Ridgetown Long-term Rotation and Tillage Trial
- Local identifier
- CanONLTRT_Ri
- Years operational
- 1995—
- Objective
- To study the long-term, interactive effects of tillage, fertilizer levels, and crop rotation on agronomic and environmental outcomes.
- Description
- The Ridgetown Long-term Rotation and Tillage Trial contains seven rotation treatments crossed with two tillage levels (conventional and no-till) and four levels of N-fertilizer application (zero-, low-, medium-, and high-N on maize and wheat). Crop rotations contain maize, soybean, winter wheat, and red clover in various combinations. Multi-year rotations are repeated so all phases are present each year. The experimental layout is a randomized complete block design with four replications. There are 8 tillage whole plots, 15 rotation split-plots within each tillage plots, and four N treatment split-split plots within each rotation split-plot. Treatments have been maintained since 1995 and crop yields have been measured every year. Due to problems with weed management and planting methods early in the experiment, data before 2009 are excluded from publications.
- Data Access Statement
- Don't know
- Data Access Notes
- Data from 2009 onward are part of the DRIVES database of North American LTEs.
- Data license
- Don't know
- Data policy
- Yes (not online)
- Organizations
- University of GuelphfieldOntario Crops Research Centerexperimental research stationOntario Agri-Food Innovation Allianceresearch organisationDRIVESresearch network
- Person
- Dave Hookerprincipal investigatorUniversity of Guelph
Site: Ridgetown Long-term Rotation and Tillage Trial
- Type
- research farm
- Local code
- CanONLTRT_Ri
- Location
- RidgetownOntarioCanada
- Geographic location
- 42.450622, -81.891226
- Elevation
- 200 Metres
- Visits permitted?
- No
- History
- Crop rotation, tillage, and N treatments have been maintained since 1995. In the years prior to establishment of the experiment, the area produced winter wheat, soybeans, corn and alfalfa with a typical fertility program under conventional tillage and grain harvested.
- Soil description
- Clay loam soil
Design period: Era 1 (1995—)
- Design Type
- Split split plot
- Description
- Experimental treatments have been maintained since 1995. There have been a few minor changes in methods that are not significant enough to count as separate design periods. Agronomic best practices for weed control have been in place since 2009. Before 2009, weed issues and planting errors led to unreliable yield data. In 2012, they modified the no-till treatment into a modified no-till system, with strip-tillage applied to maize treatments. In 2016, the N levels applied to maize and wheat in the low, medium, and high N treatments were increased. These changes are described under the corresponding factor levels.
- Design description
- The experiment is a randomized complete block design with four replicates. There are eight main plots with one of two tillage treatments (conventional and no-till). These 8 main plots are organized across three rows in the field. Each main plot contains 15 split-plots for crop rotation treatments (seven unique rotations, with all entry phases present). Each rotation split-plot is divided into four split-split plots with different N fertilizer levels. The primary experimental unit for crop yields is the split-split plot.
- Number of replicates
- 4
- Number of harvests per year
- 1
- Crops
Crop Years grown maize soybeans winter wheat red clover - Crop Rotations
- corn 1995—
- 1maize
soybean 1995—- 1soybeans
corn-soybean 1995—- 1maize
- 2soybeans
corn-soybean-winter wheat 1995—- 1maize
- 2soybeans
- 3winter wheat
corn-soybean-winter wheat/red clover 1995—- 1maize
- 2soybeans
- 3winter wheatred clover
soybean-winter wheat 1995—- 1soybeans
- 2winter wheat
soybean-winter wheat/red clover 1993—- 1soybeans
- 2winter wheatred clover
- Factors
- Factor name
- Factor levels
- tillage process Conventional and no-till treatments are applied at the main plot level.
conventional tillage
1995—The conventional tillage system consists of moldboard plowing in the fall (20 cm depth) followed by two to three passes with a field cultivator at <10 cm depth in the spring. For winter wheat, conventional tillage consists of two passes with either a tandem disc or cultivator after soybean harvest at <8 cm depth.no-till
1995—Crops in the no-till treatment have no tillage with minimal soil disturbance due to planting. Starting in 2012, corn in the no-till treatment was strip-tilled to 12cm in the fall.- nitrogen fertilizer exposure Each corn and wheat split-plot (6.1mwide by 24mlong) is divided along the length into four N rate treatments applied in season. The split-split-plot treatment consists of four different N fertilizer rates applied to maize and wheat. No N fertilizer was applied to soybean. All N treatments in maize received starter fertilizer containing 12 kg N/ha (150 kg/ha of 8-32-16). The starter was applied in a band 5cm beside and 5cm below seeding depth. The remaining balance of N was side-dress applied as urea ammonium nitrate (28-0-0) at about the V3 developmental stage. In winter wheat, 100 kg/ha of monoammonium phosphate (11-52-0 or MAP) was applied at planting, followed by urea (46-0-0) or ammonium nitrate (33-0-0) at Zadoks 21 up to the target N rate.
level 1 (12 kgN/ha)
1995—Applied to crop: maizeApplication frequency: annuallyApplication method: band applicationNo side-dress nitrogen, only the nitrogen in the starter band of 150 kg/ha 8-32-16 applied at planting.level 2 (72 kgN/ha)
1995—2015Applied to crop: maizeApplication frequency: annuallyApplication method: side dressingChemical form: urea ammonium nitrateIncludes 12 kg/ha starter N and 60 kg/ha sidedress N.level 2 (92 kgN/ha)
2016—Applied to crop: maizeApplication frequency: annuallyApplication method: side dressingChemical form: urea ammonium nitrateIncludes 12 kg/ha starter N and 80 kg/ha sidedress N.level 3 (132 kgN/ha)
1995—2015Applied to crop: maizeApplication frequency: annuallyApplication method: side dressingChemical form: urea ammonium nitrateIncludes 12 kg/ha starter N and 120 kg/ha sidedress N.level 3 (172 kgN/ha)
2016—Applied to crop: maizeApplication frequency: annuallyApplication method: side dressingChemical form: urea ammonium nitrateIncludes 12 kg/ha starter N and 160 kg/ha sidedress N.level 4 (192 kgN/ha)
1995—2015Applied to crop: maizeApplication method: side dressingChemical form: urea ammonium nitrateIncludes 12 kg/ha starter N and 180 kg/ha sidedress N.level 4 (252 kgN/ha)
2016—Applied to crop: maizeApplication frequency: annuallyApplication method: side dressingChemical form: urea ammonium nitrateIncludes 12 kg/ha starter N and 240 kg/ha sidedress N.level 1 (0 kgN/ha)
1995—Applied to crop: winter wheatIt is possible that 11kg N/ha was applied as starter fertilizer (11-52-0 MAP).level 2 (50 kgN/ha)
1995—Applied to crop: winter wheatApplication frequency: annuallyApplication method: top dressingChemical form: ureaMay include 11kg N/ha applied as starter fertilizer (11-52-0 MAP).level 3 (100 kgN/ha)
1993—Applied to crop: winter wheatApplication frequency: annuallyApplication method: top dressingChemical form: ureaMay include 11kg N/ha applied as starter fertilizer (11-52-0 MAP).level 4 (150 kgN/ha)
1995—Applied to crop: winter wheatApplication frequency: annuallyApplication method: top dressingChemical form: ureaMay include 11kg N/ha applied as starter fertilizer (11-52-0 MAP).
- Measurements
Variable Material Units Frequency Scale Comment grain yield trait All crops kg/ha annually Applies to all grain crops (maize, soybeans, and winter wheat), not red clover. grain moisture content All crops percent annually Applies to all grain crops (maize, soybeans, and winter wheat), not red clover. plant density maize plants per hectare annually plant density soybeans plants per hectare annually plant development stage maize Julian Day annually Julian Day of corn full silking (R2) grain quality traits maize % annually Maize oil, protein, and starch content have been measured every year since 2012. grain quality traits soybeans Percent annually Soybean oil and protein content have been measured every year since 2009.
Related publications
- Long-term tillage and crop rotation effects on soil quality, organic carbon, and total nitrogen
- Wheat improves nitrogen use efficiency of maize and soybean-based cropping systems
- Interaction of long-term nitrogen fertilizer application, crop rotation, and tillage system on soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics
- Corn and soybean yields and returns are greater in rotations with wheat