THE INFLUENCE OF TILLAGE AND CROP-ROTATION ON NITROGEN-FIXATION IN LENTIL AND PEA

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.