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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Auburn, Alabama » Soil Dynamics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #323783
Title: Conservation tillage under threat in the United States

Author
item Duzy, Leah
item Price, Andrew
item Balkcom, Kipling
item Kornecki, Ted

Submitted to: Outlooks on Pest Management
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/20/2015
Publication Date: 12/7/2015
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/62451
Citation: Duzy, L.M., Price, A.J., Balkcom, K.S., Kornecki, T.S. 2015. Conservation tillage under threat in the United States. Outlooks on Pest Management. 26(6):257-262.

Interpretive Summary: Across the U.S. there were approximately 389.7 million ac of cropland and 315 million ac of harvested cropland in 2012. Approximately 44% of total cropland acres were in conservation tillage and no-till. In 1989, there was approximately 0.84 acres of no-till, ridge-till, and mulch-till for every acre of conventional tillage and reduced tillage. By 2012, the ratio had grown to 4.05 acres of conservation tillage (including no-till) for every acre of conventional tillage. New technology, such as herbicide-resistant crops, helped to increase the adoption of conservation tillage. However, currently herbicide-resistant weed challenges are a threat to conservation tillage. Because of these hard to control weeds, conservation tillage crop acres are at risk of being converted to conventional tillage systems. The shift to conventional tillage buries small weed seed and/or increases the use of pre-plant incorporated herbicide, especially in cotton production. In the past decade in the U.S., there has been a renewed interest in cover crops. One new practice introduced to the U.S. by researchers at the USDA-Agriculture Research Service (ARS) National Soil Dynamics Laboratory in Auburn, Alabama is the Brazilian style cover crop management technique utilizing roller/crimpers to terminate cover crops along with herbicides. High residue cover crops are increasingly being recommended for pest management to help minimize herbicide-resistance selection pressure through their ability to suppress weeds.

Technical Abstract: Across the United States (U.S.) there were approximately 157.7 million ha of cropland and 127.5 million ha of harvested cropland in 2012. Approximately 44% of total cropland ha were in conservation tillage (both conservation tillage and no-till). In 1989, there were approximately 0.34 ha of conservation tillage (including no-till, ridge-till, and mulch-till) for every hectare of conventional tillage (conventional tillage and reduced tillage). By 2012, the ratio had grown to 1.64 ha of conservation tillage (including no-till) for every hectare of conventional tillage. New technology, such as herbicide-resistant crops, greatly helped to increase the adoption rate of conservation tillage. While the introduction of herbicide-resistant crops allowed for increased adoption of conservation tillage, current herbicide-resistant weed challenges are a real and expanding threat to conservation tillage. Producers are faced with difficult management decisions regarding herbicide-resistant weeds. Because of these hard to control weeds, hundreds of thousands of conservation tillage crop hectares, some currently under United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) conservation program contracts, are at risk of being converted to higher-intensity tillage systems. The shift to higher-intensity tillage facilitates burial of small weed seed and/or to increase pre-plant incorporated herbicide activity for control of problematic weeds, especially in dry-land cotton production. In the past decade in the U.S., there has been a renewed interest in cover crops and their management for both carbon sequestration and agronomic purpose. One new practice introduced to the U.S. by researchers at the USDA-Agriculture Research Service (ARS) National Soil Dynamics Laboratory in Auburn, Alabama is the Brazilian style cover crop management technique utilizing roller/crimpers to terminate mature cover crops in conjunction with herbicides. High residue cover crops are increasingly being recommended in integrated pest management recommendations to help alleviate herbicide resistance selection pressure through their weed suppressive characteristics.