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Comparison of no-tillage and conventional tillage in the development of sustainable farming systems in the semi-arid tropics

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Thiagalingam, K., Dalgliesh, N.P., Gould, N.S., McCown, R.L., Cogle, A.L. and Chapman, A.L. (1996) Comparison of no-tillage and conventional tillage in the development of sustainable farming systems in the semi-arid tropics. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture, 36 (8). pp. 995-1002. ISSN 0816-1089

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Article Link: https://doi.org/10.1071/EA9960995

Abstract

The results of 5 short-term (4-8 years) experiments and farm demonstrations in which no-tillage technology was compared with conventional or reduced tillage in the semi-arid tropics of the Northern Territory and Far North Queensland, during the mid 1980s to mid 1990s, are reviewed. In the Douglas-Daly and Katherine districts of the Northern Territory, dryland crops of maize, sorghum, soybean and mungbean sown using no-tillage with adequate vegetative mulch on the soil surface have produced yields comparable with, or higher than (especially in drier years), those obtained under conventional tillage. The importance of a surface mulch in ameliorating soil temperature, moisture and fertility, and in reducing soil movement and loss in crop production in the semi-arid tropics was confirmed. Management of mulch (pasture, crop residues and weeds) will be crucial in the application of no-tillage technology to the development of mixed dryland crop and livestock enterprises in the semi-arid tropics.

Item Type:Article
Subjects:Agriculture > Agriculture (General) > Special aspects of agriculture as a whole > Sustainable agriculture
Agriculture > Agriculture (General) > Methods and systems of culture. Cropping systems
Live Archive:09 Apr 2024 22:25
Last Modified:09 Apr 2024 22:25

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