Resource requirements, yields and profits for monocultural corn with alternative tillage systems in Southern Canada

Abstract

Resource input requirements and yields associated with four tillage alternatives for the monocultural production of grain corn on a medium loam soil were investigated. The four alternatives are zero tillage, reduced tillage, mulch tillage and conventional tillage. Over the four systems, the amount of herbicide required varied approximately inversely with the amount of tillage, while the amount of labour required increased proportionately with the amount of tillage used. Similarly, machinery fuel usage increased with an increase in tillage. Corn yields associated with conventional tillage, reduced tillage and mulch tillage were similar, while zero tillage resulted in a 10% (w/w) yield reduction (0.6 t ha −1). This inverstigation suggests that the choice of tillage alternative should take account of the absolute and relative scarcities of the principal resource inputs for a specific farm business, as well as corn yields and costs of production. In cases where land is readily available and labour is scarce, the yield penalty experienced in using the zero tillage option is deemed acceptable. Alternatively, if land is restricted and labour is in ample supply, a corn producer may opt for the reduced or mulch tillage alternatives. If weed control is not a problem, a corn producer may wish to reduce the herbicide usage by selecting the conventional tillage system.