Tillage and No-preplant Tillage Compared for Grain Sorghum and Soybean Production in North-central Kansas (1982)

Abstract

Two main functions of preplant tillage are to control early-season weed growth and to prepare a seedbed. Both functions, however, can be accomplished without tillage operations if herbicides are applied to control early-season weeds and a notill planter is available to plant directly into crop residue. We evaluated grain yields and weed control for three preplant-tillage systems: (1) disk as needed to :ontrol weeds and prepare a seedbed; (2) apply a · ·1erbicide in April to control weeds and grasses until planting time, disk just before planting; and (3) use a herbicide, with no-preplant tillage, to control weeds and grass before planting, then plant with a no-till planter. This study was established on the K.S.U. North-central Experiment Field near Belleville in 1975. (See Table 1.)