Effect of Tillage, Previous Crop, and N Fertilization on Agronomic and Economic Performances of Durum Wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) under Rainfed Semi-Arid Environment

Agronomy

Ayman Frija¹  Mohamed Annabi²  Amir Souissi²  Hatem Cheikh M’hamed²  Haithem Bahri³  Salah Benyoussef⁴  Mohamed Chakroun⁴ 

[1] Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Tunis Office, Hedi Karray Street, Ariana 2049, Tunisia;Laboratoire Sciences et Techniques Agronomiques (LR16INRAT05), National Institute of Agricultural Research of Tunisia (INRAT), Carthage University, Hedi Karray Street, Ariana 2049, Tunisia;Laboratoire Sciences et Techniques Agronomiques (LR16INRAT05), National Research Institute for Rural Engineering, Water and Forests (INRGREF), Carthage University, Hedi Karray Street, Ariana 2049, Tunisia;Laboratory of Animal and Forage Production, National Institute of Agricultural Research of Tunisia (INRAT), Carthage University, Hedi Karray Street, Ariana 2049, Tunisia;

关键词: durum wheat;    crop yield;    nitrogen-use efficiency;    water-use efficiency;    gross margins;    conservation agriculture;   

DOI  :  10.3390/agronomy10081161

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The implementation of conservation agriculture (CA) remains crucial for facing interannual variability in climatic conditions that impact durum wheat production and food security. The current work was conducted to assess the effects of the tillage practice, previous crop, and nitrogen (N) fertilization rate on the agronomic and economic performances of rainfed durum wheat in a semi-arid environment in Tunisia. Tillage practices included no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT). Preceding crops were either a common vetch or a bread wheat. The N rates applied were: 0, 75, 100, 120, and 140 kg N ha⁻¹. Our results show that, based on a 2-year experiment, tillage practices are not affecting grain yield, grain N, and gross margins. However, the N-use efficiency of durum wheat was significantly higher when wheat was grown using NT. Grain yield and N content in grain were 340 kg ha⁻¹ and 0.34%; much higher after vetch than after bread wheat. For both tillage practices, the merit of 75 kg N ha⁻¹ is paramount to maximize yield through a more efficient use of available N. Our results highlight the importance of no-tillage-based CA combined with rotation, including vetch, on enhanced yields, N-use efficiency, and gross margins. These findings provide the evidence of the positive impact of CA for rainfed durum wheat under semi-arid Mediterranean conditions.

【 授权许可】

Unknown