During the 14-month-long fallow that arises when moving from summer to winter crops, stubble breakdown can denude the soil surface and leave it vulnerable to erosion. Cover crops of millet have been proposed as a solution, but this then raises the question, how often is there sufficient water in the system to grow a cover crop without reducing the soil water reserves to the point of prejudicing the following wheat crop? An on-farm research approach was used to compare the traditional long fallow (TF) with a millet fallow (MF) in a total of 31 commercial paddocks over 3 years. Each treatment was simulated using the simulation-modelling framework (APSIM) to investigate the outcomes over a longer timeframe and to determine how often a millet fallow could be successfully included within the farming system. The on-farm trials showed that early-sown millet cover crops removed before December had no effect on wheat yield, but this was not true of millet cover crops that were allowed to grow through to maturity. Long-term simulations estimated that a spring cover crop of millet would adversely affect wheat yields in only 2% of years if planted early and removed after 50% cover had been achieved.
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Simulation modelling", "Methods and systems of culture. Cropping systems", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1071/cp08397"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Crop%20and%20Pasture%20Science", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1071/cp08397", "name": "item", "description": "10.1071/cp08397", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1071/cp08397"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2009-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1071/ea01175", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:18:05Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2005-12-23", "title": "Using Zero Tillage, Fertilisers And Legume Rotations To Maintain Productivity And Soil Fertility In Opportunity Cropping Systems On A Shallow Vertosol", "description": "The effect of 2 tillage practices (zero v. conventional), fertiliser application (nitrogen, phosphorus and zinc), and pulse\uffe2\uff80\uff93cereal rotation on changes in soil mineral nitrogen, plant-available water in the soil, grain yield and protein, and key soil fertility parameters (total nitrogen, organic carbon) in the Central Highlands of Queensland were examined between 1991 and 1998. Four pasture treatments (perennial legume, perennial grass, annual legume and legume\uffe2\uff80\uff93grass mixes) were included in January 1995, following previously unsuccessful attempts to grow lucerne and annual medics. The experiment was conducted as an opportunity cropping system on an open downs soil at Gindie that is representative of a large proportion (70%) of soils in the Central Highlands. Tillage practice did not affect the amount of mineral nitrate or the plant-available water content of the soil at planting, except in 1991 and 1998 when plant-available water content was higher under conventional tillage than zero tillage. However, zero tillage improved grain yield in 2 of 4 years (wheat in 1992; sorghum in 1996), increased uptake of nitrogen in every crop and produced greater grain protein levels in both wheat crops grown than conventional tillage. There were grain responses to nitrogen + phosphorus fertilisers (wheat in 1991 and sorghum in 1997). Grain protein was increased with applications of nitrogen regardless of whether phosphorus was added in 3 of the 4 crops planted. Sowing a pulse did not significantly increase grain yields in the following crop although it did increase soil mineral nitrogen at planting. Soil nitrate remained low in control (P0N0) plots (<39 kg N/ha) when crops were planted each year but increased significantly (average 84 kg N/ha) following a long fallow of 3.5 years resulting from drought. Plant-available water content of the soil at sowing was lower where chickpeas had been grown the previous season than with wheat. Neither tillage practice nor fertiliser application affected soil organic carbon or soil total nitrogen concentrations in the topsoil. However, all pasture treatments improved soil total nitrogen compared with continuous cropping, and with the exception of annual pasture legumes, also improved soil organic carbon after only 2 seasons. Largest improvements in soil fertility (total nitrogen and organic carbon) occurred with perennial species. It was concluded that zero tillage practices can have beneficial impacts on grain yields as well as minimising environmental degradation such as soil erosion in this region. However, if soil fertility levels are to be maintained, or improved, perennial pasture rotations will need to be used as current levels of fertiliser application or rotations with pulses had no significant beneficial effect.
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "070300 Crop and Pasture Production", "Soil and crops. Soil-plant relationships. Soil productivity", "Sustainable agriculture", "Methods and systems of culture. Cropping systems", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Fertilisers", "6. Clean water"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Standley, J., Millar, G., Reid, D. J., Halpin, N. V., Armstrong, Roger.,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1071/ea01175"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Australian%20Journal%20of%20Experimental%20Agriculture", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1071/ea01175", "name": "item", "description": "10.1071/ea01175", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1071/ea01175"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2003-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1071/sr9860265", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:18:08Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2005-04-06", "title": "Long-Term Trends In Fertility Of Soils Under Continuous Cultivation And Cereal Cropping In Southern Queensland .1. Overall Changes In Soil Properties And Trends In Winter Cereal Yields", "description": "Changes in fertility of some southern Queensland soils resulting from extended periods of cultivation are presented, together with trends in yields of winter cereals on these soils. Six major soils of the cereal-belt, cropped for maximum periods of 20-70 years were examined. These were: Black earths, Waco soil; grey, brown and red clays (brigalow), Langlands-Logie soil; grey, brown and red clays (poplar box), Cecilvale soil; grey, brown and red clays (belah), Billa Billa soil; grey, brown and red clays (coolibah), Thallon soil; red earths, Riverview soil. Organic matter and its constituents, especially total organic C, organic C in the light fraction, total N and mineralizable N, were affected most by cultivation, showing decreases of 19-67% overall. Other soil properties probably associated with organic matter, including bulk density and DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) extractable manganese, were also significantly affected by cultivation in all soils. Soil properties affected least by cultivation were concentrations of inorganic phosphorus, total and exchangeable potassium, calcium carbonate, and dithionite extractable iron and aluminium. Most other soil properties studied (organic P, total sulfur, pH, exchangeable magnesium and sodium, exchangeable sodium percentage, and oxalate-extractable iron and aluminium) were affected by cultivation in at least four soils. Four factors accounted for 70% of the total variation among the 45 soil properties considered. They appeared to represent organic matter, clay colloids, iron and aluminium oxides, and soluble salts. Dry matter yield and/or N uptake of winter cereal crops (wheat and barley) measured in 1983 showed significant decreasing trends with period of cultivation in all soils.
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Soil and crops. Soil-plant relationships. Soil productivity", "2304 Environmental Chemistry", "Wheat", "Methods and systems of culture. Cropping systems", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Queensland", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Soil conservation and protection", "1111 Soil Science"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1071/sr9860265"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Soil%20Research", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1071/sr9860265", "name": "item", "description": "10.1071/sr9860265", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1071/sr9860265"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "1986-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1071/sr9960273", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:18:08Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2005-04-06", "title": "Comparison Of Legume-Based Cropping Systems At Warra, Queensland .1. Soil Nitrogen And Organic Carbon Accretion And Potentially Mineralisable Nitrogen", "description": "Effects on soil nitrogen accretion and potentially mineralisable nitrogen were studied as part of a long-term field experiment established in 1986 to test alternative legume-based systems for restoring fertility in a Vertisol. Organic C accretion was also measured to ascertain the changes in organic matter content. The systems, which were studied only during 1989 and 1990, were a grass+legume ley (purple pigeon grass, Rhodes grass, lucerne, annual medics) of 4 years duration followed by wheat; a 2-year rotation of wheat (lucerne undersown) and lucerne; a 2-year rotation of wheat (medic undersown) and medic; a 2-year rotation of chickpea and wheat; and continuous wheat as control. Soil total N and organic C significantly increased in the 0\uffe2\uff80\uff9310 cm soil layer only under the grass+legume ley. There was no significant change in the soil C/N ratio. Plant residues contained from 52 to 104 kg N/ha in 1990 at the end of the legume phase, with high values for root N in the grass+legume ley. A comparison of N accretion versus fixation at the end of the legume-based systems in 1990 showed that net accumulation of N exceeded fixation in soil under lucerne and grass+legume leys; in the latter, net accumulation of 779 kg N/ha over 3.75 years was measured compared with 384 kg N/ha for N2 fixation. Part of the accumulation of N may have been due to uptake of NH4-N from the deep subsoil. Although values for soil mineral N (0\uffe2\uff80\uff93120 cm) were low at the end of all the legume-based systems, a deep subsoil (120\uffe2\uff80\uff93300 cm) accumulation of NH4-N was found in all treatments. The nitrogen mineralisation potentials (No) for 0\uffe2\uff80\uff9310 cm depth samples taken at the end of the legume phase in 1989 were higher in all the legume-based systems (105\uffe2\uff80\uff93182 mg N/kg) than the wheat control (57 mg N/kg). The rapid biological tests of N availability, both waterlogged and aerobic incubation, were more sensitive to treatment differences than No, in the surface and subsoil (range 12\uffe2\uff80\uff9378 mg N/kg for 0\uffe2\uff80\uff9310 cm soil for the waterlogged procedure). The rapid chemical tests, hot KCl extraction and the autoclave index, showed small treatment effects and did not appear to be useful availability indices. The pasture management (graced v. mown and removed) had no significant effect on total N, organic C and N availability indices in this alkaline Vertisol during the study period.
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Cropping systems", "Availability", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Legumes", "630", "Accumulation", "2304 Environmental Chemistry", "Methods and systems of culture. Cropping systems", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Soils. Soil science", "Pasture leys", "1111 Soil Science"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1071/sr9960273"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Soil%20Research", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1071/sr9960273", "name": "item", "description": "10.1071/sr9960273", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1071/sr9960273"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "1996-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1071/sr9960289", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:18:08Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2005-04-06", "title": "Comparison Of Legume-Based Cropping Systems At Warra, Queensland .2. Mineral Nitrogen Accumulation And Availability To The Subsequent Wheat Crop", "description": "Mineral nitrogen release following legume-based cropping systems for restoring the fertility of a Vertisol and the yield response and N uptake of subsequent wheat crops was studied. Legume phases of pastures, including a 4 year grass+legume ley, and lucerne and medic leys (~1 year) were terminated in October 1988 or 1989 and rotated with wheat. Chickpea-wheat rotations matched those of lucerne and medic leys. Mineral N accumulations during a subsequent fallow period were determined by core sampling to 1.5 m in October, February and May. Grain yield and N uptake of wheat enabled comparisons of the fertility restorative effects of the various systems relative to continuous wheat cropping. Averaged for two fallow periods, increases in mineral N down to 1.2 m depth were 93, 91, 68, and 37 kg/ha following grass+legume, lucerne and medic leys, and chickpea, respectively, compared with the continuous wheat treatment. Wheat yields were generally lower in 1989 (1.85\uffe2\uff80\uff932.88 t/ha) than in 1990 (2.08\uffe2\uff80\uff933.59 t/ha) following all leys and crops due to seasonal conditions. There was a grain yield increase of 0.11 and 0.52 t/ha in 1989 and 1.23 and 1.26 t/ha in 1990 following lucerne and medic leys, respectively and 0.85 t/ha in 1990 following a 4 year grass+legume ley. Following chickpea there was a yield increase of 0.81 and 1.36 t/ha in 1989 and 1990 respectively. Nitrogen uptake by wheat was increased by 40 and 49 kg/ha in 1989 and 48 and 58 kg/ha in 1990 following lucerne and medic leys respectively and 63 kg/ha in 1990 following a 4 year grass+legume ley. Following chickpea N uptake by wheat was increased by 27 and 32 kg/ha in 1989 and 1990 respectively. Grain protein concentration of wheat was substantially higher following all pasture leys (11.7\uffe2\uff80\uff9315.8%) than following wheat (8.0\uffe2\uff80\uff939.4%) or chickpea (9.4\uffe2\uff80\uff9310.1%). Therefore, there was substantial evidence of the effectiveness of pasture leys in soil fertility restoration, as reflected in mineral N, yield response and N uptake by subsequent wheat crops.
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "571", "Field crops", "2304 Environmental Chemistry", "0402 animal and dairy science", "Methods and systems of culture. Cropping systems", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Soils. Soil science", "Pasture leys", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Legumes", "1111 Soil Science"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1071/sr9960289"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Soil%20Research", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1071/sr9960289", "name": "item", "description": "10.1071/sr9960289", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1071/sr9960289"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "1996-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}], "links": [{"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "This document as GeoJSON", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=Methods+and+systems+of+culture.+Cropping+systems&f=json", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "title": "This document as HTML", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=Methods+and+systems+of+culture.+Cropping+systems&f=html", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection URL", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"type": "application/geo+json", "rel": "first", "title": "items (first)", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=Methods+and+systems+of+culture.+Cropping+systems&", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "last", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "items (last)", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=Methods+and+systems+of+culture.+Cropping+systems&offset=5", "hreflang": "en-US"}], "numberMatched": 5, "numberReturned": 5, "distributedFeatures": [], "timeStamp": "2026-07-26T00:05:04.979024Z"}