Tillage Options Research Articles

Effect of different nitrogen management and Tillage options on soil, nutrient content, uptake and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) using under active crop canopy sensor

A field experiment was conducted during Rabi at BAC, Research Farm Sabour to access the effect of precession nitrogen management and tillage practices on growth parameter of wheat. The experiment was carried two tillage practices (conventional tillage, CT and Zero tillage, ZT) in main-plots and six different nutrient management practices [viz.N1-Recommended dose of nutrients (150:60:40 kg NPK/ha, full P & K and ½ N at basal +1/2N in two splitting at 1st & 2nd irrigation- Top dressing after irrigation, N2-Recommended dose of nutrients (150:60:40kg NPK/ ha, full P & K and ½ N at basal +½ N in two splitting at 1st & 2nd irrigation-Top dressing before irrigation, N3-SSNM Based on Nutrient Expert (NE), N4-70% N of SSNM based on NE+ remaining N as guided by Green Seeker, N5 Nitrogen enriched plots (225:60:40Kg. NPK/ha.) and N6-SPAD based nutrient management, (75Kg. N as basal +25Kg. N as 1st top dress +25Kg. N at 42 SPAD reading) in sub plots with 3 replications. the conventional tillage recorded slightly higher grain yield than that of the zero tillage during both years of experimentation The maximum grain yield (45.5 and 49.4 q ha-1 in 1st year and 2nd year, respectively) was recorded from the plots received 70% N of SSNM based on nutrient expert system +remaining N guided by Green Seeker treatment and was significantly superior to the rest of the nutrient management practices.

Impact of basic tillage systems and fertilization on agrochemical indices of soil fertility in the right bank of the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine

The paper presents the results of stationary multifactor field experiment on study of the mutual impact of various systems of soil deep and surface tillage in combination with various levels of organic and mineral fertilizers application on crop rotation performance, as well as on a number of agrochemical indicators of black soil fertility. Researches were carried out as a stationary field experiment on the experimental field of Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University in 2013-2018. During the crop rotation in all the studied tillage methods, especially mouldboardless and disking tillage, the hydrolytic acidity of the arable layer increased with increase in fertilizer rates, and the amount of bases absorbed, saturation degree, level of exchangeable calcium and magnesium cations decreased, but in most cases these changes were not significant. Systematic mouldboardless and disking tillage enhance the topsoil heterogeneity in relation to agrochemical indicators of its fertility. Heterogeneity increases with increase in the level of applied fertilizers. With the mouldboard tillage during the crop rotation period at unfertilized areas, the largest part of humus loss in the arable layer is observed in the top, and the smallest - in its bottom parts; the opposite pattern was observed on fertilized areas at the highest rate. With mouldboardless and disking tillage, directly opposite patterns were observed in comparison with mouldboard tillage. An annual application of 8 t/ha of manure + N76P64K57 stabilizes the humus state of the arable soil layer when carrying out differentiated and disking tillage in crop rotation. Fertilization rate of 12 t/ha of manure + N95P82K75 for these tillage options a significant increase in humus and total nitrogen reserves is provided.

Effect of Burning and Tillage Options on Yields in a Continuous Wheat-Double-Crop Soybean Rotation

Effect of Burning and Tillage Options on Yields in a Continuous Wheat-Double-Crop Soybean Rotation

Corn response to tillage and side‐dress nitrogen management on claypan soil

AbstractSince information islimited regarding N management and tillage options for corn (Zea mays L.) grown on claypan soil in the eastern Great Plains, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of preplant and side‐dress N applications on corn grown in conventional‐ and no‐till systems. The yield penalty for no‐till grown corn was nearly 20% due partially to an 8% stand reduction, but also to lower kernel weight and kernels ear–1 than with conventional till. These yield and yield component reductions with no‐till may be because of lower dry matter production and N uptake throughout the growing season. The general lack of interactions suggest that N management system effects on corn were not influenced by tillage system selection. Fertilizing with N more than doubled corn yields primarily by nearly doubling the number of kernels ear–1, but with additional increases in kernel weight and average number of ears plant–1. Averaged over years, split‐N resulted in up to 15% greater yield, and additional side‐dress N resulted in up to 28% greater yield than when 168 kg N ha–1 was applied only at preplant, with no yield reduction for delaying side‐dress application from V6 to V10. The relationship of relative N uptake to relative corn yield approached a direct 1:1 relationship by R1 (silking). The decision of whether to split‐apply fertilizer N or to add additional N, regardless of tillage system, will likely be influenced by economic factors, but side‐dress N applications may extended to the V10 stage with no yield penalty.

Agronomic assessment of cover cropping and tillage practices across environments

AbstractCover crops (CCs) are considered one of the few agronomic strategies to help reduce environmental pollution, while improving soil properties. However, the use of tillage could negate those benefits entirely. Therefore, the goal of this study was to monitor soil properties and cash crop yields from five different CC rotations compared to fallow controls throughout Illinois. A split‐block arrangement of tillage (chisel tillage vs. no‐till) and CC rotations (six levels) in a randomized complete block design with four replications was set within each phase of the corn (Zea mays L.)–soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotation at six locations, spanning 2–5 yr. Spring biomass was greatest in the CC rotations with cereal rye (Secale cereale L.), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), and annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) due to the four times greater survival percentage. Rotations with annual ryegrass reduced soil nitrate compared to bare fallows. Yet, the freshly added CC biomass only produced minimal increases in soil organic matter (SOM) compared to the other CC species. This rotation also reduces corn yields as is commonly observed when growing a grass CC species before a grass cash crop (corn). Chisel tillage was found to increase corn yields and reduce soil P levels compared to no‐tilled plots regardless of CC rotation. In contrast, soybean yields were not affected by CCs or tillage options. With few choices of CCs that can overwinter in Illinois, our study provides necessary information to evaluate CC management practices and re‐evaluate our current strategies.

Long-term residue removal under tillage decreases amoA-nitrifiers and stimulates nirS-denitrifier groups in the soil

No-till in continuous corn (Zea mays L.) production helps to keep an important volume of residues on the soil surface, creating management challenges that could be alleviated by residue removal for bioenergy or animal use. Crop residues, however, are essential to stimulate microbial nutrient cycling in agroecosystems. Thus, both residue removal and tillage options need to be fully evaluated for their impacts on ecosystem services related to soil health, including microbial N cycling. We explored the main steps of the microbial N cycle in relation to soil properties by using targeted gene abundance as a proxy following over a decade of residue removal in continuous corn systems either under no-till or chisel tillage. We used real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for the quantification of phylogenetic groups and functional gene screening of the soil microbial communities, including genes encoding critical enzymes of the microbial N cycle: nifH (N2 fixation), amoA (nitrification – ammonia oxidation), nirK and nirS (denitrification – nitrite reduction), and nosZ (denitrification – nitrous oxide reduction). Our results showed that long-term residue removal and tillage decreased soil organic matter (SOM), water aggregate stability (WAS), and the relative abundance (RA) of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) carrying nitrifying amoA genes. Denitrifiers carrying nirS genes decreased under no-till as crop residue was removed. In addition, our results evidenced strong correlations among soil properties and phylogenetic groups of bacteria, archaea, and fungi. Overall, this study demonstrated limited but definite impacts of residue management and tillage on the soil environment, which could be exacerbated under less resilient conditions.

Exploring the best tillage option in rice based diversified cropping systems in alluvial soil of eastern India

Continuous rice–wheat cropping system with intensive conventional tillage operations have been showing natural resource degradation. Hence, the sustainability of this major cropping system in eastern India is under a threat. Adoption of resource conservation such as conservation tillage practice with residue retention on the soil and diversification of the rice–wheat cropping system with the inclusion of pulses, oilseeds may lead towards achieving overall sustainability of the system. Attempts were made to evaluate the different tillage practices viz. zero tillage (ZT), reduced tillage (RT) and conventional tillage (CT) under rice based various cropping systems viz. rice–wheat–greengram, rice–Lathyrus–greengram, rice–lentil–greengram and rice–rapeseed–greengram in terms of system productivity, nutrient uptake by the system, recovery efficiency (RE) of added nutrients, soil microbial population and nitrous oxide (N2O) emission in alluvial soil of eastern India. Results revealed significant increase in system productivity, nutrient uptake and RE of N, P and K in RT. The maximum microbial population was found in ZT. Cereal dominated cropping system (rice–wheat–greengram) showed higher productivity and nutrient uptake, however, the recovery efficiency of nutrient and microbial population was recorded higher in legume dominated cropping systems (rice–lentil–greengram or rice–Lathyrus–greengram). The maximum N2O emission was recorded in ZT, which was almost 3–6% higher than that of RT and CT, respectively. Overall, reduced tillage was found to be the most suitable tillage option under rice based diversified cropping systems.

Grain yield, nitrogen use efficiency and tillage intensity in wheat as affected by precision nutrient management

ABSTRACT The present studies were conducted to evaluate the effect of different nutrient management practices under two tillage options in wheat. The experiments were laid out in split-plot design with a combination of two varieties (WH 1105 and HD 2967) and two tillage options (Conventional and No tillage) in the main plot and six precision nutrient management practices [absolute control, site-specific nutrient management with Nutrient Expert for wheat (SSNM-NE)(170 kg nitrogen (N)/ha), SSNM NE+GreenSeeker (GS)(153/158 N kg/ha), N120 (120 kg N/ha) before irrigation, N120 after irrigation and N Rich (180 kg N/ha)] in subplot replicated thrice. The grain yield and quality characters in no tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) were similar but agronomic efficiency was higher in NT. Both the varieties (WH 1105 and HD 2967) gave similar grain yield and quality. Wheat variety WH 1105 recorded significantly higher sodium dodecyl sulfate sedimentation (SDS) and gluten index. The treatment SSNM NE+GS had resulted in 107.1% higher grain yield than no nitrogen control but similar to enriched N plot (180 kg N/ha). The grain protein, SDS and gluten index in need-based nutrient management (SSNM+GS) treatment were found to be similar as recorded in SSNM-NE (170 kgN/ha) and N enriched plot (180 kg N ha−1). The agronomic efficiency and recovery efficiency in SSNM+GS were also better than SSNM NE.

Different Tillage Options and Residue Management for Improvingcrop Productivity and Soil Fertility in Wheat-Maize-Rice Cropping Pattern

A three yearsfield experiment was conducted at Regional Wheat Research Centre, Shyampur, Rajshahiduring 2014-15 to 2017-18 with an objective to observe the effects on soil fertility and performance of the crops under different tillage and residue management for rice-wheat (RW) systems by adding a third pre-rice crop of maize. The experiment was conducted in split plot design with three replication. The tillage options viz. (i) Strip tillage (ST) (ii) Permanent bed (PB) and (iii) conventional (CT) tillage; two crop residue management, viz. (i) 0%=no residue and (ii) 30% residue retention were studied. The results indicated that keeping 30% crop residue in the field with minimum disturbance of soil had significant contribution on grain yield of wheat-maize-rice sequence compare to conventional practice of well-till without crop residue retention.The permanent bed planting system gave the highest yields of wheat (4.37 tha-1), maize (7.31 tha-1) and rice (4.40 tha-1) and followed by strip tillage and lowest in conventional tillage. Among the residue management, 30% residue retention showed the highest yields of wheat (4.46tha- 1), maize (7.39 tha-1) and rice (4.69 tha-1). Considering economic performance of all tillage systems, the permanent bed planting system performed the best among all other tillage options and followed by strip tillage. Contrarily, 30% residue retention gave the highest yield and increased 0.12-0.14% organic matter into the soil with more productive.The results indicates that, both tillage systems coupled with 30% residue retention might be a good option for higher yield as well as soil fertility for Wheat-Maize- Taman rice cropping pattern in drought prone areas of Bangladesh.
 Bangladesh Agron. J. 2019, 22(2): 55-66

Effect of Different Tillage Options and Residue Retention for Sustainable Crop Production in Wheatmungbean- Rice Cropping Pattern in Dry Areas

The study was conducted to know the productivity and soil fertility status of intensified rice-wheat (RW) systems by adding a third pre-rice crop mungbeani.ewheat-mungbeanrice cropping pattern. The trial comprises five packages of practices including crop residue retention, seeding methods with tillage options imposed on the component crops in the same cropping pattern. The results indicated that keeping standing 30% crop residue in the field with minimum disturbance of soil had significant contribution on grain yield of wheat-mungbean-rice sequence compare to conventional practice of well-till without crop residue retention. System productivity and fertility were evaluated under five levels of tillage options (zero, strip, raised bed, minimum tillage by power tiller operated system (PTOS) and conventional tillage practice (CTP) in a RWM cropping pattern. Both permanent raised bed and strip till with 30% straw retention produced the highest productivity in all years and the lowest yield was also found from conventional practice with 30% straw retention.Soil organic matter in surface soil had increased by 0.12% after 3years crop cycles with 30% SR from rice and wheat and full residue retention from mungbean crop. Straw retention is an important component of soil management and may have long term positive impacts on soil quality. The combination of raised bedsystems and strip tillage with 30% residues retained appears to be a very promising technology for sustainable intensification of wheat-mungbean-rice croppingpattern in dry zone areas.
 Bangladesh Agron. J. 2019, 22(2): 67-75

Efficacy of mulch and tillage options to reduce runoff and soil loss from asparagus interrows

In the UK, conventional asparagus cultivation practices on sloping land, erodible soils and increased frequency of extreme rainfall events combine to promote runoff generation and soil loss, particularly from interrows. This instrumented field study investigated the interactive effect of mulch and shallow soil disturbance (working depth of 0.175 m) on reducing runoff and soil loss. Ten treatments were installed in a commercial asparagus field near Ross-on-Wye (England, UK) during May 1st–July 17th, 2012. Straw and compost were applied to the interrows at high and low application rates (straw = 5 t ha−1 and 3 t ha−1 and compost = 18 t ha−1 and 8 t ha−1, respectively), both with or without shallow soil disturbance (SSD and Non-SSD) as compared with a bare soil, unamended Control. Across five sampling periods, Non-SSD straw mulch applied at 5 t ha−1 and 3 t ha−1; Non-SSD compost mulch at 18 t ha−1; and straw mulch applied at 5 t ha−1 with SSD all significantly reduced cumulative total soil loss by 53–72% as compared with the Control. Further, mulch treatments with SSD were in general less effective at reducing total soil loss as compared to non-SSD mulch treatments. Compost application was less effective than straw, due to sub-optimal compost blanket depths as dictated by N restrictions for Nitrate Vulnerable Zones, in which the study took place. Despite an overall reduction in total soil loss of 72% (associated with Non-SSD straw mulch applied at 5 t ha−1), soil erosion rates exceeded 1.4 t ha−1 yr−1, considered to be a tolerable erosion rate in the EU. In addition, measured sediment concentrations in the runoff consistently exceeded the EU water quality guideline value of 25 mg l−1. The results indicate that the efficacy of the treatments tested was not adequate to reduce soil erosion in commercial asparagus fields in the UK to tolerable rates. This may in large part be due to daily foot trafficking events that occur during the asparagus harvesting period (April–June) which disturbs and degrades the treatments applied reduing their efficacy. This study demonstrates that additional research is required in order to identify effective erosion control measures to ensure the sustainability of commercial asparagus production systems in the UK.

Effect of soil treatment on pest infestation and crop disease distribution in black soil fields with short rotation crops

We have established the influence of four tillage systems on pest distribution and development of diseases in cultivated cereals during three-year research (2017-2019) in the field stationary of the Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University, Ukraine (chernozem grain sprouting with five-course rotation). The population of turnip moth in winter wheat, spring barley, and soya was the highest under application of disk tillage, the lowest – under moldboard tillage. The moldboard treatment limited while the beardless and disk treatments stimulate the development of beet webworm in the cereal crops. The number of pests in soya, winter wheat, spring barley, and maize was higher under combined soil treatment compared to moldboard. We recorded no significant difference in pests towards tillage systems in sunflower crops. In soya, winter wheat and maize crops, the number of wireworm was significantly higher in molded than in molded cultivation; the opposite pattern was observed in the sunflower field, while for spring barley these values were at the same level. The distribution and development of root rot in cereal crops was higher in comparison with control, but this difference was insignificant in spring barley. The development of powdery mildew in spring barley crops was almost the same for these tillage options. In cereal crops, septoriosis lesions were almost at the same level in case of moldboard and combined tillage. Significant deterioration of phytosanitary condition at beardless and disk tillage resulted in significant reduction of crop rotation productivity in comparison with control. In the fields with combined and disk treatments, the productivity value was almost the same.

Optimization of the main tillage in the grey forest rotation of the Predkamye region of the Republic of Tatarstan

In order to optimize the tillage system by minimizing basic tillage, eight basic tillage options for basic field crops were explored between 2011 and 2015. The highest crop yields were obtained under the fine tillage option (SSC-3) with periodic deep loosening. The yield increase compared to plowing (control) was 0.24-0.33 t/ha.

Effect of Burning and Tillage Options on Yields in a Continuous Wheat-Double-Crop Soybean Rotation

Effect of Burning and Tillage Options on Yields in a Continuous Wheat-Double-Crop Soybean Rotation

Effect of Strip-Till Timing, Fertilizer Placement, and Row Spacing on Soybean Seed Yield

Core Ideas A reduction in penetration resistance was observed in the rooting zone of fall and spring strip-till rows compared with no-till rows. Spring strip-till reduced penetration resistance at more depths than fall strip-till. There was no yield response of strip-till compared with no-till in the small-plot study. There was no difference in plant population or yield between strip-till or no-till in the on-farm study. The perceived yield deficit normally associated with 30-in row spacing was reduced with the use of strip-till. Alleviation of cold, wet, compacted soil is a major concern for Wisconsin soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] growers because of the narrow harvest and planting windows in spring and fall. Strip-till, which combines benefits of intensive tillage in crop rows and no-till between crop rows, has emerged as a viable conservation tillage option to alleviate these issues while maintaining soil structure and health. Though strip-till's yield response in corn (Zea mays L.) is well documented, soybean's yield response has been studied less. This study aims to: (i) quantify the effect of no-till and strip-till timing, crop row spacing, and fertilizer placement on soybean plant population, canopy coverage, and seed yield; (ii) evaluate no-till and strip-till timing and/or crop row spacing on soil temperature and penetration resistance; and (iii) determine the best management recommendations for strip-till use in Wisconsin soybean production systems. A small-plot experiment was conducted in Arlington, WI, during the 2016, 2017, and 2018 growing seasons and an on-farm experiment was conducted in Sharon, WI, during the 2016 and 2017 growing seasons. In the small-plot trial, 15-inch spring strip-till (66.5 bu acre-1) yielded 6.7% more than 15-inch fall strip-till (62.0 bu acre-1). There was no difference in yield between the 15-inch and 30-inch row spacings across all tillage treatments. Plant population in the small-plot trial was 17,000 plants acre-1 (15.5%) greater at the 30-inch row spacing than at the 15-inch row spacing. In the on-farm trial, no differences were observed among treatment combinations. Overall, results suggested that there were no differences in yield when comparing strip-till and no-till for soybean production.

Transplanting into non-puddled soils with a small-scale mechanical transplanter reduced fuel, labour and irrigation water requirements for rice (Oryza sativa L.) establishment and increased yield

Mechanizing the transplanting of rice can decrease labour requirement and costs for crop establishment. The cost of crop establishment can also be reduced by changing from conventional tillage with puddling to reduced tillage in non-puddled soil. However, mechanized rice transplanters for suitable for the small-scale fields of Asia have not been evaluated on non-puddled soils. This study was conducted to evaluate the performance of a 4-row walking-type mechanical rice transplanter under different tillage options for rice establishment. Field experiments were conducted on a clay loam soil in Gazipur and on a loam soil in Kushtia during the irrigated dry (Boro) season in 2012–13 and the non-irrigated wet (Aman) season in 2013. Three non-puddled soil treatments (shallow beds, strip tillage on the flat, zero tillage on the flat) were compared with conventional puddled tillage (‘puddling’). The non-puddled plots were flooded 18 h before transplanting to soften the soil.Strip tillage reduced tillage time and fuel consumption for tillage by 50–70% relative to puddling. Strip and zero tillage also reduced the irrigation water input for transplanting by 22 and 28%, respectively. The transplanter had a significantly higher rate of area coverage in strip and zero tilled soil (0.131–0.134 ha/h) than in puddled soil and beds (0.115–0.121 ha/h). Non-puddled strip and zero tillage also reduced fuel consumption for mechanical transplanting by 11–18 % compared to puddling. The proportion of missing hills was lower in strip tilled soil than in puddled soil, and there were fewer missing hills due to less floating and burial of plants. Transplanter slippage significantly reduced the plant to plant spacing during transplanting in puddled soil compared to the spacing in non-puddled soil.All non-puddled tillage treatments gave similar or significantly higher yield of rice compared to puddling. On the clay loam soil, strip tillage and zero tillage gave significantly higher yields (5.4–5.6 t/ha) than bed tillage and puddling (5.1–5.2 t/ha). On the loam, yields with strip tillage (5.1 t/ha) and bed tillage (4.9 t/ha) were similar, and yield with strip tillage was significantly higher than that of zero tillage and puddling (4.7–4.8 t/ha). Operating the mechanical rice transplanter in non-puddled soil reduced labour and fuel costs and irrigation water input for rice establishment. Crop production was profitable with mechanized transplanting into all tillage treatments at both sites in both seasons, with gross margin ranging from US$273 to US$582/ha, and BCR from 1.3 to 1.7. Strip tillage and zero tillage were more profitable than puddling at Gazipur, while strip tillage was also the most profitable treatment at Kushtia. Mechanized transplanting into non-puddled soil is thus a promising option for smallholder wetland rice farmers in Asia.

Exploring the Relationships between Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Yields, and Soil Properties in Cropping Systems

Relationships between greenhouse gas emissions, yields, and soil properties are not well known. Utilizing two datasets from long-term cropping systems in Illinois, USA, our we aim to address these knowledge gaps. The objective of this study was to explore the relationships between the physical and chemical properties and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of soil, and cash crop yields over a four-year time-period and following 15 years of treatment implementation in Illinois, USA. The experimental layout was a split-plot arrangement involving rotation and tillage treatments in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The studied crop rotations were continuous corn [Zea mays L.] (CCC), corn-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] (CS), continuous soybean (SSS), and corn-soybean-wheat [Triticum aestivum L.] (CSW), with each phase being present for every year. The tillage options were chisel tillage (T) and no-tillage (NT). We used an array of multivariate approaches to analyze both of our datasets that included 31 soil properties, GHG emissions (N2O, CO2, and CH4) and cash crop yields. The results from our analyses indicate that N2O emissions are associated with a low soil pH, an increased Al concentration, the presence of soil nitrate throughout the growing season, an increase in plant available water (PAW) and an increased soil C concentration. Likewise, soil CO2 respiration was correlated with low pH, elevated Al concentrations, low Ca, increased PAW, higher levels of microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and lower water aggregate stability (WAS). Emissions of CH4 were associated with increased levels of MBC. Lastly, the yield index (YdI) was correlated with lower levels of soil Ca and available P and lower values of WAS. The association between high YdI and lower WAS can be attributed to tillage, as tillage lowers WAS, but increases yields in highly productive cropping systems in the Midwest.

Application of a bias-corrected meta-frontier approach and an endogenous switching regression to analyze the technical efficiency of conservation tillage for wheat in South Asia

Conservation tillage (CT) options are among the most rapidly spreading land preparation and crop establishment techniques globally. In South Asia, CT has spread dramatically over the last decade, a result of strong policy support and increasing availability of appropriate machinery. Although many studies have analyzed the yield and profitability of CT systems, the technical efficiency impacts accrued by farmers utilizing CT have received considerably less attention. Employing a DEA framework, we isolated bias-corrected meta-frontier technical efficiencies and meta-technology ratios of three CT options adopted by wheat farmers in Bangladesh, including bed planting (BP), power tiller operated seeding (PTOS), and strip tillage (ST), compared to a control group of farmers practicing traditional tillage (TT). Endogenous switching regression was subsequently employed to overcome potential self-selection bias in the choice of CT, in order to robustly estimate efficiency factors. Among the tillage options studied, PTOS was the most technically efficient, with an average meta-technology ratio of 0.90, followed by BP (0.88), ST (0.83), and TT (0.67). The average predicted meta-frontier technical efficiency for the CT non-adopters under a counterfactual scenario (0.80) was significantly greater (P = 0.00) than current TE scores (0.65), indicating the potential for sizeable profitability increases with CT adoption. Conversely, the counterfactual TE of non-adopters was 23% greater than their DEA efficiency, also indicating efficiency gains from CT adoption. Our results provide backing for agricultural development programs in South Asia that aim to increase smallholder farmers’ income through the application of CT as a pathway towards poverty reduction.

Rhizospheric improvement with various tillage and nutrient management options in wheat (Triticum aestivum)

An agronomic investigation for four consecutive years during 2012–13 to 2015–16 was conducted at Pantnagar (India) to investigate the effect of tillage and nutrient management options on different soil properties in wheat under lowland rice-wheat cropping system. Three tillage treatments viz., conventional tillage (CT) without chiseling, chiseling followed by CT and chiseling followed by rotavator and three nutrient management options [100% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF), combined application of 100% RDF along with FYM @ 15 tonnes ha−1 and 125% RDF combined with FYM] were laid out in strip plot design. Chiseling before either disk harrowing or rotavator in tillage and application of 125% RDF of nutrients along with FYM was efficiently improved the rhizospheric environment in terms of various physical, chemical and biological soil properties for growing wheat crop grown after harvesting of lowland puddled rice.

Influence of tillage, vertical seed distribution, and pyroxasulfone application timing and rate on control of wild oat (Avena fatua L.)

Tillage and new herbicide options may be necessary for the control of herbicide-resistant wild oat. The efficacy of soil-applied herbicides such as pyroxasulfone can be influenced by edaphic factors and weed seed recruitment depth, which varies with tillage system. We investigated the effect of tillage and pyroxasulfone rate when applied in the fall and spring on wild oat biomass at three locations in Alberta in 2014–2015. The vertical position of wild oat seeds, with and without tillage, was examined at each site. Wild oat biomass was greater in untilled plots compared with plots with fall tillage at all locations. In two out of three locations, pyroxasulfone efficacy was superior when applied in the fall compared with spring, possibly influenced by low spring rainfall. A single tillage pass at the Edmonton and Kinsella locations did not affect wild oat seed distribution, but there was an increase in seeds present in the surface layer in the untilled treatment at Lacombe. Tillage, used in combination with soil-applied herbicides, may be an option to achieve acceptable control of herbicide-resistant wild oat.