Conservation Agriculture in the North-Eastern Free State ASCENT STUDY GROUP AN OVERSIGHT

Transcription

1 Conservation Agriculture in the North-Eastern Free State ASCENT STUDY GROUP AN OVERSIGHT

2 Trials: 6 x Maize: plant population 5 x Soya bean: plant population 3 x Soya bean: row width Maize row width varied: 0,76m and 0,91m 3 x Fertilizer trials Winter cover crops: monitor strips Summer cover crops: monitor lands and farms

3 Farmer co-workers SUB Izak HEADING Dreyer; Christo Cronje; Paul Zietsman; Jaco van Dyk; Danie Portwig; Stephan Fourie; Jan Nell; JJJ Van Rooyen; No till; Winter & summer cover crops Strip till Strip till No till Conventional Strip till No till Conventional, no till, winter cover crop

4 Conservation farming quo Vadis? Conventional: 0.6m row width

5 Conventional: The risks remain

6 Strip till: What have I done?!!

7 Strip till: That s how we like it!

8 Strip till and no till: Let s leave some for the microbes

9 No till: Don t disturb. We are working!

10 No till with winter cover crop. Now you're talking!

11 Summer cover crop. Let s fill the soil with roots and microbes!

12 Summer cover crop later: Izak Dreyer Summer cover crop later

13 Summer cover crop: P Zietsman Summer cover crop: P Zietsman 22,5t/ha Silage

14 No till with winter cover crop and cattle

15 Conservation farming: Achievements

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17 Conservation farming: Achievements

18 Residual effects: Summer cover crops

19 Cover crops: The paradigm Soil water relations Water conservation? Compaction?

20 Soil water content: Water content 14 Oct Water content 14 Oct Conv Conv Conv. total NT 0-30 NT NT total 0 Oats 0-30 Oats Oats total NT 0-30 NT NT total

21 Soil water relations: Infiltration rate (2015) Infiltration time (minutes) 45 Infiltration time (minutes)

22 Maize emergence in winter cover crop stubble: 2015

23 Maize in winter cover crop stubble: 2015

24 Winter cover crop: maize yield 2015/16 Yield/ha WINTER COVER CROP AND MAIZE YIELD Control Control

25 Soil water content: Pre summer rain Post first rain Control Control Water content (mm)

26 Rainfall: Ascent Ascent rainfall: 2016/ mm Total: Sept Okt Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May

27 Winter cover crop: maize yield 2016/ Yield (t/ha) Control 7.3 LSD=NS 8 Mean= NWCC Treatment WCC

28 Soil porosity: Bulk density

29 Bulk density: No till = 1.3 g/cm 3 Conventional = 1.6 g/cm 3

30 Root development: No till and cover crops

31 Root development: No till with cover crops

32 Conservation farming: Do we conserve plant nutrients?

33 Conservation farming: Zero fertilizer

34 Conservation farming: Zero fertilizer

35 Conservation farming: Zero fertilizer

36 Conservation farming: No fertilizer effect 10 Maize trial 8: Fertilizer level and yield Yield (t/ha) LSD=NS Control kg/ha N 130kg/ha N 6 5 Mean=7.9 R² = Fertilizer level - kg/ha 3:2:1(25)

37 Conclusions Biological ripping? Water infiltration rate Bulk density Rooting pattern Yield Economy? Economical realities drive change Do we have enough knowledge for potential problems down the road? Knowledge supports change Now is the time for innovation Conservation farming and no till not the easy way out Management practices must be raised to a new height

38 THANK YOU