Effects of lupin-wheat rotations on soil fertility, crop disease and crop yields

Abstract

Three experiments, begun in successive years, were conducted between 1974 and 1979 in north-eastern Victoria to investigate the effects of rotating wheat (cv. Olympic) and 'sweet' lupins (Lupinus angustifolius cv. Uniharvest) on crop yields, soil fertility and crop diseases. The grain yield of continuous wheat was 2.58 t/ha and of continuous lupins 0.66 t/ha (P<0.05). Wheat, grown after a lupin crop, yielded 750 kg/ha more than wheat after wheat, and a second wheat crop, after lupins, yielded 420 kg/ha more than a third successive wheat crop. Lupins, grown after wheat, yielded 50-165% more than lupins after lupins. Grain nitrogen of wheat was significantly increased after lupins (P<0.01). Differences in soil mineral nitrogen were apparent ten weeks after sowing, with mean nitrogen levels of 37 and 55 kg/ha under wheat and lupins, respectively. Soil mineral nitrogen (0-20 cm) was consistently greater after lupins than after wheat (P<0.01) when measured just before seeding the succeeding crop. Overall, mean accretion of mineral nitrogen under lupins was 4 1 kg/ha.year. Residual nitrogen from lupins, after one succeeding wheat crop had been grown, was also evident (mean 23 kg/ha). Crop rotation influenced the incidence of crop diseases in wheat and lupins. Lupins after lupins suffered severely from brown leaf spot (Pleiochaeta setosa), up to 63% of plants being infected compared with only 18% after wheat. Disease incidence (mainly Gaeumannomyces graminis) in wheat increased from less than 1% in the first year of cropping, to 36% infection in year 3. When wheat was grown after lupins, disease incidence was negligible.