Tillage
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From Wikipedia: Tillage is the agricultural preparation of the soil by ploughing, ripping, or turning it. Tillage can also mean the land that is tilled. There are two types of tillage: primary and secondary tillage. Producing crops usually involves regular tilling that agitates the soil in various ways, usually with tractor-drawn implements. Tilling is used to remove weeds, mix in soil amendments like fertilizers, shape the soil into rows for crop plants and furrows for irrigation, and prepare the surface for seeding. This can lead to unfavorable effects, like soil compaction; loss of organic matter; degradation of soil aggregates; death or disruption of soil microbes, arthropods, and earthworms; and soil erosion where topsoil is blown or washed away. No-till farming thus avoids these unfavorable effects by reducing or excluding the use of conventional tillage.
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Tillage systems
Intensive tillage
Intensive tillage systems leave less than 15% crop residue cover or less than 500 pounds per acre (560 kg/ha) of small grain residue. These types of tillage systems are often referred to as conventional tillage systems but as reduced and conservation tillage systems have been more widely adopted, it is often not appropriate to refer to this type of system as conventional. These systems involve often multiple operations with implements such as a mold board plow, disk, and/or chisel plow. After Moldboard plowing, a disk is often used to break clods. Then a finisher with a harrow, rolling basket, and cutter can be used to prepare the seed bed. There are many variations.
Reduced tillage
Reduced tillage systems leave between 15 and 30% residue cover on the soil or 500 to 1000 pounds per acre (560 to 1100 kg/ha) of small grain residue during the critical erosion period. This may involve the use of a chisel plow, field cultivators, or other implements. See the general comments below to see how they can effect the amount of residue.
Conservation tillage
Conservation tillage systems are methods of soil tillage which leave a minimum of 30% of crop residue on the soil surface or at least 1,000 lb/ac (1,100 kg/ha) of small grain residue on the surface during the critical soil erosion period. This slows water movement, which reduces the amount of soil erosion; it also warms the soil, enabling the next year’s crop to be planted earlier in the spring. Conservation tillage systems also benefit farmers by reducing fuel consumption and soil compaction. By reducing the number of times the farmer travels over the field, farmers realize significant savings in fuel and labor. Conservation tillage was used on about 38%, Template:Convert, of all US cropland, Template:Convert planted as of 2004 according to the USDA.
- No-till
- Strip-Till
- Mulch-Till
- Ridge-Till
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