Understanding cover crop and tillage system interactions within specific environments can help maximize productivity and economic returns of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) produced on sandy coastal plain soils of the southeastern USA. A strip-plot design with three replications was used to evaluate the cover crops Austrian winter pea [Pisum sativum L. ssp. arvense (L.)], balansa clover (Trifoli...

Dryland farming in the Mediterranean climate of the Pacific Northwest, USA supports extremely low earthworm populations under conventional tillage. Increases in earthworm populations are being observed in fields under no-till cropping systems. A 30+ year experiment with four tillage levels in a pea (Pisum sativum L.)-winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) rotation was evaluated for earthworm popul...

Cropping sequence diversification provides a systems approach to reduce yield variations and improve resilience to multiple environmental stresses. Yield advantages of more diverse crop rotations and their synergistic effects with reduced tillage are well documented, but few studies have quantified the impact of these management practices on yields and their stability when soil moisture is limi...

Grass cropping in the rotation and the use of no-till seeding appear to be important components for developing sustainable cropping systems. Grass cropping and no-till seeding improve soil organic matter content, increase the soil microbial biomass, increase earthworm numbers, likely cause a buildup of fungivorous microarthropods and nematodes, and greatly increases the resistance of soil to er...

Soil structural deterioration from continuous cropping systems can adversely affect crop development. Conservation tillage systems are useful to control soil degradation, but may lead to excessive soil compaction, negatively impacting crop growth. Physical measurements were made during 1994 on a Chernozemic loam soil (Petrocalcic Paleudoll) with a petrocalcic horizon at a depth of 1.2 m in Balc...

A no-till (NT) production system has potential to reduce soil erosion, fossil fuel consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions compared with a conventional till (CT) system. Nitrogen fertilization (four to six N rates) and tillage system (CT and NT) effects on irrigated, continuous corn (Zea mays L.) yields were evaluated for 5 yr on a clay loam soil to determine the viability of the NT system an...

Corn acreage has increased in recent years in Louisiana. Much of this is on mixed to heavy Mississippi River alluvial soils and to a lesser extent on loessial silt loams of the Macon Ridge. Each of these soil groups are unique in their phys­ ical and chemical characteristics and different management strategies may be required to produce optimal yield. Research has indicated that corn performs b...

Data from runoff plots operated over a ®ve year period show that signi®cantly less overland ̄ow is generated with a seasonal no-till ridge system than with contour tillage or straight tillage systems. Seasonal no-till ridge is the optimum system for increasing the availability of water for rainfed agriculture on the dryland soils in the hilly area of Sichuan Province, China. # 2000 Published by...

the depth control systems used in iranian tractors are mechanical and they produce variable tillage depth in uneven field surface. in this research a rotary type electronic control valve was designed and constructed. by using this valve, electro-hydraulic tillage depth control system was developed and installed on the tractor. the control system was composed of: a depth sensor, a programmable l...

tillage usually has been found to increase b compared with moldboard and chisel plow (Kitur et al., 1993; Lal, Tillage impacts on soil properties differ among soils. This study 1999). Bulk density usually is lowest immediately after investigated tillage, cropping, and wheel traffic (WT) effects of 13-yr of no-tillage (NT), chisel plow (CP), and moldboard plow (MP) under tillage and increases wi...