The no-tillage revolution in South America

Transcription

1 The no-tillage revolution in South America Rolf Derpsch No-tillage Consultant Asunción, Paraguay Farm Tech Conference January 24-26, 2006 Edmonton, Canada.

2 Reminder Farming is always site specific but the principles and fundmentals of agriculture are the same all over the world.

3 Main points to be covered I. The extent of no-till adoption worldwide II. Reasons why adoption has been so extensive and adoption rates III. Systems farmers are using in S.A. incl. rotations and cover crops IV. Results of long-term no-tillage V. Challenges encountered and innovations adopted (lime application, P concentration, compaction)

4 No-tillage has different meanings in different parts of the world. We need to have a common understanding of what NT is and what we are really talking about!

5 No-tillage (zero tillage) is defined as a system of planting crops into untilled soil by opening a narrow slot, trench or band only of sufficient width and depth to obtain proper seed coverage. No other soil tillage is done. Permanent or continuous no-till is meant, rather than not tilling in one season and tilling in the other, or occasionally not tilling the soil. (Derpsch, 2005)

6 The quality of the no-till system will be defined by: a) the use of low disturbance seeding equipment, b) the percentage of soil cover with plant residues, c) the years of continuous no- till and d) by the use of crop rotation and cover crops. Farmers that only change their seeding machine but do everything else the same way as always are fare away from doing no-tillage. (Derpsch, 2005)

7 (Derpsch, 2005) What is Conservation Agriculture? Permanent Cover - Cropping Systems for Sustainable Agriculture, based on three principles: Permanent soil cover Minimum soil disturbance Diversified crop rotations

8 (Derpsch, 2005) We have learned that almost all advantages of the no-till system come from the permanent cover of the soil and only a few from not tilling the soil

9 No-tillage using discs in Argentina (Derpsch, 2005)

10 No-tillage using discs in Brazil

11 Disc type often used in Brazil (14 & 18 )

12 South America 45 Million ha of permanent no-tillage using discs are practiced in this region 45% Almost no tines nor air seeders are used in SA (Derpsch, 2005)

13 South America has experienced impressive growth rates of the no-tillage system in the last decade.

14 The extent of NT adoption worldwide Canada 12,5 USA 25,3 Total 95 Million ha Brazil 23,6 Paraguay 1,7 Argentina 18,3 Rest of the world 3,7 Africa Europe Asia Australia 9,0 (Derpsch, 2005)

15 Extent of NT adoption in the US 25.3 Million ha

16 With 25.3 million ha NT, the USA leads the world but about 90% of this area (>22 Million ha) is under rotational tillage. (CTIC, 2005).

17 Extent of NT adoption in Brazil Milhões de hectares BRASIL - EXPANSÃO DA ÁREA CULTIVADA EM PLANTIO DIRETO SAFRA VERÃO/SAFRINHA/INVERNO Million ha 72/73 73/74 74/75 75/76 76/77 77/78 78/79 79/80 80/81 81/82 82/83 83/84 84/85 85/86 86/87 87/88 88/89 89/90 90/91 91/92 92/93 93/94 94/95 95/96 96/97 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01 BRASIL fonte: EMATER RS, EPAGRI-SC, EMATER-PR, CATI-SP, FUNDAÇÃO MS, APDC(CERRADO) 23.6 Mill. ha today (FEBRAPDP,2003)

18 (FEBRAPDP/CONAB, 2002) Area under NT & grain prod. In Brazil Extent of NT adoption in Brazil (green columns) and in the Cerrado Region (red columns). 115 Million T 58 Million T

19 Grain production and area planted in Brazil (COOPLANTIO/CONAB, 2002)

20 Impact of no-tillage in Brazil Through adoption of the No-tillage technology Brazil more than doubled grain production in 13 years while cultivated area grew only 11%. 67 Million additional tons of grain at average prices of US$ 150/ Ton = 10 Billion US$ in additional revenue. (Derpsch, 2005)

21 Impact of NT on carbon sequestration At an average rate of 0.51 t/ha/year Brazil would be sequestering about 12 million t of carbon on 23.6 million ha of no-tillage adoption. (Sá, 2004)

22 14 12 Extent of no-till adoption in Argentina (million ha) 18 Mill. ha /91 77/78 78/86 86/87 87/88 88/89 89/90 90/91 91/92 92/ /94 94/95 95/96 96/97 97/ /99 99/00 00/1 ( AAPRESID, 2003)

23 ARGENTINA Area Cultivada y Produccion Total Grain production and area planted in Argentina MIIL HA.-TN Area no convertida en agroecosistemas debido al éxito de la S D y la AMSAP Total Production Total Cropped Area Polinómica (Total Production) YEARS (Peiretti, 2002)

24 Impact of no-tillage in Argentina In 13 years Argentina increased grain production by 164% while cultivated area grew by 44%. In the same period the area under no-tillage increased from ha in 1988 to 12 million ha in 2001 Argentina produced 46 million additional tons of grain at average prices of US$ 150/ Ton = almost 7 Billion US$ in additional revenue. (Derpsch, 2005)

25 Adoption of no-tillage in W. Australia Estimated farmer adoption of no-till in WA 82% adoption 70 Adoption (%) (Bill (WANTFA, Crabtree, 2004) 2005)

26 Source: Programa de Manejo, Recuperación y Conservación de Suelos, DEAG - MAG (Derpsch, 2005) Extent of no-till adoption in Paraguay 2000 Thousand/ha Paraguay 1.7 Mil. ha

27 Percentage of no-till adoption 95 million ha worldwide 47.0% South America USA & Canada 39.6% Rest of the World Australia 9.4% 3.9% (Derpsch, 2005) 2004)

28 adoption in relation to total cultivated area It is estimated that in less than a decade > 90% of the cultivated area of Br. & Ar. will be under NT (Derpsch, 2004) 2005) 60.0% 23.0% USA Brazil 77.0% 40.0% 60.0% 65.0% NT Conventional Argentina Paraguay 40.0% 35.0%

29 Percentage of no-till adoption in Canada Tillage Practices In Alberta 2001 Statistics Canada 27% 38% 5,068,199 35% Incorporating most crop residue Retaining most residue No-till or Zero Tillage (Statistics Canada, 2001))

30 Expansion of the area under no-tillage in the USA and MERCOSUR (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay) in Million ha MERCOSUR USA Million ha fold incr fold incr

31 Impact of no-tillage in South America No-tillage systems have reversed the former trend of declining crop productivity and lead to an economically, ecologically and socially sustainable form of commercial cropping in SA. (CIMMYT, 2002)

32 Reasons why adoption has been so estensive in South America Efficient and economic erosion control Appropriate knowledge was available in the region Widespread use of gmcc (> OM, weed suppression, etc. Consistent positive messages by all, no contradictions NT only conservation agric. techn. being recommended Aggressive farmer to farmer extension, no secrets! Publications with practical information available Economic studies with system approach available There have been no mayor forces against the system S. A. farmers have to be competitive in the global market, no subsidies. Subsidies hamper creativity of farm.

33 No-tillage with discs on large farms, Brazil (SEMEATO) 12 units Seeding width = 64 m Disc seeding systems used in South America make the benefits of no-tillage appear more intensely and quicker. This may be another reason for the fast growth of no-tillage in this part of the world.

34 The plough as the symbol of agriculture...is still deeply rooted in many cultures and MINDSET continues to be the biggest obstacle to no-till adoption in most parts of the world.

35 Systems farmers are using in South America including rotations and green manure cover crops (GMCC).

36 Double cropping systems are widely used in many areas of South America.

37 Year one Year two Wheat Soybeans Soybeans Wheat (Derpsch, 2005)

38 Crop Rotation with 3 cash crops in 2 years corn sunnhemp black oats soybeans wheat (Derpsch, 2005)

39 The concept of stacked rotations, D. Beck Soybeans Wheat Corn Soybeans Wheat Corn Crops are repeated on the same field only in the 5th year

40 length Aiming of at fallow maximum periods cropping without diversity corps 1998 Month of the year J F M A M J J A S O N D BLACK OATS SOYA 1999 SOYA WHEAT SOYA 2000 SOYA RADISH/LUPINS MAIZE 2001 MAIZE 2nd crop 5 cash crops in 3 years (2 GMCC) Rotations that are not consistent in interval or sequence provide the best protection against diseases, pests or weed infestation.

41 Other crops being used are: sunflower, sorghum, rice, beans and cotton among the summer crops. and canola, oats, barley and gmcc among the winter crops. Crop and pasture rotations are also popular in some areas.

42 Use of gmcc for weed suppression Green manure cover crops have shown to be valuable tools to reduce or eliminate herbicide use, thus reducing costs.

43 Adoption of Cover Crops Triticale (Derpsch, 2005)

44 White lupins as gmcc (Derpsch, 2005)

45 Experiments with green manure cover crops (Derpsch, 2005)

46 djacent plots 30 days after herbicide spray Fallow Hairy vetch (Derpsch, 2005)

47 Without herbicides With herbicides Soybeans after black oats (Derpsch, 2005)

48 Fallow Black Oats (Derpsch, 2005)

49 Adoption of cover crops in S. America Black oats (Avena strigosa) are now planted on 3.2 million ha only in the States of Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and on about ha in Paraguay.

50 The knife roller to flatten cover crops

51 Managing cover crops with a knife roller Black oats (Derpsch, 2005)

52 Maize seeded into oats managed with a knife roller (Derpsch, 2005)

53 Oilseed radish (gmcc) in rotation with cash crops (Raphanus sativus Var. Oleíferus Metzg) (Derpsch, 2005)

54 Rolling down oilseed radish (Derpsch, 2005)

55 Maize is seeded into oilseed radish (Derpsch, 2005)

56 Using sunflower as a cover crop Sunflower as a short term GMCC 7 inch row distance, 50 lb/acre seeds 49 days after seeding

57 Lessons learned Cash crops can be seeded immediately after flattening legume cover crops with the knife roller. Sunnhemp at 83 days after seeding

58 US$/ ha Cost of weed control in crop rotation with Short term gmcc and in monoculture Crop Rotation Monoculture 105 (42 $/A) With herbicides 60 Without herbicides 43 (17 $/A) 40 Maize Soybean Sunnhemp Wheat Wheat Soybean Soybean 0 GMCC = Green Manure Cover Crop (Kliewer, 1998) Costs of production could be reduced by US$ 62/ha

59 The use of cover crop and 3-year 3 rotations allowed us not to use herbicides at all during 3 consecutive years.

60 Seeding cash or cover crops as soon as possible after harvest has markedly reduced weed infestation.

61

62 No-tillage is a holistic cropping system Crop rotation Cropping Diversity Not tilling the soil. Per. soil cover Sustainable Agriculture Cover crops (Derpsch, 2003)

63 Results of long term no-tillage.

64 While more than 70% of the area under no-tillage in South America is permanently not being tilled this is only the case in 10% - 12% of the area under no-tillage in USA Bolivia Brazil Paraguay Argentina (Derpsch, 2005)

65 With 25.3 mill. ha NT the USA leads the world No-till adoption in the US in 2002 but about 90% of this area ( > 22 Million ha) is under rotational tillage. (CTIC, 2002)

66 Under rotational tillage farmers will never get to experience the full benefits of the notillage system! (Derpsch, 2005)

67 Organic Matter is the goddess of our soils and therefore we have to worship her. Nonô Pereira, 30 years of continuous no tillage in Southern Brazil.

68 Carbon is the Cornerstone in nutrient cycling! Zn Cl Mg K N C Carbon in the Mn Cornerstone for all soil physical, chemical, Bo and biological processes. P Ca S Management Platform (Reikosky, 2000)

69 % 100 Reduction in the Carbon content of the soil with time of soil use Carbon content % North Dakota Farm Research Years under tillage cultivation (Bauer & Black, 1983)

70 Reduction of the carbon content of the soil in the Argentinean Pampa because of tillage Carbon content of the soil % % ,5% (Source: F. Martinez, INTA, Casilda, cited by Yamada, 1999)

71 Depth (cm) Depth (cm) Soil Organic Carbon Affected by 10 Years of Tillage Systems Conventional tillage No-till % Organic Carbon Rio Grande do Sul State (BRAZIL) Bayer, 1996

72 4.0 Canadian 2002 wheat yield response to N with history of no-till (Lafond 2003) Grain yield (t/ha) year no-tillage 2-year no-tillage Applied N (kg/ha) (Lafond, 2003)

73 Grain Protein % Growing Season Nitrogen (kg/ha) L-T ZT S-T Zt (Lafond, 2005)

74 Evolution of a continuous no-till system Initial phase Transition phase Consolidation phase Maintenance phase Rebuild Aggregates Low OM Low crop residues Reestablish microbial biomass > N 0-5 Increase soil density Start incr. of crop residue Start incr. in OM Start incr. P Imob. N Min. High CR High C > CEC > H 2 O Imob. N < Min. > Nutrient Cycling Time (years) High accum of crop res. Continuous N and C Flux Very high C > H 2 O > High Nut. Cycling Less N and P use > 20 (Sá, 2004)

75 Organic C measured at Wooster, Ohio OARDC, Ohio, oldest NT experiment in US Organic Carbon in Soil (g kg -1 ) No-Till Plow Till Wooster Soil Core Sampling Year (Warren Dick, ISTRO, 2006)

76 Organic C measured at Hoytville, Ohio OARDC, Ohio, oldest NT experiment in US No-Till Plow Till Hoytville Organic Carbon in Soil (g kg -1 ) Soil Core Sampling Year (Warren Dick, ISTRO, 2006)

77 Challenges encountered and innovations adopted

78 The concepts about liming and fertilisation have changed completely since shifting to no-tillage, putting many things upside down. We have to be prepared to learn!!! when changing to the No-till system

79 No-tillage is a mental concept! We have to forget many things we have learned in Universities about fertilization and liming and learn the new concepts of NT

80 Liming and fertilization Many tropical soils are acid or contain toxic aluminium. In SA nobody would plough the soil to redistribute P in the soil profile! Under NT roots develop on the soil surface and take up phosphorus. In No-tillage P concentrates at the soil surface (Derpsch, 2005)

81 In no-tillage lime is applied at the soil surface Organic acids from cover crops (esp. black oats) move lime down in the soil profile.

82 Research results from Brazil show: Lime applied without plant residues was limited to the upper 10 cm profile. Lime with plant residues changed ph, Ca, Mg, and Al in the soil profile. The efficiency of plant residues on lime mobility followed the order: black oats, rye, mucuna, leucaena. Wheat residue had no effect on the mobility of lime. (Miyasawa el al., 2002)

83 Soil crusting? We use cover crops!

84 Soil compaction? We use cover crops! Biological soil preparation by gmcc

85 Soil compaction? We use cover crops! (Derpsch, 2005)

86 We need to feed soil s life and increase earthworm population Earthworm hole

87 Biological tillage has to replace iron tillage! Biological soil preparation through soil fauna (earthworms, collembola, insects, etc.)

88

89 Final remarks

90 Initially erosion control has been the main driving force to adopt no-tillage in SA Erosion in conventionally tilled fields

91 Main driving forces today are: Less work Higher economic returns and Improving chemical, physical and biological soil properties. Yields are increased! Farmers in SA are lazy, they don t like to till

92 Crop Productivities in No-tillage Frank Dijkstra Farm, Ponta Grossa Brazil 800 ha farm

93 Soil cover is most important in NT! Almost all advantages of the No-tillage system come from the permanent cover of the soil and only a few from not tilling the soil. (Derpsch, 2005)

94 Quality No-tillage uses discs! Invisible no-till seeding with discs, Paraguay Strip already seeded (Derpsch, 2006)

95 A - Traditional opener B - Improved opener Quality No-tillage Aiming at achieving invisible No-tillage

96 Under a tine seeding system with high soil disturbance NT may soon reach a plateau. soil throw often covers residue Tine seeders can not cope with high amounts of crop residues that are increasingly being achieved in permanent NT systems, and

97 Four phases of permanent no-tillage Farmers using tine seeders will probably never leave the initial phase and only those achieving high amounts of residues will enter the transition phase. (Derpsch, 2005)

98 Disc seeders are better suited to cope with high amounts of crop residues and achieve minimum soil disturbance (Derpsch, 2005)

99 No-till with discs aims to minimize soil disturbance and maintain as much residue cover as possible, &.. Reduces soil moisture losses Reduces weed seed germination Uses less fuel Enhances protection against wind and water erosion.

100 Thank you for your attention! Rolf Derpsch Consultant No-tillage and Conservation Agriculture