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Strip cropping corn and grain legumes: A review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 November 2009

Charles Francis ,
Alice Jones ,
Kent Crookston ,
Kyle Wittler  and
Sondra Goodman
Charles Francis
Affiliation:
Assistant Professor in the Department of Agronomy, University of Nebraska
Alice Jones
Affiliation:
Assistant Professor in the Department of Agronomy, University of Nebraska
Kent Crookston
Affiliation:
Professor in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
Kyle Wittler
Affiliation:
Professor and Director of the Land Laboratory, Parkland College, Champaign, Illinois
Sondra Goodman
Affiliation:
Former Agronomist, Center for Rural Affairs, Hartington, Nebraska.
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Abstract

Multiple cropping systems are prevalent in many parts of the world, and alternating strips of corn and soybeans or dry beans have been used by farmers in the temperate region. Strip cropping has the potential to reduce erosion on hilly lands, to allow a crop rotation in the field if strips are changed from one season to the next, and to increase total system yields. Results from several experiments in Eastern and Midwest U.S. show considerable variation in production among years and locations. Corn grown in narrow strips has yielded from 10 to 40 percent over sole cropping, while soybeans or dry beans in narrow strips suffer yield reductions of 10 to 30 percent due to light, water and nutrient competition. There has been no definitive research to quantify the relative importance of these factors in the competitive interface between corn and legume rows. With wider strips there is less increase in corn yields and less reduction in legume yields compared to sole cropping. Changes in component crop yields also depend on rainfall, and may be influenced by the variety of each component crop and by the width of strips. Rarely does total yield in a strip crop system fall below the average monoculture performance. In years of adequate rainfall, production of strip crops may outyield sole crops by 10 to 20 percent. Potential production of strip cropping systems is reviewed, and projected soil conservation is estimated using the Universal Soil Loss Equation.

Type
Articles
Information
American Journal of Alternative Agriculture , Volume 1 , Issue 4 , Fall 1986 , pp. 159 - 164
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1986

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