With dry weather at hand, no-till crops can absorb and retain more water.
Garth Mulkey of Monmouth, Ore., has been using no-till practices since the 1990s. Garth Mulkey’s no-till wheat crop near Monmouth, Ore. With much of the West either “abnormally dry” or in drought conditions, no-till farming advocates say that method could be a way to better utilize the water that’s available.
No-till farming — also called direct-seed farming — is just what it sounds like, growing crops without tilling the soil. In contrast to traditional farming methods, no-till leaves all of the crop residue — the part of the plant not harvested — on the surface instead of plowed under.
The root systems of the plants remain intact, providing soil stability, according to Donald Wysocki, a soil scientist at Oregon State University Extension in Pendleton, Ore. The crop residue also creates a layer of organic matter that protects the soil from drying out, Stuart Wuest, a soil scientist at the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Pendleton, said. […]
Full article: No-till farming can help save water, proponents say
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