Crop Rotation and Soil Amendment Alters Sorghum Grain Quality [Erratum: 2007 July, v. 47, issue 4, p. 1764.]

• Published in: Crop science 2007-03, Vol.47 (2), p.722-727
• Main Authors: Kaye, N.M, Mason, S.C, Jackson, D.S, Galusha, T.D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural practices; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; Clay loam; continuous cropping; crop quality; Crop rotation; Crop yield; Cropping sequence; Dry matter; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; Glycine max; Grain; grain sorghum; grain yield; nitrate nitrogen; nitrogen content; Physical properties; Scanning electron microscopy; Soil amendment; soil amendments; soil fertility; soil water content; Soils; Sorghum; Sorghum bicolor; Soybeans; Studies
• ISSN: 0011-183X; 1435-0653
• DOI: 10.2135/cropsci2006.05.0346

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotation enhances grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] yield, but influence on grain quality has not been measured. The objective was to determine the effect of cropping sequence (CS) and soil amendment (SA) on grain yield and quality. Sorghum grain yield and quality, soil NO3(-)N and water were measured in a rotation study in 2003 and 2004 on a Sharpsburg silty clay loam (fine, smectitic, mesic Typic Argiudoll). Cropping sequences were continuous sorghum, and sorghum rotated with non-nodulating and nodulating soybean. Soil amendments consisted of no amendment, manure (17-26 Mg dry matter ha-1 yr-1), and N (84 kg ha-1 yr-1). CS x SA interaction effects were found for most parameters. Rotation with non-nodulating soybean without SA increased yield by 2.6 to 2.8 Mg ha-1 over continuous sorghum without SA. Rotation without SA with nodulating soybean further increased yield by 1.7 to 1.8 Mg ha-1 over rotation with non-nodulating soybean. Grain N increased by 0.5 to 1.0, 2.5 to 5.0, and 3.3 to 4.9 g kg-1 for N application to continuous sorghum and sorghum rotated with non-nodulating and nodulating soybean, respectively. Tangential abrasive dehulling device (TADD) removal indicated that continuous sorghum without SA produced the softest grain with 43 to 44% TADD removal, and sorghum rotated with nodulating soybean with manure produced the hardest grain with 22 to 27% TADD removal. As food end-use opportunities for sorghum grain evolve, use of crop rotation and SA application will be important to produce grain with desirable quality attributes.