Using diverse crop rotations, which include three or four different crops, is generally the most desirable crop production practice. However, in the drier regions of southern Alberta, the...
Description
Using diverse crop rotations, which include three or four different crops, is generally the most desirable crop production practice. However, in the drier regions of southern Alberta, the pea-wheat rotation offers a number of significant advantages. Wheat yields after pea are often higher than after wheat as a result of increased soil nitrogen (N) availability, higher amounts of stored soil water and reduced disease potential. With the pea-wheat rotation, the need for nitrogen fertilizer inputs for pea and wheat are greatly reduced and often eliminated. From an economic and agronomic standpoint, the pea-wheat rotation can often be very profitable for southern Alberta dryland farmers.