Conservation Agriculture Tillage Research Articles

Development and Application of a Remote Monitoring System for Agricultural Machinery Operation in Conservation Tillage

There is an increasing demand for remote monitoring and management of agricultural machinery operation in conservation tillage. Considering the problems of large errors in detecting operation quality parameters, such as tillage depth and corn straw cover rate, in complex farmland environments, this paper proposes a tillage depth measurement method based on the dual attitude compound of a tractor body and three-point hitch mechanism with lower pull rod and an online measurement method based on K-means clustering of the corn straw cover rate on farmland surface. An operation monitoring terminal was developed for the remote collection of quality parameters of conservation tillage field operation. A remote monitoring system of agricultural machinery operation was constructed and applied over a large area. The field tests showed that the static mean error and root-mean-square error of this method were 0.16 and 0.67 cm for uphill and 0.36 and 0.57 cm for downhill, respectively. For the 28 and 33 cm tillage depth tests, the mean dynamic measurement errors of this method were 0.55 and 0.61 cm, and the root means square errors were 0.64 and 0.73 cm, respectively, and the coefficient of variation of tillage depth did not exceed 3%. The correlation coefficient between the corn straw cover rate detection algorithm based on K-means clustering and the manual image marking method reached 0.92, with an average error of 9.69%, and the accuracy filled the demand for straw cover rate detection. The detection accuracy of tillage depth and straw cover rate was high and thus provides an effective means of information technology support for the quality monitoring and production management of conservation tillage farming operations.

Farming Reimagined: A case study of autonomous farm equipment and creating an innovation opportunity space for broadacre smart farming

As agriculture meets digital technologies, a new frontier of innovation is emerging and creating multiple pathways to a smart farming future. This paper presents a case study of a smart farming innovation originating from a small-to-medium sized enterprise (SME) that designs and manufactures machinery used in broadacre, conservation tillage farming. The innovation, known as DOT™, is an entrepreneur’s response to problems in the agriculture industry. Applying the innovation opportunity space (IOS) conceptual framework, this study identified the process of innovation was based on synthesis of tacit knowledge (experience-based knowledge of farming and agribusiness) and codified knowledge (drawing on computer programming). The innovation offers a solution for farming problems, and other firms are incorporating the autonomous functionality into their short-line manufacturing operations through licensing agreements, and early farmer adoption is positive. However, this smart farming IOS is presently an Unstable IOS and there remain some gaps: public policy for safe deployment of autonomous agriculture vehicles is lagging behind the invention and commercialization; the new business models for manufacture and commercialization of high-tech equipment are just emerging, and data ownership and control remain unresolved; and evidence of the value of smart farming technologies to farmers and the larger social system and biosphere remains scant.

A climate for commerce: the political agronomy of conservation agriculture in Zambia

The promotion of conservation agriculture (CA) for smallholders in sub-Saharan Africa is subject to ongoing scholarly and public debate regarding the evidence-base and the agenda-setting power of involved stakeholders. We undertake a political analysis of CA in Zambia that combines a qualitative case study of a flagship CA initiative with a quantitative analysis of a nationally representative dataset on agricultural practices. This analysis moves from an investigation of the knowledge politics to a study of how the political agendas of the actors involved are shaping agrarian practices. From its initial focus on CA as soil conservation and sustainable agriculture, the framing of the initiative has evolved to accommodate shifting trends in the policy arena. In tandem with the increased focus on climate adaptation, we see an increased emphasis on private sector-led modernisation. The initiative has shifted its target group from the poorest smallholders to prospective commercial farmers, and has forged connections between its farmer-to-farmer extension network and private input suppliers and service providers. The link between CA and input intensification is reflected in national statistics as a significantly higher usage of herbicides, pesticides and mineral fertilizer on fields under CA tillage compared to other fields. We argue that the environmental and participation agendas are used to buttress CA as an environmentally and socially sustainable agricultural development strategy, while the prevailing practice is the result of a common vision for a private sector-led agricultural development shared between the implementing organisation, the donor and international organisations promoting a new green revolution in Africa.

Calibration and Validation of DSSAT V.4.6.1, CERES and CROPGROModels for Simulating No-Tillage in Central Delta, Egypt

Crop simulation programs allow analyzing and exploring various tillage-rotation combinations and management. This study was conducted to apply and evaluate the DSSAT program under Egyptian conditions. The study was carried out to investigate the effect of tillage system, fertilizer rates and cereal/legume rotation on the crop yield and soil quality. The CERES-maize and CROPGRO-broad bean models were used to simulate the studied crop yield. Field observations showed that, the effect of tillage systems during the summer season of 2013 did not differ significantly due to studied maize traits. Regarding, winter season of 2013/2014), the results showed that, CA tillage system increased significantly all studied broad bean traits as compared with the other tillage systems. Referring to, the summer season of 2014, CA system scored the significant high values for the studied maize traits. As for the effect of studied NPK fertilizer levels, results indicated that, 100% of the recommended doses of NPK favored the values of the studied maize and broad bean traits significantly during summer 2013 and winter 2013/2014, as compared by 50% of the recommended dose of NPK fertilizers, while, there are no-significant difference between the two fertilizer levels for maize traits in the third season (summer, 2014). With regard to, the first order interaction effect between the tested factors, results of the three trial seasons revealed that, growing maize or broad bean under the condition of conservation agriculture (CA) and fed by 100% or 50% of the recommended dose of NPK fertilizers scored the greatest values for most of maize studied traits and broad bean, and the differences between them did not reach the significant level. On contrast, the lowest value were resulted under the condition of Conventional agriculture (CT) and fed by the 50% of the recommended dose of NPK fertilizers. The models that were used in this study also reflected this trend. The CERES-maize and CROPGRO-broad bean models greatly discovered stimulation for grain yield/fed., harvest index as affected by interaction effect between tillage systems and fertilizer rats, which their RMSE ranged between excellent and good, RMSE = (8.44, 12.19) and (11.70,16.79) and (0.15, 12.02) for summer 2013, winter 2013/2014 and summer 2014 seasons respectively, through (maize→ broad bean→ maize) crop sequence.

Status of conservation agriculture based tillage technology for crop production in Bangladesh

Conservation agriculture (CA) based tillage technology permits direct seeding through the moderate level of crop residue. CIMMYT introduced this technology in the farmers’ field of Bangladesh for wheat crop in collaboration with Wheat Research Centre, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI). Farmers accept CA based tillage technologies considering the advantages of higher yields, reduced cost of tillage operation, and minimum turn around time between the crops. Up land crops are more suitable under these tillage technologies. Weed management in rice cultivation is not yet in a good shape. Most of the tillage implements are operated by imported Chinese two wheel tractor (power tiller). There are few four wheel tractor CA implement using in research farm. Local manufacturers are being fabricated these cost effective small minimum tillage seed drill, raised bed planter, zero till drill, and strip till drills efficiently in different districts of Bangladesh. Farmers accept CA technologies in their field, especially raised bed planting and minimum tillage technology. There are about 425 numbers of raised bed planters and 865 minimum tillage seed drill in the country. Area coverage under bed planting and minimum tillage system are 5764 ha and 21850 ha, respectively. There are 20125 numbers of farmers involved in raised bed farming. There is a big prospect accelerating the CA based tillage technology in the farmers’ field as irrigation water availability becoming limited or more costly. Mind set up is the big issue for adopting CA tillage technology. Training and multi disciplinary approaches can push forward these tillage technologies ahead.Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 40(2): 235-248 June 2015

Studies on conservation agriculture in Egypt

Four field experiments were carried out at Gemmieza Agricultural Experimental Research Station, AL-Gharbia Governorate during the four seasons of winter, 2012/2013, summer 2013, winter 2013/2014 and summer 2014 under exhausted clay soil condition to study the effect of three different tillage systems (conventional tillage (CT), conservation agriculture (CA) and semi-CA (SCA)) and two levels of NPK fertilizers (100% of the recommended doses of NPK and 1/2 recommended doses of it) on yield and its components of wheat (Gemmeiza-9 variety) and soybean (Giza-111 variety) through (maize–wheat–soybean–wheat–soybean) (M/W/S/W/S) cropping system.Results revealed that, during the winter season of 2012/2013, all studied wheat traits and gross energy (kcal/kg) significantly were increased by feeding 100% of the recommended doses of NPK fertilizer compared by adding the half NPK doses.The effect of tillage systems during the summer season of 2013 did not differ significantly due to studied soybean traits. During the winter season of 2013/2014, the results showed that, CA tillage system increased significantly all the studied wheat traits as compared with the other tillage systems. Referring to the summer season of 2014, CA system scored significant high values for the studied soybean traits.As for the effect of studied NPK fertilizer levels, results indicated that, 100% of the recommended doses of NPK favored the values of the studied soybean and wheat traits significantly during summer 2013 and winter 2013/2014, as compared by 50% of the recommended dose of NPK fertilizers, while there are no significant differences between the two fertilizer levels for soybean traits in the third season (summer, 2014).With regard to the first order interaction effect between the tested factors, results of the three trial seasons revealed that growing soybean or wheat under the condition of conservation agriculture (CA) and fed by 100% or 50% of the recommended dose of NPK fertilizers scored the greatest values for most of soybean studied traits and wheat, and the differences between them did not reach the significant level. In contrast, the lowest values were resulted under the condition of conventional tillage (CT) and fed by 50% of the recommended dose of NPK fertilizers.As for the recorded improvement of soil fertility, results indicated that, CA led to decrease the EC by 2.21% and increased the organic matter (OM) by 391.5% and available N by 210.7%, P by 272.7% and K by 183.5% under the condition of half recommended dose of NPK fertilizer as compared with the analysis before starting the project plan. It is worthy to mention that the comparison between CT and CA system under the condition of half NPK dose fertilizer cleared, and CA exposed its superiority to improve the soil content of OM by 20.6%, available N by 42.62%, and P by 10.06% and K by 42.5% as compared with CT system.

Effect of conservation agriculture management practices on maize productivity and selected soil quality indices under South Africa dryland conditions

Conservation agriculture experiment was conducted under irrigated and dryland conditions during 2007/2008-summer cropping season to determine a suitable soil-crop management practice for increase maize yield. The study consisted of tillage practices (conventional, minimum and zero), cropping systems (sole and intercrop plots) and fertilizer regimes (unfertilized control, low, adjusted low and optimum) as treatments. Minimum and zero tillage practices constituted the conservation agriculture tillage practices while supplementation of low fertilizer rate with seed inoculation using growth enhancing microbial inoculant constituted the adjusted low fertilizer rate. Fertilizer application gave a significant (P < 0.05) maize grain yield increase at both trial sites. Maize grain yield ranged from 1254 to 3683 kg ha-1 and from 1738 to 3199 kg ha-1 under supplementary irrigation and dryland non-irrigated condition, respectively. The highest maize grain yield obtained at optimum fertilizer rate did not differ significantly from that of adjusted low rate under dryland and inherent low soil nutrients condition. Although the adjusted low fertilizer rate gave no maize grain yield advantage over the low rate in soil with fairly high native nutrients, it however resulted in better crop responses and conservation of some of the soil properties studied under low-nutrients soil status. Zero tillage as a conservation agriculture practice gave the highest maize grain yield of 2805 and 2776 kg ha-1under supplementary irrigation and dryland conditions, respectively. It also resulted in better conservation of soil nutrients resource than the conventional tillage practice. Key words: Conservation agriculture, fertilizer regimes, cropping systems, maize yield, seed inoculation.

Factors Influencing Adoption and Area under Conservation Agriculture: A Mixed Methods Approach

&lt;p&gt;Adoption of conservation agriculture (CA) is quite low in most parts of Africa. However, Zambia has been quite successful in increasing adoption of CA among smallholder farmers. Few studies using both quantitative and qualitative approaches have been conducted in Zambia to determine factors influencing adoption of CA. This study uses mixed methods approach to document factors influencing adoption of CA among smallholder farmers under the Conservation Agriculture Project (CAP) in Zambia. From a random sample of 415 smallholder farmers, results showed that 71% had adopted CA. Quantitative analysis indicated that CA trainings, previous experience in minimum tillage, membership in farmer organisations, and ownership of CA tillage equipment significantly increased the likelihood of CA adoption. Number of CA trainings attended, farm size, number of rippers owned and use of herbicide had a significant positive influence on area under CA. Qualitative approaches showed that good rapport with farmers, trust, reciprocity and altruism, monitoring and evaluations, extension strategy, quality and extent of technical knowledge in CA within CFU, and artificial incentives positively influenced adoption of CA. Traditional leadership was reported to enhance adoption of CA in most cases. Prestige was reported to withhold some men from adopting CA basins. Women were very involved in CA basins while men were mostly involved in ADP ripping. Some worldviews of farmers had negative influence on adoption of CA. Donor support and collaboration with the Zambia National Farmers Union and private sector were other contextual factors for the high adoption of CA among sampled smallholder farmers. In the promotion of CA it is important to pay attention to both quantitative and qualitative factors influencing adoption. A mixed methods approach thus can lead to a better understanding of the adoption of CA than a single research strategy approach.&lt;/p&gt;

Wheel traffic and tillage effects on runoff and crop yield

Traffic and tillage effects on runoff, soil water and crop production under rainfall were investigated over a period of 6 years on a heavy clay vertosols (vertisols) in Queensland, Australia. A split plot design was used to isolate traffic effects, while the cropping program and treatments were broadly representative of extensive grain production practice in the northern grain region of Australia. Treatments subject to zero tillage and stubble mulch tillage each comprised pairs of 90 m 2 plots, from which runoff was recorded. A 3 m wide controlled traffic system allowed one of each pair to be maintained as a non-wheeled plot, while the complete surface area of the other received a single annual wheeling treatment from a working 100 kW tractor. Mean annual runoff from controlled traffic plots was 81 mm (36.3%) smaller than that from wheeled plots, while runoff from zero tillage was reduced by 31 mm (15.7%). Traffic and tillage effects appeared to be cumulative, so the mean annual runoff from controlled traffic and zero tillage plots, representing best practice, was 112 mm (47.2%) less than that from wheeled stubble mulch plots, representing conventional cropping practice. Rainfall infiltration into controlled traffic zero tillage soil was thus 12.0% greater than into wheeled stubble mulched soil. Rainfall/runoff hydrographs show that wheeling produced a large and consistent increase in runoff, whereas tillage produced a smaller increase. Treatment effects were greater on dry soil, but were still present in large and intense rainfall events on wet soil. Plant available water capacity (PAWC) in the 0–500 mm zone increased by 10 mm (11.5%) and mean grain yields increased by 337 kg/ha (9.4%) in controlled traffic plots, compared with wheeled plots. Mean grain yield of zero tillage was 2–8% greater than that of stubble mulch plots for all crops except for winter wheat in 1994 and 1998. Increased infiltration and plant available water were probably responsible for increased mean grain yields of 497 kg/ha (14.5%) in controlled traffic zero tillage, compared with wheeled stubble mulch treatments. Dissipation of tractive and tillage energy in the soil is the apparent mechanism of deleterious effects on the soils ability to support productive cropping in this environment. Controlled traffic and conservation tillage farming systems appear to be a practicable solution.

Impact of crop management factors in conservation tillage farming on earthworm density, age structure and species abundance in south-eastern Australia

Cropping practices commonly used in conservation tillage can potentially impact on earthworm abundance and distribution. Management practices associated with conservation tillage farming for cereals such as stubble retention and management, greater utilization of herbicides, and soil acidity amelioration were assessed for their influence on earthworm density, age structure, and species abundance at a total of seven sites on Chromic Luvisols in north-eastern Victoria, Australia. Earthworms were sampled from the surface soil (0.1 m 2 × 0.1 m deep) at the end of the cool wet season (August–September) when species tend to concentrate at this soil depth. In three six-year experiments, crop management practices that retained stubble as a surface mulch for successive years supported consistently higher densities of earthworms, followed by retained stubble left standing, burning stubble, and incorporation of stubble. The latter reduced earthworm densities by an average of 53%, compared to the mulched system. This trend was consistent across texturally different soils. Autumn application of post-emergent herbicides for two consecutive years, at double recommended rates, was associated with significant increases in earthworm densities (by 10–124%) the following spring, compared to the recommended rate. Herbicide application had no influence on earthworm species richness. Although the effect of increasing soil pH on earthworm numbers was variable, lowering the pH consistently lowered earthworm densities (by 60%). No clear trend was observed in earthworm population age structure at any of the sites. Overall, reduced soil disturbance and increased inputs of crop residue at the soil surface, although having little effect on diversity of species, are conducive to increasing earthworm populations in conservation tillage cropping practices in north-eastern Victoria.

Effects of conservation tillage farming on soil microbial biomass, organic matter and earthworm populations, in north-eastern Victoria

A long-term field experiment was set up in 1981 in north-eastern Victoria to determine the effects of conservation tillage farming on agronomic and soil properties. Conventional cultivation was compared with direct drilling, and stubbles retained from the previous crop were compared with burning under direct drilling. Wheat was grown continuously over the 7 years of the experiment. Organic carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), soil microbial biomass and earthworm populations were measured. When samples were taken incrementally down the soil profile, there was a significant concentration gradient of organic matter under direct drilling. In the surface 2.5 cm, biomass C and N, and N mineralisation were 35, 30 and 62% greater, respectively, than under conventional cultivation. Direct drilling into retained stubble did not significantly increase organic C or total N. Of the estimated 7.8 t C/ha added to the soil from conserved crop stubbles, 4% was retained in the top 7.5 cm at the time of sampling. Organic C, total N and biomass C and N decreased with depth in both treatments. Microbial biomass varied considerably with season. The biomass of earthworms in the top 10 cm, under direct drilling, was more than twice that of conventional cultivation, while total worm numbers increased significantly (P&lt;0.05), from 123 to 275/m2, when wheat stubble was retained with direct drilling compared to stubble burning.

Simulating grain yield and plant development of ratoon grain sorghum over diverse environments

Crop simulation may provide an inexpensive means to evaluate the feasibility of different cropping practices to optimize productivity and profitability. One practice, ratoon-cropping, may increase productivity and reduce per-unit production costs associated with conservation tillage farming systems in tropical and subtropical regions. sorkam, a dynamic plant growth model for grain sorghum [ Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], was used to evaluate the potential of rainfed ratoon grain sorghum over diverse climatic regions of Texas. Eleven independent data sets collected in the U.S.A. from sites in Georgia and Texas were used to determine the model's accuracy. The model produced realistic estimates of grain yield for planted, ratoon, and combined (planted + ratoon) crops. Simulated grain yields usually were within 25% of the observed yield for the planted, ratoon, and combined crops with cultivars that produced the highest ratoon grain yield at each location. Ratoon grain yield results of multi-year simulations (10–30 years) from 14 locations over the eastern half of Texas using historic, location-specific, meteorological data indicated that the probability of obtaining ratoon grain yield > 3.0 Mg/ha was confined to the upper coastal plain region of Texas. The area best suited for rainfed ratoon grain sorghum appeared to be confined south and east of a line running from west of Corpus Christi to Beeville to College Station to west of Center, Texas. Use of crop models can play an important role in identifying strengths and weaknesses of potential cropping systems when used in combination with historical climatic data and/or computer weather generators.