Comparison of Reduced Tillage Cropping Systems for Onions - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Comparison of Reduced Tillage Cropping Systems for Onions

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Title: Comparison of Reduced Tillage Cropping Systems for Onions


1
Comparison of Reduced Tillage Cropping Systems
for Onions
Mulched No-Till vs. Cover Cropped Ridge Till
2
Fall
  • Oats Growing on Ridges

3
(No Transcript)
4
Following Spring
  • Mulch of Winterkilled Oats on Ridges

5
Mulch No-Till
Cover Crop Ridge-Till
  • Ridge-Till top removed
  • Lightly tilled
  • Slit made in soil for hand planting onions
  • Hand planted onions
  • Stuttgart cooking onions

6
Mulch No-Till
C.C. Ridge-Till
  • 2 cultivations
  • Single seed hairy vetch
  • as living mulch for
  • erosion control
  • Mulch of wheat straw in valleys for moisture and
    erosion control

7
? Mulch No-Till
Cover Crop Ridge-Till?
8
Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with
Straw Mulch
Moisture
Crop Value Partial Crop Production Cost
Soil Temperature
Yield
Soil Quality
Inputs
9
Soil Moisture
Soil Water Potential
Rainfall (in)
No-Till
Ridge-Till
Rainfall
Date
10
Moisture Scale
  • No Irrigation, gt more moisture better
  • 0 0
  • 100 100
  • Results

11
Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with
Straw Mulch
Moisture
Crop Value Partial Crop Production Cost
Soil Temperature
Yield
Soil Quality
Inputs
12
Soil Temperature
13
Soil Temperature Scale and Results
  • No significant difference between treatments
  • Ideal temperature for onions
  • 55o 75o F during growth
  • In dry/hot year, no-till would conserve more
    moisture and stable temperature
  • Both treatments scaled
  • 100 for moderate temperatures

14
Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with
Straw Mulch
Moisture
Crop Value Partial Crop Production Cost
Soil Temperature
Yield
Soil Quality
Inputs
15
Soil Quality
Earthworm Count Infiltration Nutrient Levels
16
Soil Quality Discussion and Scale
  • Slightly lower P2O5 in mulched no-till
  • Possibly due to leaching of nutrients through
    constant saturation and high infiltration rate
  • Experiential double-cropping with brassicas after
    onion harvest supports lab finding of less than
    optimum P
  • Earthworm results
  • Optimum soil health indication 25/ft3
  • Varies with time of day, soil moisture levels
  • This sample 4 pm, hot day gt still high
  • Mulched No-Till
    C.C. Ridge Till
  • Scale approximations 75
    85
  • (out of 100)

17
Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with
Straw Mulch
Moisture
Crop Value Partial Crop Production Cost
Soil Temperature
Yield
Soil Quality
Inputs
18
Differing Field Labor Input Costs (per 300 ft.
row)
  • Mulched Cover Crop
  • Labor (10/hr) No-till
    Ridge-till
  • Seedbed Preparation 3 min 6 min
  • Cultivation ----- 8 min
  • Mulching 1 hr 30 min -----
  • Interseeding and ----- 5 min
  • Vine Trimming
  • Hand-weeding 1 hr 45 min 35 min
  • Materials
  • Mulch 9.00 -----
  • Vetch Seed ----- 0.30
  • Total 42.00 9.30

Does not include onion seed, harvesting,
processing, marketing
19
Differing Field Labor Inputs Scale
  • 100 0 input
  • 0 100
  • Results

20
Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with
Straw Mulch
Moisture
Crop Value Partial Crop Production Cost
Soil Temperature
Yield
Soil Quality
Inputs
21
Yield Quality
22
Yield Sample
23
Yield Scale
  • 100 8 crates ( 10 ton/acre)
  • 0 0 crates
  • Results

CC. Ridge till
No till with mulch
5.75
7.5
Crates
72
94
Scale
Yield difference primarily due to lower incidence
of Fusarium Bottom Rot in no-till onions.
This was also observed in no-till onions in other
fields.
24
Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with
Straw Mulch
Moisture
Crop Value Partial Crop Production Cost
Soil Temperature
Yield
Soil Quality
Inputs
25
Profit Margin (Crop Value Cost of differing
inputs field work)
  • Straw Mulched No-Till
  • 240 - 42 192/row
  • Cover Crop Ridge-Till
  • 184 - 9 175/row

Scale 75
Scale 68 100 256 (12,800/acre)
100 256 (12,800/acre)
Does not include onion seed, harvesting,
processing, marketing
32.00/crate, assumes 0.80/lb. and 20 loss
due to shrinkage and disease
26
Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with
Straw Mulch
Moisture
Crop Value Partial Crop Production Cost
Soil Temperature
Yield
Soil Quality
Inputs
27
Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with
Straw Mulch
Moisture
Crop Value Partial Crop Production Cost
Soil Temperature
Yield
Soil Quality
Inputs
28
Summary of Results
  • Soil moisture
  • Mulched no-till preserves more moisture during
    low rainfall, high temperatures, and crop
    bulbing-up, which could affect yields.
  • Mulched no-till also provided more disease
    suppression in wet weather
  • Caused more leaching of nutrients
  • Soil moisture temperature were similar in 2003
  • No-till yields and Ridge-till yields were same in
    2003
  • Graphical Representation
  • Does not show definitive better growing
    technique
  • Growers perspective ridge-till requires less
    labor during busy season, but no-till promises
    more dependable yield and crop quality
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