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The profitability of selected cultivations and their influence on growth and yield of silage corn
J. agric. Engng lies. (1976) 21, 15-19
The Profitability
of Selected
on Growth
Cultivations
and Their Influence
and Yield of Silage Corn*
A. H. HAKIMI~; s. M. CHAKRABARTII Tillage methods under irrigated soils in arid or semi-arid regions have not been studied extensively. Four pre-planting tillage methods: chisel plough and one disking (T,), moldboard plough and two diskings (TJ, rotary tillage only (T3), and no-tillage (r,) were tried on full season corn (.&a mays L.) on a calcareous clay soil. Results strongly favoured the chisel plough and one disking treatment over any other treatment, for it produced both maximum plant growth and highest silage corn yield. The notillage method resulted in the lowest yield. 1.
Introduction
The traditional methods of tillage, developed in temperate moist climates and based on the moldboard plough, when utilized indiscriminately for arid-land farming have frequently had disastrous effects, mainly by increasing erosion. The effects of tillage methods for arid-land cultivations on crop growth and yields are to a large degree attributable to the differences in soil moisture, which in turn are due to improved infiltration and conservation of soil moisture. Recent adoption of conservation tillage has shown that run-off and evaporation losses from the soil surface can be reduced.’ Malik et aL2 emphasized the importance of ploughing for quick penetration of rain water and its conservation, due to favourable soil physical conditions and better control of weeds. Mayer and Mannering3 studied the practice of minimum tillage for corn (Zen mays L.) and its effect on infiltration and erosion. They found an increased amount and rate of infiltration, and decreased soil losses as compared to conventional tillage. The effect of tillage versus no-tillage, with an without mulch on run-off, soil water, plant growth, and yield of corn was investigated by Jones et al. 4+5 They found that corn yield under the no-tillage method was more than or equal to that under the conventional tillage method. Furthermore, an increase of soil moisture was available for plant growth under the no-tillage method. In addition, mulches increased the infiltration by reducing run-off. Similar studies6-9 on the feasibility of the no-tillage method have shown promise in various areas and under various soil-moisture conditions. However, little information is available on the feasibility of the no-tillage method in arid or semi-arid regions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influences of various tillage methods, ranging from conventional tillage to no-tillage, on growth and yield of corn under irrigation in an arid region. 2.
Materials
and methods
The field experiment was conducted in 1971 on a calcareous silty clay soil (low in nitrogen and phosphorus, pH 7.5-8.5, slope 2-3 %) at the College of Agriculture Experiment Station. Most of the precipitation in this area occurs during the winter and early spring with no rain during the growing season. The total rainfall during this period was about 214.5 mm. The mean temperatures for months May, June, July, and August during the three years were 18.3, 23, 21.7, and 19” C, respectively. The average relative humidity varied from 27 % in May to 17 “/, in August. Wheat was grown in the test field in 1969. Following harvesting, the land was ploughed and levelled. The field was left fallow for the next year. Test plots of 10 m long and six rows wide with 1 m between two rows were made. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block *Contribution tHead
from the Department
and Associate
Received
11 December
Professor, 1974;
of Farm
and Assistant accepted
Machinery,
College
Professor
of Farm
in revised
form
18 March
of Agriculture, Machinery, 197.5
15
Pahlavi respectively
University,
Shiraz,
Iran
PROFI-IABILITY
Fig. 1. The general trend of corn growth
us measured
OF
SELEC’TED
C‘IJL’I
LVAI
IONS
by height increase it1 (a) 1971, (6) 1972 and (c) 1973
The tillage treatments which were considered for design with four replications. were: chisel plough and one disking (T,), moldboard plough and two diskings method) (T,), rotary tillage only (T3), and no-tillage (T4). The predominant weeds at the experiment site were common lamb’s quarter album), wild licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), camel thorn (Alhagi persorum), and (Carthamus oxyacantha). The residual sod and annual weeds were ploughed down T,, T,, and T,, and herbicides were used to kill weeds for the treatment Tp. All
the experiment (conventional (Chenopdium wild safflower for treatments the tilled plots
A. H. HAKIMI;
17
S. M. CHAKRABARTI TABLE I
Effects of tillage methods on the fresh weight yield of silage
corn* Yield (ton/ha)
Treatment
Chisel ploughfone disking (T,) Moldboard plough+two diskings (TJ (conventional Rotary tillage only (TJ No-tillage (T,)
method)
1971
1972
1973
49.lat 46,lab 44.1 b 40.7b
54.8 49,Oa 42.7a 39.5
52,Oa 48,Oa 41.5b 38.5b
*Values within the table are averages over four replications tMeans followed by the same letter are not significant at the 5% level
were treated with 2.25 kg/ha of atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamino 6-isopropylamino-I, 3,5triazine) after planting the seed. The no-tillage plots were treated with 0.6 kg/ha of paraquat (1 ,I,-dimethyl-4, 4bipyridinum) plus 5.0 kg/ha of atrazine 3 weeks before planting. Fertilizer, at the rate of 50 kg/ha nitrogen, was applied as ammonium nitrate. The corn variety (Israel, “Neveh Yaar”), which can be used both for silage and grain, was planted in rows by making trenches with hand hoes on May 15. Each row was over planted and later thinned. The final stand was about 50,000 plants/ha. Plots were irrigated immediately after planting and at 7-day intervals thereafter during the growing season. Plant height was used as indicator of growth. Measurements were made at weekly intervals on 16 previously marked plants in each plot from the 4th week until harvest. Measurements were made to the tip of extended leaves or the top of tassels, whichever was greater. The corn plants were harvest on August 30. The four middle rows of each plot were harvested after trimming 0.5 m from each end of the plot. The experiment was repeated following the same procedure in 1972 and in 1973. 3.
Results and discussion
Fig. I represents the general trend of corn growth (plant height) for three years under various
tillage treatments. In general initial corn growth was better under no-tillage treatment, however, growth decreased after a certain period. During the first year, corn growth under no-tillage treatment decreased from about 8 weeks after planting, while for the third year it was from about 12 weeks after planting. The high initial growth under the no-tillage treatment perhaps may be due to increased soil moisture and favourable soil temperature, because, under no-tillage treatment, the wheat straw from the previous crop and the killed weeds may have acted as a mulch TABLE II
Comparison of cost and revenue of different tillage treatments*
I
I
Operation TP T3 TZ Tl
Differences between successive treatments
Product
Treatment cost (Rialt) 10,415 9475 9450 9475
Yield (ton/ha)
Value (Rials)
Profit (Riuls)
Yield (ton/ha)
Profit (Rials)
39.6 42.8 47.7 52.2
59,350 64,165 71,580 78,250
48,935 54,690 62,130 68,775
0.0 3.2 4.9 4.5
0 5755 7440 6645
*Values within the table are averages over three Years t67.5 Rials = U.S. $1
18
PROFII’ABILITY
OF
SELECTED
CL L’fl\
~ATlOKis
cover and caused soil temperature to increase. Van Wijk et aIS9 also found higher corn growth rate under mulched conditions. They attributed this to higher soil temperature under mulched treatments. Furthermore, Jones et al.4, 5 found an increase in available soil moisture under mulched I’S. unmulched soil. Although no attempt was made to measure the soil temperature or soil moisture in this study, a better temperature and moisture condition under no-tillage may have resulted in faster germination of seeds and seedlings than other treatments. For the three years, the total growths were highest under treatment TI (Fig. 1) and the general The wide difference between the growth pattern was also similar under the tested treatments. TI and T4 may be caused by better water infiltration in treatment T,. growth under treatments Similar results were also reported by Malik et al.* with ploughing. The average yields of corn under each treatment for the three years are summarized in Table I. Tillage treatments produced an effect on yield similar to that on corn growth. Highest yields were obtained from treatment TI while no-tillage (T,,) resulted in the lowest yields. The statistical analysis of the yield data (Duncan’s Multiple Range Test at 95 1?;,level) indicated that the yields from TL were significantly greater than yields from T4, as well as yields from T:,. During the third year, no significant difference in yield between treatments TI and T2 was found. The most likely explanation is better infiltration of water into the soil and more extensive root development in T, treatment, as compared to other treatments. The analysis of the costs and revenue of the tillage treatments is summarized in Table II. Based on the operational costs of various tillage methods and the corresponding revenues, Table 11 was arranged for comparison of the treatments tested. Although operational cost as well as profit changed considerably during 1972-1973, identical values were considered in order to maintain consistency in the analysis. The basic factors common to all four treatments were land, water, fertilizer, and seed. In the case of herbicides, this factor was also uniform for the three treatments T,, T,, and T,. For the treatment 7’,, the cost of herbicide in excess of that for other treatments is considered in the analysis. The last two columns in Table II represent the dilTerences between the two successive treatments. Considering the treatment T,. as a standard, the differences in yields are calculated by subtracting corresponding yields from column 3. Similarly differences in profits were determined by substracting corresponding profits from column 5. From Table II it can be seen that the net profit from the treatment TI was the highest, while no-tillage produced the least profit, In addition, there were considerable differences in yields and profits among the treatments. More specifically the differences in yields and profit between treatments T,, and T, were 3.2 ton/ha and 5755 Rials, respectively, while between treatments T4 and TI the differences were 12.6 ton/ha and 19 840 Rials, respectively. The profit under the chisel plough and one disking treatment was about 29 7; greater than the no-tillage treatment. Thus, from the foregoing discussion it can be said that under the conditions which prevailed during these field studies, the chisel plough with one disking (T]) was demonstrated to be the better tillage method than the other methods of tillage for production of silage corn. REFERENCl3
Larson, W. E. Tillage requirements for corn. J. Soil Wat. Conserv., 1962 17 3-l 2 Malik, A. J.; Kimar, V.; Moolani, M. K. Dryland research in Northwest India. I: Eflkct of I,ariahle pre-planting tillage, soil moisture, growth and yield ef' pearl millet (Pennisetum typhodies S. and H.). Agron. J., 1973 65 12-14 Agric. ’ Meyer, L. D.; Mannering, J. V. Minimum tillage ,for corn: its effect on infiltration and erosim. Engng, 1961 2 72-75,8&87 ’ Jones, J. N. Jr.; Moody, E.; Shear, G. M.; Mochler, W. W.; Lillard, J. H. 7%~ no-tillage system ,for corn (Zea mays L.). Agron. J., 1968 60 17-20 5 Jones, J. N. Jr.; Moody, E.; Lillard, J. H. Effect of tillage, no-tillage, and mulch on soil water andplant growth. Agron. J., 1969 61 719-721 6 Cook, R. L.; Turk, L. M.; McColly, H. F. Tillage methods influence crops yields. Soil Sci. Sot. Am. Proc., 1953 17 410415 ’
A.
H.
HAKIMI;
S. M.
CHAKRABARTI
19
7 Free, G. R.; Fertig, S. N.; Bay, C. E. Zero-tillage for corn following sod. Agron. J., 1963 55 207-208 a Triplet& G. B. Jr.; Van Doren, D. M. Jr.; Schmidt, B. L. Efict of corn stover mulch on no-tillage corn yield and water infiltration. Agron. J., 1968 60 236-239 9 Van Wijk, W. R.; Larson, W. E.; Burrows, W. C. Soil temperature and early growth of corn from mulched and unmulched soil. Soil Sci. Sot. Am. Proc., 1959 23 428-434
The Profitability
of Selected
on Growth
Cultivations
and Their Influence
and Yield of Silage Corn*
A. H. HAKIMI~; s. M. CHAKRABARTII Tillage methods under irrigated soils in arid or semi-arid regions have not been studied extensively. Four pre-planting tillage methods: chisel plough and one disking (T,), moldboard plough and two diskings (TJ, rotary tillage only (T3), and no-tillage (r,) were tried on full season corn (.&a mays L.) on a calcareous clay soil. Results strongly favoured the chisel plough and one disking treatment over any other treatment, for it produced both maximum plant growth and highest silage corn yield. The notillage method resulted in the lowest yield. 1.
Introduction
The traditional methods of tillage, developed in temperate moist climates and based on the moldboard plough, when utilized indiscriminately for arid-land farming have frequently had disastrous effects, mainly by increasing erosion. The effects of tillage methods for arid-land cultivations on crop growth and yields are to a large degree attributable to the differences in soil moisture, which in turn are due to improved infiltration and conservation of soil moisture. Recent adoption of conservation tillage has shown that run-off and evaporation losses from the soil surface can be reduced.’ Malik et aL2 emphasized the importance of ploughing for quick penetration of rain water and its conservation, due to favourable soil physical conditions and better control of weeds. Mayer and Mannering3 studied the practice of minimum tillage for corn (Zen mays L.) and its effect on infiltration and erosion. They found an increased amount and rate of infiltration, and decreased soil losses as compared to conventional tillage. The effect of tillage versus no-tillage, with an without mulch on run-off, soil water, plant growth, and yield of corn was investigated by Jones et al. 4+5 They found that corn yield under the no-tillage method was more than or equal to that under the conventional tillage method. Furthermore, an increase of soil moisture was available for plant growth under the no-tillage method. In addition, mulches increased the infiltration by reducing run-off. Similar studies6-9 on the feasibility of the no-tillage method have shown promise in various areas and under various soil-moisture conditions. However, little information is available on the feasibility of the no-tillage method in arid or semi-arid regions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influences of various tillage methods, ranging from conventional tillage to no-tillage, on growth and yield of corn under irrigation in an arid region. 2.
Materials
and methods
The field experiment was conducted in 1971 on a calcareous silty clay soil (low in nitrogen and phosphorus, pH 7.5-8.5, slope 2-3 %) at the College of Agriculture Experiment Station. Most of the precipitation in this area occurs during the winter and early spring with no rain during the growing season. The total rainfall during this period was about 214.5 mm. The mean temperatures for months May, June, July, and August during the three years were 18.3, 23, 21.7, and 19” C, respectively. The average relative humidity varied from 27 % in May to 17 “/, in August. Wheat was grown in the test field in 1969. Following harvesting, the land was ploughed and levelled. The field was left fallow for the next year. Test plots of 10 m long and six rows wide with 1 m between two rows were made. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block *Contribution tHead
from the Department
and Associate
Received
11 December
Professor, 1974;
of Farm
and Assistant accepted
Machinery,
College
Professor
of Farm
in revised
form
18 March
of Agriculture, Machinery, 197.5
15
Pahlavi respectively
University,
Shiraz,
Iran
PROFI-IABILITY
Fig. 1. The general trend of corn growth
us measured
OF
SELEC’TED
C‘IJL’I
LVAI
IONS
by height increase it1 (a) 1971, (6) 1972 and (c) 1973
The tillage treatments which were considered for design with four replications. were: chisel plough and one disking (T,), moldboard plough and two diskings method) (T,), rotary tillage only (T3), and no-tillage (T4). The predominant weeds at the experiment site were common lamb’s quarter album), wild licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), camel thorn (Alhagi persorum), and (Carthamus oxyacantha). The residual sod and annual weeds were ploughed down T,, T,, and T,, and herbicides were used to kill weeds for the treatment Tp. All
the experiment (conventional (Chenopdium wild safflower for treatments the tilled plots
A. H. HAKIMI;
17
S. M. CHAKRABARTI TABLE I
Effects of tillage methods on the fresh weight yield of silage
corn* Yield (ton/ha)
Treatment
Chisel ploughfone disking (T,) Moldboard plough+two diskings (TJ (conventional Rotary tillage only (TJ No-tillage (T,)
method)
1971
1972
1973
49.lat 46,lab 44.1 b 40.7b
54.8 49,Oa 42.7a 39.5
52,Oa 48,Oa 41.5b 38.5b
*Values within the table are averages over four replications tMeans followed by the same letter are not significant at the 5% level
were treated with 2.25 kg/ha of atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamino 6-isopropylamino-I, 3,5triazine) after planting the seed. The no-tillage plots were treated with 0.6 kg/ha of paraquat (1 ,I,-dimethyl-4, 4bipyridinum) plus 5.0 kg/ha of atrazine 3 weeks before planting. Fertilizer, at the rate of 50 kg/ha nitrogen, was applied as ammonium nitrate. The corn variety (Israel, “Neveh Yaar”), which can be used both for silage and grain, was planted in rows by making trenches with hand hoes on May 15. Each row was over planted and later thinned. The final stand was about 50,000 plants/ha. Plots were irrigated immediately after planting and at 7-day intervals thereafter during the growing season. Plant height was used as indicator of growth. Measurements were made at weekly intervals on 16 previously marked plants in each plot from the 4th week until harvest. Measurements were made to the tip of extended leaves or the top of tassels, whichever was greater. The corn plants were harvest on August 30. The four middle rows of each plot were harvested after trimming 0.5 m from each end of the plot. The experiment was repeated following the same procedure in 1972 and in 1973. 3.
Results and discussion
Fig. I represents the general trend of corn growth (plant height) for three years under various
tillage treatments. In general initial corn growth was better under no-tillage treatment, however, growth decreased after a certain period. During the first year, corn growth under no-tillage treatment decreased from about 8 weeks after planting, while for the third year it was from about 12 weeks after planting. The high initial growth under the no-tillage treatment perhaps may be due to increased soil moisture and favourable soil temperature, because, under no-tillage treatment, the wheat straw from the previous crop and the killed weeds may have acted as a mulch TABLE II
Comparison of cost and revenue of different tillage treatments*
I
I
Operation TP T3 TZ Tl
Differences between successive treatments
Product
Treatment cost (Rialt) 10,415 9475 9450 9475
Yield (ton/ha)
Value (Rials)
Profit (Riuls)
Yield (ton/ha)
Profit (Rials)
39.6 42.8 47.7 52.2
59,350 64,165 71,580 78,250
48,935 54,690 62,130 68,775
0.0 3.2 4.9 4.5
0 5755 7440 6645
*Values within the table are averages over three Years t67.5 Rials = U.S. $1
18
PROFII’ABILITY
OF
SELECTED
CL L’fl\
~ATlOKis
cover and caused soil temperature to increase. Van Wijk et aIS9 also found higher corn growth rate under mulched conditions. They attributed this to higher soil temperature under mulched treatments. Furthermore, Jones et al.4, 5 found an increase in available soil moisture under mulched I’S. unmulched soil. Although no attempt was made to measure the soil temperature or soil moisture in this study, a better temperature and moisture condition under no-tillage may have resulted in faster germination of seeds and seedlings than other treatments. For the three years, the total growths were highest under treatment TI (Fig. 1) and the general The wide difference between the growth pattern was also similar under the tested treatments. TI and T4 may be caused by better water infiltration in treatment T,. growth under treatments Similar results were also reported by Malik et al.* with ploughing. The average yields of corn under each treatment for the three years are summarized in Table I. Tillage treatments produced an effect on yield similar to that on corn growth. Highest yields were obtained from treatment TI while no-tillage (T,,) resulted in the lowest yields. The statistical analysis of the yield data (Duncan’s Multiple Range Test at 95 1?;,level) indicated that the yields from TL were significantly greater than yields from T4, as well as yields from T:,. During the third year, no significant difference in yield between treatments TI and T2 was found. The most likely explanation is better infiltration of water into the soil and more extensive root development in T, treatment, as compared to other treatments. The analysis of the costs and revenue of the tillage treatments is summarized in Table II. Based on the operational costs of various tillage methods and the corresponding revenues, Table 11 was arranged for comparison of the treatments tested. Although operational cost as well as profit changed considerably during 1972-1973, identical values were considered in order to maintain consistency in the analysis. The basic factors common to all four treatments were land, water, fertilizer, and seed. In the case of herbicides, this factor was also uniform for the three treatments T,, T,, and T,. For the treatment 7’,, the cost of herbicide in excess of that for other treatments is considered in the analysis. The last two columns in Table II represent the dilTerences between the two successive treatments. Considering the treatment T,. as a standard, the differences in yields are calculated by subtracting corresponding yields from column 3. Similarly differences in profits were determined by substracting corresponding profits from column 5. From Table II it can be seen that the net profit from the treatment TI was the highest, while no-tillage produced the least profit, In addition, there were considerable differences in yields and profits among the treatments. More specifically the differences in yields and profit between treatments T,, and T, were 3.2 ton/ha and 5755 Rials, respectively, while between treatments T4 and TI the differences were 12.6 ton/ha and 19 840 Rials, respectively. The profit under the chisel plough and one disking treatment was about 29 7; greater than the no-tillage treatment. Thus, from the foregoing discussion it can be said that under the conditions which prevailed during these field studies, the chisel plough with one disking (T]) was demonstrated to be the better tillage method than the other methods of tillage for production of silage corn. REFERENCl3
Larson, W. E. Tillage requirements for corn. J. Soil Wat. Conserv., 1962 17 3-l 2 Malik, A. J.; Kimar, V.; Moolani, M. K. Dryland research in Northwest India. I: Eflkct of I,ariahle pre-planting tillage, soil moisture, growth and yield ef' pearl millet (Pennisetum typhodies S. and H.). Agron. J., 1973 65 12-14 Agric. ’ Meyer, L. D.; Mannering, J. V. Minimum tillage ,for corn: its effect on infiltration and erosim. Engng, 1961 2 72-75,8&87 ’ Jones, J. N. Jr.; Moody, E.; Shear, G. M.; Mochler, W. W.; Lillard, J. H. 7%~ no-tillage system ,for corn (Zea mays L.). Agron. J., 1968 60 17-20 5 Jones, J. N. Jr.; Moody, E.; Lillard, J. H. Effect of tillage, no-tillage, and mulch on soil water andplant growth. Agron. J., 1969 61 719-721 6 Cook, R. L.; Turk, L. M.; McColly, H. F. Tillage methods influence crops yields. Soil Sci. Sot. Am. Proc., 1953 17 410415 ’
A.
H.
HAKIMI;
S. M.
CHAKRABARTI
19
7 Free, G. R.; Fertig, S. N.; Bay, C. E. Zero-tillage for corn following sod. Agron. J., 1963 55 207-208 a Triplet& G. B. Jr.; Van Doren, D. M. Jr.; Schmidt, B. L. Efict of corn stover mulch on no-tillage corn yield and water infiltration. Agron. J., 1968 60 236-239 9 Van Wijk, W. R.; Larson, W. E.; Burrows, W. C. Soil temperature and early growth of corn from mulched and unmulched soil. Soil Sci. Sot. Am. Proc., 1959 23 428-434