Zero vs. conventional tillage and their effects on crop yield and soil moisture

1992 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 679-688 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Brandt
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Weed Control ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Poor Seed ◽  
Seed Placement ◽  
Use Efficiency

A study comparing zero tillage (ZT) with conventional tillage (CT) crop production in two rotations; fallow–oilseed–wheat, and oilseed–wheat–wheat, was conducted during 1979–1990. In 36 comparisons of ZT with CT over three rotation phases and 12 yr, ZT increased spring soil moisture in nine cases and resulted in no decreases; increased yield in nine cases while decreasing yield in three; and increased moisture use efficiency in six cases with two decreases. Increases in spring soil moisture were not related to precipitation during the non-growing season but may have been influenced by weeds. Increased spring soil moisture with ZT occurred more frequently on fallow than on stubble, presumably because precipitation was greater. Yield increases with ZT generally occurred where spring soil moisture was increased and weeds were adequately controlled. Yield decreases with ZT were normally associated with poor weed control, but in one case poor seed placement with ZT reduced yield. Throughout the study, inadequate weed control with ZT was a major factor limiting responses. Implications of these results on future research required to improve adoption of this important soil–conserving practice are discussed.Key words: Zero tillage, wheat, canola, flax, available moisture, weeds

scholarly journals Evapotranspiration, crop coefficient and water use efficiency of coriander grown in tropical environment

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 446-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicente de PR da Silva ◽  
Inajá Francisco de Sousa ◽  
Alexandra L Tavares ◽  
Thieres George F da Silva ◽  
Bernardo B da Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Growth Parameters ◽  
Crop Coefficient ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Tropical Environment ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Use Efficiency

ABSTRACT The water scarcity is expected to intensify in the future and irrigation becomes an essential component of crop production, especially in arid and semiarid regions, where the available water resources are limited. Four field experiments were carried out at tropical environment in Brazil in 2013 and 2014, in order to evaluate the effect of planting date on crop evapotranspiration (ETc), crop coefficient (Kc), growth parameters and water use efficiency (WUE) of coriander (Coriandrum sativum) plants. The planting dates occurred during winter, spring, summer and autumn growing seasons. ETc was obtained through the soil water balance method and the reference evapotranspiration (ETo) through the Penman-Monteith method, using data collected from an automatic weather station located close to the experimental area. The results of the research showed that the mean values of coriander ETc and Kc were 139.8 mm and 0.87, respectively. Coriander water demand is higher in the summer growing season and lower in the winter; however, its yield is higher in the autumn and lower in the winter. Coriander has higher yield and development of its growth variables in the autumn growing season. The results also indicated that the interannual climate variations had significant effects on most growth variables, as yield, ETc and Kc of coriander grown in tropical environment.

Relative Dissipation of Acetochlor, Alachlor, Metolachlor, and SAN 582 from Three Surface Soils

1999 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 341-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas C. Mueller ◽  
David R. Shaw ◽  
William W. Witt
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Weed Control ◽  
Half Life ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Sampling Interval ◽  
Relative Order ◽  
Sampling Depth ◽  
Herbicide Degradation ◽  
Southern States

The dissipation of four commonly used soil-applied herbicides was examined in a standardized field experiment in three southern states (Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee). Averaged over the three soils and 2 yr, the relative order of increasing half-life defined as time for 50% disappearance in days (DT50) was acetochlor (6.3 d) = alachlor (6.3 d) = SAN 582 (7.3 d) < metolachlor (13.7 d). Metolachlor was the most persistent in the soil surface, and this could potentially translate into greater duration of weed control into the growing season. All examined herbicides had a DT50that averaged less than 14 d in all states in both years, so full-season weed control of susceptible species would not be expected. Rapid herbicide degradation was encouraged in these field sites by adequate to excessive soil moisture and warm temperatures throughout the sampling interval. The soils also were light textured, and the lower adsorption of the herbicide allowed for degradation ease and perhaps leaching below the sampling depth.

Interrelations of Tillage and Weed Control for Soybean (Glycine max) Production

Weed Science ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 830-836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles L. Webber ◽  
Harold D. Kerr ◽  
Maurice R. Gebhardt
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Glycine Max ◽  
Weed Control ◽  
Foliar Application ◽  
Soybean Seed ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Herbicide Application ◽  
Weed Growth ◽  
Soybean Plants

A 3-yr (1982, 1983, and 1984) study was conducted to determine the relationship between tillage and six weed control treatments for soybean [Glycine max(L.) Merr. ‘Williams 79′] production on silt loam (Udollic and Mollic Ochraqualfs). Conventional tillage consisted of spring moldboard plowing and secondary tillage with a combination tool just before planting. No-tillage consisted of a foliar application of glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine] at the time of planting. Weed control treatments included combinations of no weed control with and without soybean plants, preemergence herbicide application only, postemergence herbicide application only, and combined preemergence and postemergence applications with and without additional handweeding. In 1982, a year of above-normal seasonal rainfall, conventional tillage had significantly greater soybean grain yields than no-tillage for all weed control treatments except the preemergence-only treatment. Yields within tillage systems and between weed control treatments in 1982 were not significantly different because adequate rainfall reduced the effect of weed competition for soil moisture. Soybean seed yields in 1983 and 1984 in no-tillage were equal to or significantly greater than those of conventional tillage. No-tillage treatments had greater soil moisture conservation and soil moisture availability resulting in less plant water stress during podfilling in periods of drought in 1983 and 1984. In all 3 yr, conventional tillage had significantly greater early weed growth than no-tillage in the treatments with and without soybean plants where no preemergence or postemergence herbicides were used. Comparing treatments with and without soybean plants indicated an average increase of 36 and 38% weed control for no-tillage and conventional tillage, respectively.

Evaluation of biodegradable mulches for production of warm-season vegetable crops

2010 ◽  
Vol 90 (5) ◽  
pp. 737-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Waterer
Keyword(s):  
Weed Control ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Corn Starch ◽  
Sweet Corn ◽  
Warm Season ◽  
Field Performance ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Vegetable Crops ◽  
Soil Temperatures

While plastic soil mulches are widely used in vegetable crop production, removal and disposal of these plastics at the end of the growing season is costly and environmentally unsound. This trial assessed the field performance of several colors of corn-starch-based biodegradable mulches for the production of warm season vegetable crops (sweet corn, zucchini, cantaloupe, pepper and eggplant) over three cropping seasons in Saskatchewan. The clear and wavelength selective types of mulch most commonly produced beneficial effects on the rate of crop development and yields. This may be attributed to these mulch types enhancing soil temperatures, especially early in the growing season. There were no appreciable differences in the soil temperatures or crop growth and yield responses on the biodegradable mulches as compared with the same color of standard low-density polyethylene mulch. The biodegradable mulches were easy to apply and were readily incorporated into the soil at the end of the growing season. Although the clear and to a lesser extent the wavelength selective forms of biodegradable mulch tended to break down well before the end of the growing season, this early failure did not negatively impact the performance of any of the crops tested, as long as supplemental weed control was provided. Supplemental weed control would be more important for slow-growing, erect crops like peppers and eggplants than for the more robust and sprawling crops like corn and melons. Although the biodegradable mulches are more expensive than the corresponding standard polyethylene-based plastics, this added cost is more than offset by the costs to remove and dispose of the standard plastic mulches. Key words: Sweet corn, pepper, zucchini, eggplant, cantaloupe, Biotelo

scholarly journals ON-FARM EXPERIMENTATION ON CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE IN MAIZE-LEGUME BASED CROPPING SYSTEMS IN KENYA: WATER USE EFFICIENCY AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS

2015 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. N. MICHENI ◽  
F. KANAMPIU ◽  
O. KITONYO ◽  
D. M. MBURU ◽  
E.N. MUGAI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
System Productivity ◽  
Use Efficiency

SUMMARYConservation agriculture (CA) is a promising technology for controlling soil degradation, mitigating drought, increasing crop yield and reducing production costs. We hypothesized that adopting CA system would improve system productivity and efficiency, hence resulting in higher profits. To test the hypothesis, we designed a study to evaluate water use efficiency (WUE) and the economic benefits (yield and gross margins) of CA in the upper and lower midlands agro-ecological zones of eastern Kenya. Four tillage treatments, including farmers’ practice (residues removed), conventional tillage (residues removed) and two CA practices with residue retention (zero tillage and furrow–ridge), were laid out in 22 farmers’ fields where each farm was treated as a replicate. The results are based on four consecutive seasons farmer–researcher managed trials during the period 2010 and 2012. CA significantly improved crop yields after the first season of experimentation. Joint use of zero tillage and furrow–ridge provided higher WUE and yield advantage (25–34%) in the third and fourth seasons compared to the conventional practices. The lower midlands zone gave higher WUE values, which can be explained by the effects of water harvesting and retention for longer period on CA treatments. CA practices have increased income on average by 12% resulted from labour cost reduction and yield increment. Weeding costs for conventional tillage were USD 88 ha−1 compared to USD 24 ha−1 for herbicide application under CA. Practicing CA will certainly increase crop yields, WUE, generate more revenue and diversify risks during poor seasons. However, these benefits may not necessarily be earned in the first season, but will accrue in subsequent seasons.

scholarly journals A global dataset for crop production under conventional tillage and no tillage systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Su ◽  
Benoit Gabrielle ◽  
David Makowski
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
High Variability ◽  
Environmental Externalities ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractNo tillage (NT) is often presented as a means to grow crops with positive environmental externalities, such as enhanced carbon sequestration, improved soil quality, reduced soil erosion, and increased biodiversity. However, whether NT systems are as productive as those relying on conventional tillage (CT) is a controversial issue, fraught by a high variability over time and space. Here, we expand existing datasets to include the results of the most recent field experiments, and we produce a global dataset comparing the crop yields obtained under CT and NT systems. In addition to crop yield, our dataset also reports information on crop growing season, management practices, soil characteristics and key climate parameters throughout the experimental year. The final dataset contains 4403 paired yield observations between 1980 and 2017 for eight major staple crops in 50 countries. This dataset can help to gain insight into the main drivers explaining the variability of the productivity of NT and the consequence of its adoption on crop yields.

scholarly journals Effects of Tillage and Crop Establishment Methods, Crop Residues, and Nitrogen Levels on Wheat Productivity, Energy-savings and Greenhouse Gas Emission under Rice -Wheat Cropping System

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
G. Sah ◽  
S. C. Shah ◽  
S. K. Sah ◽  
R. B. Thapa ◽  
A. McDonald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Specific Energy ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Energy Output ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Energy Use Efficiency ◽  
Nitrogen Levels ◽  
Crop Establishment ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Residue Retention

Field experiments were conducted to evaluate conventional tillage (CT), permanent raised bed (PRB), and zero tillage (ZT) with residue retention and removal at three nitrogen levels (0, 100, and 120 kg N ha-1) on wheat productivity, energy input and energy output, energy use efficiency, specific energy, and CO2 emission from 2010 to 2012 under rice-wheat system at Pheta V.D.C, Bara, Nepal. The experiments were carried out in strip split plot designs with three replications. Zero tillage wheat produced significantly higher grain yield (2616.5 kg ha-1), saved 10.4 % energy input, increased energy output (12.4 %), enhancing energy use efficiency by 25.2 % and reducing specific energy by 23.6 %, as compared to conventional tillage. Diesel consumption on crop establishment and irrigations were the lowest for ZT (48.6 liter ha-1) and the highest for CT (86.3 liter ha-1). PRB consumed the lowest quantity of diesel on two irrigations (34.6 liter ha-1) with higher energy use efficiency (3.4 %) and lower specific energy (8.76 MJ kg-1) over CT. The CO2 emission from CT was the highest (224.32 kg ha-1) over ZT (126.4 kg ha-1) and PRB (146.11 kg ha-1). Residue retention increased 4 % grain yield over residue removal. Without nitrogen application, energy output was the lowest (34192 MJ ha-1) with the highest specific energy (12.6 MJ kg-1). Thus, zero-till wheat with 40-cm residue retention and 100 kg N ha-1 application was suggested for mass scale adoption in the Tarai region of Nepal.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/njst.v15i2.12104      Nepal Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 15, No.2 (2014) 1-10

scholarly journals Agronomic Management Strategies for Yield-Scaled Global Warming Potential under Rice-Wheat Cropping System

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Suborna Roy Choudhury ◽  
Anupam Das ◽  
S. K. Gupta ◽  
Seema . ◽  
R. P. Sharma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Green Manure ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Nutrient Management ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Crop Establishment ◽  
Residue Retention

Greenhouse gas emissions have an indirect impact on crop production and are primary sources of the global warming. A field experiment was carried out to examine the effect of management practice (i.e. culmination of tillage and nutrient management) on GHGs emission and its subsequent effect on agronomic productivity and subsequent impact on global warming. There were three different crop establishment methods as main plot treatments: M1 (Rice: SRI, Wheat: Conventional tillage), M2 (Rice: Transplanted Puddle rice, Wheat: Conventional tillage + 30% residue incorporation), M3 (Rice: DSR, Wheat: Zero tillage + 30% residue retention) and four nutrient management as sub plot treatments viz. S1(100% of Recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) through inorganic sources), S2 (75% of RDF through inorganic sources + 25% N of RDF through organic sources), S3 (50% of RDF through inorganic sources + 50% N of RDF through organic sources), S4 (S1 + mung bean as green-manure). After conducting three year of experiment (2013-2016), it has been found that the DSR emitted lower CH4 (1.39 mg m-2 hr-1), CO2 (0.57 mg m-2 hr-1) and N2O (0.36 mg m-2 hr-1) at the maximum tillering stage of rice. The same trend was followed under zero tillage with30% residue retention in wheat with lower emission range of all three gases i.e. 0.95, 1.29 and 0.58 mg m-2 hr-1 respectively. Lowest emission of CH4 and CO2 with the values of 1.87 and 1.24 mg m-2 hr-1 respectively from rice and 1.57 and 3.23 mg m-2 hr-1 from wheat was observed under 100% RDF through inorganic fertilization, whereas, N2O emission was just reverse to emission pattern of CH4 and CO2. Crop establishment through minimum soil disturbance with residue retention under rice- wheat cropping sequence along with 100% RDF through mineral fertiliser along with green manure could be one of the stable agronomic strategies under lower GHGs emission scenarios.

TILLAGE AND PLANTING METHODS EFFECTS ON YIELD, WATER USE EFFICIENCY AND PROFITABILITY OF SOYBEAN–WHEAT SYSTEM ON A LOAMY SAND SOIL

2013 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 524-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
HARI RAM ◽  
YADVINDER SINGH ◽  
K. S. SAINI ◽  
D. S. KLER ◽  
J. TIMSINA
Keyword(s):  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Straw Mulch ◽  
Loamy Sand Soil ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Raised Bed

SUMMARYContinuous rice–wheat (RW) cropping with intensive tillage has resulted in land degradation and inefficient use of water in Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) of South Asia. Replacement of rice with less water requiring crops such as soybean in RW system and identification of effective strategies for tillage management could result in sustainable cropping system in IGP. A field experiment was conducted for five years on an annual soybean–wheat (SW) rotation in the northwest IGP of India to evaluate effect of tillage, raised bed planting and straw mulch on yield, soil properties, water use efficiency (WUE) and profitability. In soybean, straw mulch reduced soil temperature at seeding depth by about 2.5 °C compared with no mulch. Straw mulch also resulted in slightly reduced water use and slightly higher WUE relative to their respective unmulched treatments. During wheat emergence, raised beds resulted in higher soil temperature by 1.6 °C compared with flat treatments. Bulk density and cumulative infiltration were greater in no-tillage compared with conventional tillage. Soil organic carbon in surface layer increased significantly after five years of experimentation. Soybean and wheat yields were similar under different treatments during all the years of experimentation. Soybean and wheat planted on raised beds recorded about 17% and 23% higher WUE, respectively, than in flat layout. The net returns from SW system were greater in no-tillage and permanent raised beds than with conventional tillage. Both no-tillage and permanent raised bed technologies can be adopted for sustainable crop production in SW rotation in northwest IGP. However, more studies are required representing different soil types and climate conditions for making recommendations for other regions of IGP.

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