Are Conservative and Zero Tillage Systems Beneficial To Enhancing Soil Properties?

However, agriculture is the central issue. While pesticides are being used to keep crops alive, a benefit to farmers, the natural ecosystem is not exactly experiencing the same effect; the ecosystem is being destroyed. An effective way agriculturists can improve on decreasing the amount of pesticides is to use continuous production, where it is reusing the fields, without wasting and hurting them.

No till farming uses double-disc openers to cut out the last crop planted and dropping the new seed in its place. This farming technique does not disturb the soil as much as normal tilling. Many soil conservationists argue that soil tillage destroys the aggregation and microorganism of the soil. This in later terms reduces the sustainability of our food production and reduces the intake of water by the crop. No till farming benefits all farmers when used with cover crop, crop rotation or windbreaks.

However, pesticides are used to control pests, which include insects, mice and other animals, unwanted plants (weeds), fungi, or microorganisms like bacteria and viruses. Often misunderstood to refer only to the insecticides, the term pesticide also applies to herbicides (that control weeds), fungicides (that control fungi), and substances used to control other pests. In addition, because many pests tend to travel between farms, resistance to pesticides can evolve at an inefficient rate. Farmers can increase the economic efficiency of chemical use by adapting integrated pest and resistance management practices, such as rotating crops and pesticides, reducing reliance on a single pesticide, adjusting planting and harvesting dates, scouting fields, and using more benign, and biological control

No till farming by definition is simply “a system for planting crops without plowing, using herbicides to control weeds and resulting in reduced soil erosion and the preservation of soil nutrients” (1). “In no-till agriculture, the farmer uses a disk or chisel plow to prepare the field for seeding” (3). The plows create a big enough furrow for the seeds to be injected into the ground (3). “Plowing and tillage are major sources of erosion around the world” (2). Plowing and tillage “were key factors behind the Dust Bowl in the 1930s” (2). According to Brad Plumer of The Washington Post says “churning up all that soil can release a significant amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, helping to warm the planet” (2). Also according to Plumer

Therefore, Kristen Ohlson suggests we apply this same laissez faire method to farming. The Soil Will Save Us explains that instead of separating our fields of corn from our grapes from our herb gardens, we should let them grow together as they do in nature. Sometimes even allowing cattle to graze on them as would happen in an undisturbed environment. In such a place, less chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides are needed because the natural balance of the ecosystem is restored. Healthy plants pull more CO2 out of the air and return it to the soil that will in turn nourish future generations of crops

This scholarly text book, part of a series called Current Controversies, is composed of primary sources taken from a diversity of informational categories including books, newspapers, periodicals, international government documents, and the publications of organizations. The authors in this series examine some of the issues that typical arise in the debate about pesticides, including whether they are detrimental to human health, animals and the environment, whether they are essential to curtailing international hunger, and what the future of pesticides might be. This book widely mirrors the mosaic of opinions in both parts of the debate regarding the benefits and harmful effects

No-till farming limits the amount of anthropogenic involvement, which can contribute to the degradation soil by exposing the upper soil horizon, re-introducing noxious weeds to germination, allowing for leeching and erosion of topsoil which is already in short demand. This paper discusses the benefits of no-till farming with comparisons and studies that suggest the benefits of the no-till system. This paper takes an in depth look at the history of tillage, as well as the topics of nutrients, mulch and stabilization, habitat, aggregation and aeration, and the nutrient cycle. Although in some cases tillage may have similar results when compared to the no-till system, implementation of the right cover crop on a given soil reduces evaporation, limits water and nutrient leeching, builds or enhances the soil ecosystem which has the potential to promote better plant nutrient absorption.

The last way that this new method helps his business is by saving the soil in his fields. When you till you land, you lose nutrients and carbon that is stored in the field. Along with that, you also lose some of the soil, itself. When you choose the no-till method, you conserve the nutrients, carbon, and soil. This will benefit his operation very much in the future and he will not have to worry about unfertile land or land that lacks topsoil.

Cover crops: reduce soil erosion, captures, recycles and redistributes nutrients, suppresses weed growth, minimizes and reduces soil compaction, increases soil organic matter.

( may dad ) .Several ways include minimum tillage, no tillage and cover crops. Newer equipment is designed to save expenses and build black dirt levels. (introduction to conservation agriculture cropping system) .This happens because more residue, which is the crop matter such as corn stalk, is left in the field which decreases erosion and increases organic matter. ( my dad ) .This is more cost saving and time saving for the farmer. (introduction to conservation agriculture cropping system) . Sometimes the no till fields, are considered ugly fields because of the residue left in them and the way they look, but this is an important way to conserve black dirt. (my dad)

One concern about pesticides and herbicide usage is the amount of residues left on the end product of crops sprayed with the chemicals, and their effects on human health. (Williamson, 2007, p. 184). However, these effects are closely tested and levels are strictly regulated to ensure there is no danger from possible pesticide residues. Since 1910, many rules, regulations, and agencies have been formed to monitor the safety of the pesticides and herbicides used in conventional farming. These chemicals must meet specific safety standards in order to be registered for use, and regulations on levels of each product safe for use are also put in place. (Tafel et al.,2007, p.184). All pesticides are rigorously examined to ensure they have no significant effects on human health, or the environment. The residues in the food chain are closely monitored, and regularly tested, to ensure they are below legal limits. In a recent survey of residues

Many varieties of genetically engineered crops have been designed to decrease the need for chemicals, particularly pesticides. Herbicide-tolerant varieties are among the most widely used type of genetically-modified crop, which enables farmers to use a single herbicide to eradicate weeds rather than rely on a cocktail of pesticides and herbicides. Eliminating weeds in this fashion also decreases the need for soil tillage, which can negatively impact soil ecology. (Ford,

Erosion removes the surface soils, containing most of the organic matter, plant nutrients, and fine soil particles, which help to retain water and nutrients in the root zone where they are available to plants. Thus it affects the productivity of plants. The remaining, the subsoil, tends to be less fertile, less absorbent and less able to retain pesticides, fertilizers, and other plant nutrients. There are over 17,000 soil types recognized worldwide. They vary widely in structure, erodibility, fertility, and ability to produce crops. A generalized soil profile for a humid, temperate climate is showed. When the natural vegetation is cleared for agriculture, soils become exposed to erosion and loss of soil fertility. The removal of the above-ground natural

A study was conducted in farmers’ fields of Rai block of Sonepat district, Haryana, India to study the long term impact of two widely adopted resource conservation technologies (RCT’s) namely bed planting and zero tillage on structural properties of soils of recent alluvial plains of the river Yamuna. Aggregate mean weight diameter by dry sieving and wet sieving (DS-MWD and WS-MWD) under different RCT’s were studied to compare structural condition of the soils under continuous use of these technologies. Other important structural indices such as dispersion ratio (a measure of ease of dispersion; DR), colloid moisture equivalent ration (a measure of ease of percolation; CMER), erosion ratio (ER), stability index (SI), soil organic carbon (SOC), clay ratio (CR) were also studied to monitor the susceptibility of soil to erosion in the study area. Results revealed that in the surveyed villages under conventional tillage (CT), the mean (of 6 samples) magnitude of DR and ER were 0.58 and 0.82, respectively, and CMER was <1, which indicated the erodible nature of these soils. Analysis of data of bed and conventional systems revealed that on an average, there was about 19.08 % increase in SOC in bed planted system compared to conventional system. The decrease of DR, ER and CR from 0.66, 0.52 and 4.25 under CT to 0.42, 0.28 and 2.38 under beds indicated reduced eroding tendency of these soils under bed planting. Comparison of soil data of ZT and CT showed improvement (33.19

The cutting & inverting of the soil that is done after the harvest of the crop or untitled fallow or to bring virgin or new land under cultivation is called primary tillage. It may be done once or twice a tear in normal or settled agriculture or once in four to five years in dry land agriculture.