2019
Maximizing Soil Warming and Health Under Different Tillage Practices in a Corn-Soybean Rotation (2019)
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Contributor/Checkoff:
North Dakota Soybean Council
Category:
Sustainable Production
Keywords:
Field management Soil healthTillage
Parent Project:
Maximizing Soil Warming and Health Under Different Tillage Practices in a Corn-Soybean Rotation
Lead Principal Investigator:
Aaron Daigh, North Dakota State University
Co-Principal Investigators:
Project Code:
QSSB
Contributing Organization (Checkoff):
North Dakota Soybean Council
$62,635
Institution Funded:
North Dakota State University
$62,635
Brief Project Summary:

The goal of this project is to improve yields while building soil health. The research team will evaluate which tillage approach (chisel plow, shallow vertical tillage, strip-till with shank, and strip-till with coulters) maximizes early-season soil warming and crop yields while improving soil health on subsurface drained and naturally drained soils in the Red River Valley, where growing degree units are a primary consideration for soil management. The team will also evaluate soil health parameters, crop emergence and yield on various soils with a range in textures.

Key Benefactors:
farmers, agronomists, extension specialists

Information And Results
Final Project Results

Update:

View uploaded report Word file

Research Conducted
We evaluated chisel plow, shallow vertical till, strip till (shank), and strip till (coulter) systems in a 4-year study for:
1. Soil warming/drying
2. Crop stands and yields
3. Soil health
Four on-farm sites in corn-soybean rotations were used with full-sized equipment on soils representing >67 million acres in the region.

Why the research is important to ND soybean farmers
This on-farm research is to help farmers be more informed with their residue management so they can be more efficient and profitable while making their soils healthier and less prone to erosion.
To date, the study’s findings have been disseminated in:
1. YouTube videos (>10,000 views),
2. >70 field days, presentations, and other university events,
3. The Upper Midwest Tillage Guide
4. >60 publications, news articles, and other media sources

Final findings of the results
Crop residue cover among tillage systems ranged from 25-83%. Tillage did not affect plant populations within sites, but strip till (shanks) had lower corn yields at one farm in 2015, whereas both strip tills had higher soybean yields at one farm in 2018. Otherwise, yields did not differ among tillage practices. Strip till was estimated to have the least costs among the systems, with $10-22 less per acre than chisel plow.
Soil temperatures were highest and moisture lowest in the strip till berms and chisel plowed strips as compared to the vertical till and undisturbed areas between the strip till berms. These differences were largest in sandy soils, but rarely observed in clay soils. The vertical till tended to warm and dry approximately midway between that observed for chisel plow and areas with no-tillage.
Among 19 soil properties for soil health, only one (fungal/bacteria ratio) slightly differed among tillage systems for one farm after four years. However, soil microbial communities showed distinct biweekly and bimonthly cyclical patterns that were also not affected by tillage system.

Benefits/Recommendations to North Dakota soybean farms and industry
Our results suggest that reduced tillage does not necessarily translate to yield reductions, but are typically more economical. We recommend that economics and desired erosion control among tillage systems, rather than yield alone, be used to guide tillage preferences. This research also suggests that quantifiable changes to soil health may take >4 years to be observable in the region. Lastly, the weekly-to-monthly cycles in soil microbial communities need to be considered if used as a measure of soil health.

The United Soybean Research Retention policy will display final reports with the project once completed but working files will be purged after three years. And financial information after seven years. All pertinent information is in the final report or if you want more information, please contact the project lead at your state soybean organization or principal investigator listed on the project.