Directory UMM :Data Elmu:jurnal:S:Soil & Tillage Research:Vol52.Issue1-2.Sept1999:

Soil & Tillage Research 52 (1999) 37±49

Impacts of tillage and no-till on production of maize
and soybean on an eroded Illinois silt loam soil
I. Hussaina, K.R. Olsonb,*, S. A. Ebelharc
b

a
Mohalla Hariwalla, Pindi Gheb, Dist Attock, Pakistan
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, W-401C Turner Hall,
University of Illinois, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL 61801, USA
c
Dixon Springs Agricultural Center, Simpson, IL, USA

Received 25 May 1998; received in revised form 10 November 1998; accepted 17 May 1999

Abstract
In the United States, millions of hectares of highly erodible cropland have been in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
for the past 10 years. Any conversion of CRP land back to maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.)
production could require the use of conservation tillage systems, such as NT and CP, to meet federal and state soil erosion
control standards. Evaluations of yield response of these conservation tillage systems such as NT and CP, over time are needed

to assess the return of this land to crop production. An eight-year study was conducted in southern Illinois on land similar to
that being removed from CRP to evaluate the effects of conservation tillage systems on maize and soybean yields and for the
maintenance and restoration of soil productivity of previously eroded soils. Soils had been in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea
L.) sod for more than 10 years prior to the study. In 1989, no-till (NT), chisel plow (CP), and moldboard plow (MP) treatments
were replicated six times in a Latin Square Design on sloping, moderately well-drained, moderately eroded phase of a
Grantsburg soil (Albic Luvisol) (®ne-silty, mixed, mesic Typic Fragiudalf). Starting with maize, maize and soybean were
grown in alternate years. Surface crop residue levels were higher with the NT system than with the CP and MP systems. Soil
temperature at 20 cm was lower (1.18C) with NT than with the other systems in 1996. Plant-available water was slightly
higher with NT and CP systems than with the MP system. In 1995, maize was taller with the NT system than with the MP and
CP systems. The MP system plots had higher plant populations in 1995 and 1996, but crop yields were higher with the NT
system than with the MP system. The four-year average maize yields were equal (9.81, 9.74, and 9.80 Mg haÿ1) for NT, CP,
and MP systems, respectively, as a result of a signi®cantly higher yield with the MP system in the ®rst year which offset the
higher yields with the NT and the CP systems during the last two years. The four-year average soybean yield with NT
(2.90 Mg haÿ1) was 15% higher than with the MP (2.55 Mg haÿ1) system. Crop yields for eight years (four years maize and
four years soybean) appear to show improved long-term productivity of NT compared with that of MP and CP systems.
# 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Conservation tillage; Yield; Crop growth; Soil water; Plant population

*Corresponding author: Tel.: +1-217-333-9639; fax: +1-217-244-3219
E-mail address: k-olson1@uiuc.edu (K.R. Olson)

0167-1987/99/$ ± see front matter # 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 1 6 7 - 1 9 8 7 ( 9 9 ) 0 0 0 5 4 - 9

38

I. Hussain et al. / Soil & Tillage Research 52 (1999) 37±49

1. Introduction
In the United States, the Food Security Act of 1985,
the 1900 and 1995 Farm bills, and the Illinois T by
2000 Program have resulted in millions of hectares of
erodible land previously in row crops being put into
the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) for 10
years. Any conversion of CRP land back to maize
and soybean production could require the use of
conservation tillage systems, such as NT and CP, to
meet soil erosion control standards. Evaluations of
yield response of these conservation tillage systems
over time are needed to assess returning this land to
crop production.

The severity of erosion can be reduced by maintaining crop residue on the soil surface (Dickey et al.,
1985; Alberts and Neibling, 1994). At planting, with
chisel plowing residue cover is 30% and much higher
with no-till due to a lack of, or minimum, soil disturbance (Lal et al., 1994). Lueschen et al. (1991), for
a maize±soybean rotation in Minnesota, observed
69±82%, 49%, and 10% of soybean residue cover
on the soil surface after maize planting in no-tillage,
chisel plow, and moldboard plow system plots, respectively.
A higher surface residue cover in combination with
minimum soil disturbance, affect soil water conservation and soil temperature. The amount of plant-available water in soil at planting time increased and the
soil temperature decreased with the amount of plant
residue on the soil surface at Lincoln, Nebraska
(Wilhelm et al., 1986).
From the 1954±1988 data from central Iowa, plantavailable soil water and heat stress during July (summer) were identi®ed by Carlson (1990) as two major
weather factors that affected the maize yield. At
Sydney, MT, Aase and Tanaka (1987) found that
residue on the soil surface reduced the early evaporation during summer from the upper 10 cm of soil
compared with that of bare soil, but total soil-water
losses during the season were not signi®cantly different. Schillinger and Bolton (1993) compared no-till,
stubble mulch, and moldboard plow and found that the

residue in no-till decreased the evaporation during
frequent rainfall periods, but the evaporation in notill was faster during the dry period of summer due to
non-disturbed capillary ¯ow. In Garden City, Kansas,
Norwood (1994) studied different crop rotations with

no-till and conventional tillage and found an additional 62% of water below the 0.9-m depth in no-till
due to less evaporation and no surface runoff compared with that of conventional tillage.
Generally, conservation tillage resulted in an
increase in crop yield compared with that of a moldboard plow system. Lawrence et al. (1994) showed in a
four-year study in a semi-arid environment in Australia that no-till had a higher crop yield than did
reduced till fallow or conventional till fallow. A
positive linear response between yields of maize
and soybean, and the amount of residue applied to
a no-till system was observed by Wilhelm et al.
(1986). Lueschen et al. (1991), in a maize±soybean
rotation in Minnesota, found an increase of
6.30 Mg haÿ1 in yield of the NT system above the
MP system in a dry year. Kapusta et al. (1996) studied
the effects of tillage systems for 20 years and found
equal maize yield in no-till, reduced till, and conventional tillage despite the lower plant population in notill.

Crop rotation in combination with different tillage
systems can also affect crop yields. After 12 years of
study, a maize±soybean rotation yielded 8.7 Mg haÿ1,
compared with 7.7 Mg haÿ1, for continuous maize,
while soybean yields were 2.6 Mg haÿ1 in both rotations (Karlen et al., 1991). West et al. (1996) studied
the effect of moldboard plow, ridge, chisel and no-till
for 20 years in north-central Indiana under different
rotations of continuous maize, continuous soybean,
maize after soybean, and soybean after maize. No-till
maize yield and plant population were reduced 14%
and 8%, respectively, in continuous maize. Kapusta
et al. (1996) reported greater plant height in no-till
compared with that of moldboard plow, while the
maize population was lower in no-till in comparison
with moldboard plow. Dickey et al. (1994) in
Nebraska, studied plow, chisel, disk, and no-till systems on a silty clay loam soil for eight years and found
the highest yield for sorghum (Sorghum biocolor (L.)
Moench) and soybean under the no-till system.
The crop yields with different tillage systems vary
from year to year due to the ¯uctuations in weather.

No-till corn yielded more in drier than normal years,
whereas maize yields with moldboard plow were
higher in the wetter than normal years in the moderately well-drained soils of Ohio (Eckert, 1984). No-till
maize yields are lower in the early years which could

I. Hussain et al. / Soil & Tillage Research 52 (1999) 37±49

be due to lower soil organic carbon and nitrogen
mineralization and higher immobilization of fertilizer
nitrogen, than those of conventional tillage (House et
al., 1984; Rice and Smith, 1984). Rice et al. (1986) and
Kapusta et al. (1996) also reported no differences in
maize yield with no-till and conventional tillage over
time.
In different tillage systems, crop yields were also
affected by soil drainage conditions. Some researchers
reported lower yields with no-till, than conventional
tillage in poorly drained soils (Dick and Van Doren,
1985) and higher yields for well drained soils (Wagger
and Denton, 1992; Ismail et al., 1994).

Since limited data were available on the long-term
tillage responses on sloping and eroded soils in southern Illinois, this project was started in 1989. Tillage
effects were not profound in the early years of the
study (Kitur et al., 1994). The study was continued
with the objective of evaluating long-term tillage
systems (no-till, chisel plow, and moldboard plow)
effects on maize and soybean yields and the maintenance and restoration of soil productivity of previously eroded soils in southern Illinois.

39

design was a Youden Type III Incomplete Latin
Square (Cochran and Cox, 1957) that allowed for
randomization of the tillage treatments (NT, CP,
and MP), both by row (block) and by column. This
replication was used to control random variability in
both directions. Each treatment was randomized six
times in 18 plots with a size of 9 m  12 m. The
columns were separated with 6 m buffer strips of sod.
2.1. Field activities and tillage operations
The implements used in each tillage system and

depth of tillage were as follows: NT (no-tillage), CP
(chisel plowed to 15 cm with diskings to 5 cm), and
MP (moldboard plowed to 15 cm with diskings to
5 cm). The actual type, date, and number of primary
and secondary tillage operations applied to the plot
area are listed in Table 1. The cultural practices used
including crop, year, planting date, seeding rate, and
fertilizer application rates are provided in Table 2. The
weed control including the herbicide, rate and date of
application are listed in Table 3.
2.2. Field measurements and sampling

2. Methods and materials
A tillage experiment was started on April 12, 1989,
at the Dixon Springs Agricultural Research Center in
southern Illinois. The soil at the study site was a
moderately eroded phase of Grantsburg silt loam
(Albic Luvisol) (Dudal, 1970) (®ne-silty, mixed,
mesic Typic Fragiudalf) (Soil Survey Staff, 1975)
with an average depth of 64 cm to a root-restricting

fragipan. Grantsburg soil was formed in loess under
forest vegetation and underlain at a depth of 2±5 m by
siltstone. The area, with an average slope of 6%, had
been in tall fescue hayland for >10 years prior to the
start of this experiment. On April 12, 1989, lime
(CaCO3) with 94% calcium carbonate equivalent, at
the rate of 3.1, 4.9, and 7.3 Mg haÿ1, was applied on
upper, middle, and lower rows of the plot area, respectively, to raise the soil pH of each row to the optimum
level for maize and soybean production. Three tillage
treatments, namely no-till (NT), chisel plow (CP), and
moldboard plow (MP), were established on April 27,
1989. Starting with maize in 1989, maize and soybean
were grown in alternate years. The experimental

Six soil samples from each treatment for gravimetric water contents were taken at planting, 25 days
after planting, and at midseason with a 5-cm diameter
Oak®eld tube Sampler 1 to a depth of 75 cm. Three
soil clods taken from the surface layer at 25 days after
planting during both the growing seasons were wetted
to ÿ33 kPa water potential and used for clod bulk

density (Olson, 1979). Plant-available soil water was
determined by subtracting the ÿ1500 kPa water
potential content from the gravimetric water content
and multiplying by soil bulk density at ÿ33 kPa water
potential (Nizeyimana and Olson, 1988). Daytime soil
temperature measurements (six per treatment) were
made between 8:00 and 17:00 h at 10-cm depth with
portable soil thermometers at 25 days after planting.
The percentage surface residue was determined after
planting by the line-transect method (Hill et al., 1989).
Plant population for the central 0.001 ha of each plot
was determined by counting and all plant heights in
the central 0.001 ha of each plot were measured at 25
days after planting. Leaves from maize and soybean
were dried at 708C and analyzed by A&L Laboratories
to determine the chemical content (A&L Laboratory

40

I. Hussain et al. / Soil & Tillage Research 52 (1999) 37±49

Table 1
Type, date and number of field operations on plot area at Dixon Springs, IL
Year

System

No-till

Chisel

Moldboard

date

No.

date

No.

date

No.

1989

plowing
disking
disking

Ð
Ð
Ð

Ð
Ð
Ð

27 Apr
27 Apr
12 May

1
2
1

27 Apr
27 Apr
12 May

1
2
1

1990

plowing
disking
disking

Ð
Ð
Ð

Ð
Ð
Ð

05 Jun
05 Jun
06 Jun

1
1
1

05 Jun
05 Jun
06 Jun

1
1
1

1991

plowing
disking
disking

Ð
Ð
Ð

Ð
Ð
Ð

03 May
07 May
08 May

1
2
1

03 May
07 May
08 May

1
2
1

1992

plowing
disking
disking

Ð
Ð
Ð

Ð
Ð
Ð

26 May
26 May
27 May

1
1
1

26 May
26 May
27 May

1
1
1

1993

plowing
disking
disking

Ð
Ð
Ð

Ð
Ð
Ð

10 May
16 May
17 May

1
2
1

10 May
16 May
17 May

1
2
1

1994

plowing
disking
disking

Ð
Ð
Ð

Ð
Ð
Ð

31 May
31 May
08 Jun

1
1
1

31 May
31 May
08 Jun

1
1
1

1995

plowing
disking
disking

Ð
Ð

Ð
Ð

06 Apr
30 May
31 May

1
2
1

06 Apr
30 May
31 May

1
2
1

1996

plowing
disking
disking

Ð
Ð
Ð

Ð
Ð
Ð

05 Jun
05 Jun
05 Jun

1
1
1

05 Jun
05 Jun
05 Jun

1
1
1

Table 2
Crop, planting date, seeding rate and fertilizer rates used in the present study
Year

Crop

Planting
date

Seeding rate
(seeds haÿ1)

N (kg haÿ1)

P (kg haÿ1)

K (kg haÿ1)

1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996

maize
soybean
maize
soybean
maize
soybean
maize
soybean

12
07
08
22
17
08
31
05

64 000
432 000
64 000
432 000
64 000
432 000
64 000
432 000

212
0
168
0
184
0
218
0

67
67
67
0
55
0
55
0

116
260
260
0
232
0
232
0

May
Jun
May
May
May
Jun
May
Jun

41

I. Hussain et al. / Soil & Tillage Research 52 (1999) 37±49
Table 3
Weed control practices used during the study
Year

Herbicide

Rate

Date
ÿ1

1989

Glyphosate
Atrazine
Metolachlor

2.34 l ha
3.4 l haÿ1
2.3 l haÿ1

21 Apr
12 May
12 May

1990

Glyphosate
Metolachlor
Sethoxydim
Metrubuzin and Chlorimuron
Surfactant

2.34 l haÿ1
2.34 l haÿ1
1.90 l haÿ1
0.50 kg haÿ1
0.62 l 100 lÿ1

01
08
08
08
08

1991

Gramoxone
Metolachlor
Atrazine

2.34 l haÿ1
2.34 l haÿ1
4.68 l haÿ1

08 May
08 May
08 May

1992

Metolachlor
Sethoxydim
Metrubuzin and Chlorimuron
Surfactant

2.34 l haÿ1
1.90 l haÿ1
0.50 kg haÿ1
0.62 l 100 lÿ1

22
22
22
22

1993

Atrazine
Metolachlor
Glyphosate

3.5 l haÿ1
2.3 l haÿ1
2.33 l haÿ1

17 May
17 May
17 May

1994

Glyphosate
Metolachlor
Metrubuzin and Chlorimuron
Surfactant

2.33 l haÿ1
2.33 l haÿ1
0.42 l haÿ1
0.48 kg haÿ1

08
08
08
08

1995

Glyphosate
Alachlor
Atrazine

2.33 l haÿ1
2.34 l haÿ1
4.68 l haÿ1

31 May
31 May
31 May

1996

Glyphosate
Glyphosate

2.33 l haÿ1
2.33 l haÿ1

05 Jun
02 Jul

Staff, 1995). The crop yield and plant population data
from 1989 to 1996 were collected as part of this study.
The soil loss rates were determined using USLE
(Walker and Pope, 1983).
2.3. Statistical analysis
Statistical analysis for all parameters were performed using the procedures from Statistical Analysis
System (SAS) computer software (SAS Institute,
1995). Analysis of variance, least-square means of
selected variables, and covariance analysis using plant
population (in the case of crop yield) were performed
by general linear model (GLM) procedures.

Jun
Jun
Jun
Jun
Jun

May
May
May
May

Jun
Jun
Jun
Jun

3. Results and discussion
3.1. Crop residues and estimated erosion
The no-till system maintained a signi®cantly higher
amount of residue on the soil surface as compared with
that of the CP and MP systems during each year at
planting (Table 4). Crop residue on the soil surface
was higher with maize as previous crop, compared
with that of soybean because of higher residue production from maize and lower rate of decomposition
of maize residue (Lueschen et al., 1991) than soybean
residue. On Grantsburg soil with 5±7% slopes, the
estimated annual soil loss, measured with USLE, was

42

I. Hussain et al. / Soil & Tillage Research 52 (1999) 37±49

Table 4
Effect of different tillage treatments on plant residue after planting and soil loss at Dixon Springs
Tillage

No-till
Chisel plow
Moldboard plow
a
b

1993

1994

1995

1996

75a
21b
6c

95a
47b
17c

76a
22b
6c

91a
18b
6c

7.9c
21.1b
29.5a

For each year, means within the same column followed by the same letter are not significantly different at the p ˆ 0.05 probability level.
Soil loss is calculated by the universal soil loss equation (USLE).

7.9, 21.1, and 29.5 Mg haÿ1 with the NT, CP and MP
systems, respectively (Table 4) (Walker and Pope,
1983). The higher the percentage of crop residue
(Table 4) on the soil surface with the NT system
protected the soil from erosion and kept it below
the tolerance level of 8.4 Mg haÿ1 yearÿ1 (Walker
and Pope, 1983). On the other hand, rill erosion
was observed with the MP and CP systems due, in
part, to less residue on soil surface compared with that
of the NT system.
3.2. Soil responses
During the 1995 growing season, differences in
plant-available water due to tillage systems were
non-signi®cant for all depths on all sampling dates
(Table 5). The NT plots had a slightly higher plant-

Table 5
Tillage effects on plant available water at different depths during
1995 at Dixon Springs
Tillage

Plant available water (cm3 of water
per cmÿ3 of soil) a
soil depth (cm)
0±15

15±45

45±75

Twenty-five days after planting (22 Jun 1995)
No-till
0.22a
0.20a
Chisel plow
0.19a
0.20a
Moldboard plow
0.18a
0.18a

0.17a
0.19a
0.16a

Midseason (26 Jul 1995)
No-till
0.07a
Chisel plow
0.11a
Moldboard plow
0.07a

0.10a
0.10a
0.10a

a

Soil loss (Mg haÿ1) b

Residue present from previous crop (% cover)a

0.05a
0.04a
0.06a

For each date, means within the same depth followed by the
same letter are not significantly different at the p ˆ 0.05
probability level.

available water compared with that of the CP and MP
plots in the 0±15 cm and the 15±45 cm soil layers at 25
days after planting. The CP system had more plantavailable water in the 45±75 cm soil layer than NT and
MP systems. The amount of plant-available water was
equal in the 45±75 cm layer in all tillage systems at
midseason in 1995, but the CP system stored more
water compared with that of the NT and MP systems in
the 0±15 cm soil layer. The lower amount of plantavailable water with the NT system compared with
that of CP system at midseason 1995 could be the
result of higher plant population with the NT and MP
systems compared with that of the CP system
(Table 6). Plant-available water was lower at midseason than 25 days after planting in all tillage systems
due to higher requirements of water by plants at this
stage (Table 6), more potential evaporation of water
from soil due to higher temperature, and below average rainfall (9.1 cm) between 25 days after planting
and midseason sampling. After midseason sampling,
maize received 9.0 cm of rainfall from tasseling to the
harvest of the crop.
During the 1996 growing season, non-signi®cant
differences between tillage systems were observed in
plant-available water at all depths on all sampling
dates (Table 7). The NT system plots contained more
plant-available water at planting, 25 days after planting, and at midseason than did the MP system plots in
the 0±15, 15±45 and 45±75 cm soil layers. At planting
and 25 days after planting, plant-available water differences between tillage systems were not pronounced
due to abundant rainfall (Table 8) between, and
around, the sampling dates. Later in the season, there
was no rainfall from August 2 to 15, which resulted in
0.03 cm3 of plant-available water per cmÿ3 of soil
with the NT system, while the MP and the CP systems
had 0.01 cm3 of plant-available water per cmÿ3 of soil

43

I. Hussain et al. / Soil & Tillage Research 52 (1999) 37±49
Table 6
Effect of different tillage treatments on the maize and soybean population during 1989±1996 at Dixon Springs
Tillage

Maize
No-till
Chisel plow
Moldboard plow

Soybean
No-till
Chisel plow
Moldboard plow
a
b

Plant population (plants haÿ1)a
1989

1991

1993

1995

Averageb

55 300
59 200ab
62 900a

57 900
47 400b
52 200ab

51 400
54 100a
52 600a

58 800
55 700b
62 200a

55 800
54 100b
57 500a

1990

1992

1994

1996

Averageb

191 000b
247 000a
249 000a

344 000a
335 000a
343 000a

303 000a
229 000b
181 000c

263 000b
277 000b
309 000a

276 000a
272 000a
270 000a

For each crop, means within the same year followed by the same letter are not significantly different at the p ˆ 0.05 probability level.
Four-year average.

in the 0±15 cm soil layer at midseason sampling. In the
15±45 and 45±75 cm soil layers plant-available water
was also higher in the NT compared with that of the
MP system. The 1996 soybean crop received suf®cient
rainfall from June 26 (25 days after planting) to
August 15 (midseason), but rainfall during August
was below average. Plant-available water was lower at
Table 7
Tillage effects on plant available water at different depths during
1996 at Dixon Springs
Tillage

Plant available water (cm3 of water
per cmÿ3 of soil) a
soil depth (cm)
0±15

15±45

45±75

0.19a
0.18a
0.18a

0.16a
0.14a
0.15a

Twenty-five days after planting (26 Jun 1996)
No-till
0.16a
0.19a
Chisel plow
0.16a
0.18a
Moldboard plow
0.15a
0.17a

0.16a
0.16a
0.16a

Midseason (15 Aug 1996)
No-till
0.03a
Chisel plow
0.01a
Moldboard plow
0.01a

0.13a
0.11a
0.11a

At planting (6 Jun 1996)
No-till
0.21a
Chisel plow
0.16a
Moldboard plow
0.18a

a

0.09a
0.09a
0.08a

For each date, means within the same depth followed by the
same letter are not significantly different at the p ˆ 0.05
probability level.

midseason compared with that at earlier dates in the 0±
15, 15±45 and 45±75 cm soil layers due to the high
water requirement of the crop at midseason. Although
the amount of available water was low in the 0±15 and
15±45 cm soil layers at midseason in all tillage systems, rainfall of 16.3 cm to the end of September
provided enough plant-available water for later stages
of soybean growth. The availability of slightly more
water with the NT system compared with that of the
CP and the MP systems could be attributed to the
suppression of evaporation, more in®ltration, and
lower runoff which resulted in more water conservation due to the presence of more residue on the soil
surface (Table 4). The eroded Grantsburg soils can
store 15 cm of water in the 75 cm of soil (Table 4)
above a root-restricting fragipan. Maize needs 100 cm
of water from storage and re-charge by rain for
optimum production (Troeh et al., 1980).
Soil temperatures (average daytime temperatures)
were recorded at 25 days after planting of the crop in
1995 and 1996. During both years, the MP and CP
systems had a higher soil temperature compared with
that of the NT system. In 1995, the differences in soil
temperature were non-signi®cant between tillage
treatments, while the differences were signi®cant in
1996 (Table 9). The lower NT temperatures in 1995
and 1996 were probably due to the presence of more
water and higher amount of residue on the soil surface
(Table 9). The differences in soil temperature were
signi®cant (p ˆ 0.05) in 1996 probably due to the
higher amount of residue on soil surface by a preced-

44

I. Hussain et al. / Soil & Tillage Research 52 (1999) 37±49

Table 8
Rainfall data during the growing season from 1989 to 1996 at Dixon Springs in southern Illinois
Year

Rainfall (cm)

1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1989±1996 average
30-Year average

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

6.1
14.5
12.5
6.1
12.3
16.2
17.7
14.8
12.5
11.2

4.1
28.2
8.9
6.7
13.0
1.5
22.0
14.2
12.3
12.4

14.3
4.4
1.8
7.6
17.8
10.2
15.2
9.0
10.0
9.8

12.8
6.4
3.7
13.4
13.4
6.0
7.3
13.1
9.5
10.3

10.0
10.5
4.0
3.9
10.9
9.8
8.2
1.4
7.3
8.6

4.6
8.8
12.4
19.1
19.4
7.0
4.8
14.8
11.4
7.8

ing maize crop (Table 4). The soil temperature needs
to be 428C for germination and an air temperature of
628C is optimum for the growth of maize (Illinois
Agronomy Staff, 1992).
3.3. Crop responses
Maize plant heights were greater with the NT
system than the CP and MP systems at 25 days after
planting and at midseason during 1995 (Table 9), due
in part to higher plant-available water at 25 days after
Table 9
Effect of different tillage treatments on soil temperature and plant
height at Dixon Springs
Tillage

Soil temperature (8C)a
1995

1996
b

No-till
Chisel plow
Moldboard plow

25 DAP

25 DAP

24.3a
24.4a
24.5a

21.0b
22.1a
22.1a

Plant height (m)a

No-till
Chisel plow
Moldboard plow
a

1995

1995

1996

25 DAP

midseason

midseason

0.70a
0.61b
0.61b

3.02a
2.90b
2.80c

0.89a
0.84a
0.90a

Means for same date and parameter followed by the same letter
are not significantly different at the p ˆ 0.05 probability level.
b
25 DAP represents 25 days after planting.

planting. Other factors that might have contributed to
the taller plants with the NT system were a less
competition between plants due to lower population
or better nutrients and water availability due to protection from erosion with NT system than with the CP
and MP systems. During 1996, the soybean plant
height was not recorded at 25 DAP due to the smaller
size of soybean than maize at this stage. By the
midseason, no signi®cant differences were observed
in soybean height due to tillage.
The data from the tissue analysis of maize (1995)
and soybean (1996) leaves at midseason (Table 10)
showed non-signi®cant differences in concentration of
all elements except N in 1995 for maize due to tillage.
Moldboard plowing was associated with a higher
maize leaf nitrogen concentration compared with that
of the leaves in the CP and NT systems. This might
indicate lower nitrogen immobilization and higher
mineralization with the MP system than with the
NT or CP systems. Plant uptake of other macroand micro-nutrients was not affected by tillage in
either year (Table 10). This is consistent with the fact
that there were no tillage based differences in plantavailable water.
Rainfall data (30-year average for southeastern
Illinois) and 1989±1996 growing seasons are shown
in Table 8. The 30-year average cumulative rainfall
during April±September in southeastern Illinois was
60.1 cm. During the study, half of the years (1989,
1991, 1992 and 1994) could be characterized as dry
years with a growing season rainfall of 51.9, 43.3,
56.8, and 50.7 cm, respectively. The years with the
most below-average rainfall were 1991, and 1994. In

45

I. Hussain et al. / Soil & Tillage Research 52 (1999) 37±49
Table 10
Effect of tillage on maize and soybean tissue analysis at midseason in 1995 and 1996 at Dixon Springs
Tillage

Nutrientsa (g kgÿ1)
N

P

S

K

Mg

Maize (1995)
No-till
Chisel plow
Moldboard plow

32.6a
31.8a
34.0b

3.6a
3.6a
3.6a

1.9a
1.9a
2.0a

22.0a
22.9a
22.6a

1.5a
1.7a
1.6a

Soybean (1996)
No-till
Chisel plow
Moldboard plow

60.0a
61.1a
61.4a

4.1a
4.1a
3.8a

3.3a
3.3a
3.3a

17.0a
16.8a
16.2a

3.3a
3.2a
3.2a

a

Ca

Na

B

Zn

Mn

Fe

Cu

Al

4.6a
4.5a
4.4a

0.1a
0.1a
0.1a

0.005a
0.005a
0.006a

0.021a
0.021a
0.022a

0.056a
0.068a
0.067a

0.115a
0.114a
0.117a

0.012a
0.011a
0.012a

0.062a
0.058a
0.060a

15.2a
14.2a
14.8a

0.1a
0.1a
0.1a

0.049a
0.045a
0.043a

0.053a
0.054a
0.052a

0.109a
0.118a
0.122a

0.141a
0.152a
0.163a

0.013a
0.013a
0.012a

0.063a
0.062a
0.072a

Means for the same year and nutrient followed by the same letter are not significantly different at the p ˆ 0.05 probability level.

1991, the driest year, the maize yields were low for all
treatments since all plant-available water above the
fragipan was extracted from all treatments, including
the NT system. In 1994, another year of low rainfall,
the soybean yields were low for all treatments, but NT
yield was substantially higher than CP and MP yields.
The eight-year average rainfall for the April through
September period was 63.0 cm which is slightly above
the 30-year average.
From 1989 to 1996, the MP system had a signi®cantly higher plant population in four out of eight
years (Table 6) and the NT system had a signi®cantly
higher plant population in two out of eight years. In
1989, the NT had a lower plant population (Table 6)
compared with that of the MP system which was
probably due to insuf®cient soil±seed contact, lower
germination, and greater soil strength in the NT
system (Kitur et al., 1994). During 1990, 1995, and
1996, the high April and May rainfalls contributed
toward lower plant population with the NT system
compared with that of the MP system (Table 6).
Higher plant population with the MP system than with
the NT and CP systems during 1995 and 1996 was also
observed. Higher soil temperature and better seed±soil
contact with the MP system could have increased the
germination compared with that of the NT system
during 1995 and 1996. On the other hand, in 1994, the
plant population was higher with the NT treatment
compared with that of the CP and the MP treatments,
which could have been due to relatively greater water
availability in the NT system compared with other
tillage systems at planting. Four-year average plant
population (Table 6) for maize was higher with the NT

system compared with that of the MP and CP systems,
while the four-year average soybean population was
not affected by tillage treatment.
From 1989 to 1996, tillage affected crop yields only
in the years 1989 and 1994 (Table 11). Because of the
higher plant population (Table 6) with the MP system,
in four out of eight years, plant population was used as
a covariant in the yield analysis. For maize yields,
plant population was signi®cant as a covariant, but the
improvement in r2 was only from 0.77 to 0.78. For the
soybean yield analysis, plant population was not signi®cant as a covariant. Plant population adjusted crop
yields are presented in Table 12. Maize yield was
highest for the MP system in the years 1989 and
1991 (Table 12), with the higher yield in early years
believed to have been due to better seed±soil contact,
germination, lime incorporation, weed control, and
mineralization of organic matter (Kitur et al., 1994).
The NT maize yields in 1993 and 1995 were higher
than the CP and the MP systems and differences were
signi®cant in 1995 due to slightly more water and
better protection from erosion.
The MP system produced a higher soybean yield
than the NT and CP systems in 1990, but later on,
soybean yields with the NT system improved compared with the MP system. In 1992, 1994 and 1996,
the NT system produced a higher soybean yield.
Soybean yield with the NT system was higher than
with the CP and MP systems due to better plant
population in 1994. Since 1994 was a dry year, the
NT system could have provided more soil water to
soybean at planting and later in the season compared
with that of the other tillage systems. This enhanced

46

I. Hussain et al. / Soil & Tillage Research 52 (1999) 37±49

Table 11
Effect of different tillage treatments on maize and soybean yield during 1989±1996 at Dixon Springs
Tillage

Maize
No-till
Chisel plow
Moldboard plow

Soybean
No-till
Chisel plow
Moldboard plow
a
b

Crop yield (Mg haÿ1)a
1989

1991

1993

1995

Averageb

8.99b
9.99b
11.26a

6.57a
6.10a
6.60a

11.79a
11.61a
10.98a

11.60a
11.55a
10.37a

9.81a
9.74a
9.80a

1990

1992

1994

1996

Averageb

2.37a
2.62a
2.62a

3.74a
3.46a
3.65a

2.87a
1.81b
1.49b

2.63a
2.27a
2.43a

2.90a
2.54b
2.55b

For each crop, means within the same year followed by the same letter are not significantly different at the p ˆ 0.05 probability level.
Four-year average.

soil-water storage could have resulted in an improvement in nutrient availability and played an important
role in 100% and 60% higher soybean yields with the
NT system as compared to MP and CP systems in
1994. Higher crop yield with the NT system than with
the MP system in a dry year was also noted by
Lueschen et al. (1991). Although the differences in
soybean yields in 1996 were not signi®cant by tillage
treatment, the NT system had a 7% and 15% higher
yield than the MP and CP systems, respectively.
Higher yield with NT in the 1996 season was attributed to better plant growth, more soil water, higher
organic matter content in the 0±5 cm layer, and more
protection from erosion as compared with MP.

The four-year average maize yield was not affected
by tillage, while the four-year average soybean yield
was higher with NT than with CP and the MP
(Table 10). Four-year average soybean yield was
14% higher with NT than with CP and MP systems,
while the maize yield was equal in all tillage systems.
At the beginning of the experiment, the MP system
produced 21% and 11% higher yield compared with
that of the NT and CP systems during 1989 and 1990
but with no difference in 1991. After three years, the
NT system yields were 3±100% higher than the MP
system (Fig. 1) during the 1992±1996 period.
The NT yields were lower in the early years of
study, but improved with the passage of time. The NT

Table 12
Effect of different tillage treatments on the covariate (plant population) adjusted maize and soybean yields during 1989±1996 at Dixon Springs
Tillage

Maize
No-till
Chisel plow
Moldboard plow

Soybean
No-till
Chisel plow
Moldboard plow
a
b

Crop yield (Mg haÿ1)a
1989

1991

1993

1995

Average b

8.98b
9.77b
10.85a

6.45a
6.53a
6.78a

11.99a
11.66a
11.13a

11.37a
11.49a
9.95b

9.69a
9.86a
9.68a

1990

1992

1994

1996

Averageb

2.33a
2.60a
2.61a

3.78a
3.50a
3.68a

2.89a
1.79b
1.44b

2.62a
2.27a
2.45a

2.90a
2.54b
2.55b

For each crop, means within the same year followed by the same letter are not significantly different at the p ˆ 0.05 probability level.
Four-year average.

I. Hussain et al. / Soil & Tillage Research 52 (1999) 37±49

47

Fig. 1. Relationship of NT ÿ MP yield difference and growing season rainfall over time.

performance relative to MP and CP was better during
dry years than wet years, which was also observed by
Eckert (1984). Figs. 1 and 2 show the yield trend of
conservation tillage compared with the MP system
with growing season rainfall (April±September) over
time. The percentage change was calculated using the
following equations:
‰…NT ÿ MP†=MPŠ  100;

(1)

(see Fig. 1), and
‰…CP ÿ MP†=MPŠ  100

(2)

(see Fig. 2).
3.4. Rainfall effects
The NT yields were lower during the three early
years of the study. This could have been due to lower
organic carbon and nitrogen mineralization and higher
immobilization of soil nitrogen with the NT than the
MP system (Rice and Smith, 1984), but the NT system
out-yielded the MP system during the last ®ve years of
study. No-till yields were 5±20% lower than the MP

system in wet years, but were 10±100% higher in
relatively dry year (Fig. 1) and NT ÿ MP was negatively correlated (r2 ˆ ÿ0.66, p ˆ 0.07) with growing
seasonal rainfall. The higher yields with the NT and
CP systems in dry years was probably due to the
conservation of more soil water than in the MP system,
while yields with the NT and the CP systems were
lower compared to that of the MP system in wet years
(Fig. 1). The CP yields were lower in the ®rst four
years compared to that of the MP system and the CP
system out-yielded the MP system from 1993 to 1995
period. Chisel plow yields were 5±10% lower in wet
years and 20% higher in dry years as compared to MP
system (Fig. 2). The CP ÿ MP difference was negatively correlated (r2 ˆ ÿ0.56, p ˆ 0.15) with growing
seasonal rainfall.
Generally, well-distributed rainfall over the growing season resulted in better yields for both, maize
and soybean with all tillage systems. Water de®ciency
or heavy rains in May could have resulted in yield
losses by reducing plant population. Higher rainfall
during July and August played a critical role in
improving the yield of maize and soybean, which

48

I. Hussain et al. / Soil & Tillage Research 52 (1999) 37±49

Fig. 2. Relationship of CP ÿ MP yield difference and growing season rainfall over time.

was evident from yield responses in 1989, 1990, 1992,
1994 and 1996.

4. Conclusions
Conservation tillage, especially in the NT system,
left more crop residue on the soil surface and provided
protection to soil from water erosion as against the MP
system. During the 1995 and 1996 growing seasons,
NT resulted in taller plants, slightly more plant-available water, and lower soil temperature at 25 days after
planting. Non-signi®cant differences in all elemental
concentrations in leaf except nitrogen were observed
due to tillage treatments during 1995 and 1996, suggesting no tillage effects on the uptake of nutrients by
plants. Nitrogen concentration in leaves was higher in
MP system plots compared with that of CP and NT
system plots. Although plant population was higher in
the MP system during both years, crop yields were
higher in the NT system compared with that of the MP
system which was probably due to more plant-available water and less erosion. The plant population in
NT system which was affected by the lower soil

temperature and poor soil±seed contact during the
early growing season.
In the ®rst year, crop yield was higher in the MP
system compared with that of the CP and NT systems;
however, the NT system produced higher crop yields
during the last ®ve years. Tillage did not affect fouryear average yield or plant population of maize. Fouryear average soybean plant population was not
affected by tillage; however, the four-year average
soybean yield was higher in the NT system compared
with other tillage treatments. Maize yields were equal
in all tillage systems as a result of higher MP system
yield in the ®rst year, which offset higher CP and NT
systems yields during the last two years. Soybean
yield was 15% higher in the NT system in comparison
with the CP and MP systems. Higher NT soybean
yields could be due to a higher amount of residue from
previous year's maize, which improved water conservation. Crop yields were higher in the NT system
despite lower plant population, so greater water and
nutrient availability per plant may have compensated
for the effect of lower plant population. The NT
system performed better in dry years by conserving
water and the NT yield improved over time. Based on

I. Hussain et al. / Soil & Tillage Research 52 (1999) 37±49

eight years of crop yield measurements (four years
maize and four years soybean), the NT system appears
to have resulted in improved long-term productivity
compared with that of the MP and CP systems. The
results of this study should be applicable to similar
root-restricting, sloping, and moderately eroded soils
in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Kentucky.

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