Soil water and nitrogen interaction in wheat in a dry season under a fallow-wheat cropping system

Abstract

Summary. Measurements of water use, growth and yield of wheat were made in a dry year following 3 methods of long fallow: chemical (CH) (no tillage), blade plough (CB) (subsurface tillage), and a fully tilled fallow (CT) following burning of stubble residues (the popular method). Crops in each fallow method were fertilised with and without nitrogen. All fallow systems produced relatively high yields in the range 2.7–3.8 t/ha, despite less than average rainfall over the 18-month fallow period (539 mm) and a significant dry period extending from before anthesis until maturity. CH fallow, however, accumulated 83 mm more water than CT fallow by sowing time and produced 0.74 t/ha additional yield..