Nitrogen use in double cropping soybean with non-fertilized winter oilseed crops

Ronghao Liu, Stephen Gregg, Axel Garcia y Garcia

Abstract


Sustainable intensification of cropping systems is a strategy to increase productivity and reduce disservices of conventional agroecosystems. Camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] and field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) are winter annual oilseed crops well suited to fill the fallow period between corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in the U.S. northern Corn Belt, but resources use could limit their addition. A 2-year study was conducted from 2015 to 2017 in the U.S. upper Midwest to evaluate the effect of double cropping on winter oilseed crops and soybean productivity and economic performance. Treatments included relay- and sequential-cropped soybean with winter camelina and field pennycress, and monocrop soybean as control. Biomass and grain yield of winter oilseed crops were not affected by cropping system. Averaged over years and cropping systems, winter camelina resulted in more biomass, nitrogen (N) uptake and grain yield by 240, 186 and 139% respectively, compared to field pennycress. Soybean biomass, N uptake and yield were higher in relay relative to sequential cropping. Relay soybean resulted in similar total grain yield (soybean + winter oilseed crop) compared to monocropped soybean. Double cropping soybean could maintain net return compared to monocropped soybean. Results indicate that double cropping winter oilseed crops with soybean can be economically viable in the U.S. upper Midwest. Yet, research aimed at optimizing yield through N and water use while improving ecosystem services is needed.
Key words: camelina, pennycress, relay cropping, multiple cropping, winter oilseed
DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20231602.7547

Citation: Liu R H, Gregg S, Garcia y Garcia A. Nitrogen use in double cropping soybean with non-fertilized winter oilseed crops. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2023; 16(2): 159–164.

Keywords


camelina, pennycress, relay cropping, multiple cropping, winter oilseed

Full Text:

PDF

References


Dose H L, Eberle C A, Forcella F, Gesch R W. Early planting dates maximize winter annual field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) yield and oil content. Ind Crops Prod, 2017; 97: 477-483.

Malone R W, Jaynes D B, Kaspar T C, Thorp K R, Kladivko E, Ma L, et al. Cover crops in the upper midwestern United States: Simulated effect on nitrate leaching with artificial drainage. J Soil Water Conserv, 2014; 69: 292-305.

Appelgate S R, Lenssen A W, Wiedenhoeft M H, Kaspar T C. Cover Crop options and mixes for upper midwest corn–soybean systems. Agron J, 2017; 109: 968-984.

Baker J M, Griffis T J. Examining strategies to improve the carbon balance of corn/soybean agriculture using eddy covariance and mass balance techniques. Agric Forest Meteorol, 2005; 128: 163-177.

Karlen D L, Hurley E G, Andrews S S, Cambardella C A, Meek D W, Duffy M D, et al. Crop rotation effects on soil quality at three northern corn/soybean belt locations. Agron J, 2006; 98(3): 484-495.

Brye K R, Gower S T, Norman J M, Bundy L G. Carbon budgets for a prairie and agroecosystems: Effects of land use and interannual variability. Ecol Appl, 2002; 12(4): 962-979.

Syswerda S P, Basso B, Hamilton S K, Tausig J B, Robertson G P. Long-term nitrate loss along an agricultural intensity gradient in the Upper Midwest USA. Agric Ecosyst Environ, 2012; 149: 10-19.

Gesch R W, Archer D W, Berti M T. Dual cropping winter camelina with soybean in the northern corn belt. Agron J, 2014; 106: 1735-1745.

Mclellan E, Robertson D, Schilling K, Tomer M, Kostel J, Smith D, et al. Reducing nitrogen export from the corn belt to the gulf of Mexico: Agricultural strategies for remediating hypoxia. J Am Water Resour Assoc, 2015; 51: 263-289.

Karlen D L, Kovar J L, Cambardella C A, Colvin T S. Thirty-year tillage effects on crop yield and soil fertility indicators. Soil Tillage Res, 2013; 130: 24-41.

Bowles T M, Mooshammer M, Socolar Y, Calderon F, Cavigelli M A, Culman S W, et al. Long-term evidence shows that crop-rotation diversification increases agricultural resilience to adverse growing conditions in North America. One Earth. 2020; 2: 1-10.

Liu R, Wells M S, Garcia y Garcia A. Relay and sequential cropping corn with winter oilseed crops in northern climates. Nutr Cycl Agroecosys, 2020; 116(2): 195-203.

Berti M, Gesch R, Johnson B, Ji Y, Seames W, Aponte A. Double- and relay-cropping of energy crops in the northern Great Plains, USA. Ind Crops Prod, 2015; 75: 26-34.

Heggenstaller A H, Anex R P, Liebman M, Sundberg D N, Gibson L R. Productivity and nutrient dynamics in bioenergy double-cropping systems. Agron J, 2008; 100(6): 1740-1748.

Rusinamhodzi L, Corbeels M, Nyamangara J, Giller K E. Maize–grain legume intercropping is an attractive option for ecological intensification that reduces climatic risk for smallholder farmers in central Mozambique. Field Crop Res, 2012; 136: 12-22.

Labrière N, Locatelli B, Laumonier Y, Freycon V, Bernoux M. Soil erosion in the humid tropics: A systematic quantitative review. Agric Ecosyst Environ, 2015; 203: 127-139.

Groeneveld J H, Klein A M. Pennycress-corn double-cropping increases ground beetle diversity. Biomass Bioenerg, 2015; 77: 16-25.

Groeneveld J H, Klein A-M. Pollination of two oil-producing plant species: Camelina (Camelina sativa L. Crantz) and pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) double-cropping in Germany. GCB Bioenergy, 2014; 6: 242-251.

Sindelar A J, Schmer M R, Gesch R W, Forcella F, Eberle C A, Thom M D, et al. Winter oilseed production for biofuel in the US Corn Belt: Opportunities and limitations. GCB Bioenergy, 2017; 9(3): 508-524.

Gesch R W, Archer D W. Double-cropping with winter camelina in the northern corn belt to produce fuel and food. Ind Crops Prod, 2013; 44: 718-725.

Phippen W B, Phippen M E. Soybean seed yield and quality as a response to field pennycress residue. Crop Sci, 2012; 52: 2767-2773.

Johnson G A, Kantar M B, Betts K J, Wyse D L. Field pennycress production and weed control in a double crop system with soybean in Minnesota. Agron J. 2015; 107: 532-540.

Gesch R W, Johnson J M F. Water use in camelina-soybean dual cropping systems. Agron J, 2015; 107: 1098-1104.

Berti M, Johnson B, Ripplinger D, Gesch R, Aponte A. Environmental impact assessment of double- and relay-cropping with winter camelina in the northern Great Plains, USA. Agric Syst, 2017; 156: 1-12.

Eberle C A, Thom M D, Nemec K T, Forcella F, Lundgren J G, Gesch R W, et al. Using pennycress, camelina, and canola cash cover crops to provision pollinators. Ind Crops Prod, 2015; 75: 20-25.

Johnson G A, Wells M S, Anderson K, Gesch R W, Forcella F, Wyse D L. Yield tradeoffs and nitrogen between pennycress, camelina, and soybean in relay- and double-crop systems. Agron J, 2017; 109: 2128-2135.

USDA-NRCS. National Cooperative Soil Survey. National Cooperative Soil Survey Characterization Database [Internet]. USDA-NRCS Soil Survey Division, 2020. Available: http://ncsslabdatamart.sc.egov.usda.gov/ Accessed on [2020-09-21]

Afshar R, Mohammed Y, Chen C. Enhanced efficiency nitrogen fertilizer effect on camelina production under conventional and conservation tillage practices. Ind Crops Prod, 2016; 94: 783-789.

Blackshaw R E. Application method of nitrogen fertilizer affects weed growth and competition with winter wheat. Weed Biol Manage, 2004; 4: 103-113.

Giunta F, Mefleh M, Pruneddu G, Motzo R. Role of nitrogen uptake and grain number on the determination of grain nitrogen content in old durum wheat cultivars. Agronomy, 2021; 11(1): 42. doi: 10.3390/AGRONOMY11010042.

Lazarus W F. Machinery cost estimates. University of Minnesota Extension. 2020.

USDA-NASS. Quick Stats. USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Washington, DC [Internet]. 2021. Available at: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats/. Accessed on [2021-12-16]

Zanetti F, Monti A, Berti M T. Challenges and opportunities for new industrial oilseed crops in EU-27: A review. Ind Crops Prod, 2013; 50: 580-595.

Royo-Esnal A, Necajeva J, Torra J, Recasens J, Gesch R W. Emergence of field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.): Comparison of two accessions and modelling. Ind Crops Prod, 2015; 66: 161-169.

Hazebroek J P, Metzger J D. Environmental control of seed germination in Thlaspi Arvense (Cruciferae). Am J Bot, 1990; 77: 945-953.

Wortman S E. Field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) has potential as an interseeded cover crop. Renew Agric Food Syst, 2020; 35: 594-598.

Gesch R W, Cermak S C. Sowing date and tillage effects on fall-seeded camelina in the northern corn belt. Agron J, 2011; 103: 980-987.

Bastidas A M, Setiyono T D, Dobermann A, Cassman K G, Elmore R W, Graef G L, et al. Soybean sowing date: The vegetative, reproductive, and agronomic impacts. Crop Sci, 2008; 48: 727-740.

De Bruin J L, Pedersen P. Soybean seed yield response to planting date and seeding rate in the upper midwest. Agron J, 2008; 100: 696-703.

Hu M, Wiatrak P. Effect of planting date on soybean growth, yield, and grain quality: Review. Agron J, 2012; 104: 785-790.

Ott M A, Eberle C A, Thom M D, Archer D W, Forcella F, Gesch R W, et al. Economics and agronomics of relay-cropping pennycress and camelina with soybean in Minnesota. Agron J, 2019; 111: 1281-1292.




Copyright (c) 2023 International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

2023-2026 Copyright IJABE Editing and Publishing Office