Continuous corn culture was associated with soil compaction in a 13-yr rotation experiment on Brookston clay. Fertilizer application failed to alleviate the detrimental effects of this compaction on K uptake by the plants in comparison with uptake where no fertilizer was applied throughout the experimental period. In addition, the efficiency of N use appeared to be reduced under monoculture conditions. While a rotation of corn with oats or with oats and seedling alfalfa was superior to a continuous corn system, a 4-yr rotation including 2 yr of alfalfa allowed for maximum fertilizer response in yield, adequate plant nutrition and maintenance of favorable soil tilth. For fine-textured soils, the desirability of a rotation system that includes legumes is clearly indicated for corn production.
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Bolton et al. (1979) studied this question.