Ecosystems
Last updated on
February 23, 2014
A specific example: No-till soybeans
- Soybeans are a highly erosive crop when tilled conventionally
- Conventional tillage problems are reduced substantially using no-till
- Need good no-till planter to cut through previous crop's residue. Equipment manufacturers
have been improving no-till planters in recent years
- plant soybeans ¾ to 1" in depth
- good soil-seed contact is needed
The biggest obstacles for successfully no-tilling soybeans are:
- Stand establishment need varieties with good emergence and good prr resistance
- Weed control success in no-tilling soybeans is usually directly proportional
to success in controlling weeds.
Advantages of no-till
- reduced soil erosion
- reduced costs (if successful)
- should conserve soil moisture in a dry year
Disadvantages of no-till
- reliance on chemicals for weed control
- need specialized equipment
- soil compaction due to equipment may be more of a problem than in conventional tillage
Other methods: Double-cropping (relay) soybeans
No-till double-crop soybeans are common in SE U.S. Minimizes problems associated
with:
- slow canopy development of soybeans
- erosion
- compaction via hard rainfall
Practices
- soybeans are double cropped after winter wheat or winter barley
- when double cropping after a winter cereal, farmers usually grow an early maturing
winter cereal variety
- Farmers in Illinois and Indiana occasionally double crop soybeans after winter wheat
Some farmers no-till soybeans right behind a wheat swather
- wheat is swathed at or just after physiological maturity has been reached
- wheat is combined when the swath has dried
- straw should be shredded or baled
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