No-till soybean production has its place, but probably
not in most of Arkansas' dryland fields, according to
Terry Keisling, research agronomist for the University
of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
Keisling has studied the pros and cons of no-till and
conventional tillage in several projects funded by the
Soybean Promotion Board. In 1998 he drilled soybeans in
alternating strips, no-till next to conventional till,
at the U of A Branch Experiment Station at Pine Tree.
The silt loam field wasn't irrigated.
"The season started off wet," says Keisling. "In the
no-till strips, the root system of plants was restricted
on top of a plow pan at about 4 inches. When it dried
off, there wasn't enough root penetration to support the
plants and they just died over a three-week period. Later
in the season, with no plant canopy to shade out weeds,
the grass came in and took over.
"In the conventional tilled strips, we got a perfect
stand and canopy coverage. By tilling, we promoted root
development. The roots were able to penetrate the plow
pan and explore the subsoil for stored water."
He says, "If we had gotten rain at the right time,
we could have made 25-30 bushels. As it was, we made about
20 bushels. That's a lot better than the no-till beans."
Keisling says no-till can work well if the soil has
sufficient organic matter and is soft enough for root
penetration. The field must also have slope.
"If you have a field that is so flat that water stands
in the wheel tracks of equipment, you'll have trouble
with no-till.
"If you can irrigate, you can consistently make no-till
work well on all types of soil. If you can't irrigate,
there are going to be years like 1998 when you're going
to lose your stand."
Keisling says most of Arkansas' soil is low in organic
matter, often less than eight-tenths of a percent, and
high in silt. "I've found that you need to do at least
a little tillage. Otherwise, the soil will be so dense
that it traps the roots.
"You get the plants up, then they run out of water
and die."
Keisling says, "Using the new high-residue tillage
equipment that leaves organic matter on top of the soil
helps increase the soil's organic matter, making the soil
softer. If this conservation production system with the
new equipment is used for a few years, the soil may become
soft enough for root penetration and use in a no-till
system."
Soybeans Today January 1999
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