Strip Tillage Improves Productivity of Direct-Seeded Oilseed Rape (<i>Brassica napus</i>) in Rice–Oilseed Rape Rotation Systems
Chaosu Li,
Ming Li,
Tao Xiong,
Hongkun Yang,
Xiaoqin Peng,
Yong Wang,
Haiyan Qin,
Haojie Li,
Yonglu Tang,
Gaoqiong Fan
Affiliations
Chaosu Li
Crop Ecophysiology and Cultivation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Ming Li
Crop Research Institute of Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Environment-Friendly Crop Germplasm Innovation and Genetic Improvement Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu 610066, China
Tao Xiong
Crop Research Institute of Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Environment-Friendly Crop Germplasm Innovation and Genetic Improvement Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu 610066, China
Hongkun Yang
Crop Ecophysiology and Cultivation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Xiaoqin Peng
Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Machinery Sciences, Chengdu 610066, China
Yong Wang
Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Machinery Sciences, Chengdu 610066, China
Haiyan Qin
Sichuan Agricultural Technology Extension Station, Chengdu 610041, China
Haojie Li
Crop Research Institute of Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Environment-Friendly Crop Germplasm Innovation and Genetic Improvement Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu 610066, China
Yonglu Tang
Crop Research Institute of Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Environment-Friendly Crop Germplasm Innovation and Genetic Improvement Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu 610066, China
Gaoqiong Fan
Crop Ecophysiology and Cultivation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Oilseed rape (Brassica napus) is a crucial global oil crop. It is generally cultivated in rotation with rice in southern China’s Yangtze River Basin, where the wet soil and residue retention after rice harvest significantly hinder its seedling establishment. Hence, this study developed a strip-tillage seeder for oilseed rape seeding following rice harvest. Additionally, seedling establishment, soil infiltration and evaporation post-seeding, soil moisture change, oilseed yield, and weed occurrence under strip tillage (ST) were compared with conventional shallow rotary-tillage (SR) and deep rotary-tillage (DR) seeding practices. Compared to SR and DR, the results demonstrated that ST had a higher seeding efficiency and 53.8% and 80.2% lower energy consumption, respectively. ST also enhanced seedling growth and oilseed yield formation more effectively than the competitor tillage treatments, with an oilseed yield increase exceeding 6%. Additionally, ST improved water infiltration and reduced soil water evaporation, resulting in higher topsoil (0–20 cm) moisture during the critical growth stages. Furthermore, ST reduced soil disturbance, significantly decreasing the density of the dominant weed, Polypogon fugax. Overall, ST seeding technology has the potential to improve the productivity of oilseed rape in rice–oilseed rape rotation systems, and its yield superiority is mainly due to seedling establishment improvement and soil moisture adjustment.
