Page 3
Uinkaora tillage or chemical fallow off wheal
of minimum tillage and
chemical control of weeds
may prove to be a real break
through in reducing soil ero
sion and maintaining and
improving wheat yields.
- 5 .'.'."! t'.i
r -" us. . ti" -
It v II KOI.I) K, KKItH
What are the prospects for
parking the plow in the corner
of the barnyard and growing
wheal without tillage.
Kvery once in awhile some
one brings up this possibility.
"Just where art we in
researching the problems and
advantage of no till fann
ing", Is the question I recently
asked Don Kydrych. weed
research specialist ut the
Columbia Basin Research
Center in Pendleton. His
comments are summarized as
follows:
1. With tillage, weed control
with herbicides, generally
costs H $7 per acre, No
tillage and reduced tillage will
cost more for herbicides but
savings from tillage reduction
will offset a large portion of
this cost. Presently, no-tillage
will cost about $li more per
acre than our present prac
tices This cost difference may
be reduced with increased
fuel, machinery and labor
costs in the future,
2 There w ill be some other
disadvantages from no till
agriculture, such ns new and
more weed problems, firmer
seed beds which may require
new types of drills, cooler soil
temperatures which will re
tard germination and lack of
surface moisture for seeding.
These problems ma; make
no-till farming impractical for
much of our area.
Advantages of no-till farm
ing are of course, I: reduce
erosion from wind and water;
2. yields may be superior
according to research plots
located.8t Pendleton, Moro
and Hermiston, conducted by
' OSU Experiment Station per
sonnel, especially in better
moisture years.
Less fuel and less need for
certain kinds of equipment
will mean fewer trips over the
field and less soil compaction.
Weed control seems to be
the key, Cheatgrass becomes
a real serious problem during
the crop year in many areas.
New chemicals such as Sencor
and 1-exone are giving 80-98
per cent control of cheatgrass
in the growing crop. When
these chemicals are available
to the growers, a combination
A typical fall seeded wheat operation. Note drifted
snow and results of wind erosion along fence.
r
(y Cr o G O
A corn planter used for no-till cultivation. Prototypes
similar to this will need to be developed for the
wheat -summer fallow area.
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