Evaluating the Impact of Long-Term Tillage Practices on Crop Yield, Soil Properties, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Western Nebraska

Tillage prepares soil for planting and plays a critical role in crop productivity, soil health, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Assessing long-term tillage is vital for expanding knowledge of these practices in semiarid environments. The experiment was conducted on the tillage plot initiated in 2007 to assess the long-term effects of no-tillage (NT), strip-tillage (ST), and moldboard plow (MP) on crop yield, soil properties, and GHG emissions in irrigated maize in western Nebraska. Maize yield, carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions were measured in 2023 and 2024. Postharvest soil sampled from each tillage plot in 2024 were analyzed for selected soil health properties. Mean maize yield over 2 years was higher in ST (10.70 Mg ha(-)(1)) and MP (10.65 Mg ha(-)(1)) than in NT (8.45 Mg ha(-)(1)). Both NT and ST improved soil organic matter, organic carbon, and microbial activity relative to MP. Macroaggregate stability (>250 & micro;m) was greater under NT and ST, whereas MP had greater microaggregate stability (<63 & micro;m). Mean CO2 emissions did not differ among tillage systems, but N2O emissions were higher under NT and ST than under MP. There was a trade-off impact of NT on soil, GHG, and crop yield. The ST provided the benefit of localized tillage along crop rows while preserving NT conditions between rows. Understanding the trade-offs of known conservation practices on productivity and sustainability is critical to informing our efforts toward sustainable agriculture.