Effect of tillage, rotation and crop residues on wheat crop productivity, fertilizer nitrogen and water use efficiency and soil organic carbon status in dry area (rainfed) of north-west Pakistan

Crop productivity, soil organic carbon (SOC), fertilizer nitrogen and water use efficiency (WUE) in rainfed dry area is influenced by tillage, rotation and crop residues management. Field experiments were conducted during 2004-09 to study the effect of tillage, rotation and crop residues on wheat yield, nitrogen fertilizer and water use efficiency and SOC under semi-arid condition in north-west Pakistan. The treatments consisted of three rotations: i) Wheat-fallow-wheat (farmers' practice) ii) Wheat-summer legume-wheat and iii) Wheat-summer cereal-wheat with two tillage and crop residues management treatments: i) Tillage (crop residues removed) and Tillage (crop residues retained) and ii) No-tillage (crop residues removed) and No-tillage (crop residues retained). Basal doses of N-60 : P-60 (kg ha(-1)) to wheat, N-90 : P-60 and N-20 : P-60 (kg ha(-1)) to summer cereals and legumes rotation crops were applied respectively. Labeled urea having 1% N-15 atom excess at 60 kg N ha(-1) was applied to wheat as an aqueous solution in micro plot within each treatment plot. Changes in soil water storage were monitored with neutron moisture probe for calculation of WUE. The results revealed that the wheat grain and straw yield was not increased by the tillage treatment. Crop residues retention significantly enhanced the wheat grain and straw yield. Crop residues with no-tillage resulted in 520 kg ha(-1) greater wheat grain yield than residues removed treatment. Similarly WUE, N yield and fertilizer N utilization by wheat was increased significantly by crop residues under no-tillage compared to the tillage treatment. Maximum N fertilizer utilization 24.1 %, 62.7 % and 38.0 % in wheat were obtained under no-tillage + residues treatment during 2006, 2007 and 2008 respectively. The SOC in surface soil (0-15 cm) was higher in wheat-fallow-wheat and wheat-legume-wheat rotation under no-tillage + residues treatment. The results showed that no-tillage + crop residues and legume based rotation treatment were beneficial under the rainfed (dry) conditions.