The Effect of Tillage System and Proceeding Crop on Phosphorus Response of Flax
Assess the interactive effects of tillage system, preceeding crop and P management on flax production.
IPNI-1999-CAN-MB11
15 Mar 2001
Methodology
- In year 1 of the study, no-till and conventionally tilled canola (nonmycorrhizal crop) and wheat (mycorrhizal crop) will be established in a randomized complete block design, with 4 replications. Phosphorus fertilizer at 0, 25 and 50 kg P2O5 per ha will be side-banded with the canola and wheat, randomized within the tillage systems. Two additional blocks of land equivalent in size will be no-till seeded to barley and wheat, fertilizer with 25 kg P2O5 per ha in preparation for the following years of study. In year 2, flax will be seeded with a SeedHawk plot seeder on 2m x 5 m plots on canola and wheat treatments, using no-till management on the no-till blocks and conventional till management on the conventional till blocks. In addition, blocks of canola and wheat will be produced on the barley block as described in year 1 and barley will be seeded on the wheat block for the following year’s study. In year 3, flax will be sown on the prepared canola and wheat stubble blocks and canola and wheat will be produced on the barley stubble block. In year 4, flax will be sown on the prepared canola and wheat blocks and possibly wheat on the flax plots.
Side-banded monoammonium phosphate at 0 and 25 kg P2O5 ha-1 will be applied to the flax. Ammonium nitrate at 70 kg N ha-1 with the flax and 100 kg N ha-1 with the canola, wheat and barley will be applied as a pre-plant band prior to seeding. Canola should also receive an overall application of 20 kg S ha-1 as ammonium sulphate in the pre-plant band. The amount of N in the monoammonium phosphate and ammonium sulphate will be balanced in the pre-plant N application.
Locations: two clay loam soils, low in P (one with history of zero till and one with history of conventional till i.e. No-Till Farm and New Farm)
Plot Number: 3 treatments by 2 crops by 2 tillage systems by 4 reps = 48 plots at each location = 96 plots in total year 1. In years 2 to 4, 6 treatments by 4 reps by 4 preceding year’s management (NT canola, CT canola, NT wheat, CT wheat) = 96 treatment plots per year at each location = 192 plots per year in flax plus the 96 plots in total for canola and wheat. Non-treated blocks of land will also be seeded in years 1 to 3, for site preparation.
Measurements: 1) Soil nutrient status to 60 cm in spring or fall, by crop and tillage system
2) Spring moisture
3) Biomass yield at 5 weeks after emergence
4) P concentration of biomass at 5 weeks after emergence
5) Mycorrhizal infection at 5 weeks after emergence (Marcia Monreal)
6) Flax seed yield