In the past we have tested   hybrids in conventional tillage COC, and in striptillage COC.  There were hybrids that would fair well in the tilled soil, but not perform quite so well in the striptillage.  I wanted to partially test that inside of a major tillage test.

Field history-  This is another extremely variable field, the north side is excellent soil, and it slowly progresses worse as you go south.  Field has been in corn bean rotation and has been tilled every year for a long time.  I have notilled beans into this field one time.  In the fall of 20 I used DMI disc chisel to dig 80', leave 160', and then dig another 80' all the way across the field.  Fall strip till was done on 80', and then I notilled the other 80'.  In the spring the conventional tillage was dug with soil finisher.

Digging with my 5 year old autosteer, he wanted to steer it manually.



I used a 40' planter with two hybrids, and then changed hybrids and planted the other 40'.  So there are four hybrids, with three different tillage types replicated across 50 acres.
The other times I have tested notill or strip till against conventional, they were on fields that had a history of no/striptill.   Many times you hear "you can't just start notilling a field right away after a long history of tillage".  This was a good opportunity to test that as I transition these newer fields to no/striptill.

Best picture I have, we were putting in an intake and making sure the tile was working correctly, he stole his 5 year old daughters hat, it was so cold..  Fall strips and ripper passes complete.



It planted very well,  strip till was perfect conditions, the conventional was on the dry side, and the notill was pretty cold and a hair tacky.  The non-GMO beans we plant are very trashy and break down very slow and create a thick mat.
Not this test field but another one with same beans with thick cover.


The notill was behind right away with cold soil temps and then a cold snap of weather after planting, it was a solid collar behind the entire year.  With the maturity range of 94-104, there was a lot going on regarding timing of pollination, it was interesting to watch.

All nitrogen (urea and AMS) was laid on top, the first shot didn't go on until the corn was up (May 27). It was planted on the 26th of april.  Main reason for the late timing is it never rained.  Last shot got put on June 15.  Applied 150 lbs total N.

I didn't trust the yield monitor being there was four different hybrids, so we harvested each pass and weighed each of them individually and used moisture average of the entire pass.  Actually worked pretty well, my seed dealer/ friend, came out to ride with me in the combine to record all the numbers.
As you can see the field starts with good yields declines as you go south.

Pretty boring test again, really no difference other then moisture was a little higher in notill again.   I was honestly a little surprised the notill didn't fair better with such little rain, i'm not sure what to think on that.

I think the biggest advantage to strip till in these situations is how easy it plants compared to notill.  The down pressure requirement in fall strips is almost the same as conventional tillage, so any planter out there can easily do it.  To plant notill succesfully you need adjustable row cleaners, heavy down pressure with a way to monitor it, and good closing wheels.   We have a high speed planter, I have no problem going 8-10 in nice strips, but usually limit myself to 7mph in full notill with the high downforce requirements.

Any questions please ask.

The hybrids not performing were almost always non-GMO's from smaller companies.  It wasn't super common, but there have been a few that didn't keep up over the last decade.  Not really looking for ones that are good, just trying to make sure they aren't duds and get rid of them early on in small trails.  All these pioneer numbers are very new and were supposed to be the latest and greatest, but not really impressed with any of them except 0075.  A good dealer can usually give some insight how they will react, mainly looking for great emergence and ability to handle some stress.  

As for long term testing.  I'm about done testing for a while.  I've tested striptill vs conventional till and now notill quite a few times.  I've had a handful of very small comparisions, maybe a side by side that I won't post, but doing the same tests 15-20 times over a five year span and always having the same results let me feel confident.  On to the next chapter so to speak...