Wheat yield and water use efficiency under contrasting residue and tillage management systems in a semiarid area of Morocco

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) production using no-tillage is becoming an increasingly accepted management technology. Major obstacles to its adoption in Morocco, however, are exportation of wheat straw from the field and stubble grazing. Among pertinent solutions is the control of these practices, A four-year field study was conducted to determine the effect of residue level under no-tillage on wheat grain and total dry-matter yields, water use and water-use efficiency, and to compare this with conventional tillage systems. The aim was to evaluate whether all the strafe produced is needed for no-till cropping or whether partial removal of straw from the field is possible without any adverse effect on production. No-tillage and deep tillage with disk plough performed equally well and subsurface tillage with an off-set disk produced the lowest fields. Both bare and full no-tillage covers depressed wheat production. Uo to 30% of straw produced under no-tillage can be removed without jeopardizing wheat crop performance.