NT will reduce soybean grain yields and economic returns, particularly during the first few years of adoption. Farmers have been encouraged to adopt no-tillage (NT) because Soybean grain yield response to NT systems depends of its positive environmental effects compared with other conservation tillage systems. Nevertheless, poor crop performance under NT manmainly upon soil drainage and previou...

Coarse-textured surface horizons are common in highly weathered southeastern US coastal plain soils. These soils have historically been managed under conventional tillage practices, but conservation tillage management practices are increasing. Although clay (<2 �m) contents are low in these surface horizons (typically <100 g kg−1), the reactive nature of this fraction tends to play a dominant r...

The paper focuses on conservation agriculture (CA), defined as minimal soil disturbance (no-till, NT) and permanent soil cover (mulch) combined with rotations, as a more sustainable cultivation system for the future. Cultivation and tillage play an important role in agriculture. The benefits of tillage in agriculture are explored before introducing conservation tillage (CT), a practice that was...

The principles are discussed of bench terracing and deep tined tillage, on the level contour, appliedto selected shallow soils on steep slopes of the Ifafa area on the Natal south coast. Results from 36 month old timber (Eucalyptus grandis) and [4 month old sugarcane (N16) grown on bench terraces are reported and compared with current practices. The implications of this site-specific technique ...

Elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) can affect both the quantity and quality of plant tissues produced, which will impact the cycling and storage of carbon (C) within plant/soil systems and thus the rate of CO2 release back to the atmosphere. Research is needed to more accurately quantify the effects of elevated CO2 and associated feedbacks on soil CO2 efflux in order to predict the poten...