Virginia Tech
    • Log in
    View Item 
    •   VTechWorks Home
    • College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS)
    • Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (SANREM) Knowledgebase
    • View Item
    •   VTechWorks Home
    • College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS)
    • Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (SANREM) Knowledgebase
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Effect of no-till on conservation of the soil and soil fertility

    Thumbnail
    Date
    2008
    Author
    Benites, J. R.
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Abstract
    Conventional tillage with plow disks and harrows leaving bare soil must no longer be considered recommended practice. Continuous no-till, maintaining soil cover with plant residues, called Conservation Agriculture (CA) must become the standard practice used by agriculture. Initially, more fertilizer may be required, but, as soil organic carbon (SOC) increases, the soil becomes more productive, requiring the same or even less fertilizer due to the increased values of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and also greater pH and cation exchange capacity. Soil cover protects the soil against the impact of raindrops, prevents the loss of water from the soil through evaporation, and also protects the soil from the heating effect of the sun. Good aggregation, abundant surface crop residue, and a biologically active soil are keys to drought-proofing a soil. The utilization of CA with permanent soil cover not only improves soil and water quality for the farmer, but also improves the environment for all. CA has experienced wide application and levels of farmer acceptance on more than 100 million ha worldwide and is gaining even greater interest due to demonstrated increases in production, profitability and sustainability. In order to be successful, practicable, and fail-proof and to achieve widespread adoption of CA, farmers require an adequate level of knowledge to ensure that all aspects of the no-till production system are being considered.
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10919/68353
    Collections
    • Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (SANREM) Knowledgebase [3994]

    If you believe that any material in VTechWorks should be removed, please see our policy and procedure for Requesting that Material be Amended or Removed. All takedown requests will be promptly acknowledged and investigated.

    Virginia Tech | University Libraries | Contact Us
     

     

    VTechWorks

    AboutPoliciesHelp

    Browse

    All of VTechWorksCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

    My Account

    Log inRegister

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics

    If you believe that any material in VTechWorks should be removed, please see our policy and procedure for Requesting that Material be Amended or Removed. All takedown requests will be promptly acknowledged and investigated.

    Virginia Tech | University Libraries | Contact Us