Effects of long-term rotation and tillage practice on grain yield and protein of wheat and soil fertility on a Vertosol in a medium-rainfall temperate environment

Abstract

Fundamental changes in farming systems occurred throughout the medium-rainfall zone of southern Australia during the late 1990s. Pulse and canola crops replaced pastures and long-fallowing, and minimal-tillage practices were increasingly adopted. An experiment was established in 1998 to examine long-term effects of these changes on crop productivity and soil fertility. Nine rotation-tillage treatments based on 3- A nd 6-year cycles were compared by using wheat (Triticum aestivum) as a bioassay crop over 2001-17. Seasonal conditions during the study ranged from the Millennium Drought to the top rainfall decile. Averaged across the 17 seasons, wheat yields were significantly lower in rotations..