Legumes and livestock in no-till crop rotations: Effects on nitrous oxide emissions, carbon sequestration, yield, and wheat protein content

Summary

Crop rotation is seen as a ‘Climate-Smart Agriculture’ practice, but there are knowledge gaps around their climate impacts. This is the first direct measurement of nitrous oxide emissions (N 2 O) from cropland soils in South Africa. Assess the production performance, soil greenhouse gas emissions, and soil carbon sequestration of different crop rotations. Continuous measurement over one year of direct soil N 2 O and methane fluxes and analysis of 20 years of historical data on soil carbon sequestration, yields, fertiliser applications, and wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) protein content. Rotations that contained legumes and livestock produced higher wheat (3.5–3.6 vs 3.1 t ha −1 year −1 ) and canola yields (1.5–1.8 vs 1.3 t ha −1 year −1 ) with superior wheat protein contents, while the cash c