Dennis Baker, Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent
The objective of this research is to compare soybeans grown no-till to soybeans planted where the soil has been chiseled and disked in a minimum tillage system.
| Test Site: | County Farm | Fertilizer: | 0-46-0 (100 lb/A) and 0-0-46 |
| County: | Darke | (125 lb/A) broadcast | |
| Nearest Town: | Greenville | Herbicide: | |
| Soil Type: | Patton silty clay loam and | PRE | 26 oz/A Roundup Ultra Max |
| Crosby silt loam | POST (Aug 13) | 26 oz/A Roundup Ultra Max | |
| Drainage: | Subsurface | Variety: | Croplan 3276RR |
| Tillage: | See Methods | Planting Rate: | 195,000 seeds/A |
| Previous Crop: | Corn | Planting Date: | April 30, 2001 |
| Soil Test: | pH 6.5, P 38ppm, K 175ppm | Row Spacing: | 30 inch |
| Harvest Date: | October 3, 2001 |
Two treatments consisting of no-till and tillage were replicated five times in a randomized complete block design. Individual treatment strips consisted of twelve 30-inch rows and ranged in area from 7/10 to 1 acre. Tilled plots were chiseled in early April and worked twice with a cultimulcher and disk just prior to planting. Soybeans were planted with a Buffalo slot planter with Kinze brush-type seed-meter units. Soybeans were planted into adequate soil moisture that allowed for normal and even germination in all plots. Entire strips were harvested for yield results. Harvest moisture was determined using a field moisture tester. A weigh wagon was used to determine the weight of grain harvested in each plot. Yields were adjusted to 15.5% moisture.
| Treatment | Yield |
| (bu/A) | |
| No-till | 39.9 |
| Tillage | 43.6 |
| LSD (0.05) | NS |
| F | 6.3 |
| CV (%) | 5.6 |
There were no significant differences in the yields in the chiseled plots when compared to no-till. This is the fourth year that this experiment has been conducted in this field in a corn/soybean rotation. Results of the previous three years are as follows:
| 1998 - Corn Yield |
1999 - Soybean Yield |
2000 - Corn Yield |
|
| bu/A | bu/A | bu/A | |
| No-till | 106.2 | 40.2 | 112.6 |
| Tillage | 138.2 | 50.7 | 125.1 |
| F | 124.5 | 296.1 | 2.1 |
| LSD (0.05) | 11.6 | 1.2 | NS |
| CV (%) | 4.1 | 1.2 | 12.7 |
Yields were significantly different the first two years favoring the tilled plots. In a contiguous part of the same field receiving the same two treatments, there was less than 1 bu/A difference in corn and soybean yields in 1998 through 2000. Whatever factor was limiting yield in no-till in the trial area of the field appears to be gradually disappearing.
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