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 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.

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.

Today, in the United States, farmers and ranchers produce a wide variety of commodities for food, fuel, and fiber in response to markets. These farmers understand and recognize the significance of managing their soil as well as their plant productivity. America’s farmers are true professionals because crop production is a very complex business.

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

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

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

Pesticides are heavily used by golf courses, as it is the same case with some parks and schools. Consumers face issues of pesticide exposure in water and food residues. For example, 94% of herbicide atrazine is found United States drinking water which is always tested by USDA. Therefore, the widespread and long term exposure to pesticides has got so many tremendous ecological effects over the years, starting from weed and pest resistance up to environmental contamination (Hakeem et al, 2017). Excessive intake of pesticides may perhaps lead to acts of biodiversity destruction. Numerous birds, aquatic animals and organisms are all under the risk of harmful and hazardous pesticides to their living. Pesticides are becoming concern of sustainability both global and environmental stability. It has been discovered that pesticides should be recovered from all Major River and water bank systems, and even from all groundwater streams. This is because residues from pesticide chemicals usually linger in the soil and they can spend there dozen years (Carson & Rachel, 2002). Pesticide chemicals enter and get lodged into fish bodies, reptiles, birds and wild and domestic animals. Frequent use of pesticides damages most fertile agricultural lands through harming the useful soil microorganisms, insect species and worms that limit pest populations naturally and

( 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)

That is why man has come up with multiple ways of conserving soil. There are four ways of conserving soil. The most of the ways are used by farmers. One way farmers can conserve soil is by cultivating rows of crops sideways on a hill instead of up and down to slow down water flow. This way is called counter plowing. The second way is by building ridges that are similar to steps on a hill to hold in water called terracing and is especially used for growing rice. The third way of conserving soil is by strip cropping. Strip cropping is when someone like a farmer grows a different type of crop on the same piece of land to catch and hold any soil from an older crop. The fourth way is by planting rows of trees close to each other to force the wind to blow upward away from the ground called shelter belt and is very good to use in a windy, flat, bare

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,

One of the major benefits agriculture can give is to buff the air of carbon, which is caused by CO2 emissions. Soil has a great ability to retain carbon, which would help sequester CO2 from the air and store it in the soil. Plants need CO2 in order to go through the process of photosynthesis so through photosynthesis carbon is pulled from the atmosphere and put into the soil. No till is more beneficial to store carbon, nitrogen and organic matter in the soil because since the soil is not turned over, the organic important nutrients are not lost to aeration. Olson et al. states “plowing was the primary cause of SOC oxidization and emission of CO2 to the atmosphere” (pg. 350). Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays an important role in crop growth and efficiency, so when the soil is turned over, a negative affect occurs which allows the carbon back into the atmosphere. The soil has more ability to hold

The effects of the growth of different types of food on the environment are dependent on the intensity of cultivation over time and space; the inputs applied including the water, the fertilizer, the pesticides and also the management of inputs such as the crop residue and the tillage. Tillage, the use of fertilizers, crop monoculture often has driver stating impacts on the soil, water and also biodiversity. In the United States, agriculture is the leading cause of water- quality impairment. Further, more than 50% of the land is used in

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

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.