Research the impact of different land management practices,such as no-till farming,on
soil health and sustainability.
Different land practices such as no–tilling, crop rotation, cover cropping and desalination in
soil helps to impact positively in soil health and sustainability.
An unaltered soil structure enables stable aggregates to form,which improves water
infiltration and root penetration.The risk of wind and water erosion is decreased by keeping
the soil’s natural structure,safeguarding priceless topsoil,and guarding against nutrient loss.
No-till farming helps prevent soil erosion by leaving the soil undisturbed.The soil is kept
grounded and safeguarded when agricultural wastes are left on the surface.
By giving beneficial insects a place to live and food to eat,encouraging microbial
variety,supporting wildlife,preserving soil fauna,and fostering the establishment of native
plants,no tillage farming practices protect biodiversity and habitats.
Earthworms pull the plant residue down into its hole where it attracts bacteria and
fungi,which it eats,along with the residue.Then the channel is lined with slime from the
worm’s body and is higher in N,P,K and Ca than the surrounding soil.
“It’s thousands of dollars of savings ad it works.It’s so easy.It’s just easy.”,said Galusha.He
plants rye and hay as cover crops.The sugar exuded by them feed microbes in the soil and
helps with soil aggregation.
Using two exisiting long term rotation trials of continuous corn,continuous soybean,
Corn-soybean,corn-soybean-wheat rotation,the most diverse rotation of corn- soybean-
wheat rotation is better than the rest giving better output.
In a 21 year study of a more diverse rotation at three sites in southern Sweden, the effects of
having a two year pasture (ley) phase (either pure grass or grass + legume) in an arable
rotation, found that soil carbon was higher in the rotation with pastures at one of the sites but
not the other two (Persson et al., 2008). Jordan & Hutchinson, (1996) as part of the LIFE
Project, studying less-intensive integrated production systems, also found that soil organic
matter levels increased under the more diversified and integrated rotation designs.
Based on two, long-term, no-till, cropping trials, a comparison of rotational diversity, residue
management and cover cropping found that all three techniques aways improved soil
structure, sometimes with synergistic effects between the three techniques (Perkons et al.,
2014).
In the first completed rotation of the Nafferton Factorial Systems Comparison trial,
comparing an eight year organic and conventional mixed farming rotations, there was little
difference in soil fertility between the two systems, with soil N being slightly higher under
organic and available P lower (Cooper et al., 2011).
Research the impact of different land management practices,such as no-till farming,on
soil health and sustainability.
Based on trials over three sites and three years in Canada it was found that of faba bean,
narrow leaf lupin, and field pea, N-fixation ranged from 70 to 223, 78 to 147, and 46 to 173
kg N/ha, respectively, with faba bean having the highest average N fixation (Strydhorst et
al., 2008). A study on the amount of N required by winter wheat found an interaction
between soil type and previous crop - winter wheat, winter barley, spring barley, winter
oats, winter oil seed rape, potatoes, sugar beet and peas. There was a lower demand for N
on soils where there was less heavier nutrient leaching than on lighter / sandier soils. While
the average N requirement across all preceding crops was 206 kg N/ha there was significant
variation with the maximum being 377 kg N/ha required on a shallow soil following winter
wheat, to zero on a clay soil following oil seed rape, and peas on a silt soil (Goodlass &
Sylvester-Bradley, 1996).
