Transcript Sustainable and Low Input Strip-Till & No-Till Vegetable Planting Tactics 2004-2006

Sustainable and Low Input
Strip-Till & No-Till Vegetable
Planting Tactics
2004-2006
Preliminary Report
R. David Myers
Extension Educator, Agriculture
Fountain of Wealth?
Do We Need Pesticides?
• National Organic Standards
http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/indexIE.htm
Do We Need Pesticides?
• Organic Trade Association
http://www.ota.com/organic/mt/business.html
• Current Organic Food Sales 1-2%
The Rodale Institute has set
a goal of 100,000 certified
organic U.S. farmers,
representing five percent of
the 2 million American
farmers, by the year 2013, In
May 2003. Certified organic
U.S. farmers now number
approximately 12,200.
—The Rodale Institute,
www.newfarm.org/news/05
0103/0528/100,000.shtml.
German Foxtail Millet 5 Days AP
German Foxtail Millet 60 Days AP
Pak Choi Plot Yield 9-7-00
30
28.5
25
20
15
10
Strip-Till
No-Till
10.1
5
0
yield
lbs/plot
LSD = 5.05
P = .0014
Kai Brady
Ferguson Manufacturing Company
P.O. Box 1098 Suffolk, VA 23439
Phone 757 539-3409
Fax 757 934-3612
Quote: Ferguson Company 2-13-03
Ferguson 1-Row Rip-Strip-Till Implement
Assembled Components:
4”X 4”X 48” front bar with Cat. 1 hitch
2.5” X 2.5” X 48” bar with no-till coulter
4” X 7” X 48” bar with 1 subsoiler shank
& 2 side coulters
2.5” X 2.5” X 48” bar with 2 parallel
linkages & 1 double basket
assembly – 12” baskets
Depth gauge wheel assembly
2- park stands
Dealer Retail $2,954.00
Monosem Planters US/A.T.I. Inc.
17135 W 116th Street
Lenexa, KS 66219
Paul Wood Eastern US Sales
Phone 757 539-3409 Ext. 5
Fax 757 934-3612
Monosem Dealers
Binkley & Hurst Bros. Inc,
Lilitz, PA 717 626-4705
Leatherbury Equipment Inc.
Cheriton, VA 757 331-2681
Robertson Equipment Inc.
Colerain, NC 252 356-4782
Quote: Binkley & Hurst Inc. 2-14-03
Monosem NG Plus Mounted Planter
Assembled Components:
2-Row NG+ 36” wide planter
1.4 bushel seed hopper
Turbo fan PTO with vacuum gauge
Dry fertilizer with double disk openers
Frame mounted no-till coulter
Trash sweeps
Heavy duty down pressure spring kit
Small seed air cleanout system
Concave and v-closing disks
14 sets of seed plates
Dealer Retail $12,923.00
Table 1. Vegetable Planting Data
Crop
Variety
Row Spacing
(inches)
In
Between
Planting
Depth
(inches)
Target Planting Dates
Spring
Fall
Sugar Snap Peas
Sugar Bon
13/4
36
1/2
3 /1-3/12
8/15-8/24
Collards
Champion
13/4
36
1/4
4/7-4/24
8/15-8/24
Kale
Blue Curled Scotch
15/8
36
1/4
4/7-4/24
8/15-8/24
Turnips
Purple Top
13/4
36
1/4
4/7-4/24
8/15-8/24
Chinese Cabbage
Pak Choy & Michili
15/8
36
1/4
4/7-4/24
8/15-8/24
Spinach
Tyee & Melody
15/8
36
1/4
4/7-4/24
8/15-8/24
Radish
Red Globe & Icicle
13/4
36
1/4
4/7-4/24
8/15-8/24
Lettuce
Salad Bowl & Oak Leaf
11/16
36
1/8
4/7-4/24
8/15-8/24
Swiss Chard
Fordhook
13/8
36
3/8
4/7-4/24
8/15-8/24
Sweet Corn
Argent &Incredible
81/3
36
11/4
4/28-5/8
NA
Popcorn
South American Yellow
Giant
81/3
36
11/4
4/28-5/8
NA
Ornamental Corn
Indian
81/3
36
11/4
4/28-5/8
NA
Snap Beans
Jade
2
36
11/4
5/8-5/20
NA
Summer Squash
Goldbar, Fortune
Straightneck & Seneca
Zucchini
18
36
11/2
5/8-5/20
NA
Watermelon
Crimson Sweet, Sugar
Baby & Jubilee
22
120
11/2
5/8-5/20
NA
Pumpkins & Winter
Squash
Autumn Gold, Cushaw
Striped, Bird House,
Jack-Be-Little & Gourd
Mix
22
120
11/2
6/7-6/20
NA
Table 2. Vegetable Strip-Till & No-Till
Yield Averages 2004-2006
Crop
Variety
Yield lbs/acre
Strip-Till No-Till
Kale
Blue Curled Scotch
11,315a
8,345b
Turnips
Purple Top
32,625a
26,100b
Chinese Cabbage
Pak Choy
15,950a
11,600b
Chinese Cabbage
Michili
20,300a
17,400b
Radish
Red Globe
4,644a
4,060b
Swiss Chard
Fordhook
7,975a
7,685b
Sweet Corn
Argent
8,350a
7,940a
Popcorn
South American
Yellow Giant
4,900a
5,082a
Ornamental Corn
Indian
10,527a
8,258b
Summer Squash
Goldbar
15,518a
8,276b
Summer Squash
Seneca Zucchini
23,413a
22,596a
Watermelon
Jubilee
20,283a
16,063b
Pumpkins
Autumn Gold,
12,524a
12,251a
Gourds
Mixed
3,405a
3,367a
Gourds
Birdhouse
14,422a
14,520a
Leafy Greens Yield Lbs/Acre
7 WAP
CMREC, Upper Marlboro 2004-2006
35,000
32,625
b
30,000
26,100
25,000
a
No-Till
Strip-Till
20,000
15,950
15,000
11,315
10,000
5,000
0
8,345
11,600
b
b
7,685
a
a
4,060
4,644
a b
Kale
Turnips
Pak Choy
Radish
a
7,975
b
Chard
Indian Corn Ear Weight/Acre
12 WAP
CMREC, Upper Marlboro 2004-2006
12000
11000
10000
10,527
b
9000
8000
8,258
No-Till
Strip-Till
a
7000
6000
Lbs/Acre
Ear Weight
P=0.022411
Popcorn Ear Weight/Acre
12 WAP
CMREC, Upper Marlboro 2004-2006
6000
5800
5600
5400
5200
5000
4800
4600
4400
4200
4000
5,082
No-Till
Strip-Till
4,900
Lbs/Acre
Ear Weight
Not
Significant
Zucchini Squash Yield
7-9 WAP, Harvested Weekly
CMREC, Upper Marlboro 2004-2006
25000
24000
23000
22000
21000
20000
19000
18000
17000
16000
15000
23,413
22,596
No-Till
Strip-Till
Lbs/Acre
NonSignificant
Yellow Squash Yield
7-9 WAP, Harvested Weekly
CMREC, Upper Marlboro 2004-2006
19000
17000
15000
15,518
b
13000
No-Till
Strip-Till
11000
9000
7000
8,276
a
5000
Lbs/Acre
P=0.058168
Watermelon Yield
13 WAP
CMREC, Upper Marlboro 2004-2006
25000
20000
15000
20,283
b
16,063
a
10000
5000
0
No-Till
Strip-Till
Pumpkin & Gourds Yield Lbs/Acre
15 WAP
CMREC, Upper Marlboro 2004-2006
18,000
17,300
15,585
16,000
14,000
14,520 14,422
12,524
12,251
12,000
No-Till
Strip-Till
10,000
8,000
6,000
3,367 3,405
4,000
2,000
0
Pumpkin
Cushaw
Birdhouse
Mixed Gourds
Not Significant
Preliminary Study Conclusions
Response to strip-tillage may be variety sensitive.
For most crops investigated in this study strip-tillage
led to a 20% to 30% increased plant population at
emergence than no-tillage.
Strip-tillage warms the soil which provided a 15% to
35% yield increase in early spring planted leafy greens
and vegetables.
Strip-tillage eliminated the cover crop competition,
which led to robust seedling growth.
Preliminary Study Conclusions
Early pre plant burndown (EPP) of the cover crop is
recommended when soil moisture is limiting. During
drought conditions EPP one week prior to planting for
each foot of cover crop canopy.
EPP of cover crop will also reduce the chance for
seed germination inhibition due to allelopathy.
No-tillage may be more cost effective for summer
vegetables with fast germination and quick seedling
growth.
Sustainable and Low Input
Strip-Till & No-Till
Vegetable
Planting Tactics
2004-2006
Preliminary Report
Thank You!
Any Questions?
R. David Myers
Extension Educator, Agriculture
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