By The same can certainly be said for saving moisture, based on ongoing field research.
The impact of that savings is huge for irrigators, claims Simon van Donk of the University of Nebraska.
The table (shown below) tells the story best.
Field research over a four-year period confirms that as much as 3 inches of moisture is made available by not tilling trash under ground.
That impacts yields, promising to deliver 10 to 20 more bushels of corn and 10 more bushels of soybeans.
Also get higher water infiltration
In addition to reducing evaporation, higher residue levels and long-term no-till increase infiltration and reduce runoff, thus, directing more water to where the crop can use it,” says van Donk
“Similarly, in the winter, more standing residue means that more snow stays where it falls, thus, storing more water in the soil once the snow melts.”
The irrigation engineer backs up his claims with solid research. The four-year study (results displayed in the table)involved corn and soybeans grown on residue-covered vs. bare (trash removed but the soil untilled) plots.
He says the 2007 growing season was fairly wet, so both sets of plots only received 4½ inches of irrigation.
By late August and September that year, corn plants on the bare-surface plots dried out and turned yellow and brown much sooner than plants on the residue-covered plots.
“We didn’t find much difference in soil water content between the two kinds of plots, but we did see a big difference in yield at the end of the season,” van Donk says.
$1,000 plus savings
Yield was significantly greater on the residue-covered plots at 197 bushels per acre compared with 172 bushels per acre for the bare-soil plots.
Had irrigation been used to obtain the 25-bushel-per-acre increase, it likely would have taken 2 to 4 additional inches of water.
The cost to apply 1 inch of water on 130 acres with a center pivot, if diesel fuel is $3 per gallon, can be $1,000 or more. For 4 inches, the cost could be $4,000 or more.
Van Donk’s results in 2008 showed a 1½-inch moisture savings and yield increase of about 17 bushels per acre on the residue-covered plots. Had irrigation been used to obtain the 17-bushel-per-acre increase, it likely would have taken 1½ to 3 additional inches of water.
Evaporation is key
Loss of moisture to evaporation is key to these results. In short, there was more evaporation on the bare-surface plots.
Thus, there was less moisture for transpiration, an essential function of plant growth.
The physical effects that cause the increased evaporation include more energy from the sun reaching the bare surface and more movement of air at the bare soil surface, says van Donk.
noatz.com
0 Response to "Residue Water Saver"
Post a Comment