The Effects of Mulch Tillage on Runoff, Erosion, Soil Properties, and Crop Yields

Abstract

The effects of mulch and clean tillage methods on runoff, erosion, soil properties and crop yields were studied over a period of 10 years. Corn was grown each summer following wjnter cover crops of vetch and rye mixed and crimson clover. Mulch tilled land"was prepared for planting corn by disk-harrowing, and by disk-harrowing plus loosening the soil with a springtooth tiller. A disk or mold board plow was used to prepare the turn-plowed treatments.Runoff and erosion were reduced considerably under mulch tillage. The degree of aggregation of the mulch tilled soil increased more rapidly than that of the turn-plowed soil. The vetch and rye cover crop caused greater improvement in degree of aggregation than the crimson clover. Soil aggregation of the clean tilled crimson clover treatment decreased during the test. Soil aggregation of the clean tilled soil without a cover crop decreased significantly.Organic matter content of the vetch and rye mulch-tilled soil increased significantly. The organic matter content of the vetch .and rye mulch tilled soil was significantly greater than that of either the vetch and rye clean tilled or the clean-tilled without a cover crop. The organic matter content of the cleantilled soil without a cover crop did not change materially.The total nitrogen contents of all the soils with cover crop treatments, except the clean tilled crimson clover, increased significantly during the test. The nitrogen contents of the mulchtilled soils were significantly greater than those which were clean-tilled with cover crop treatments. There was no appreciable change in the total nitrogen content of the clean tilled soil without a cover crop. The differences between corn yields of all treatments for all years, except 1950, were not significant. The average corn yields of all treatments were approximately equal.

Impact of rainfall and tillage systems on off‐site herbicide movement

“…In Mississippi, 18% of the soybean acreage is under some type of conservation tillage practice (Spurlock and Misra, 1989). Herbicide behavior (Helling, 1987) and runoff potential (Beale et al, 1955) are altered by changes in the soil environment due to reduced-or no-tillage cropping systems. Information is needed to quantify both horizontal and vertical movement of herbicides in soil and water.…”

“…Conservation tillage may affect herbicide movement directly or indirectly by increasing crop residue, decreasing pH, increasing soil moisture and organic matter content, or by altering microbial activity (Helling, 1987). Increased ground cover in limited-or no-tillage systems decreases erosion and runoff (Beale et al, 1955). However, surface cover may intercept 80 to 90% of applied herbicides (Banks and Robinson, 1986;Peterson et al, 1988), which are then subject to removal during a runoff event.…”

Factors Affecting Successful Establishment of Aerially Seeded Winter Rye

“…The benefits of cover crops have been known for many years (Odland and Knoblauch, 1938; Beale et al, 1955), although adoption has been minimal. For example, Singer et al (2007) estimated that only 18% of farmers in the U.S. Corn Belt had used cover crops in the past.…”

Effect of N-rates on dryland wheat in relation to mulching previous crop or fallow

“…Grain yield with 0 and 40kgha ~1 in the mulched plots was almost comparable to those with 40 and 80kgNha -1 in the unmulched plots (Tables 5 and 6). It may be recalled that the mulch material during different years contained 1.8-3.4% N, 0.4% P and 2.0-3.75% K. Marked effects of mulching on the enrichment of organic matter and available potassium were observed by Beale et al [1] and Jacks et al [2] respectively. Zingg and Whitfield [8] further observed higher availability of P near the surface on stubble mulched plots and postulated that early seedling growth and root development of wheat will respond to this increase in available P with stubble mulching.…”