Long-Term Effect of Crop Rotation and Tillage Practices On Soil Properties.

The greatest natural resource for farmers in the Midwest is their soil; however, some management practices may degrade this critical resource. In a study at Monmouth, Illinois, we evaluated crop rotation and tillage effects on soil properties about 15 years after establishment. The experimental layout is a split-plot design with main plots of crop rotations: corn-soybean-wheat, corn-soybean, continuous corn and continuous soybean, with each phase of each rotation present every year. Subplots treatments were tilled and no-till. Experimental sites are on Sable silty clay loam and Muscatune silt loam soils; both are very deep, poorly drained and somewhat poorly drained soils, respectively, formed in thick loess. Soil properties such as bulk density, water aggregate stability, pH, total carbon and total nitrogen were measured following 15 years of the same management practices on the corn face of the rotations.  Soil properties and yield data results will be shown.