1. Value of integrating perennial forage seed crops in annual cropping sequences.
- Author
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Khanal, Nityananda, Azooz, Rahman, Rahman, Noabur, Klein-Gebbinck, Henry, Otani, Jennifer K., Yoder, Calvin L., and Gauthier, Talon M.
- Subjects
CROP rotation ,SEED crops ,CANOLA ,RED clover ,RAPESEED ,BARLEY - Abstract
Cropping sequences integrating perennial forages and annual crops can generate multidimensional agroeconomic and environmental benefits. A 4-yr cropping sequence study was conducted from 2013 to 2016 to evaluate the relative merits of various cropping sequences. Three forage seed crops (creeping red fescue [Festuca rubra L.], alsike clover [Trifolium hybridum L.], and red clover [Trifolium pratense L.]) and four annual food crops (wheat [Triticum aestivum L.], canola [Brassica napus L.], barley [Hordeum vulgare L.], and pea [Pisum sativum L.]) were used to generate eight different cropping sequence treatments, which were split into three levels of nitrogen (N): 0, 45, and 90 kg ha
-1 . The seed yields of different crops were expressed as canola equivalent yield (CEY) and summed for 4-yr cropping sequences. Economic benefits for 4-yr cropping sequences were calculated using the input-output price scenarios of individual years. The highest CEY, gross return, and gross margin over partial variable costs were obtained from creeping red fescue-based cropping sequences, irrespective of N application rates. Based on CEY and gross margins, the merit order is ranked as creeping red fescue-based sequences > high diversity annual crop sequences ≈ alsike clover-based sequence ≈ wheat-canola alternating sequence > continuous canola sequence. The clover-based sequences had positive effects on the performance of succeeding crops of wheat and canola. Among the annual crop-based sequences, economic profitability increased with the diversification from continuous canola through wheat-canola alternation to pea-barley-wheat-canola in the sequence. Further study investigating soil health and greenhouse gas emissions parameters is warranted to elucidate multidimensional agroecosystem services of diversified perennial forage seed crop-based cropping sequences compared with annual crops-based sequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2021
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