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September
1, 2005
Workshop Provided Highlights of No-till Farming
A no-till crop production
workshop recently was held in the Bismarck-Mandan area to provide “in-service
training” for North Dakota State University Extension Service and
Natural Resources Conservation Service agricultural personnel.
The classroom and
field training was conducted to aid participants in providing crop production
advice to farmers who are considering or initiating no-till systems, according
to Greg Endres, NDSU Extension Service area agronomist. Workshop speakers
included NDSU crop specialists and agricultural engineer, NRCS agronomists
and soil scientists, USDA Agricultural Research Service and Canadian soil
scientists, agri-business representatives and experienced no-till farmers.
The following are
selected highlights from the workshop that may be of interest or value
to farmers exploring a no-till system:
- Tillage for crop
production began in the world about 11,000 years ago. The move from
tillage to no-till is a change in tradition and crop management systems.
In other words, no-till is a change in “culture” as well
as the more obvious changes in tillage and equipment needs.
- General no-till
benefits include reduction in some crop input costs, such as fuel, equipment
and labor; sustained or improved long-term crop yield; soil and soil
moisture conservation; and improved soil quality/productivity.
- Challenges associated
with no-till farming include crop residue management; the need for more
diverse and intensive crop rotations; crop establishment issues such
as planting equipment selection and use; changing traditional soil water
management; fertilizer application; and changes in weed and disease
management.
- No-till also provides
benefits and challenges for agri-businesses, such as crop input suppliers.
Examples include an increase in pesticide sales due to increasing cropped
acres, but a decrease in fuel and tillage equipment sales. Field scouting
and crop consulting needs increase and business capital increases to
supply a large quantity of crop inputs over large acreage during a short
crop production period.
- The soil contains
a large quantity and diversity of organisms often referred to as biota.
For example, a spoonful of soil contains more microorganisms than the
number of people on earth. Without soil biota, we would not have productive
soil. No-till improves the soil environment for biota by providing abundant
food in decomposing crop roots and residue that also provide an improved
habitat. A favorable environment for soil biota will improve soil quality
and productivity. Examples of soil biota benefits that are enhanced
with no-till include residue decomposition that retains and cycles nutrients,
improved soil water retention and infiltration, a breakdown of residual
pesticides and an increase in soil aggregation and organic matter.
- Soil organic matter
is a mixture of residual plant material in various stages of decomposition
and microbial biomass. The key component of organic matter is carbon.
Soil carbon is the “keystone” for all physical, chemical
and biological soil processes and properties. No-till helps maintain
or increase soil carbon content, compared with intensive tillage, which
enhances soil carbon loss.
- No-till increases
the challenge of efficiently providing nitrogen and other nutrients
for crops, since tillage to incorporate nutrients is not an option.
Carefully consider advantages and disadvantages with choices of fertilizer
application equipment and strategies. Generally, for nitrogen and phosphorus,
in-soil placement is a good choice for fertilizer efficiency. Banding
of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer appears to be more beneficial
with a no-till versus a conventional tillage system. Also, mycorrhizal
crops, such as grasses and flax, generally have stronger soil mycorrhizae
associations when grown under no-till, as compared with conventional
tillage. This may allow no-till crops to more effectively utilize phosphorus.
For additional information
on no-till farming, contact the NDSU Extension Service, NRCS, ARS or Manitoba-North
Dakota Zero Tillage Farmers Association.
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Source:
Greg Endres, (701) 652-2951, gregory.endres@ndsu.edu
Editor: Rich Mattern, (701) 231-6136, richard.mattern@ndsu.edu
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