Sweet Corn Tillage-Planting Systems in a Humid Maritime Climate of British Columbia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Conservation, no spring tillage (NST) and conventional, spring tillage (ST) using winter wheat and spring barley cover crops were evaluated for soil cover, soil temperature, and sweet corn production in the western Fraser Valley of British Columbia for three years. Spring barley and winter wheat provided enough biomass for an average soil coverage of 44 and 60%, respectively, and to maintain soil temperature above the minimum required for corn germination and emergence. High NST slug populations, following mild winters, led to crop failure in two of three years. The only satisfactory NST sweet corn yield (19.2 t ha−1) was obtained when there was no slug damage. The NST system requires modifications, such as inclusion of some form of integrated pest management or shallow spring tillage and/or different drill type, to become an alternative to conventional sweet corn production in the humid maritime climate of the western Fraser Valley.