• Authors:
    • Munir, A.
    • Ramzan, M.
    • Mann, R. A.
  • Source: International Journal of Agriculture & Biology
  • Volume: 10
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2008
  • Summary: Wheat and rice are the major food staples around the globe including Pakistan. The challenge of increasing food production in the next 20 years to match population growth is daunting and warrants improvement in the quality of natural resources for growing more food from marginal and degraded lands. Cost of cultivation must be reduced and at the same time, efficiency of resources like irrigation water, fuel, fertilizers must be improved to make the crop production system more viable and eco-friendly. Resource Conserving Technology (RCT) must figure highly in this equation since it plays a crucial role in achieving the above goals. The RCTs include laser land leveling, zero-tillage, bed furrow irrigation method and crop residue management. These technologies were evaluated in irrigated areas of Punjab province where rice follows wheat. Water use efficiency was increased by 20% in laser leveled fields. Zero-tillage technology resulted in a significant saving of irrigation water (22%), fuel (78%), cultivation (88%) and herbicide use (33%) compared to conventional, thus increasing yields and farmer's profits. Soil properties and microbial population including bacteria, fungi and actinomyces improved in the zero-till fields. Planting of wheat on raised beds is making headway in low-lying and poorly drained areas. Thus, resource conservation tillage technology provides a tool for making progress towards improving and sustaining wheat production, helping with food security and poverty alleviation in Pakistan in the next few decades.
  • Authors:
    • Pringle, H.
    • Ebelhar, M.
    • Martin, S.
  • Source: Journal of Cotton Science
  • Volume: 12
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2008
  • Summary: Increasing available soil water for a crop can be accomplished with both deep tillage and irrigation. Both have the potential to replace or complement the other due to their common function. The addition of a crop rotation may also enhance or diminish the response from irrigation and/or deep tillage. The major objective of this study was to determine long-term effects of different levels of furrow irrigation and in-row subsoil tillage on lint yield and economic returns for cotton grown on alluvial silty clay loam soils in a cotton/corn cropping sequence. A secondary objective was to determine the ability and efficiency of deep tillage and irrigation to replace and/or complement each other in the cropping system. Field experiments were conducted at Tribbett, MS on silty clay loam soils from 1999 through 2004. In-row subsoil tillage was performed with a low-till parabolic subsoiler. A roll-out pipe system was used to furrow water the irrigated plots. Production costs were calculated and include direct costs plus total specified costs excluding land rent, general farm overhead, and returns to management. Growing non-irrigated cotton without deep tillage in this cotton/corn sequence on these silty clay loam soils that were prone to backwater flooding gave the highest average net returns. It appears producers should neither subsoil, nor furrow irrigate and the two should never be combined, based on this study. These results emphasize the need for drainage and support the need for further research on these type soils in the absence of drainage problems.
  • Authors:
    • Reddy, K. C.
    • Reddy, S. S.
    • Nyakatawa, E. Z.
    • Raper, R. L.
    • Reeves, D. W.
    • Lemunyon, J.
    • Roberson, T.
  • Source: Journal of Environmental Quality
  • Volume: 37
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2008
  • Summary: Increased CO2 release from soils resulting from agricultural practices such as tillage has generated concerns about contributions to global warming, Maintaining current levels of soil C and/or sequestering additional C in soils are important mechanisms to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere through production agriculture. We conducted a study in northern Alabama from 2003 to 2006 to measure CO2 efflux and C storage in long-term tilled and non-tilled cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) plots receiving poultry litter or ammonium nitrate (AN). Treatments were established in 1996 on a Decatur silt loam (clayey, kaolinitic thermic, Typic Paleudults) and consisted of conventional-tillage (CT), mulch-tillage (MT), and no-tillage (NT) systems with winter rye [Secale cereale (L.)] cover cropping and AN and poultry litter (PL) as nitrogen sources. Cotton was planted in 2003, 2004, and 2006. Corti was planted in 2005 as a rotation crop using a no-till planter in all plots, and no fertilizer was applied. Poultry litter application resulted in higher CO2 emission from soil compared with AN application regardless of tillage system. In 2003 and 2006, CT (4.39 and 3.40 mu mol m(-2) s(-1), respectively) and MT (4.17 and 3.39 mu mol m(-2) s(-1), respectively) with, PL at 100 kg N ha(-1) (100 PLN) recorded significantly higher CO2 efflux compared with NT with 100 PLN (2.84 and 2.47 mu mol m(-2) s(-1), respectively). Total soil C at 0- to 15-cm depth was not affected by tillage but significantly increased with PL application and winter rye cover cropping. In general, cotton, produced with NT conservation tillage in conjunction with PL and winter rye cover cropping reduced CO2 emissions and sequestered more soil C compared with control treatments.
  • Authors:
    • Rodriguez-del-Bosque, L.
    • Salinas-Garcia, J.
  • Source: Journal of Entomological Science
  • Volume: 43
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2008
  • Summary: The effects of tillage, irrigation (10 cm each at 10- to 14-leaf stage, and silking and milk stages, and no supplemental irrigation) and fertilizer (NPK at 0:0:0 or 140:40:0 kg/ha) treatments on the incidence of lepidopteran insects and fungi infesting maize (cv. Pioneer 3025W) were studied in Tamaulipas, Mexico, during 2005-07. The tillage treatments consisted of mouldboard ploughing (discing stalks after harvesting, followed by mouldboard ploughing, discing and row establishment), subsoil-bedding (shredding stalks after harvesting, followed by subsoiling on row centres and establishment of beds), shred-bedding (shredding stalks after harvesting, followed by bedding on old rows), and no-tillage (shredding stalks after harvesting, and spraying 0.6 kg glyphosate and 0.72 kg 2,4-D/ha twice for weed control). Mouldboard ploughing represented conventional tillage, whereas subsoil-bedding and shred-bedding were reduced tillage systems. The lepidopteran species recorded were Helicoverpa zea (86%) and Spodoptera frugiperda (14%). The incidence of these pests was highest in 2006 (91.5%) and lowest in 2007 (49.3%). The most common fungi were Fusarium spp., the highest incidence of which was registered in 2005 (24.4%). The incidence of Aspergillus flavus and Ustilago maydis [ U. zeae] was less than 4.0% regardless of the year. The incidence of lepidopterans significantly varied between the irrigation levels only (greater pest population under dryland farming). Fusarium spp. and A. flavus occurred more frequently under no-tillage compared with other tillage practices. The incidence of Fusarium spp. was higher in irrigated than in dryland maize.
  • Authors:
    • Souza, J.
    • Finger, J.
    • Gobbi, F.
    • Vanin, J.
    • Fey, E.
    • Conti, C.
  • Source: Central theme, technology for all: sharing the knowledge for development. Proceedings of the International Conference of Agricultural Engineering, XXXVII Brazilian Congress of Agricultural Engineering, International Livestock Environment Symposium
  • Year: 2008
  • Summary: The cassava has great ability to adapt and better develop in deep soils without compaction and aeration well. To achieve these characteristics, this work was carried out by subjecting the culture to eight formats furrows and three separate roofs of soil under the tillage system. The work was conducted in a farm located in the district of Pearl Independent municipality of Maripa - Parana - Brazil, which has Latosol red eutrophic. The experiment went installed in randomized blocks with split plot, in the plots main the different furrow in the subplots the coverages. Effectuate up assessments of moisture, penetrometro of impact, breakup of soil in the furrow, depth of maniva and groove, population of plants, stalks per plant and percentage of plants fallings. The coverages of forage turnip and oats had higher humidity and lower resistance to penetration in the layer of up to 8.75 cm. For sulcadores are obtained different breakup of soil, influencing the depth of furrow and maniva. The coverage of oats presented grooves and manivas most deeper, lower breakup soil, providing conditions for less plants fallings.
  • Authors:
    • Konopinski, M.
  • Source: Vegetable Crops Research Bulletin
  • Volume: 68
  • Year: 2008
  • Summary: Field experiments were conducted in Poland, on a grey-brown podzolic soil, to assess the yields of scorzonera ( Scorzonera hispanica cv. Einjahrige Riesen) roots in different soil and plant cultivation systems, i.e. ridge and flat cultivation, reduced soil tillage prior to sowing (shallow tillage) and the application of cover crops ( Sinapis alba, Vicia sativa, Phacelia tanacetifolia and Avena sativa) in conservation tillage and no-tillage systems. Reduced spring tillage did not have a negative effect on the yields of scorzonera roots. Cultivation of plants on ridges had a positive effect on the total and marketable yields of roots compared to flat soil cultivation. Mulching with cover crops had a significant influence on the increase in the marketable yield of roots. No-tillage cultivation did not have a negative effect on the total and marketable yields of roots. Reduction in spring tillage prior to sowing, soil mulching and no-tillage cultivation had no negative effects on the inulin content of scorzonera roots. Among the investigated cover crops, Sinapis alba was the most beneficial plant for increasing the inulin content of roots. Cultivation of plants on ridges and flat soil and reduction in spring pre-sowing tillage did not have a significant effect on the protein content of roots. Irrespective of the soil cultivation methods, a significantly higher protein content was found in the roots harvested from the plots mulched with Vicia sativa. The various plant cultivation conditions exerted a considerable influence on nutrient uptake. Roots of the plants cultivated on ridges contained higher amounts of P, K and Ca. Soil mulching created better conditions for nutrient absorption. A significant effect of Sinapis alba in increasing the P and K content of roots was also observed.
  • Authors:
    • Blecharczyk, A.
    • Maecka, I.
  • Source: Agronomy Research
  • Volume: 6
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2008
  • Summary: Yield, N uptake, weeds and diseases of spring barley were examined under five mulching practices (white mustard, phacelia, oat-pea mixture, straw mulch, and no mulch), three tillage systems (conventional, reduced and no-tillage) and three doses of nitrogen fertilization (0, 50 and 100 kg N ha -1). In general the grain yield of spring barley for cover crops was 10-31% higher compared with the no-mulch treatment. A mulch of straw provided a smaller barley grain yield than the no-mulch treatment. Compared to conventional tillage, grain yield under reduced tillage and no-tillage were 7 and 12% less, respectively. Spring barley sowing after a mixture of oat-pea led to decreased a negative response of reduced and no-tillage. Grain yield after treatment with legume cover crops and without N fertilization was similar compared as the rates 50 kg N ha -1 after white mustard or phacelia and as the rate 100 kg N ha -1 without mulches. There was no evidence of tillage * N fertilization interaction on grain yield, dry matter production and plant-N uptake. Cover crops and straw mulch significantly decreased total weed populations compared with the treatment without mulch. Total weed density increased from 108 plants per m 2 in the no-tillage to 322 plants per m 2 for reduced tillage, and to 416 plants per m 2 for the conventional tillage over mulch. Higher infestation of spring barley with stem base and root diseases was observed in reduced and no-tillage in comparison with the conventional soil tillage and after straw mulch and no-mulch than after cover crops.
  • Authors:
    • Finger, J.
    • Gobbi, F.
    • Souza, J.
    • Conti, C.
    • Fey, E.
    • Vanin, J.
  • Source: Central theme, technology for all: sharing the knowledge for development. Proceedings of the International Conference of Agricultural Engineering, XXXVII Brazilian Congress of Agricultural Engineering, International Livestock Environment Symposium - ILES V
  • Year: 2008
  • Summary: The soil tillage is one of the most important agricultural operations, when used crops which the root depends system directly from the physical conditions of the soil. Aiming higher soil conservation, the use of plants of covering becomes an alternative to the maintenance of soil moisture and aggregates, improving too, characteristics such as resistance to penetration. The objective of the present work was evaluate properties of the soil and cultivation of cassava on different tillages and plants of covering. The experiment was conducted in the western region of Parana in Latosol red eutrophic. The experimental design was completely randomized in split plot, and 6 main plots of soil management systems: disk plow, chisel plow and offset disk harrow (followed by an offset leveling) in the months of April and August. The sub-plots were formed by plants of covering oat, Forage turnip and Without crop. The tillages with disk plow and chisel plow in August showed greater depth of furrow and seed cuttings of cassavas. Behavior similar happened to the soil moisture of 10 to 20 cm for the disk plow and the chisel plow in August. The tillages did not influence the final population of plants, number of stems per plant and percentage of plants fall. For plants of covering, the oats presented biggest difference in the soil moisture from 0 to 10 cm.
  • Authors:
    • Archer, D. W.
    • Halvorson, A. D.
    • Reule, C. A.
  • Source: Agronomy Journal
  • Volume: 100
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2008
  • Summary: Conversion of irrigated cropland from conventional tillage (CT) to no-till (NT) could have several environmental benefits including reduced erosion potential, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and conservation of water. However NT must be economically viable if it is to be adopted. Costs of production and economic returns were evaluated for an irrigated, continuous corn ( Zea mays L.) system under CT and NT over 6 yr on a clay loam soil in northern Colorado. Yield responses to N fertilization were included to determine economic optimum fertilization rates under each tillage system. Corn grain yields at economic optimum N fertilizer rates were 1.1 to 1.4 Mg ha -1 lower for NT than for CT. However, net returns were $46 to 74 ha -1 higher for NT than for CT due to reductions in operating costs of $57 to 114 ha -1 and reductions in machinery ownership costs of $87 to 90 ha -1. Operating cost savings were realized largely due to fuel and labor reductions of 75% and 71 to 72%, respectively, and in spite of higher N fertilizer requirements of 16 to 55 kg ha -1 for NT compared to CT. No-till, irrigated, continuous corn appears to be an economically viable option for replacing CT production systems in the central Great Plains, especially when combined with the environmental benefits of the NT system.
  • Authors:
    • Eckard, R.
    • Barker-Reid, F.
    • Chen, D.
    • Li, Y.
  • Source: Plant and Soil
  • Volume: 309
  • Issue: 1-2
  • Year: 2008