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Skipping fall tillage reduces erosion, saves soil moisture
Nebraska
Rising fuel prices aren't the only reason to keep the tractor in the shed this fall. Once the crops are harvested, producers should skip fall tillage to conserve soil moisture, residue and energy, a University of Nebraska engineer said.
Fall tillage dries out soil to the depth of tillage and buries crop residue. With drought across the western half of the state, good soil conservation practices are even more important than normal, said Paul Jasa, Cooperative Extension engineer in the university's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
"Even without drought concerns, producers should still consider using no-till to improve profitability," Jasa said. "Tillage costs include far more than just labor, equipment and fuel--not a minor consideration with rising diesel prices--but other, less immediately visible to the operation."
Tillage can destroy soil structure and increase erosion and runoff, Jasa said. When dry soil is tilled, it flows easily through tillage equipment, breaking up and burying even more residue than in normal years.
Jasa said even where yields were good this year, residue should still be left standing so that it doesn't drift into piles, creating problems with planting next year.
"With the soil moisture losses from tillage and reduced soil structure, yields are lower and production costs are higher as tillage increases," he said. "No-till tends to be the most profitable tillage system, especially when there are soil moisture and erosion concerns."
The diesel fuel requirements for the typical chisel, disk and field cultivate tillage system is about 4.08 gallons per acre, including knifing in fertilizer, planting and one cultivation. Switching to a no-till system decreases fuel use to about 1.43 gallons per acre, including knifing in fertilizer, planting and two sprayings.
Also, producers who shred their stalks should consider skipping that step this fall, he said.
"Shredding or tilling stalks now will cut them loose and allow them to blow away, he said. "Standing residue, still attached is one of the most effective ways to protect soil from the erosive forces of wind and to capture snowfall."
In addition, standing residue decreases the chances for blowing soil next spring.
"Some producers say that the soil needs to be tilled to 'open it up to let water in,'" he said. "Unfortunately, this just dries the soil to the depth of tillage and the initial water that is let into the soil is just replacing what was lost, not adding to the soil moisture reserve."
Also, tillage breaks up the soil surface and destroys residue, making the soil more prone to crusting form raindrop impact.
"Thus the tillage thought to open the soil up actually creates a condition that seals the soil, resulting in more runoff," he said. "The long-term use of no-till will allow the soil structure to build and increase its infiltration and decrease runoff."
For more information about using no-till, visit Crop Watch, Nebraska Cooperative Extension's crop production newsletter, on the Web at http://cropwatch.unl.edu/main.htm#no-till.
Date: 10/20/04
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