No -Tillage Impacts on Soil Carbon, Nitrogen and Water CSCAP Speed Science Fact Sheet
Summary
![[reuse info]](/images/information_16.png)
Tillage has long been considered essential for agricultural production. Artwork from early civilizations depict farmers plowing their fields with a wooden plow and a team of oxen.Tillage is still practiced for seedbed preparation, nutrient management, and weed control. The dust bowl of the 1930s and Edward Faulkner's book "Plowman's Folly" that was published in 1943 challenged the traditional agricultural theory and sparked a conservation tillage revolution that eventually culminated in the development of no-tillage practices.
Today more than 55 million acres in the United States are managed using no-tillage, and the practice has been extended to nearly every country in the world. Indeed, no-tillage has become essential for production of crops in countries where soils are fragile and tillage leads to erosion and other types of soil degradation. Conservation tillage systems provide a minimum of 30% soil cover by crop residues during the critical soil erosion period. No-tillage,the most extreme form of conservation tillage, is when seed is planted directly into the soil without benefit of prior tillage and aims for 100% soil cover.
In Ohio, Drs. Glover Triplett and Dave VanDoren pioneered the development of no-tillage crop production and established the long-term (50 years and counting) tillage and rotation plots. Not all soils and climates provide conditions that promote improved crop yields and soil quality. However, for many soils in the corn belt region of the United States, no-tillage can be beneficial in terms of (1) reduced soil erosion, (2) improved carbon sequestration, (3) overall improved soil quality, (4) less fuel and energy inputs, (5) greater microbial diversity and activity, and (6) better water infiltration and storage in the soil. Negative effects are often related to poor crop population establishment, increased nitrous oxide emissions, reduced crop yields on some soils, and dependence on herbicides for weed control.
Learning Goals
To promote the long-term sustainability and productivity of U.S. corn-based cropping systems against recent climate trends and future uncertainty.
Project Objectives:
- Develop standardized methodologies and perform baseline monitoring of carbon, nitrogen and water footprints at agricultural test sites across the Midwest.
- Evaluate how crop management practices impact carbon, nitrogen and water footprints at test sites.
- Apply models to research data and climate scenarios to identify impacts and outcomes that could affect the sustainability and economic vitality of corn-based cropping systems.
- Gain knowledge of farmer beliefs and concerns about climate change, attitudes toward adaptative and mitigative strategies and practices, and decision support needs to inform the development of tools and practices that support long-term sustainability of crop production.
- Promote extension, outreach and stakeholder learning and participation across all aspects of the program.
- Train the next generation of scientists, develop science education curricula and promote learning opportunities for high school teachers and students.
Description and Teaching Materials
This No-Tillage Impacts on Soil Carbon, Nitrogen and Water (Acrobat (PDF) 1.6MB Oct20 15) and additional Speed Science Fact Sheets and presentation videos are found on the SERC site and are approved for use in educational, research and extension setting. The fact sheets were developed and presented as "Speed Science" by the Climate and Corn-based Cropping Systems CAP (CSCAP).
The CSCAP is a transdisciplinary partnership among 11 institutions creating new science and educational opportunities. It seeks to increase resilience and adaptability of Midwest agriculture to more volatile weather patterns by identifying farmer practices and policies that increase sustainability while meeting crop demand.
This publication is produced as part of a regional collaborative project supported by the USDA-NIFA, Award No. 2011-68002-30190 "Cropping Systems Coordinated Agricultural Project: Climate Change, Mitigation, and Adaptation in Corn-based Cropping Systems."
The 11 institutions comprising the project team include:Iowa State University, Lincoln University, Michigan State University, The Ohio State University, Purdue University, South Dakota State University, University of Illinois, University of Minnesota, University of Missouri, University of Wisconsin, and USDA-ARS Columbus, Ohio. CSCAP-0179-2012
View or Print Full Size Fact Sheet pdf >> No-Tillage Impacts on Soil Carbon, Nitrogen and Water (Acrobat (PDF) 1.6MB Oct20 15)
Printable flyer >> About CSCAP Project (Acrobat (PDF) 2.9MB Oct20 15)
Teaching Notes and Tips
Assessment
References and Resources
Derpsch, R., Friedrich, T., Kassam, A., Li,H., 2010. Current status of adoption of no-tillfarming in the world and some of its main benefits. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering 3(1):1-25. DeFelice, M.S., P.R. Carter, and S.B. Mitchell. 2006. Influence of tillage on corn and soybean yield in the United States and Canada. http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/ pub/cm/research/2006/tillage.
For more information, contact:
Dr. Warren Dick, Professor, Ohio State University, dick.5@osu.edu, 330-263-3877Lynn Laws, Communication Specialist, Climate and Corn-based Cropping Systems CAP, lynnlaws@iastate.edu, 515-294-7380