Stubble retention and tillage in a semi-arid environment: 3. Response of wheat

Abstract

Wheat crops were studied over 4 years at two sites in north-west Victoria, Australia in response to fallow treatments. The four combinations of stubble management (with and without) and tillage (with and without) in 18-month-long fallows of a fallow wheat rotation were compared with a tilled summer fallow prior to field pea and wheat crops in rotation. Grain yield responded diversely to fallow method. At Dooen, wheat yield from the tilled fallow without stubble increased over that in the field pea-wheat system by an average of 0.9 Mg ha -1 (from 2.7 to 3.6 Mg ha -1). Stubble retention further increased yield over the no-stubble treatments in three of the four years, averaging an additional 0..