Strip Till: Tillage for Today and Tomorrow Jodi DeJong-Hughes Regional Extension Educator, Marshall 320-815-4112 cell 507-337-2816 dejon003@umn.edu
Strip Tillage Fall: 7-9 strips are cleared P and K are banded within strips in fall Shovel shank lifts soil and closing discs creates a berm Seed planted directly in cleared strips in Spring Nitrogen can be applied during fall pass, at planting or side-dressed
Strip Tillage Loosens the soil in the row Maintains surface residue between the rows Potential for one-pass across field Increases water infiltration Less energy required and less erosion than conventional systems
Other Strip Till Benefits Love and admiration by your neighbors Can qualify for EQIP programs May qualify for Carbon crediting
Strip Till Machines
Coulter Style ST Units
Want to have a clean berm about 3-6 high By Spring the berm will be 0-2
Concerns About Strip Till Soil won t warm up as fast Too much residue to manage Sacrifice yields Equipment costs No one to talk to about problems or concerns
Soil Temperatures 53.6 o between row 2 depth 58.1 o in ST row 2 depth
Monsanto COE, Madison, MN 2 inch depth TEMPERATAURE ( O F) 80.0 75.0 70.0 65.0 60.0 55.0 50.0 45.0 40.0 35.0 30.0 Date Planted 5-01-01 4/20/2001 4/25/2001 4/30/2001 5/5/2001 5/10/2001 5/15/2001 5/20/2001 5/25/2001 5/30/2001 80.0 75.0 Strip Till Conventional Till TEMPERATAURE ( O F) 70.0 65.0 60.0 55.0 50.0 45.0 40.0 35.0 30.0 Date Planted 5-02-02 4/15/2002 4/20/2002 4/25/2002 4/30/2002 5/5/2002 5/10/2002 5/15/2002 5/20/2002 5/25/2002 5/30/2002
90 80 70 60 50 40 117 118 118 118 119 119 119 119 120 120 120 120 121 121 121 121 122 122 122 123 Day of Year 85 75 65 55 45 35 114 114 115 115 115 116 116 117 117 118 118 118 119 119 120 120 121 Strip Tillage Study NDSU Pre-Plant Soil Temps Prosper, ND Moorhead, MN L. Overstreet, N. Cattanach, S. Gegner Day of Year STRIP 1" STRIP 3" CONV 1" CONV 3"
Cont. Corn Tillage Study - UMN Tillage treatments: MBP (Moldboard Plow) Rip (Disc-ripped) ST (Strip Tillage) Evaluate: Carbon loss, soil temps, % residue, stands, yield, test weight, % moisture J. DeJong-Hughes, L. Stahl
Soil Temps at Planting TRT 2006 2007 MBP 65.3 55.7 DR 62.3 54.7 ST 65.4 54.2 LSD (0.05) NS 0.54 Planted May 19 th, 2006 and May 11 th, 2007, Jeffers, MN
Residue Management and Yield
Southern MN Tillage Research Field size research Corn following soybeans 10 sites in 2004 and 2005 Four tillage treatments: No Till (NT) Strip Till (ST) Spring cultivation (OP) Fall chisel plow with Spring cultivation (CP+)
Residue Cover Corn Following Soybeans Residue Cover (%) 80 60 40 20 54 65 45 49 30 27 2004 2005 22 21 30% 0 NT ST OP CP+ Average for UMN sites only. Residue counts taken after planting.
Corn Grain Yields 220 2004 2005 Yield (bu/acre) 200 180 160 168 196 175 202 174 197 177 201 140 NT ST OP CP+ Yields are averaged over 10 site locations per year.
2006 Residue and Yield Cont. Corn Jeffers, MN 160 100 Corn Yield (bu/a) 150 140 130 150 10 140 34 148 49 75 50 25 Residue Cover (%) 120 0 MBP Disc Rip Strip Till Yield LSD (.10) = NS Residue LSD (.05) = 9
Monsanto COE, Corn Yields 2000-2002 Yield (bu/acre) 180 170 160 162 161 Strip Till Conventional 157 154 170 176 163 164 150 OLeary 2000 Olson 2001 Olson 2002 Average
Economics
Economics of Tillage NT ST OP CP+ CP 6.23 ST 12 row 6.17 Cult. 40 5.48 5.48 Planter 8.38 8.38 8.38 Min-Til Ptr 9.99 $/acre 9.99 14.55 13.86 20.09 UMN Farm Machinery Econ. Costs Estimates - 2005
Economics of Corn Fertilizer Banded 30# P 50# K Bdcst 45# P 80# K Diff. per acre $7.05 $7.20 Total savings $14.25 per acre UMN Fertilizer Rec s for a medium testing soil and a 175 expected yield. P = 0.47/lb., K = 0.24 /lb. Spring 2007 on actual
Issues with Estimating Economics Differing definitions for ST 18 + different ST machines Cost can range from $15,000 to $130,000 Different attachments and options Reduced fertilizer costs not always used Difficult to put a price on improvements to soil quality
Economic Summary Strip Till has a potential for one pass across the field, saving time and fuel 30 rows in a C-SB rotation can save on stalk chopping ($9.90/ac) If banding P and K, reduce cost by a third Courtesy of IPNI.net
Other Benefits
Strip Tillage Study NDSU In-Row Soil Moisture (% MC) Overstreet, Cattanach, Gegner Prosper, ND 50 40 30 June 21, 2007 50 40 30 July 3, 2007 20 20 10 10 0 BEET BEANS WHEAT CORN 0 BEET BEANS WHEAT CORN Moorhead, MN 50 40 30 50 40 30 ST CT 20 10 0 BEET BEANS WHEAT CORN 20 10 0 BEET BEANS WHEAT CORN
3.50 CENTER OF EXCELLENCE JEFF & JON OLSON MADISON, MN Inches of Soil Moisture in Corn Tillage Systems in 2002 Strip Tillage Conventional Tillage 3.00 IN C H E S O F S O IL M O IS T U R E 2.50 2.00 1.50 1.00 0.50 Field Capacity Wilting Point 0.00 04/15/02 05/02/02 05/17/02 05/31/02 06/14/02 06/29/02 07/12/02 07/26/02 08/12/02 SAMPLING DATE
Management
Proper Set-up of Equipment is Crucial
Don t stagger wheel traffic. 80% of compaction happens on the first pass. Picture courtesy of Centrol Ag Consulting of ND
Spring vs. Fall ST Benefit of Fall ST is due to soil warm-up before planting Can be done but should be used only if fall ST was not completed Spring ST has the potential for: Cooler soil Wetter soil Cloddy seed bed
To Chop or Not to Chop Upright stalks: Helps with water infiltration Dries out faster Plant between 30 rows Don t drive combine on the stalks Chopped stalks: May be better for 22 rows Helps residue move through machine Staggered bar will manage residue better than straight
Combine and ST Directions
ST Management How aggressive do you need to be? Moisture savings? Crop rotation? Match equipment to needs Combine should spread out chaff Residue managers on planter
ST Management Use a starter or pop-up at planting Band P and K for better economics Good drainage is beneficial Avoid ST up and down hills Auto guidance can be helpful Placement of fertilizer Planting on berm Other
Strip Till Summary Cool and/or wet soils can benefit from ST ST maintains yields while saving you time and money ST builds soil structure, preserves organic matter, and reduces erosion It is a win-win situation
Don t Drink and Farm!