A. Matus et al., THE INFLUENCE OF TILLAGE AND CROP-ROTATION ON NITROGEN-FIXATION IN LENTIL AND PEA, Canadian Journal of Plant Science, 77(2), 1997, pp. 197-200
Direct seeding into standing stubble and crop diversification are two
practices that are becoming widely adopted in western Canada. This stu
dy was conducted to determine: i) the influence of zero and convention
al tillage on N-fixation in lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) and pea (P
isum sativum L.), and ii) the effect of cropping history on N-fixation
in lentil. Data were obtained from a crop rotation experiment being c
onducted on a silty clay soil in east-central Saskatchewan, which incl
uded six cereal-oilseed-cereal-purse rotations, each managed using zer
o and conventional tillage practices. The finding showed that N-fixati
on was 10% higher by lentil and 31% higher by pea when grown using zer
o tillage as compared to conventional tillage practices. On average, l
entil grown in highly diversified crop rotations fixed 12% more nitrog
en than when grown in less diversified crop rotations.