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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #73016
Title: IMPLEMENTATION OF CONSERVATION TILLAGE

Author
item Smart, James
item Bradford, Joe

Submitted to: Texas A&M Cotton Producer Educational Program
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/29/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Wind and water erosion can be reduced using conservation tillage but adoption of conservation tillage farming practices has been slow in south Texas due to lack of knowledge of associated risks and methods which are best to implement conservation tillage. There are many important factors which are included in successful conversion to a conservation tillage system including ways of dealing with current soil compaction, crop residue, planting into hard soil conditions, fertilizer placement and timing of application, plant diseases, weed control, and insect management. Initiating conservation tillage may create many different problems for producers, but most of these are minor and can be overcome by being flexible in management options and decisions. Crop yields should either remain the same or increase slightly in conservation tillage when compared with conventional tillage systems, but the real savings will come in the form of reduced labor and fuel costs.

Technical Abstract: Conservation tillage reduces wind and water erosion and can help reduce water evaporation from the soil which occurs following each tillage operation. There are many management decisions to be made before and during conversion from conventional tillage to conservation tillage cropping systems. Current soil type, structure, organic matter content, compaction which is already present, types of crop residue and residue management, methods of planting without prior tillage attachments to planter to assist clearing crop residue from the crop row or slicing through crop residue for proper seed-soil contact, fertilizer timing and placement, and insect control are all important aspects of a successful conservation tillage program. Initiating conservation tillage on your farm may create many minor problems which are different from when conventional tillage is used. Most of these problems can be overcome by being flexible in management options and decisions.