Sixty years of crop diversification with perennials improves yields more than no-tillage in Ohio grain cropping systems

Context
Diversifying crops and reducing tillage can enhance the environmental health of agroecosystems, consequently improving crop performance over time. We report data from the Triplett-Van Doren No-Tillage and Crop Rotation Experiment, one of the longest-running replicated agricultural experiments in the United States, to evaluate the impact of no-tillage and crop rotation on corn and soybean yields over six decades.

Objective
To assess the long-term impact of crop rotation on crop performance in Ohio agricultural systems, and how these rotations interact with tillage practices.

Methods
This study was conducted at two sites with contrasting soil characteristics: Wooster (well-drained silt-loam) and Hoytville (poorly drained clay-loam). The experiment was a two-way full factorial design with three levels of tillage (Moldboard, Chisel, and No-Tillage) and three crop rotations (Continuous-Corn, a two-year Corn-Soybean rotation, and a three-year Corn-Forage-Forage rotation).

Resul..., 1.    Materials and Methods
2.1 Sites description
The Triplett Van-Doren No-Tillage and Crop Rotation Experiment was established in 1962 in Wooster, Ohio, USA (40° 45′ N, 81° 54′ W) and 1963 in Hoytville, Ohio, USA (41°13'N 83°45'W). These sites include two contrasting soil types; at Wooster a silt loam (well-drained, fine-loamy, mixed, mesic Typic Fragiudalfs) (USDA-SCS, 1973), and at Hoytville, a clay loam (poorly drained, fine, illitic, mesic Mollic Ochraqualfs) (USDA-SCS, 1984). Both sites are located in a humid continental climate. Crop season (April to October) cumulative precipitation, and average, maximum, and minimum atmospheric temperature from 1962 to 2023 are shown in Figure 1a and 1b for Wooster and Hoytville, respectively.
2.2 Experimental design and treatments
The experiment consisted of a two-way full factorial with three levels of tillage intensity and three crop rotations deployed in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The levels of..., # Sixty years of crop diversification with perennials improves yields more than no-tillage in Ohio grain cropping systems

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.1zcrjdg4t](10.5061/dryad.1zcrjdg4t)

## Description of the data and file structure

# Long-Term Effects (1962–2024) of Crop Rotation and Tillage on Corn and Soybean Yields in Ohio

This dataset contains yield data from one of the longest-running replicated field experiments in the U.S. Midwest, designed to assess the effects of crop rotation and tillage practices on corn and soybean productivity. The experiment started in 1962 (Wooster site) and 1963 (Hoytville site), and yield data has been collected through 2024. The experiment compares three rotation systems (continuous corn, corn–soybean, and corn–forage–forage) under three tillage practices (moldboard plow, chisel tillage, and no-tillage). The dataset supports analyses of long-term trends in crop yields under different management strategies and has been used to evaluate the productiv...,