The Relationship Between Soil Properties and No-Tillage Agriculture

I am highly honored to be invited to present the 3rd annual S.H. Phillips Distinguished Lecture on No-Tillage Agriculture. My interest and subsequent research efforts in the area of no-tillage agriculture began in 1969. Shirley Phillips encouraged my efforts through his interest and enthusiasm for this rather radical and new approach to farming without the use of tillage equipment. At that time, Harry Young, a western Kentucky farmer and pioneer of no-tillage agriculture along with Shirley, Jim Herron, Charlie Slack and other co-workers were excited about the potential of this new, innovative farming system and what it could do for the farmers of Kentucky

Cover Crops and Crop Residues

In Kentucky, erosion hazard is by far the major limitation for use of cropland. It has been estimated that about 11.4 million acres are subject to erosion hazards. This means that approximately 75% of the soils potentially suited for cropland is sloping enough that risk of erosion is the greatest limitation in its use for crop production. Probably the greatest risk of erosion results from leaving row-cropped fields unprotected over winter. The use of cover crops and proper management of crop residues to stablize these soils during the winter months are relatively inexpensive agronomic practices that are very effective in controlling erosion~ These agronomic practices are especially appealing because they can control erosion losses without interfering with the use of the land to produce Kentucky\u27\u27s primary acreage of corn11 soybeans, and tobacco

No-Tillage -- Suitability to Kentucky Soils

As more farmers adopt no-tillage methods of farming the questions arises whether or not all soils are suited to this practice. To get an idea of how well suited the no-tillage method of corn production is to wide variety of soils, we made a survey in five different physiographic regions of Kentucky in 1969

Does No-Till Change Soil Management Practices?

Successful no-tilling requires a different approach to soil management practices. Since continuous no-tillage systems leave residues on the soil surface without mechanically mixing them into the plow layer and since lime and fertilizer are surface-applied, no-tilled soils have biological, chemical and physical properties contrasting with those of a plowed soil. For any crop production system to be widely accepted and used it must provide and maintain desirable physical properties of the soil, control erosion and replace nutrients removed by crops and other losses. This can be accomplished in a no-till system if proper management is used

Use of Annual Legumes as Winter Cover for No-Till Corn

Legumes in crop rotations hsve traditionally provided nitrogen for nonlegume crops since the early history of agriculture. When in association with the proper strains of Rhyzobium bacteria, legumes are capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen, which when residues from the legumes decompose, enrich the soil content of nitrogen. Legume cover crops recycle other nutrients, thus reducing leaching losses that often occur in soils during the winter and spring seasons. In addition to these advantages, legume cover crops used with no-tillage corn provide a surface mulch which reduces soil erosion, slows evaporation of soil moisture, increases infiltration of rainfall, and increases soil organic matter content

After 15 Years of No-Tillage Corn

Farmers shifting from a system of agricultural production that includes intensive tillage operations to a reduced or no-tillage system are often concerned about how this change may affect soil properties and productivity. No-tillage leaves the residues and fertilizers on the soil surface with no mechanical incorporation and may result in soil properties greatly different from plowed soils

Nutrient Losses From Conventional and No-Till Cornfields

Farmers must be concerned about both the monetary loss and the threat of groundwater and surface water pollution associated with the loss of plant nutrients from their fields. There is also an increasing public concern about pollution and the role of agriculture in nonpoint-source pollution. Movement of water over the surface of the soil as well as through the soil profile increases the potential for loss of water-soluble nutrients, especially nitrates

Soil Surveys in Kentucky

Soil surveys are a scientific inventory of the soil and land resources of an area. They locate the different kinds of soils and provide information as to their physical and chemical properties. The survey reports also contain tables and charts showing the use of the soils for agriculture, engineering, community development, recreational areas, woodland, and wildlife. Today there is some type of soil survey activity in every county of Kentucky. The University of Kentucky has cooperative soil survey arrangements with the USDA Soil Conservation Service and the U.S. Forest Service

Soil Surveys in Kentucky

Forty-one Kentucky counties have been surveyed and the results published, using the classification schemes of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. These counties and the field survey dates are : Adair (1961) , Bath (1959), Caldwell (1962), Calloway (1937), Christian (1912), Clark (1961), Elliott (1961), Fayette (1931), Fulton (1961). Garrard (1921), Graves (1941), Henderson (1963), Jefferson (1962), Jessamine (1915) , Logan (1919), McCracken (1905), Madison (1905), Marshall (1938), Mason (1903), Mercer (1930), Metcalfe (1962), Muhlenberg (1920), Rockcastle (1910), Scott (1903), Shelby (1916), Union (1902), Warren (1904)

Effect of Lime on No-Tillage Corn Yields

The rapidly growing popularity and adoption of no-tillage systems of corn production have required us to re-evaluate some of our long established soil fertility practices and recommendations. Recent work by researchers at Kentucky and adjacent states show that the soil surface becomes very acid after a few years of continuous no-tillage corn production. This rapid decrease in soil pH is primarily associated with surface application of nitrogen fertilizers. Most lime recommendations and related research information for row crop production are based on plow-down application. Therefore, the effectiveness of surface-applied and unincorporated lime under no-tillage systems becomes a question of concern. We conducted lime studies on no-tillage corn at Princeton and Lexington to study this situation