@article {Kazula541, author = {M.J. Kazula and J.G. Lauer}, title = {The influence of crop rotation on corn total biomass production}, volume = {73}, number = {5}, pages = {541--548}, year = {2018}, doi = {10.2489/jswc.73.5.541}, publisher = {Soil and Water Conservation Society}, abstract = {Agriculture in the Midwest region of the United States is based on intensive corn (Zea mays L.) production that provides food, feed, and fuel. Crop rotation is a vital management option for improved yield and environment preservation. Three rotation systems{\textemdash}continuous corn (CC), corn{\textendash}soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.; CS), and corn{\textendash}soybean{\textendash}wheat (Triticum aestivum L.; CSW){\textemdash}were selected to study their effects on grain yields and carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) accumulation and partitioning within corn grain, stover, and cob plant components. The experiment was conducted at three pre-established crop rotation experiments located at three sites in Wisconsin. Biomass sampling was performed in four consecutive years (2011 to 2014). Analysis of variance showed differences in location for most variables, an effect of crop rotation on stover biomass and stover C, and an interaction effect between location and rotation on soybean grain yield. Averaged across years and locations, final corn and soybean grain yield increased with rotation complexity where corn in the CSW rotation had 15\% and 8\% greater yield than CC and CS rotation, respectively. Overall, the biomass distribution among corn plant parts was 52\%, 41\%, and 7\% for grain, stover, and cob, respectively. Stover and cobs harvested from corn grown in monoculture produced approximately 11\% (0.54 Mg C ha-1) less C than corn grown in either CS or CSW rotation. Across rotations, the accumulation of N in plant tissues was not significantly different. However, these results show that crop rotation can increase grain yield and biomass C and partially offset the difference in soil C, which is expected to be greater under CC.}, issn = {0022-4561}, URL = {https://www.jswconline.org/content/73/5/541}, eprint = {https://www.jswconline.org/content/73/5/541.full.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Soil and Water Conservation} }