Direct drilling and reduced tillage

[millo2]

Any of you farm type people that read these boards know anything about these methods, ie, their advantages, disadvantages, ecology effects etc

[Aled_cky]

what do you want to know? define it down.

Aled

[millo2]

I have to write an essay on

 

What problems they have created?

What advantages do they have?

Are they financially viable?

Do they have a future?

Has their usefulness been affected by the ban on straw burning?

Effects on ecology, productivity and the environment?

[Aled_cky]

can't help much.. if you get Farmer's Weekly try and find something in the Arable section.

if you mean Direct drilling as in Sewing seeds i can answer some stuff.. we save about 300kg of seeds when drilling because we use something that does the acreage and how many seeds per acre of each weight etc..

tillage.. is mainly used on Arable farms.. i'm not sure but i think it is when straight after combining the field is Tillaged(ploughed) with the straw still lying ontop.. this mainly happens on MAJOR arable farms in Euro, America and some in UK.. i dont know what the effect of not being able to burn straw has.. but many arable farmers plough in the straw as by the time they plough the straw has sort of rotted and the nutrients go back into the soil.

 

look it up on internet.

Aled

[millo2]

can't help much.. if you get Farmer's Weekly try and find something in the Arable section.

if you mean Direct drilling as in Sewing seeds i can answer some stuff.. we save about 300kg of seeds when drilling because we use something that does the acreage and how many seeds per acre of each weight etc..

tillage.. is mainly used on Arable farms.. i'm not sure but i think it is when straight after combining the field is Tillaged(ploughed) with the straw still lying ontop.. this mainly happens on MAJOR arable farms in Euro, America and some in UK.. i dont know what the effect of not being able to burn straw has.. but many arable farmers plough in the straw as by the time they plough the straw has sort of rotted and the nutrients go back into the soil.

 

look it up on internet.

Aled

Yeah, its a bit more detailed than that mate, I have to look at scientific journals for references etc. But what you have said, I have found out, just need a bit more detail

[Aled_cky]

ah ok, all i know is the nitrogen in the straw.. not bad as nearest arable farm to me that does over 3000acres is 40miles and we only do 30acres of arable a year on our farm and it is all baled.

Aled

[lurcherboy]

Any of you farm type people that read these boards know anything about these methods, ie, their advantages, disadvantages, ecology effects etc

I don't know if this is what are you asking about, but, I was listening to Radio 4 on Sunday lunchtime and there was a programme about people emmigrating to Canada. I remember the father of the family saying that after a harvest they just drilled new seed straight in! He then went on to say that it was to keep the soil moist as ploughing releases it and they may not get any rain for ages.

 

I believe you can go to BBC website and hear previous programmes.

 

 

 

Hope it helps Marmite.

 

 

 

LB :thumbs:

[millo2]

Any of you farm type people that read these boards know anything about these methods, ie, their advantages, disadvantages, ecology effects etc

I don't know if this is what are you asking about, but, I was listening to Radio 4 on Sunday lunchtime and there was a programme about people emmigrating to Canada. I remember the father of the family saying that after a harvest they just drilled new seed straight in! He then went on to say that it was to keep the soil moist as ploughing releases it and they may not get any rain for ages.

 

I believe you can go to BBC website and hear previous programmes.

 

 

 

Hope it helps Marmite.

 

 

 

LB :thumbs:

I dont think its about that Lurgyboy :blink: but thanks. I'll take a look

[Quercus]

Milo, you might find some useful info on this site.

 

Q :thumbs:

[jimdfish]

GrandadDfish was a farmer,

He used to pee on his own hands to get rid of warts.

Hope this helps

JimDfish

P.S Uncle AlanDfish is still farming but I think he uses cream from the chemist now

[Yorkshire Pudding]

Direct drilling

 

Advantages - It's a lot cheaper and faster than the plough and drill .

It's cheaper because your not running 2 machines over the land . Less time , fuel , only need 1 machine .

Disadvantages - Don't get as good seed bed as the plough and drill therefore crop establishment is not as good. Cost's more in spray treatments to the crop because your not inverting the land . When the land is ploughed all the disease , and weeds get buryed .

 

On the farm where i work we have tryed min-till , we still use a plough and then drill .

 

Hope this helps millo , any questions , feel free to ask

 

 

all the best yis yp :thumbs:

[Aled_cky]

YP has more-aless summed up Direct Drilling but i wasn't sure what you meant at first Millo.. will be able to tell you next year as will proberly be doing 100acres arable with neighbour :thumbs:

Aled

[ernyha]

will be able to tell you next year as will proberly be doing 100acres arable with neighbour

Aled

:blink: You will just have to tell them the essay will proberly be a bit late Millomite. :thumbs:

[johnny]

the farm I workon we only do min till ie disc then drill. yp right with all his info diease is not too bad to control but weeds much worse than conventional methods but much cheaper to do.

 

cheers

 

john

[coney]

Mate you do get some dodgy essay topics :blink: , below is a scientific search engine (part of google). It enables you to search for specific scientific phrases and allows you to choose either journal articles or web pages. It's a good one to add to favourites if you’re doing a scientific type course. I typed in reduced tillage and got loads...let me know how you get on..best 'o' luck

 

Regards Coney :thumbs:

 

makes boring essays easier

[rifleman56]

when i was head tractor driver on an estate 25 years ago we used to direct drill but the slugs used to work there way up the drill lines and eat the corn so it did not work so we went back to ploughing and drilling it in the usa they do still direct drill they do it on the farms we go to in michigan all 11 of them i go there every year they are like mum and dad to me they have luck with it i go every year my wife goes combing each time 30 foot bed on it they have 4 of them and 2 cats 450 horse power. been going since 1980.

[rifleman56]

by burning straw you put potash back in the ground and it kills the germs.

[millo2]

Well I have handed it in. I get it back after christmas

 

Fingers crossed

[millo2]

Case Study – Reduced tillage and direct drilling

 

Currently 1-2% of European agricultural land is cultivated using a reduced tillage system. Davies & Finney (2002) put reduced tillage into a European context:

• Direct Drilling, whereby no cultivation takes place prior to drilling

• Shallow Tillage, where the soil is tilled to a depth of less than 100 mm without inversion

• Deep Tillage, where the soil is tilled to a depth greater than 100 mm without inversion

Although it is currently used extensively in other parts of the world, such as America and Australia where farmers are supported with subsidies and grants, it has not reached the same proportions in the United Kingdom. The need to reduce costs has revived interest in the possibility of reduced tillage in the UK, but research into the economic aspects has been limited (Wadsworth et al, 2003).

 

Advantages of Reduced tillage Systems

 

Reduced tillage systems can have positive effects on wildlife, such as ground nesting birds. Lokemoen & Beiser (1997) found that fields that had been exposed to a reduced tillage system, as opposed to a conventional tillage system, had a much higher density of birds. This was because the field provided more cover in the spring time and also a greater variety of food sources such as invertebrates.

Reduced tillage systems do not only enhance the organisms above soil level, but also below. A study carried out by Wilson- Rummenie et al (1999) showed that reduced tillage areas sustained almost double the populations of macrofauna and detritivore species than in traditional tillage areas.

This is shown again in a study by Edwards & Lofty (1982) which showed that populations of two species of burrowing earthworms increased more in direct drilled plots than in ploughed plots. This increase in soil organism diversity not only increases the value of the local ecology, but it also has a positive effect on the structure of the soil and increases the organic matter in the soil, enhancing the quality of the soil.

Microfauna increase the stability of the soil, mesofauna contribute to nutrient recycling and create micro aggregates that increase the stability of the soil, macrofauna can increase drainage by altering the physical structure with burrows and isopods encourage microbial activity which produces humus and soil aggregates. All of these effects add to the quality of the soil.

The effect of organisms is not the only way that the structure of the soil can be improved. The methods used in reduced tillage systems also have a beneficial effect on soil stability and structure. One such benefit is reduced soil erosion. Singh et al (1994) found that leaving the crop residue on the surface of the soil instead of removing it, reduced soil erosion by both wind and rain. This is a vital effect in areas where there is high rainfall as the residue protects the soil surface from problems such as capping.

Singh et al (1994) also found that there was greater moisture retention in the soil when using crop residues on the soil, and also greater infiltration of water. This is particularly important in dry areas with little rainfall as more moisture is retained in the soil giving it better structure and stability.

Soil compaction problems can be resolved by using reduced tillage systems. Upadhyaya (1992) found that farmers could greatly reduce soil compaction by using reduced tillage methods. Reduced tillage may alleviate the problem of tillage plans caused by continuous mouldboard ploughing, resulting in less input to resolve these problems, creating an economic benefit for the farmer.

The economic benefit of reduced tillage systems is of interest to farmers as the need to reduce costs increases. A study by Ball & Bingham (2003) reported that reduced tillage systems can reduce costs in the form of savings in time and machinery. Reduced tillage results in fewer and faster cultivation passes at a shallower depth, reducing labour and fuel costs and the need for only one machine. Direct drilling can further reduce costs as no cultivation is required.

Reduced tillage techniques can also improve the carbon content of the soil. Simpson et al (2004) found that reduced tillage methods resulted in 21% more amino sugar carbon than in convention tillage methods. Heenan et al (2004) found that direct drilling reduced the loss of soil organic carbon, from 8.2 tonnes per hectare when tillage occurred, to an increase of 3.8 tonnes per hectare in direct drilled soil. This carbon is essential for plant growth and reducing the loss of this is an important effect of reduced tillage.

Munkholm et al (2003) found that reduced tillage techniques significantly increased soil strength; this was shown again by Hajabbasi & Hemmat (2000). Rasmussen (1999) and Suwardji & Eberbach (1998) showed that reduced tillage caused greater soil stability in the form of aggregates which protected the soil against erosion. Karamanos et al (2004) showed that reduced tillage also significantly lowered bulk density and penetration resistance in the soil – both important in allowing root growth.

Hansen & Djurhuus (1997) found that reduced tillage systems can help resolve the problems of nitrate leaching when cultivation of stubble in the autumn time was not present. This is particularly important as leaching of nitrates is not only important to the growth of plants, but it can cause a number of problems, most notably algal blooms in rivers and ponds. These algal blooms can cause problems for both aquatic and terrestrial organisms.

 

Disadvantages of Reduced tillage systems

 

A major initial disadvantage is the required expense when changing to reduced tillage techniques. The farmer may have to spend money in this transitional stage on new machinery enabling to carry out reduced tillage properly. This initial outlaw may put farmers off the idea of changing to a reduced tillage system.

Another problem in relation to costs is the increased use of herbicides to combat the weed problems that are associated with reduced tillage. Farkas (2002) found that the use of reduced tillage methods is unfavourable in restricting perennial weed growth. A study by the Scottish Agricultural College found that without treatment of herbicides, weed number were significantly higher in reduced tillage systems. Soane & Ball (1998) showed that reduced tillage would be a problem in because current herbicides only give partial control of sterile brome which remains an obstacle to the adoption of non-ploughing tillage systems in Scotland.

 

Weeds Number/m2 9 December 2003 in sprayed field

Annual meadow grass Chickweed Ivy speedwell Fumitory Volunteer oilseed rape Field pansy

Ploughed 240 38 38 0 5 30

Minimum tillage 194 67 19 0 2 13

Weeds Number/m2 9 December 2003 in unsprayed field

Ploughed 189 45 54 6.0 6.4 9.6

Minimum tillage 1626 428 112 0 0 0

 

Table 1: Showing the dramatic increase in the number of weeds in the unsprayed reduced tillage part of field when compared to that of the ploughed section. There is almost ten times as much annual meadow grass in the unsprayed section. Source: Scottish Agricultural College website.

 

Becker et al (1996) showed that reduced tillage had a significant negative effect on the yield of sugar beet crops. Although the farmer may save money converting to the methods of reduced tillage through labour and fuel, this saving is unlikely to outweigh the potential losses from lower yields. This is likely to put many farmers off the idea of changing to reduced tillage systems.

Increased plant pathogens are a major problem related to reduced tillage methods. Bockus & Shroyer (1998) stated that many soil borne pathogens reside in the residue of the previous year’s crop, increasing the probability that the new crop will be affected. Reduced tillage increases the number of pathogens in the soil by protecting the pathogen from microbial degradation, lowering soil temperature, increasing soil moisture, and leaving soil undisturbed.

The ban on the burning of straw has been a major factor in putting farmers off converting to reduced tillage systems. Allen (1981) showed that burning of crop residues before direct drilling was a vital pre-requisite for successful reduced tillage farming as it reduces slug habitats, reduces the weed seed population and improving the surface soil structure of clay soils. This factor, coupled with the discovery that burning may increase the available phosphorous (Nuttall et al, 1986), put many farmers off using reduced tillage systems.

 

 

Conclusions

Attempts at quantifying the success of reduced tillage systems have had mixed results. The advantages of the system are very attractive, to both farmers and ecologists alike, but the disadvantages are preventing many farmers from converting.

The UK can learn from the mistakes of other countries in using reduced tillage methods, but because our climate and soils are so different it is hard to quantify how relevant these mistakes will be. Here in the UK reduced tillage is more suitable to larger farms as they can bear the cost of the equipment.

The potential gains from reduced tillage are there for all to see, but as with all things in life it has its disadvantages. Achieving success with reduced tillage requires enhanced management by the farmer and also increased patience, something that is very difficult to adhere to in the commercialised farming system of today which is driven by profits and timescales.

 

 

 

Thats is what I submitted lol

[Pike]

probably a bit late now but the Allerton Trust who work alomgside the GCT at Loddington are doing loads of work on min till stuff. I have a contact name and number if you are still interested.

 

Pike

[millo2]

Few days too late matey

 

But thanks