The 'what' and 'why' of no-tillage farming.

Baker, C.J.; Saxton, K. E.; Ritchie, W. R.; Chamen, W. C. T.; Reicosky, D. C.; Ribeiro, M. F. S.; Justice, Scott; Hobbs, Peter

doi:10.1079/9781845931162.0001

Cited by 13 publications

(16 citation statements)

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“…A major compulsion for this is that, although the principles of CA have wide applicability across many agro-ecological and physiographical environments, they need to be adjusted to a farmer's particular conditions to make them valid and applicable. Source: Adapted from Baker and Saxton (2007b) and Reicosky and Saxton (2007). b Standard error of difference between any two means; there were no significant differences between any treatments at P < 0.05.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This was prompted by increasing concerns of soil erosion exacerbated by traditional practices of regular and thorough tillage (Thomas et al, 2007). It became feasible by the development of low-cost herbicides such as Roundup® containing the active ingredient glyphosate (N-(phosphono-methyl) glycine) manufactured by Monsanto in 1974 ( Baker and Saxton, 2007b). With the advent of chemical weed management one of the reasons for tillage became redundant.…”

Section: Large-scale Commercial Farmingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Conservation agriculture for small holder rainfed farming: Opportunities and constraints of new mechanized seeding systems

Johansen¹,

Haque²,

Bell

et al. 2012

Field Crops Research

171

138

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Small holder farmers in rainfed agriculture believe that soil tillage is needed to maximize crop yields.However, as cropping intensity, and hence tillage intensity, increases there may be a decline in particular physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil which limit crop yield. This is primarily caused by declining soil organic matter, its oxidation being accelerated by tillage, particularly in warmer climates, and exacerbated by the limited return of above-ground biomass to the soil due to its competing use for other purposes. In large-scale commercial agriculture declining soil quality has been effectively addressed by conservation agriculture-cropping systems based on minimum tillage, crop residue retention and appropriate crop rotations and associations, preferably including legumes. This has required development of minimum tillage planting equipment along with herbicide technology to achieve weed control that is traditionally achieved through tillage. However, a shortage of mechanized options suitable for small holder farmers is creating an impediment to the adoption of conservation agriculture practices that would arrest the decline in soil quality in their fields. In South Asia, two-wheel tractors are replacing animal-drawn ploughing in small holder plots.This speeds the tillage operation and hence the turnaround time between crops, which may increase opportunities for crop intensification, but the problems associated with full tillage remain. Over the previous decade planter attachments to two-wheel tractors have been developed which permit seed and fertilizer placement with minimum to zero tillage in a single-pass. Recent tests have demonstrated that use of these implements can produce crop yields equal to or better than conventional tillage involving hand broadcasting of seed and fertilizer. Further, fuel and labour costs, seed and fertilizer inputs and turnaround time between crops can be reduced. In Africa, the introduction of animal-drawn rippers and direct seeders, originally developed for small-scale farmers in Brazil, is considered as a major breakthrough to small-scale farmer mechanization. It significantly reduces labour required for planting and benefits may be even greater if herbicides can be effectively used for weed control.Nevertheless, movement towards minimum tillage with two-wheel tractor mounted planters and animal-drawn direct seeding equipment is constrained by weed management issues. There are problems of availability and of safe and effective use of herbicides by resource-poor farmers and there is a need to develop more integrated weed management strategies that can be combined with smallscale planters. There is also a need to optimize the performance of small-scale planters to suit farmers' needs in different agro-ecological environments. Tools and concepts are now available to implement conservation agriculture for small holders and thereby increase profitability of their cropping practices and at the same time improve soil quality and sustainability of the...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Large-scale Commercial Farmingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation agriculture for small holder rainfed farming: Opportunities and constraints of new mechanized seeding systems

Johansen¹,

Haque²,

Bell

et al. 2012

Field Crops Research

171

138

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, long-term no tillage management can cause problems such as accumulation of crop residues, weed infestation, nutrient stratification on the soil surface (Grant and Bailey, 1994;Baan et al, 2009) and pesticide accumulation (Baker and Saxton, 2007). Long-term no tillage may also reduce water infiltration due to surface soil compaction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen fertilization and tillage reversal affected water-extractable organic carbon and nitrogen differentially in a Black Chernozem and a Gray Luvisol

Sun

Chang

Feng

et al. 2015

Soil and Tillage Research

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“…Microbial biomass, diversity, and overall biological activity are generally considered to be greater in soils cultivated using conservation tillage techniques compared to those receiving deep cultivations (Heisler 1998;Lupwayi et al 2001). Tillage causes soil disturbance, altering the vertical distribution of soil organic matter and plant nutrient supplies in the soil surface, and it may affect enzyme activity and microbial biomass, which are responsible for transformation and cycling of organic matter and plant nutrients.Economic analyses indicate that conservation tillage systems are not riskier than are conventional tillage systems, even in the short term (Baker and Saxton 2007). Many studies show that conservation tillage systems reduce overall risk.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Economic analyses indicate that conservation tillage systems are not riskier than are conventional tillage systems, even in the short term (Baker and Saxton 2007). Many studies show that conservation tillage systems reduce overall risk.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth: A threat to conservation tillage

Schomberg¹

2011

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

149

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Conservation tillage reduces the physical movement of soil to the minimum required for crop establishment and production. When consistently practiced as a soil and crop management system, it greatly reduces soil erosion and is recognized for the potential to improve soil quality and water conservation and plant available water. Adoption of conservation tillage increased dramatically with the advent of transgenic, glyphosate-resistant crops that permitted in-season, over-the-top use of glyphosate (N-[phosphonomethyl] glycine), a broad-spectrum herbicide with very low mammalian toxicity and minimal potential for off-site movement in soil or water. Glyphosate-resistant crops are currently grown on approximately 70 million ha (173 million ac) worldwide. The United States has the most hectares (45 million ha [99 million ac]) of transgenic, glyphosate-resistant cultivars and the greatest number of hectares (46 million ha [114 million ac]) in conservation tillage. The practice of conservation tillage is now threatened by the emergence and rapid spread of glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri [S.] Wats.), one of several amaranths commonly called pigweeds. First identified in Georgia, it now has been reported in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Another closely related dioecious amaranth, or pigweed, common waterhemp (Amaranthus rudis Sauer), has also developed resistance to glyphosate in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri. Hundreds of thousands of conservation tillage hectares, some currently under USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service conservation program contracts, are at risk of being converted to higher-intensity tillage systems due to the inability to control these glyphosate-resistant Amaranthus species in conservation tillage systems using traditional technologies. The decline of conservation tillage is inevitable without the development and rapid adoption of integrated, effective weed control strategies. Traditional and alternative weed control strategies, such as the utilization of crop and herbicide rotation and integration of high residue cereal cover crops, are necessary in order to sustain conservation tillage practices. Key words: conservation tillage-herbicide resistance-resistant pigweedThe benefits of conservation tillage are under threat. Crop production has historically relied on tillage to prepare a smooth, weed-free seedbed and to incorporate fertilizer and lime (Gebhardt et al. 1985). Conservation tillage systems were originally developed to reduce soil erosion but have more recently been recognized for improving soil quality and water availability (Reeves 1994(Reeves , 1997Kaspar et al. 2001). Large-scale successful implementation of conservation tillage across the United States came only after the introduction of broad-spectrum herbicides for weed control and the development of planters capable of penetrating crop residues to place seed directly into the soil (Triplett and Dick 2008)...

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The 'what' and 'why' of no-tillage farming.

Abstract: No farming technique yet devised by humankind has been anywhere near as effective as no-tillage at halting soil erosion and making food production truly sustainable.

Cited by 13 publications

References 0 publications

Conservation agriculture for small holder rainfed farming: Opportunities and constraints of new mechanized seeding systems

Conservation agriculture for small holder rainfed farming: Opportunities and constraints of new mechanized seeding systems

Nitrogen fertilization and tillage reversal affected water-extractable organic carbon and nitrogen differentially in a Black Chernozem and a Gray Luvisol

Glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth: A threat to conservation tillage

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