Tillage selection is just one of the issues that farmers must address when making crop production decisions. Among the factors that will influence the choice of tillage for a given field is the condition of the residue and soil in the field; the residue management practices needed to meet conservation plan specifications; the tools, time, and money that are available; the need to incorporate am...

Soybean stubble is a potentially significant residue of a crop that has attained prominence as an important cash crop, high value food crop, and also as a soil ameliorative. Soybean culture in Australia is a fledgeling yet emerging industry with crop area totalling 68,000 ha in the 1983/84 season with some 80 percent of the crop grown in subtropical regions (Desborough et al. 1984). The potenti...

objective: returning crop residue to the soil exerts favorable effects on physical and chemical properties of soil. in fact, the plant residues can affect soil conditions such as ph and important role in soil fertility and cycling of elements in the soil may have. in addition to the role of the organic matter from decomposition of crop residue in increasing the concentration of micronutrients i...

A pronounced residual effect of organic and inorganic fertilizers, applied in maize crop was observed on yields of maize-gobhi sarson cropping system. The experiment was conducted with 10 treatments of N, P, K, FYM, crop residue and zinc sulphate nutrients. The highest growth, yield and yield components of maize crop were recorded with 100% recommended fertilizer dose-RFD + ZnSO4 20 kg/ha and t...

Bacterial communities are important not only in the cycling of organic compounds but also in maintaining ecosystems. Specific bacterial groups can be affected as a result of changes in environmental conditions caused by human activities, such as agricultural practices. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of different forms of tillage and residue management on soil bacterial communi...

Reduced tillage methods for field crop production result in less disruption of soil structure and often increased amounts of crop residue maintained on the soil surface. The combination of these two factors produces increased surface soil aggregation. This study was conducted in the field and within pots to determine whether surface residue by itself improves soil aggregation within a short per...

To meet the challenge of feeding a growing world population with minimal environmental impact, we need comprehensive and quantitative knowledge of ecological factors affecting crop production. Earthworms are among the most important soil dwelling invertebrates. Their activity affects both biotic and abiotic soil properties, in turn affecting plant growth. Yet, studies on the effect of earthworm...

Quantifying the amount of crop residue left in the field after harvest is a key issue for sustainability. Conventional assessment approaches (e.g., line-transect) are labor intensive, time-consuming and costly. Many proximal remote sensing devices and systems have been developed for agricultural applications such as cover crop and residue mapping. For instance, current mobile devices (smartphon...

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...