The Effect of Tillage Systems on Nutrient Concentrations, Root Traits and Forage Yield and in Forage Legumes

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

N Barati ¹

M Rafiee ²

M Diyanat ¹

M. R Ardakani ³

W Weisany ¹

¹ Department of Agricultural Science and Engineering, SR. C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

² Crop and Horticultural Science Research Department, Lorestan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREO, Khorramabad, Iran

³ Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Ka. C., Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran

10.22067/jcesc.2025.94086.1408

Abstract

Introduction
In recent years, application of conservation tillage methods has been widely considered in the world, and the use of conventional tillage methods has become outdated in some parts of the world. Conservation tillage systems are usually implemented in arid and semi-arid regions. In semi-arid regions, the key to increasing crop production is to maximize surface water infiltration. In addition, legumes are the main source of protein in developing countries, with about twice the protein content of cereals, and are a source of Inexpensive, good-quality protein and a suitable complement to cereal protein. These plants are very important in low-input farming systems and have a special place in the rotation of some agricultural systems in the world, especially in dry regions, and play a significant role in food production in these countries. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different tillage systems on nutrient concentrations, root traits, and forage yield of forage legumes at the research farm of the Lorestan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, located 8 km southwest of Khorramabad, Iran, during the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 growing seasons.
Materials and Methods
This experiment was conducted as a split plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. Tillage methods (conventional, low-tillage, and no-tillage) were considered as the main factor, and forage legumes (Broujerd landrace faba bean, Lamei cultivar vetch, Grass pea, Barakat and Feyz cultivar faba bean) were considered as secondary factors. The water required by the plants was supplied by normal rainfall during the growing season, and no irrigation was performed. Disking, minimum tillage included a chisel plow or a combined toothed roller cultivator, and no-tillage involved no tillage operations. 
Results and Discussion
The results of the analysis of variance showed that the main effect of tillage system and forage legumes on all measured traits and the interaction effect of tillage × forage legumes on forage yield, root length, root volume, and the concentration of copper, zinc, and phosphorus elements in aerial parts were significant. Based on the results of the tillage system × forage legume planting showed that the highest forage dry weight (2820.9 kg ha^-1) and copper concentration (50.17 ppm) were observed in the conventional tillage system and Lamei variety vetch. The highest forage fresh yield (10671.54 and 10581.19 kg ha^-1), root length (33.89 and 33.39 cm) and phosphorus concentration (0.85 and 0.84%) were observed in the conventional and low-tillage systems and Lamei variety vetch. Also low-tillage system and Lamei variety vetch had the highest zinc concentration (50.69 ppm) and root volume (11.74 cm³). The conventional tillage system increased root diameter by 32%, fresh forage weight by 26%, dry weight by 21%, potassium by 27%, iron by 6%, and manganese by 8% and soil respiration by 22% compared to the no-till system. Also, the results of comparing the average effect of planting different forage legumes on measured traits showed that the highest yield, root traits, and nutrient elements were observed in the Lamei variety vetch.
Conclusion
Overall, the results highlight the importance of selecting appropriate tillage systems and forage legume species to optimize forage yield and quality. Among the evaluated species, vetch exhibited superior performance under the environmental conditions of this study. Furthermore, conventional and minimum tillage significantly influenced forage yield, root characteristics, and nutrient concentrations by altering the soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties in the Khorramabad region.
Acknowledgement
Hereby, we would like to express our gratitude to the respected professors and laboratory staff of the Khorramabad Research Center for their guidance and assistance during the project.

Keywords

Manganese

Nitrogen

Phosphorus

Root length

Root volume

Subjects

• Crop yield

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Authors retain the copyright. This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0)

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