USDA researchers are studying how continuous cropping systems can help maintain yields and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Researchers at the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory (NPARL) in Sidney, Montana, are investigating how continuous cropping systems can maintain crop yields while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. concluded a study demonstrating that it is possible to significantly reduce semi-arid area.
The study, led by NPARL scientists Upendra M. Sainju, Brett L. Allen, and Jalal D. Jabro, examines the effects of three long-term (34-year) dryland cropping systems on crop yields and GHG emissions in the northern Great Plains of the United States. We evaluated the effects on both amounts. This study focuses on continuous cropping, such as continuous crops that are planted annually and eliminate summer fallow periods (fields not planted), to better understand their role in reducing emissions and maintaining sustainable crop production. Focused on evaluating innovative cropping methods.
“Studies have shown that long-term no-till continuous cropping systems can reduce GHG emissions while maintaining crop yields compared to traditional no-till and fallow systems. is a traditional two-year crop rotation in dryland agriculture,” Sainju said in a recent news release.
As global demand for agricultural production increases, minimizing greenhouse gas emissions from farmland has become a key priority. Agricultural practices such as cropping systems, nitrogen-based fertilizers, and management techniques account for approximately 10% of total GHG emissions, such as nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4). Innovative agricultural strategies such as continuous cropping aim to meet this challenge by maintaining or increasing yields while reducing emissions.
The study was conducted over 34 years and compared three dryland cropping systems: no-till continuous spring wheat, no-till spring wheat and pea rotation, and traditional spring wheat fallow system. The researchers measured GHG emissions (N2O and CH4) at intervals from twice a week to once a month throughout the year, measuring carbon sequestration rates from 2012 to 2019 and crop emissions from 2016 to 2018. Yield, GHG balance, and GHG balance according to yield were measured.
The results show that no-till continuous cropping systems reduce the net GHG balance by 66-149% compared to traditional no-till fallow systems, making them a more sustainable option.
Mr. Sainju elaborated on two no-till continuous cropping systems. “No-till continuous non-legume crops have increased carbon sequestration rates and reduced GHG balance and yield-dependent GHG balance, but increased weed and pest pressure and soil enrichment have reduced crop yields. Sourness compared to no-till legume and non-legume rotations. Therefore, no-till legume and non-legume rotations were compared to no-till legume and non-legume rotations in no-till dryland cropping systems in the northern Great Plains of the United States. It is an ideal cropping system to improve crop yields and reduce GHG emissions compared to continuous non-legume cropping systems.”
This study is part of a long-term study of dryland cropping systems being conducted by USDA-ARS. For more information, the latest research is published in the Journal of Environmental Quality.
