About Zero Tillage
Description and Definition of no-tillage or zero tillage.
It is extremely important to formulate an adequate and explicit definition of no-tillage if consistent and comparable results are to be achieved among different researchers. Often contradicting research results in this field are only and exclusively the consequence of using local jargon and different definitions by different researchers and of a different understanding of how no-tillage should be put into praxis. For this reason it is necessary to find a consensus of an accurate description and definition of no-tillage. If this can not be achieved soon than we will continue to have contradicting and conflicting results in no-tillage research at the national and international level.
No-tillage or zero tillage is a farming system in which the seeds are directly deposited into untilled soil which has retained the previous crop residues. It is also referred to as no-till. Special no-till seeding equipment with discs (low disturbance) or narrow tine coulters (higher disturbance) open a narrow slot into the residue covered soil which is only wide enough to put the seeds into the ground and cover them with soil. The aim is to move as little soil as possible in order not to bring weed seeds to the surface and not stimulating them to germinate. No other soil tillage operation is done. The residues from the previous crops will remain largely undisturbed at the soil surface as mulch. If the soil is disturbed even only superficially then the system can not be termed no-tillage and is defined as mulch tillage (CTIC, 2011). Seeding systems that till and mix more than 50% of the soil surface while seeding can not be defined as no-tillage (Linke, 1998, Sturny et al., 2007). Adequate weed management is the key to successful application of the system. Weed control is performed in this system using herbicides and also through the adoption of appropriate crop rotations including the use of adapted, aggressive species of cover crops. Some of the environment relevant effects of no-tillage as erosion control, improvement of water quality, increased water infiltration which leads also to reduced flood hazard and climate related consequences through carbon sequestration in the soil, will come into effect only after several years of continuous, uninterrupted application.
The no-tillage technology is being applied globally on over 100 Million ha under the most diverse climate and soil conditions (Derpsch, et al., 2010). The success of this conservation production system is based on its continuous, permanent application, similar to a permanent pasture (Sturny et al., 2007) and on biological diversification through crop rotation and cover crops. Special requirements of the system must be satisfied to avoid failures and the necessary steps towards a successful transition to no-till need to be followed (Duiker and Myres, 2006, Derpsch, 2008). The fact that the soil is not tilled and remains permanently covered with crop residues leads to efficient erosion control, to sequestration of atmospheric carbon in the soil, to increased biological activity in the soil, to better conservation of water and to higher economic returns through time (Derpsch, 2010). Moreover, no-till is the only farming system that fully meets the requirements of a sustainable agricultural production even under extreme soil and climate conditions.
In summary, no-tillage can be defined as a system of planting (seeding) crops into untilled soil by opening a narrow slot or trench only of sufficient width and depth to obtain proper seed coverage. No other soil tillage is done (Phillips and Young 1973).
PATNA: New to Bihar, Zero Tillage Machine, operates in small farms easily after being tied to power tillers
( mini tractors ). It enhances farm yield by drilling the soil and at the same time sowing the seeds while being driven by a power tiller by the small and marginal farmers.
In 2011, agriculture scientists had goaded around 800 small and marginal farmers to purchase this machine and use them in their small farms to get higher yield, said director, agriculture, Arvinder Singh, adding that farm yield due to use of this machine has enhanced by 25 percent to 30 percent. This led the state to encourage these farmers to purchase the machine at the recently concluded Farm Mechanization Fair, he said.
The machine drills and sow seeds between the stubbles of the previously harvested crops. There is no ploughing of the agriculture field and so the moisture in the soil remains intact which promotes fast germination of the plants from the seeds. This machine saves energy and time of the farmers and help conserve moisture in the soil as there is no ploughing which normally dries the moisture of the soil, Singh said.
For the last few years, the machines were being used successfully by the farmers in Gujarat and Punjab. The manufacturers had approached the state government last year by displaying their use, he said.The purpose of the fair this year was to goad small and marginal farmers to buy these machines. These firms sold over 1,500 machines at the four-day fair and booked demands of other farmers for their supply through the local distributors. The state government is providing 50 per cent subsidy to the farmers who purchase the machine.The encouraging sign came from Rohtas district where such farmers, who have formed a cluster, purchased 1,000 such machines. Singh said at present the supply of the machines by the Gujarat and Punjab-based manufacturers has been delayed. An official said if farmers use the machines, Bihar's agriculture yield would increase substantially.
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