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Faba bean grain yield, N2 fixation, and weed infestation in a long-term tillage experiment under rainfed Mediterranean conditions

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Abstract

Background and aims

Long-term experiments could provide valuable information to determine the effects of an agronomic practice on agro-ecosystem productivity and stability. This study evaluated the long-term (18-year) impact of different tillage systems on faba bean (Vicia faba L.) productivity, including weed and broomrape incidence, and N2 fixation.

Methods

The experiment was carried out on a Vertisol under rainfed Mediterranean conditions. It was set up as a strip-plot design. The tillage systems were: conventional tillage (CT) with moldboard plow, reduced tillage (RT) with chisel plow, and no tillage (NT). Nitrogen fixation was estimated over 2 years in the final phase of the experiment using the 15N isotope dilution technique.

Results

On average, grain yield was 31 % and 23 % higher under NT than under CT and RT, respectively; however, the effect of tillage varied by year. The yield advantage of NT over CT was pronounced when rainfall was scarce. Average broomrape infestation was lower under NT than under CT, but a reduction in tillage intensity resulted in an increase in weed biomass. Tillage had no effect on weed richness, but the use of the NT technique progressively altered the weed composition by determining conditions conducive to the growth of a few weed species that are hard to control. Nitrogen fixation was strongly influenced by tillage, being higher under NT than under CT.

Conclusions

The results suggest that NT is a valuable option in the rainfed cereal–legume rotation systems of Mediterranean environments; however, the success of NT technique depends on the use of effective weed control strategies.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by: MiRAAF (project ‘Sperimentazione per il miglioramento del grano duro in Sicilia’); MiPA-UE (project POM A16 Misura 2); Regione Sicilia (Patti territoriali Magazzolo-Platani and project SICOBIO); MiPAF (project SICOBIOS).

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  1. Dipartimento dei Sistemi Agro-Ambientali – Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Edif. 4, 90128, Palermo, Italy

    Dario Giambalvo, Paolo Ruisi, Sergio Saia, Giuseppe Di Miceli, Alfonso Salvatore Frenda & Gaetano Amato

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  1. Dario Giambalvo
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  2. Paolo Ruisi
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  3. Sergio Saia
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  4. Giuseppe Di Miceli
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  6. Gaetano Amato
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Correspondence to Gaetano Amato.

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Responsible Editor: Euan K. James.

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Giambalvo, D., Ruisi, P., Saia, S. et al. Faba bean grain yield, N2 fixation, and weed infestation in a long-term tillage experiment under rainfed Mediterranean conditions. Plant Soil 360, 215–227 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1224-5

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