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Comparison of Reduced Tillage Cropping Systems for Onions Mulched No-Till vs. Cover Cropped Ridge...
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Transcript of Comparison of Reduced Tillage Cropping Systems for Onions Mulched No-Till vs. Cover Cropped Ridge...
Comparison of Reduced Tillage Cropping Systems
for Onions
Mulched No-Till vs. Cover Cropped Ridge Till
Mulch No-Till
• Slit made in soil for hand planting onions
• Ridge-Till top removed
• Lightly tilled
Cover Crop Ridge-Till
• Hand planted onions Stuttgart cooking onions
Mulch No-Till
• Mulch of wheat straw in valleys for moisture and erosion control
C.C. Ridge-Till
• 2 cultivations• Single seed hairy vetch as living mulch for erosion control
MoistureCrop Value – Partial Crop Production Cost
Yield Soil Quality
Soil Temperature
Inputs
Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with Straw Mulch
0
20
40
60
80
100
23-May 2-Jun 12-Jun 22-Jun 2-Jul 12-Jul 22-Jul 1-Aug0
1
2
3
4
5
Soil Moisture
No-Till
Ridge-Till
Rainfall
Soil Water Potential
Date
Rainfall (in)
Moisture: Scale
• No Irrigation, => more moisture better• 0 = 0• 100 = 100• Results: No till with
mulchCC. Ridge
till
Average Moisture Reading 89 66
MoistureCrop Value – Partial Crop Production Cost
Yield Soil Quality
Soil Temperature
Inputs
Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with Straw Mulch
Soil TemperatureMaximum Soil Temperatures under Cropping Systems
40
45
5055
60
65
70
7580
85
90
4/16
4/23
4/30 5/
75/
145/
215/
28 6/4
6/11
6/18
6/25 7/
27/
9
Date (2004)
Tem
per
atu
re (
F)
Onions: No-till
Onions: Ridge-till
Soil Temperature: Scale and Results
• No significant difference between treatments• Ideal temperature for onions:
– 55o – 75o F during growth
• In dry/hot year, no-till would conserve more moisture and stable temperature
• Both treatments scaled:
100 for moderate & = temperatures
MoistureCrop Value – Partial Crop Production Cost
Yield Soil Quality
Soil Temperature
Inputs
Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with Straw Mulch
Soil Quality
No Till + MulchAverage
Ridge Till + vetchAverage
12 worms/ft3 12 worms/ft3Earthworm Count
Infiltration
Nutrient Levels
41.4 in/hr 40.3 in/hr
P Below optimum All optimum
Soil Quality Discussion and Scale• Slightly lower P2O5 in mulched no-till:
• Possibly due to leaching of nutrients through constant saturation and high infiltration rate
• Experiential double-cropping with brassicas after onion harvest supports lab finding of less than optimum P
• Earthworm results: • Optimum soil health indication = 25/ft3
• Varies with: time of day, soil moisture levels• This sample: 4 pm, hot day => still high
Mulched No-Till C.C. Ridge Till
Scale approximations: 75 85 (out of 100)
MoistureCrop Value – Partial Crop Production Cost
Yield Soil Quality
Soil Temperature
Inputs
Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with Straw Mulch
Differing Field Labor & Input Costs* (per 300 ft. row) Mulched Cover Crop +
Labor ($10/hr) No-till Ridge-tillSeedbed Preparation 3 min 6 minCultivation ----- 8 minMulching 1 hr 30 min -----Interseeding and ----- 5 min
Vine TrimmingHand-weeding 1 hr 45 min 35 minMaterialsMulch $9.00 -----Vetch Seed ----- $0.30
Total: $42.00 $9.30
* Does not include onion seed, harvesting, processing, & marketing
Differing Field Labor & Inputs: Scale
• 100 = $0 input
• 0 = $100
• Results:
Mulch No till CC. Ridge till
Input: $42.00 $9.30
Scale: 58 91
MoistureCrop Value – Partial Crop Production Cost
Yield Soil Quality
Soil Temperature
Inputs
Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with Straw Mulch
Yield Sample
Mulch No-Till C.C. Ridge Till
Total # 74 74
Rotten # 8 17
Good # 66 55
Yield lbs 39.5 31.75
Avg lbs per bulb 0.6 0.59
# Crates per Row 7.5 5.75
Yield: Scale
• 100 = 8 crates (= ~10 ton/acre)• 0 = 0 crates• Results:
7294Scale
5.757.5Crates
CC. Ridge till No till with
mulch
Yield difference primarily due to lower incidence of Fusarium Bottom Rot in no-till onions.
This was also observed in no-till onions in other fields.
MoistureCrop Value – Partial Crop Production Cost
Yield Soil Quality
Soil Temperature
Inputs
Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with Straw Mulch
Profit Margin= (Crop Value – Cost of differing inputs & field work)*
Straw Mulched No-Till:
$ 240** - $ 42 = $ 192/row
* Does not include onion seed, harvesting, processing, & marketing
Cover Crop Ridge-Till:
$ 184** - $ 9 = $ 175/row
Scale: 75 Scale: 68100 = $256** ($12,800/acre) 100 = $256** ($12,800/acre)
** $32.00/crate, assumes $0.80/lb. and 20% loss due to shrinkage and disease
MoistureCrop Value – Partial Crop Production Cost
Yield Soil Quality
Soil Temperature
Inputs
Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with Straw Mulch
MoistureCrop Value – Partial Crop Production Cost
Yield Soil Quality
Soil Temperature
Inputs
Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with Straw Mulch
• Soil moisture– Mulched no-till preserves more moisture during low rainfall, high
temperatures, and crop bulbing-up, which could affect yields.– Mulched no-till also provided more disease suppression in wet
weather– Caused more leaching of nutrients
• Soil moisture & temperature were similar in 2003• No-till yields and Ridge-till yields were same in 2003• Graphical Representation:
– Does not show definitive “better” growing technique– Grower’s perspective: ridge-till requires less labor during busy
season, but no-till promises more dependable yield and crop quality
Summary of Results