field and forage crop seedbed preparation
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Field And forage crop seedbed preparation. Common Tillage Systems. Conventional/Intensive Tillage Reduced/ Minimum Tillage Conservation Tillage: No-Till, Strip-Till, Ridge-Till, Mulch-Till. Reduced/Minimum Tillage. Leaves between 15-30% residue cover on the soil - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
FIELD AND FORAGE CROP SEEDBED PREPARATION
Common Tillage Systems
Conventional/Intensive Tillage
Reduced/ Minimum Tillage
Conservation Tillage: No-Till, Strip-Till, Ridge-Till, Mulch-Till
Reduced/Minimum Tillage
Leaves between 15-30% residue cover on the soilThis residue protects the soil from erosion
Accomplished with specialized equipment that gently tills the soil
Conservation Tillage
Leaves a minimum of 30% of crop residue on soil surface
Greatly reduces soil erosionIncreases organic matter
Reduces number of passes in field= less fuel, less compaction, less time in field
Conserves soil moistureRequires specialized heavy-duty equipment to
“break” through crop residue and soil in one pass.
No-Till & Strip-TillPlanting of crops directly into residue that
either hasn’t been tilled at all (no-till) or has been tilled only in narrow strips with the rest
of the field left untilled (strip-till).
Ridge-TillRidge-till involves planting row crops on permanent ridges about
4-6 inches high.The previous crop’s residue is cleared off ridge-tops into adjacent
furrows to make way for the new crop being planted on ridges.Maintaining the ridges is essential and requires modified or
specialized equipment
Mulch-Till
Mulch-till is any other reduced tillage system that leaves at least one third of the soil
surface covered with crop residue
Conventional TillageLeaves less than 15% crop residue cover by completely inverting the top 12” of
soil. Includes moldboard plowing, 2-3 secondary tillage steps and one or more primary
tillage steps.This system is adapted to very intensively cropped soils which are usually
irrigated, fairly level, and produce 2-3 crops per year.
Selecting a Tillage SystemSoil Type: compaction, erosion
Water and Wind ErosionClimate: Soil temps, damaging weather
Water Conservation: water availability, conserving soil moisture
Irrigation MethodCrop Type
Soil Fertility management: Organic matter, nutrient availability
Weed PressureDisease managementInsect Management
Cost: Fuel, Labor, Equipment
Conventional Tillage Systems
Land LevelingAccomplished with laser planes.1%-.3% for most irrigated crops
Involves cutting and filling: scraping soil off high spots and filling in low spotsLaser Leveling improves efficiency of irrigation (flood and sprinkler)
Must be done in dry soil, free of vegetation
Test SoilTest for primary plant food elements: N, P, K
Test EC and PhTest for other elements/micronutrients
With heavy cutting and filling, there will be irregularities where large layers of soil were removed or filled.
Primary Plant Food Elements: NitrogenEssential element for building material in the
plant. Promotes growth, gives plants a green color, improves quality of leaf crops, and increases
protein content in all crops.Very mobile/ easily leached
Deficiency symptoms: Stunted growth
pale yellowish color “firing” of leaf tips and margins, beginning
at bottom of plantLow protein content
PhosphorusEssential to all plant growth, active ingredient of protoplasm.
Stimulates early growth and root formationaccelerates maturity, promotes seed production, contributes to general
hardiness of the plantNot very mobile in soilDeficiency Symptoms:
Small growth, especially root developmentSpindly stalk
Delayed maturityPurplish foliage
Lack of, or poor fruit and seed development
PotassiumNot much is known about the function of potassium in plants,
but like the other primary nutrients, it is essential to photosynthesis. It enhances the plants ability to resist
disease, cold and other adverse conditions and it functions in the process where starches and sugars and made from carbon
dioxide and water.Deficiency Symptoms:
Plant grows slowlyMargins of leaves develop a “scorched effect” starting on
older leaves.Stalk is weak and plants “lodge” easily
Seed or Fruit is shriveledPlants natural resistance to disease is reduced