Tillage Systems Flashcards
What management practices are important for sustainable crop production?
- Appropriate tillage system
- Maintenance/ supply of soil organic matter
- Maintenance/ supply and balance of nutrients
- Control of soil pollution
- Maintenance of proper soil pH
- Control of soil degradation
Tillage
Mechanical (manual or mechanized) manipulation of soil for any purpose
- usually to provide a medium for proper crop establishment and growth
Tilth
The physical condition of a soil as related to its ease of tillage fitness as a seed bed, and impedance to seedling emergence and root penetration
Major purposes of tillage: #1
Land leveling: to improve surface drainage, to install irrigation equipment, or to facilitate use of farm machinery
Major purpose of tillage #2
Seedbed preparation: need good soil tilth, good contact between seed and soil
- related to seed size- smaller seeds need finer tilth
Major purpose of tillage #3
incorporation of organic matter and soil amendments
- mix crop residues with soil to improve physical characteristics
- incorporate fertilizers and soil amendments such as lime
Major purpose of tillage #4
Weed control: remove weed competition
Major purpose of tillage #5
Improve soil physical conditions: tillage can be used to break up a hard pan, i.e. reduce soil compaction
Major purpose of tillage #6
improve water infiltration
Major purpose of tillage #7
Erosion control: can be tilled to provide a rough soil surface that impedes erosion (especially wind)
Major purpose of tillage #8
shaping of soil: tillage to create raised beds for planting or furrows for irrigation
what are the four types of tillage?
- primary tillage
- Secondary tillage
- Cultivation
- Minimum or conservation tillage
What is primary tillage
Produces rough finish unsuitable for seeding; usually precedes secondary tillage (6-36 inches deep)
Purposes of primary tillage
- Improve soil tilth
- reduce soil compaction pans
- incorporate crop residues
- prepare seedbed
- improve water infiltration
- control pests (primarily weeds)
Types of Primary tillage implements
- moldboard plow
- lister
- chisel plow
- rotary tiler
- field cultivator
- disk
What is secondary tillage?
Produces tilth for preparing seedbed.
Usually less than 6 inches deep
Purposes of secondary tillage
- Prepare a fine seedbed
- incorporate pesticides
- incorporate residues
Types of secondary tillage implements
- disk
- field cultivator
- harrow
- cultipacker
What is cultivation?
After the crop has been planted
Proposes of cultivation
- control weeds
- improve water infiltration
- improve soil tilth
Types of cultivation implements
- shovels or sweep
- lister cultivator
- spike-tooth harrow
- rotary hoe
Disadvantages of cultivation
- root pruning
- increased soil loss
- costs associated with it
Conservation tillage:
Some to all crop residue is left on soil surface
Advantages to conservation tillage
- Reduced soil compaction
-Better soil conservation - Improved moisture retention
-Reduced energy use - less capital investment in equipment
- lower labor costs
- better timeliness of operation, lowered weather risks
> more area can be planted in a sorter time
What are the four types of minimum tillage?
- Mulch tillage: some crop residue is left on surface. e.g. use chisel plow
- Strip tillage: strip till or zone till; disturbs narrow strips of soil where seed will be planted
- Ridge tillage: crops planted on ridges
- a small band of soil on the ridge is tilled
- No-till: soil is let undisturbed
- crops are planted directly into residue from previous crop
Advantages of no-till production
- erosion control
- reduced fuel use
- flexibility in planting and harvest-field accessibility
- increased land use
- reduced labor requirements- saves time
- lower equipment investment
- improved water infiltration
- increased soil organic matter
- decreased soil compaction
- improved soil tilth
- reduced air pollution
Disadvantages of no-till production
- soil temp- cooler in spring (may slow down germination)
- pests
- weeds
- insects
- rodents
- disease - dependence on chemicals
What factors are included in the revised universal soil loss equation?
A= R x K x LS x C x P A= estimated soil loss in tons/ acre R= erosive potential of rainfall K= soil erodibility factor LS= length and steepness of slope C= cropping and management factor P= conservation practice factor
