Maturity selection but not sowing date enhances soybean productivity and land use in a winter camelina –soybean relay system

This study shows that optimum soybean genotype selection for relaying with winter camelina can enhance both total oilseed productivity per hectare and land use efficiency while producing two crops in a single season under a cool temperate climate. AbstractEnhancing crop diversification is needed to ensure sustainable food and energy production in the soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and maize (Zea mays L.) dominated cropping systems of the US Midwest. Relay-cropping soybean with winter camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] is a means to sustainably intensify food and energy production while adding cropping system diversity. However, soybean yields in relay systems tend to be less than a full-season monocrop. We hypothesized that improved soybean selection and seeding date for relay cropping could minimi ze this yield gap, thus increasing agricultural land use productivity. A 2-year field study was conducted to determine the effects of soybean maturity and seeding date (SD) on winter camelina and soybean yields and land use productivity. Three soybean genotypes differing in maturity (MG) were relaye d into winter camelina at rosette (SD1), bolting (SD2), and first flowering (SD3) growth stages. The soybean MGs were MG0.2, MG1.1, and MG1.7 representing early, standard, and late maturity, respectively, for the study region. The MG1.1 sown at SD2 was grown as sole crop check using conventional pr actices (CP). Results demonstrated that SD3 decreased camelina seed yield compar...

Source: Food and Energy Security - December 8, 2021 Category: Food Science Authors: Yesuf Assen Mohammed, Russ W. Gesch, Heather L. Matthees, Samantha S. Wells Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research