Conservation tillage is any technique that increases crop remains on the soil’s surface to lessen the effects of water and wind erosion. It adheres to the conservation agriculture idea of minimal soil disturbance and incorporates techniques that minimize soil disturbance and organic matter loss, hence minimizing soil and water losses. Some conservation tillage techniques include strip cropping, contour farming, zero chemical tillage, and mulch tillage.
These conservation tillage techniques not only aid in crop production but also help promote soil health. Conservative tillage helps improve soil health by reducing soil erosion caused by agents of soil erosion, such as water, wind, and air. This kind of tillage has also been shown to enhance microbial activity in the soil, which not only improves the nutrient status of the soil but also helps promote soil circulation and maintain soil structure.
Below are the associated advantages of conservation tillage on soil health.
Suitable compaction
One of the most fundamental benefits of conservation tillage is to increase crop yield. Compaction worsens wet and dry soil conditions by decreasing the soil’s ability to retain water, exacerbating droughts, and obstructing drainage. Optimizing soil and crop production conditions requires a proper balance of the essential soil components, including air, minerals, water, and organic matter.
The availability of water and oxygen within the soil is severely hampered by compaction, which disturbs the equilibrium of these essential components. As air and moisture are “squeezed” out of the soil in areas with severe compaction problems, root growth may be hampered, and plants may get stressed. The good news is that conservation tillage advantages can be achieved while addressing compaction problems with vertical tillage devices.
It helps in avoiding soil erosion
Proper residue coating will stop soil erosion, limit runoff, and stop moisture evaporation. In some circumstances, minimal tillage techniques can hasten crop residue degradation by encouraging enhanced microbial activity to improve organic matter. These systems can also cut and condition crop residue to help eradicate insect and disease habitats.
Moldboard plowing is an example of conventional tillage that exposes the soil’s surface and loosens soil particles, leaving them open to erosion from wind and water. In addition, conservation tillage techniques prevent soil surface erosion by enabling water to percolate through the soil rather than flow off.
Equitable distribution of moisture
Reduce soil disturbance by implementing conservation tillage into your field management. This will help to retain or grow the essential organic matter. Increasing organic matter can aid in controlling moisture in arid places since more organic matter increases the soil’s ability to hold onto and hold moisture.
By reducing the density of the soil bunks and keeping the environment for soil organisms beneath the soil surface, little tillage can help improve water filtration. This means farmers can speed up soil warming and moisture evaporation in damp locations, allowing for earlier planting.
Carbon fixation
Both carbon dioxide emissions and carbon capture are impacted by tillage. The soil is broken up, which contributes to the loss of soil nutrients and greenhouse gas emissions by releasing the soil’s carbon and nitrogen into the atmosphere.
Crop residue left in the field improves soil’s capacity to act as carbon sinks brought on by the buildup of soil organic matter, especially when contrasted to nutrient-poor grounds. When different equipment fueled by fuel is utilized less, CO2 emissions go down. One well-known tactic in carbon farming is the application of effective tillage techniques appropriate for a farm. As a farming response to climate change, carbon farming pays farmers who use climate-smart agricultural methods like conservation tillage.
Minimum mechanical soil disturbance
Following the harvesting of the previous crop, conservation tillage entails planting crops without mechanically preparing the seedbed or disturbing the soil. Conservation tillage also referred to as no-tillage, entails chopping down weeds and agricultural wastes from previous years, spraying herbicides to control weeds, and planting seeds directly through the mulch with direct seeding tools. All crop wastes are kept, and fertilizer and additives are spread before sowing or broadcast on the soil’s surface.
Moreover, conservation tillage heavily relies on mulch or stubble to cover the soil. Mulch enhances soil fertility and long-term soil structure by reducing evaporation losses, increasing infiltration, and assisting in the synthesis of natural microflora and fauna and soil organic matter (SOM). This technique, therefore, helps in the preservation of soil moisture which helps promote soil health.
Final Remarks
Conservative tillage helps promote soil health in various ways. This technique ensures proper plant growth with less interference from the soil. By leaving residue near the soil’s surface, more organic matter is present in the soil, which increases soil quality, as shown by an increase in microbial activity. Additionally, residue in the soil prevents compaction, improving water retention and nutrient release for crop growth. Strong winds and rainfall that cause soil erosion can be better understood by healthy soils that hold moisture. Hence, to maximize soil health, conservation tillage can be employed in conjunction with other techniques.
