley, rice–faba bean, and rice–winter fallow. Rice growth parameters, yield components, biomass accumulation, and soil properties were measured. Results showed that legume-based rotations, particularly rice–faba bean and rice–hairy vetch, significantly improved rice growth and yield compared to the rice–wheat control. The rice–faba bean rotation increased yield by 19.1% to 8.73 t/ha compared to 7.33 t/ha for the control, while rice–hairy vetch increased yield by 11.9% to 8.20 t/ha. These rotations also demonstrated higher biomass production efficiency, with increases of 33.33% and 25.00%, respectively, in spring crop biomass. Soil nutrients improvements were observed, particularly in available nitrogen, potassium, and electrical conductivity. Legume-based rotations increased the available nitrogen by up to 35.9% compared to the control. The study highlights the potential of diversified crop rotations, especially those incorporating legumes, to enhance rice productivity and soil health in subtropical regions. These findings have important implications for developing sustainable and resilient rice-based cropping systems to address challenges of food security and environmental sustainability in the face of climate change and resource constraints. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Conservation Tillage on Crop Cultivation and Production)
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18 pages, 19274 KiB  
Article
Morphological Differentiation, Yield, and Cutting Time of Lolium multiflorum L. under Acid Soil Conditions in Highlands
by William Carrasco-Chilón, Marieta Cervantes-Peralta, Laura Mendoza, Yudith Muñoz-Vílchez, Carlos Quilcate, David Casanova Nuñez-Melgar, Héctor Vásquez and Wuesley Yusmein Alvarez-García
Plants 2024, 13(16), 2331; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13162331 - 21 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1962
Abstract
Livestock production in the basins of the northern macro-region of Peru has as its primary source pastures of Lolium multiflorum L. ‘Cajamarquino ecotype’ (ryegrass CE) in monoculture, or in association with white clover Ladino variety, for feeding. The objective of this research work [...] Read more.
Livestock production in the basins of the northern macro-region of Peru has as its primary source pastures of Lolium multiflorum L. ‘Cajamarquino ecotype’ (ryegrass CE) in monoculture, or in association with white clover Ladino variety, for feeding. The objective of this research work was the morphological characterisation, yield evaluation, and cutting time evaluation of two local genotypes (LM-58 and LM-43) of Lolium multiflorum L. in six locations. An ANOVA was performed to compare fixed effects and interaction. It was determined that the LM-58 genotype is intermediate, growing semi-erect, with a dark green colouring and 0.8 cm broadleaf, and can reach an average stem length of 46 cm, up to 1.6 cm. day−1, achieving fourth-leaf growth at 28 days under appropriate management conditions. Despite the differentiated characteristics, according to BLASTn evaluation, the ITS1 sequences showed a greater than 99.9% similar identification to Lolium multiflorum L., characterising it as such. It was determined that the LM-58 genotype outperforms LM-43, achieving a forage yield of 4.49 Mg. ha−1, a seed production of 259.23 kg. ha−1, and an average of 13.48% crude protein (CP). The best biomass yield (49.10 Mg. ha−1.yr−1) is reached at 60 days; however, at 30 days, there is a high level of CP (14.84%) and there are no differences in the annual protein production at the cutting age of 60 and 45 days. With the results of the present study, LM-58 from a selection and crossbreeding of 680 ryegrass EC accessions emerges as an elite genotype adapted to the conditions of the northern high Andean zone of Peru. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Conservation Tillage on Crop Cultivation and Production)
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17 pages, 275 KiB  
Article
Belowground Response of a Bahiagrass Pasture to Long-Term Elevated [CO2] and Soil Fertility Management
by G. Brett Runion, Stephen A. Prior and H. Allen Torbert
Plants 2024, 13(4), 485; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13040485 - 8 Feb 2024
Viewed by 958
Abstract
Effects of rising atmospheric CO2 concentration [CO2] on pastures and grazing lands are beginning to be researched, but these important systems remain understudied compared to other agronomic and forest ecosystems. Therefore, we conducted a long-term (2005–2015) study of bahiagrass ( [...] Read more.
Effects of rising atmospheric CO2 concentration [CO2] on pastures and grazing lands are beginning to be researched, but these important systems remain understudied compared to other agronomic and forest ecosystems. Therefore, we conducted a long-term (2005–2015) study of bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flüggé) response to elevated [CO2] and fertility management. The study was conducted at the USDA-ARS, National Soil Dynamics Laboratory open-top field chamber facility, Auburn, AL. A newly established bahiagrass pasture was exposed to either ambient or elevated (ambient + 200 µmol mol−1) [CO2]. Following one year of pasture establishment, half the plots received a fertilizer treatment [N at 90 kg ha−1 three times yearly plus P, K, and lime as recommended by soil testing]; the remaining plots received no fertilization. These treatments were implemented to represent managed (M) and unmanaged (U) pastures; both are common in the southeastern US. Root cores (0–60 cm depth) were collected annually in October and processed using standard procedures. Fertility additions consistently increased both root length density (53.8%) and root dry weight density (68.2%) compared to unmanaged plots, but these root variables were generally unaffected by either [CO2] or its interaction with management. The results suggest that southern bahiagrass pastures could benefit greatly from fertilizer additions. However, bahiagrass pasture root growth is unlikely to be greatly affected by rising atmospheric [CO2], at least by those levels expected during this century. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Conservation Tillage on Crop Cultivation and Production)
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