What is the effect of Tillage erosion?
Tillage erosion not only redistributes soil within a landscape, it also leaves the soil more susceptible to wind and water erosion by exposing subsoil which is more erodible and by delivering topsoil to areas of the landscape where water erosion is more severe.
Is tillage good or bad for the environment?
However, tillage has all along been contributing negatively to soil quality. Since tillage fractures the soil, it disrupts soil structure, accelerating surface runoff and soil erosion. Tillage also reduces crop residue, which help cushion the force of pounding raindrops.
How does intensive tillage affect the spread of weeds?
More intensive tillage buries weed seeds deeper in the soil and results in a more uniform distribution of weed seeds in the soil. Weed seeds become more dormant when buried, which prevents them from germinating until they’re brought back to the soil surface.
What are the benefits of reducing soil tillage intensity?
Reducing soil tillage intensity presents many benefits, challenges and some required changes to your field operations. Benefits include: Reduced soil erosion, fuel use, time and labor.
What is tillage and how does it harm soil?
In addition to exposing soil to wind and water erosion, tillage can alter the physical structure, distribution of organic matter and biological activity of soil. At the depth where the plow impacts the soil, a layer of soil compaction can develop (a plow pan), limiting water infiltration and plant rooting depth.
Does tillage reduce soil erosion?
Conventional tillage, such as moldboard plowing, leaves the soil surface bare and loosens soil particles, making them susceptible to the erosive forces of wind and water. Conservation tillage practices reduce erosion by protecting the soil surface and allowing water to infiltrate instead of running off.
What does tilling do to the soil?
The purpose of tilling is to mix organic matter into your soil, help control weeds, break up crusted soil, or loosen up a small area for planting. You do not need to till or break up the soil very deep; less than 12 inches is better. Tilling too often or deep can do more damage than good to your soil.
What are the disadvantages of soil tillage?
Tillage loosens and aerates the soil, which allows for the deeper penetration of roots. It controls weeds and mixes organic matter, fertilizer and manure with the soil. However, tillage can contribute to the loss of soil moisture, lead to increased wind and water erosion and consume significant amounts of fuel.
How does tilling the soil cause more harm than good?
Tilling soil can prompt it to lose nutrients like nitrogen and fertilizer, which can impact its ability to store water. Tilling soil decreases the water infiltration rate of the soil. This ultimately results in more runoff and erosion as the soil absorbs water more slowly than it did previously.
What are the pros and cons of tilling?
Both cultivating and tilling have similar pros and cons.Pros. Breaks up compacted soil. Adds air and organic matter. Helps eliminate pests.Cons. Destroys natural soil structure, making soil more prone to compaction. Reduces soil's moisture-retaining ability.
What are the disadvantages of tilling?
The downside of tilling is that it destroys the natural soil structure, which makes soil more prone to compaction. By exposing a greater surface area to air and sunlight, tilling reduces soil's moisture-retaining ability and causes a hard crust to form on the soil surface.
How does tillage affect soil organic matter?
It has been well documented that increased tillage intensities can reduce soil organic matter in the topsoil due to increased microbial activity and carbon (C ) oxidation. The potential loss of soil organic matter due to tillage operations is much higher for high organic matter soils than low organic matter soils.
How does tillage affect soil physical properties?
Tillage modifies the soil physical properties. Usually, the bulk density of tilled soils decreases while the tillage implement compacts the soil underneath, creating, after repeated tillage operations, a plough layer that restricts water flow and root penetration (Carter and Colwick, 1971).
How does tillage affect the growth of your crops?
In agricultural systems, tillage functions as a subsystem that influences crop production mainly through crop establishment, modification of soil structure, incorporation of fertilizer and soil amendments (e.g., lime and manure), and weed control. Tillage is also used to alleviate both climatic and soil constraints.
What are the disadvantages of minimum tillage?
Min-till maizeProsConsReduces establishment costs Saves time Reduces soil erosion, nutrient leaching and fuel use Improves soil structure Builds organic matterNot all fields will be suitable – it depends on the level of compaction and surface residue Doesn't incorporate muck and weeds as well as ploughingApr 6, 2021
Does tillage affect soil moisture?
Tillage treatments directly or indirectly influence soil hydraulic properties such as water infiltration, hydraulic conductivity, and water retention which determine the ability of the soil to capture and store water through precipitation or irrigation.
What is the best way to prevent soil erosion?
You can reduce soil erosion by:Maintaining a healthy, perennial plant cover.Mulching.Planting a cover crop – such as winter rye in vegetable gardens. ... Placing crushed stone, wood chips, and other similar materials in heavily used areas where vegetation is hard to establish and maintain.More items...
How tillage affects soil erosion and runoff?
The effect of tillage on soil Since tillage fractures the soil, it disrupts soil structure, accelerating surface runoff and soil erosion. Tillage also reduces crop residue, which help cushion the force of pounding raindrops.
How does no-till reduce soil erosion?
In no-till agriculture, the farmer uses a no-till planter to create a narrow furrow just large enough for seed to be placed. By not plowing or disking, cover crop residue remains on the surface, protecting the soil from crusting, erosion, high summer temperatures and moisture loss.
Which erosion is removed by tillage operations?
Tillage erosion not only redistributes soil within a landscape, it also leaves the soil more susceptible to wind and water erosion by exposing subsoil which is more erodible and by delivering topsoil to areas of the landscape where water erosion is more severe.
Why is tillage bad for soil?
Tillage has been described as being ‘addictive’ for soils because of the vicious cycle that can be established. Soils are tilled to disrupt surface crusts, compacted zones, or other real or perceived limitations to crop production. Doing so may provide short-term improvements in tilth and nutrient cycling, but these periods of improvement become shorter and shorter as more of the organic matter is lost through oxidation. Ultimately the soils may be ‘burned out’ and must either be abandoned until natural processes (e.g., wetting and drying; plant root proliferation, exudation, death, and decay; weathering) can restore the tilth or management practices (e.g., crop rotation, tillage, water management) are changed. As a result of these interactions, monitoring of soil tilth may provide a useful indicator of the sustainability of an agricultural system.
What is erosivity in tillage?
Tillage erosivity is defined as the propensity of a tillage operation, or a sequence of operations, to erode soil, and is a function of the design of the tillage implement (combination, arrangement, and shape of tillage tools), the operation of the tillage implement (depth and speed), the suitability of the tractor–implement match, and the behavior of the tillage operator. Tillage depth determines the amount of soil translocated and tillage speed determines the amount of energy imparted by the tillage tools on the translocated soil. Each tillage implement has a recommended depth and speed of operation. When operated as recommended, tillage depth and speed vary in complex landscapes in response to changing power requirement and availability. Variation in tillage depth and speed causes tillage translocation to vary and, therefore, causes tillage erosion. This variation in tillage depth and speed is amplified if an implement is operated in excess of recommended depth and speed, or if the tractor used has less than the recommended available power to draw the implement. The manner in which the operator manipulates tillage depth and speed in response to changing power requirement and availability can also affect the erosivity of tillage, for example, it is an erosive practice to employ high speeds during downslope tillage to recover working time lost due to deceleration during upslope tillage. Typically, large implements, equipped with aggressive tillage tools, operated at great depths and high speeds are highly erosive, with more passes resulting in more erosion.
Why is crop residue important?
The presence of crop residue on the soil surface (mulching) is extremely important for minimizing soil loss from water, wind, and tillage erosion and for improving soil organic C, soil fauna activity, and ultimately soil quality (Delgado, 2010 ). As such, practices that increase the return of crop residue to the soil, especially with crops such as maize that have large amounts of residue and are deep rooted, can contribute to agricultural productivity and help famers to adapt to climate change and variability. Carbon sequestration is important in climate change adaptation efforts because it contributes to so many soil functions and properties that are related to productivity, e.g., soil C helps improve soil properties, such as soil structure and aggregate formation, which contribute to increases in available water-holding capacity. The fact that SSFs in Kalomo do not use mulch much lowers their productivity, adaptive capacity, and resilience under a changing climate, as their fields are more prone to erosion, soil C loss, and reduced soil faunal activity.
How do invasive species affect soil?
Invasive species of plants and animals also influence changes in soils and biotic communities. The movement of plants, people, and machinery has not only increased the numbers of species invasions into soils globally, but has significantly increased impacts on soil biodiversity and some characteristic of the ecosystem (e.g., nutrient cycling, species richness and or abundance, plant factors, soil physical or chemical factors) and increased costs of eradication. An earthworm species introduced to New York has changed forest-floor litter quality and composition, soil chemistry, and water infiltration rates. European nations are examining ways to eradicate the Australian planarian flatworm, Artioposthia triangulata, a predator of earthworms. This invasive species has impacts aboveground (removing the food source for birds) and belowground (removing an animal species that influences organic matter transformation, soil hydrology, and structure). Invasive plant species with differing rooting depths and plant chemical composition can have repercussions for soil communities. Woody plant invasions into grasslands of the Great Plains of the USA have greater rooting depths (affecting soil carbon storage) and, at these depths, a more depauperate nematode community.
What are transport coefficients for tillage?
Tillage transport coefficients are available in, or calculated from, the literature, for different implements, tillage directions, tillage speed, and tillage depth . In addition, bulk density of soil can also be incorporated.
How does land use affect biodiversity?
Land-use change is the major driver affecting soil biodiversity and future soil sustainability. Land-use changes (tillage, erosion, dams, change in plant species) affecting soil physical and chemical properties, soil structure, and the base of the soil food web (chemical composition of plants, amount of organic matter, oil, pollution, manure) have direct impacts on species composition. The conversion of a natural grassland or forest to a managed system for agriculture, pasture, urban, or industrial use, changes the determinants of soil biodiversity, the vegetation, soil structure, and microclimate. The disruption to the natural vegetation and the soil habitat with land-use change decouples the nutrients provided by the decomposition food web from plant uptake. The result is a loss in soil fertility provided by the original soil and its inhabitants. Additional fertilizer is required, and pesticides may be necessary, especially with more intensive agriculture, because the new soil food web generally has fewer predators, resulting in a change in or loss of biocontrol of plant pathogens. While tillage methods are beneficial in conserving carbon in soils and creating a food web that is more detritus-based, some lower level of herbicides and pesticides is generally used. There are examples from tropical wet and dry forests, grasslands, deserts, and other ecosystems showing that these land-use changes affect the total soil biota (macrofauna, microfauna, and microflora), generally reducing species diversity. Desertification resulting from land-use change has a considerable impact on soil processes, including soil carbon, soil structure, soil biota, and soil fertility.
How does surface residue affect soil?
One principal function of surface residue is to decrease the force of wind on the soil surface, because the impacts of forces that can erode the soil particles are reduced when the force of the wind is transferred to the residue . However, under long-term managed vegetable fields of clay loam soil ( Basher and Ross, 2002); most of the soil redistribution is caused by water erosion rather than tillage erosion. On an equal-weight basis, the residues of small grains are more effective than those of sorghum or corn residues, which in turn are more effective than those of cotton or soybeans (Woodruff and Siddoway, 1973 ). Graham et al. (2007) concluded that only 28% of corn stover could be removed under current production practices, if soil erosion were to remain below 0.5 t ha − 1. Izaurralde et al. (2007) stated that with improved tillage management practices in upper layers of the soil, the adoption of NT tends to reduce erosion, retains soil nutrients, and reduces C loss over CT. Guy and Lauver (2007) also reported that the presence of crop residues on the surface retained soil water and reduced soil erosion. Even with no-till practices, removal of corn stover was shown to increase soil bulk density and reduce soil water content in a 1-year field experiment ( Blanco-Canqui et al., 2006, 2007 ).
How does tillage affect soil?
The effect of tillage on soil. However, tillage has all along been contributing negatively to soil quality. Since tillage fractures the soil, it disrupts soil structure, accelerating surface runoff and soil erosion. Tillage also reduces crop residue, which help cushion the force of pounding raindrops. Without crop residue, soil particles become ...
What happens when you tillage over a long period of time?
Frequent tillage over many seasons -- the impact. When frequent tillage is sustained over a period of years, the impact grows even more severe. A total break down of soil structure and overall soil quality is almost assured. A hardpan can develop, effectively cutting off root elongation, crop development and yield.
What is tillage used for?
Tillage was used for seedbed preparation, weed suppression, soil aeration, turning over cover crops and forages, burying heavy crop residue, leveling the soil, incorporating manure and fertilizer into the root zone and activating pesticides.
What is hardpan in agriculture?
A hardpan can develop, effectively cutting off root elongation, crop development and yield. Producers reaching this point may experience high erosion rates and degradation of topsoil, where nearly all organic matter is located. Removal of topsoil by erosion contributes to a loss of inherent soil fertility levels.
What are the characteristics of soil?
There are many characteristics and indicators of soil quality, including bulk density, good soil pores and water-holding capacity, good infiltration rates and overall tilth, and high levels of organic matter and beneficial soil organisms. Tillage can negatively impact almost every one of those characteristics.
Why is topsoil loss dangerous?
In time, the soil is in danger of yield setbacks due to organic matter and nutrient loss as well as the damage done to the soil's physical properties.
How can eroded soil be restored?
While producers can supply needed crop nutrients to offset the loss of inherent fertility, the productivity of eroded soils can be restored by adding inputs only when favorable subsoil material is present. Where unfavorable subsoils exist (limited rooting depth, coarse sand and gravel, or high soil densities), there is little or no ability to recover yield losses -- the impact on soil quality and productivity is devastating and final.
How does tillage affect the soil?
Aggressive tillage implements fluff up the soil, increasing the amount of pore space and air in the soil. The fluffed-up soil can readily dry by evaporation after most rainfall events, allowing oxygen to meet crop needs. However, drying by evaporation can only provide so much benefit.
What are the challenges of tillage?
Conversely, the challenges include: 1 Learning a new tillage system 2 Changing equipment costs 3 Managing residue build-up over time 4 Patience 5 Perhaps going against local traditions
What percentage of crop residue is left in a tillage system?
Medium-depth tillage implements, such as the chisel plow, strip till, ridge till and disk also leave 30 to 60 percent of crop residues covering the soil surface. If you use a field cultivator as a secondary tillage option, the amount of crop residue covering the soil surface will decrease to 20 to 30 percent.
How much of the soil is covered by tillage?
Deep tillage implements, such as the moldboard plow and disk ripper, leave less than 15 and 45 percent of crop residues covering the soil surface, respectively.
Why does crop residue change color?
Also, crop residue typically is light in color, which reflects more solar radiation back up into the atmosphere than a darker color would. As a result, less heat reaches the soil surface. Tillage practices. Soil temperature changes due to the depth and aggressiveness of the tillage implement used.
How does tillage affect nutrient management?
Tillage system choices will affect nutrient management practices. For example, surface-applied nitrogen (N) fertilizer, such as granular urea or urea-ammonium nitrate (UAN) solution, should be incorporated mechanically or by rainfall within three days of application. This reduces N loss from volatilization.
How to reduce weeds in a tillage system?
Effective weed management in a reduced tillage system includes using soil-residual herbicides, well-timed post-emergence herbicide applications, crop rotation and herbicides with multiple modes of action.
