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Berlin, Germany | Now fieldwalker,
interesting topic you started. Almost opening a worm of can or was it vice versa?
I think we can sum up this whole thing to "Effects of micronutrients on plant health" and "influence of GM & other changes" on micronutrient uptake. And it's not only micronutrients but also the macro's are involved.
Just a very interesting and good reading, and still available: ""Mineral Nutrition and Plant Desease" by Lawrence Datnoff, Wade Elmer &Don Huber. Just look at the web page of http://www.shopapspress.org/
2nd, but out of print: Bergmann, W. (Ed.): Nutritional Disorders of Plants. Gustav Fischer Verlag, 1992, over 800 pages. It's worth to get it as it will be a compendium for as long as this word exists and plant growth there is.
Concerning No Till:
I will frustrated to read that a long term No Till farmer is getting out the disc. We are just starting No Till and what we experience is that we have increasing yields, and look we are talking of at least 140 bu/acre wheat and even higher corn yields. Also the soil is getting better. Please look also on other parts of this world, like Carlos Crovetto in Chile which does over 30 years No Till and it get's better & better.
So, there must be a reason to your experience, or? A cause. With the disc you are just working on the effect and not on the cause.
Saying this I would look into this topics:
- cover crops to increase the diversity of plants grown
- Prof. Albrecht soil system. That nutrients should be in a correct relationship and pH doesn't say anything out about liming. Just read the Albrecht papers, obtainable at www.acresusa.com.
I just talked to a seed company man and he said that in the poorest fields using this system they have altime high yields. Canola, which is over here very intensive with insextisides & fungisides, is grown without fungisides and outyielding full chemical programm strips which are next to it.
Sorry, was getting a little long.
York-Th.
Germany | |
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Anyone else concerned about Glyphosate?
