HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Eghball, B. Articles by Varvel, G. E. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Eghball, B. Articles by Varvel, G. E. Agricola Articles by Eghball, B. Articles by Varvel, G. E.

Fractal Analysis of Temporal Yield Variability of Crop Sequences: Implications for Site-Specific Management

Dep. of Agronomy, Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583
USDA-ARS and Dep. of Agronomy, Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583

^* Corresponding author (beghball{at}unlinfo.unl.edu).

Characterizing spatial and temporal variability is important in site-specific or long-term studies to evaluate the effects of different management systems on crop performance. Long-term experiments offerunique possibilities to study the effects of management practices on crops and soils over time. The objective of this study was to characterize temporal grain yield variability of seven crop sequences using fractal analysis and to determine whether temporal or spatial variability dominated the grain yield variability. Three crops of corn (Zea mays L.), soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], and sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] were studied from 1975 to 1995 in various sequences. Semivariograms were estimated for the standardized crop yield. The slopes of the regression lines of log semivariogram vs. log lag (year) were used to estimate and compare fractal dimensions, which are indications of variability patterns. The intercepts of the log-log lines, which indicate extent of yield variability, were also compared between crop sequences. A small D-value indicates dominance of long-term variation, while a large D-value (near 2) indicates dominance of short-term (year-to-year) variation. Corn had significantly less temporal yield variability than soybean or sorghum. Continuous corn had less yield variability than corn following soybean. Soybean had the greatest yield variability, regardless of crop sequence. Temporal variability was much more dominant than spatial variability in this study. Temporal variability may greatly influence how spatial variability is expressed in a given field. Yield maps, which are used as an indication of past management in site-specific cases, may not be useful in making future management decisions when temporal variability is great. In a less productive year, spatial variability of any nutrient may not make much difference in crop yield of a given field.

Received for publication September 16, 1996.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. S. Cox and P. D. Gerard Soil Management Zone Determination by Yield Stability Analysis and Classification Agron. J., September 10, 2007; 99(5): 1357 - 1365. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. D. Kay, A. A. Mahboubi, E. G. Beauchamp, and R. S. Dharmakeerthi Integrating Soil and Weather Data to Describe Variability in Plant Available Nitrogen Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., May 23, 2006; 70(4): 1210 - 1221. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. R. Schepers, J. F. Shanahan, M. A. Liebig, J. S. Schepers, S. H. Johnson, and A. Luchiari Jr. Appropriateness of Management Zones for Characterizing Spatial Variability of Soil Properties and Irrigated Corn Yields across Years Agron. J., January 1, 2004; 96(1): 195 - 203. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Mamo, G. L. Malzer, D. J. Mulla, D. R. Huggins, and J. Strock Spatial and Temporal Variation in Economically Optimum Nitrogen Rate for Corn Agron. J., July 1, 2003; 95(4): 958 - 964. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. B. Jaynes, T. C. Kaspar, T. S. Colvin, and D. E. James Cluster Analysis of Spatiotemporal Corn Yield Patterns in an Iowa Field Agron. J., May 1, 2003; 95(3): 574 - 586. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. F. Perez-Quezada, G. S. Pettygrove, and R. E. Plant Spatial-Temporal Analysis of Yield and Soil Factors in Two Four-Crop-Rotation Fields in the Sacramento Valley, California Agron. J., May 1, 2003; 95(3): 676 - 687. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. Eghball, J. S. Schepers, M. Negahban, and M. R. Schlemmer Spatial and Temporal Variability of Soil Nitrate and Corn Yield: Multifractal Analysis Agron. J., March 1, 2003; 95(2): 339 - 346. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. L. Kastens, J. P. Schmidt, and K. C. Dhuyvetter Yield Models Implied by Traditional Fertilizer Recommendations and a Framework for Including Nontraditional Information Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., January 1, 2003; 67(1): 351 - 364. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. N. Kravchenko and D. G. Bullock Spatial Variability of Soybean Quality Data as a Function of Field Topography: I. Spatial Data Analysis Crop Sci., May 1, 2002; 42(3): 804 - 815. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. E. Varvel Crop Rotation and Nitrogen Effects on Normalized Grain Yields in a Long-Term Study Agron. J., September 1, 2000; 92(5): 938 - 941. [Abstract] [Full Text]