canadianeh? - 7/5/2012 18:32
1967806 - 7/5/2012 15:40
mhagny - 7/5/2012 05:58
canadianeh? - 7/4/2012 13:09 Did the no-till get extra nutrients. I believe it is a soil mining issue usually when this happens, and fertility being equal, this is gonna happen.
-- the no-till beans in the photo are much more pale (and with smaller leaves) than the tilled. This is a strong indicator of inadequate nutrient supply on the no-till side.
Nutrients are the same. Nothing different from tilled to no tilled. Something is causing the nutrients not to get into the no tilled plants though. 2 things I think are hard ground in the no till, we didnt get a good freeze like normal last winter and lack of adequate moisture. The small rains we had were probably absorbed faster by the tilled dirt or maybee were held in the shallow young plants root zone better? One other thing I know of is that the chisel plowed ground will warm up faster due to the ridges. That could be another factor here at play. This normally dont happen like this.
I guess what we are saying is that upon cultivation, the soil is exposed to air. When oxygen is added un-naturally,
(thru tillage
), the soil microbes break down organic matter more rapidly, releasing nutrients faster than in non-disturbed soil. Also, there will be less residue tieup in the tilled portion, hence less mineralization of the om in the soil, as the microbes are digesting residue, which can cause a short term nutrient deficiency, namely nitrogen.
I have a neighbor who mines his soil this way, says you need to add air to the soil. If you want to increase the breakdown of organic matter, fine. I will elect to build my om up, not steal from the bank. JMHO!
No nitrogen shortage there.
Our flats here are made of some of the most poorly drained soils there are in the soils book. You need to get that oxygen in there to wake up the soil biology. Thats why the no till isnt the best for them. But on our slopes that we no till, it works good especially if it was previously hay or sod.
I guess what it boils down to is you have to know what works with the fields you are dealing with that you are farming.
Tilled and no tilled crop comparison
