Transcript CONSERVATION TILLAGE PRACTICES IN CALIFORNIA Jeff …

CONSERVATION TILLAGE
PRACTICES IN CALIFORNIA
Jeff Mitchell
Department of Plant Sciences
University of California, Davis
Conservation Farming Systems Session
Resource Management Track 3 Regency B
International Conference on The Future of Agriculture:
Science, Stewardship and Sustainability
Hyatt Regency Sacramento
Sacramento, CA
August 8, 2006
Collaborators
Anil Shrestha
Tom Barcellos
John Beyer
Dan Munk
Jim Couto
Rob Roy
Will Horwath
Andy Zylstra
Bob Fry
Steve Wright
Dino Giacomazzi Johnnie Silizinoff
Herman Meister
Mark Borba
Mike McElhiney
Randy Southard
Scott Schmidt
Brooks Englehardt
Nick Madden
Andrew Clark
Steve Hill
Kurt Hembree
Fred Leavitt
Herman Meister
Steve Fortner
Ron Harben
Karen Klonsky
John Diener
Julie Baker
Darrell Cordova
Alan Wilcox
Gene Miyao
Helmut Klauer
Ralph Cesena, Sr.
Howard Ferris
Jonathan Avila
Jon Bjornberg
Tom Lanini
Tony Turkovich
Andrew Siebert
Lee Jackson
Larry Beckstead
Wes Wallender
Bill McCloskey
Bob Hutmacher
Steve Husman
Allen DuSault
Jaime Solorio
Kristen Hughes
Ed Scott
Mike Buser
Ladi Asgill
Lyle Carter
OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION
- development of resource-conserving crop
production systems in California
- toward wider adoption
- examples of leading conservation tillage
innovation
- anticipating future tillage systems
Iowa, 2001
Iowa, 2001
Brazil, 2004
Georgia, 2001
Conservation tillage practices have increased by 300%
in the Midwest during the last decade.
In California however, less than 0.3% of crop
acreage is farmed using conservation tillage
practices.
(Conservation Technology Information Center, Lafayette, IN, 2002)
California CT Survey 2004
Minimum
Tillage
Other
Tillage
Subtotal
>40%
Reduction
in total
passes
<30%
Residue
Cover after
Planting
Total
Acreage
200
39,536
612,852
652,388
2,000
2,000
228,756
230,756
1,000
1,200
6,000
39,705
45,705
150
3,795
20,553
322,330
342,883
5,000
5,000
5,000
125,554
130,554
20,000
20,410
520
267,255
288,185
15,000
15,000
964
793,052
809,016
<30% Residue Cover after Planting
Crops to survey for
Minimum Tillage
No
Till
Cotton
RT /
ST
Mulch
Till
200
Tomatoes 2,000
Dry edible beans
200
Corn silage 2,855
Corn for grain
Small grains for grain
Sml grains, hay or ensiled
410
490
Melons
RT/ST = Ridge Till and Strip Till
*Corn Silage and small grain forage will usually be double cropped together
Percent of Respondents
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Very Useful Could be Problematic Not enough
Useful
info.
Mitchell et al., In preparation
Mitchell et al., In preparation
Wrong
crops
Wrong
irrigation
Wrong soil
Resists
change
Not $$
feasible
Expensive
equip.
Equip.
Availability
Lack of
info.
Number of respondents
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
“The San Joaquin Valley is currently classified as a
serious non-attainment region for PM10 under both state
and federal standards. “
Dec. 30, 2004
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
CONSERVATION
MANAGEMENT
PRACTICES (CMP)
PLANNING
A handbook of CMP’s has been
developed from which growers
can choose practices (including
conservation tillage) aimed at
minimizing agricultural PM10
emissions.
July 1, 2004
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
Conservation Management Practices are farming activities that reduce the
“normal” amount of dust produced by agricultural operations. The
practices have been developed by farmers, farm groups, NRCS, RCD, the
Air District, the Farm Bureau, and other groups. CMPs fall into one or
more categories:
-
Reducing or eliminating the need to disturb the soil
Protecting the soil from the wind
Modifying equipment
Applying dust suppressants
Reducing speed on unpaved roads
Burning alternatives
Reducing pesticide application
July 1, 2004
Opportunities for
Offsetting
Greenhouse Gas
Emissions
Croplands . . .
•Less tillage
•Increase crop intensity,
reduce fallow
•Use of cover crops
•Fertility and water
management
•High biomass crops
Animal Agriculture. . .
•Improved feed and
forage
•Methane capture
Rangeland or Pasture . . .
•Management of marginal lands
•Adding legumes
•Improved grazing management
•Fertility and water management
Possible benefits of conservation tillage
-
saves fuel
saves soil
saves time
saves labor
saves machinery
permits timely planting
reduces run-off
increases soil moisture
increases soil organic matter
sequesters carbon
improves habitat for beneficial organisms
Dr. Sharad Phatak, University of Georgia, 1999
- dust (PM10 and PM2.5) emissions mitigation
- surface water (sediment, nutrient and
pesticide) runoff reduction (?)
Conservation Tillage:
1) a wide range of crop production
practices that minimize or eliminate
primary, or intercrop tillage operations
such as disking, plowing, chiseling,
ripping, and
2) manage residues to enable efficient
planting, harvesting and pest
management
Keeping the CT paradigm broad
Minimum Tillage
Approaches
(Non-Permanent
Bed Systems)
Minimum Tillage
Implements, 2004
(Non-permanent
Bed Systems)
Minimum Tillage
Approaches
(Permanent Bed
Systems)
CONSERVATION
TILLAGE
Row Crop System Development • 1995 - 2005
Cover Crop Residues
Species selection
1991 - ongoing
Single Crop Integrated Systems Development
CT Development
Tomatoes 1996 ongoing
Water Use
1991 - ongoing
Melons 1998 - 99
Water Balance /
Runoff 1997 - ongoing
Cotton
2000 - ongoing
Pollution Reduction
2001 - ongoing
Squash
2000 - ongoing
CONSERVATION
TILLAGE
Cropping Systems
Tomato - Cotton 1999 ongoing
Wheat - Tomato 1999 ongoing
Corn - Tomato 2000 ongoing
Conservation / Standard Tillage Comparison
Study
(1999 – ongoing)
Standard Tillage
With cover crop
Without cover crop
Conservation Tillage
With cover crop
Without cover crop
An example of developing alternative tillage systems
EXPERIMENTAL METHODS
1) tomato / cotton rotation with and without winter
triticale/rye/common vetch cover crops
2) 10 X 90 m plots, replicated 4 times in RCBD
3) “reduce tillage to greatest extent possible”
in CT systems
4) monitor all inputs and operations for
economic analysis
5) machine harvest yield determinations
Standard Tillage Tomato System
(Coming Out of Cotton)
Year 1 (going into tomatoes)
Year 2 (going into cotton)
• shred cotton stalks
• undercut cotton plants
• disk 2X
• chisel
• list
• cultimulch
• winter weed control
• apply preplant herbicide
• recultimulch beds
• transplant tomatoes
• irrigate
• cultivate
• fertilize
• cultivate
• harvest
• flail chop tomato residue
• disk 2X
• chisel
• disk
• list
• winter weed control
• apply preplant herbicide
• plant cotton
• irrigate
• cultivate
• fertilize
• cultivate
• harvest
Conservation Tillage Tomato System
(Coming Out of Cotton)
Year 1 (going into tomatoes)
Year 2 (going into cotton)
• shred and undercut cotton
• spring herbicide application
• sweep furrows
• plant cotton
• spring herbicide application
• irrigate
• transplant tomatoes
• cultivate
• irrigate
• fertilize
• cultivate
• cultivate
• harvest
• harvest
Conservation tillage system
following tomato harvest and
before cotton planting
Five Points, CA 2000
Postharvest cotton stalk management
consisting of one-pass shredding
and root undercutting and a second pass
to sweep out the furrows
Five Points, CA, 2002