Dennis Baker, Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent
To compare tillage effects on corn and soybean yields when using no-till and disk-chisel tillage systems in a three-year trial.
| Site: | Darke County Farm | ||
| Nearest Town: | Greenville | ||
| Major Soil Type: | Patton silty clay loam, Crosby silt loam |
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| Drainage: | Subsurface | ||
| Row Width: | 30 | ||
| 2000 Corn/1999 Soybean/1998 Corn Field | |||
| 2000 Soil Test Levels: | pH 6.5 P 38 ppm K 175 ppm |
Herbicides: | Leadoff (5 pt./A), Basis (1/3 oz./A), Banvel (3 oz./A) |
| Insecticide: | Pounce (3 oz./A) | ||
| Fertilizer: | 135 lbs./A 18-46-0
100 lbs./A. 0-0-60 150 lbs./A Nitrogen as 28% applied with herbicide |
Seeding Rate: | 29,500 seeds/A |
| Variety: | Pioneer 33R81 | ||
| Planting Date: | May 6, 2000 | ||
| Harvest Date: | Oct. 25, 2000 | ||
| 2000 Soybean/1999 Corn/1998 Soybean | |||
| 2000 Soil Test Levels: | pH 6.1 P 70 ppm K 210 ppm |
Seeding Rate: | 186,000 seeds/A |
| Hybrid: | Countrymark 3865 | ||
| Planting Date: | May 9, 2000 | ||
| Fertilizer: | 100 lbs./A 0-46-0 125 lbs./A 0-0-60 |
Harvest Date: | October 11, 2000 |
There were six replications of two treatments in each field: Chisel vs. No-till. Experiment design was a complete randomized block design. Individual treatment plots were 12 rows (30 ft.) wide by lengths ranging progressively from 760 to 1,400 feet for this yearıs corn. Individual treatment plots were 12 rows (30 ft.) wide by 1,465 feet in length for the soybeans. The tilled plots were prepared using a soil commander disk ripper and once over with a field cultivator with cultipacker. Both crops were planted with a Buffalo slot planter into adequate soil moisture and adequate rainfall for good germination. As the crop developed, there were no obvious differences in the plots.
| Treatments | Corn Yield (bu/A) | Soybean Yield (bu/A) |
| No-Till | 112.6 | 46.3 |
| Chisel | 125.1 | 47.3 |
| Significance P = 0.05 | NS | NS |
| F = 2.1, CV = 12.7% | F = 1.8, CV = 2.7% | |
There were no significant differences in yields between the two treatments. This experiment can best be summarized using the following chart showing corn and soybean rotation plots in two parts of the same field for the past three years.
| Field N2 | Field N3 | ||||
| 1998 - Soybeans - | no-till chiseled |
47.1 bu./A 47.7 bu./A |
Corn - | no-till chiseled |
106.1 bu./A 138.2 bu./A |
| 1999 - Corn - | no-till chiseled |
182.2 bu./A 182.4 bu./A |
Soybeans - | no-till chiseled |
40.2 bu./A 50.7 bu./A |
| 2000 - Soybeans - | no-till chiseled |
46.3 bu./A 47.3 bu./A |
Corn - | no-till chiseled |
112.6 bu./A 125.1 bu./A |
For three years, there was virtually no difference in yields when comparing no-till to chiseled in Field N2 in a corn/soybean rotation. The field had been in no-till corn and soybean rotation from 1993 through 1997. The same experiment conducted in a contiguous part of the same field (Field N3) in 1998 and 1999 significantly favored the chisel-tillage system. It appears that there has been some factor in that particular part of the field that has limited yield when planting no-till corn or soybeans. It also appears that the limiting factor(s) may not have favored the chiseled system so much in 2000. The tillage comparison will be continued one more year with soybeans in Field N3 in 2001.
For further information, contact:
Dennis Baker
Ohio State University Extension, Darke County
700 Wayne St.
Greenville, OH 45331
937-548-5215
baker.5@osu.edu