Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Lectures by Greg Podgorski, Utah State University No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Current Issues in Biology, Volume 6 Scientific American

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Concept Review No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Conventional plowing leaves soil vulnerable to erosion by wind and water and promotes runoff of sediment and fertilizers Tillage is a root cause of agricultural land degradation and one of world’s most serious environmental problems No-till farming seeks to minimize the harmful effects of conventional tillage

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Concept Review No-Till: The Quiet Revolution In no-till farming, crop residues are left on fields after harvest and seeds are planted without widespread disturbance of the soil No-till agriculture can reduce soil loss by up to 98 percent In today’s world, farming must not only produce enough food, it must do so sustainably No-till agriculture has the potential to realize sustainable agriculture

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Concept Review No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Plowing has been part of agriculture for 10,000 years As plows and the machinery to drive them became more efficient, farmers in some regions saw catastrophic loss of soil The Great Dust Bowl (1931 – 1939) of the American Southern Plains is proof of the damage that can be caused by uncontrolled cultivation

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Concept Review No-Till: The Quiet Revolution New soil is created slowly from rock, requiring 700 to 1,500 years to produce an inch of soil Under conventional tillage, soil is lost at a rate of inches per century Given an average undisturbed soil depth of one to three feet, the balance of the rates of production and loss predicts soil depletion in 800 to 2,000 years Intriguingly, this timeframe matches the longevity of many ancient civilizations

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Concept Review No-Till: The Quiet Revolution The plow’s central role in farming demands the reinvention of virtually every aspect of agriculture for no- till farming In no-till farming, specialized seeders are used that punch small holes in the soil Planting this way while retaining the residue from harvested crops has helped to reduce overall U.S. soil erosion 43% between 1983 and 200

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Concept Review No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Advantages of no-till farming include: limiting runoff and water pollution using less water for crops improving soil structure to reduce erosion and enhance yield promoting diversity of soil organisms providing cover and food for game birds and other species helping to mitigate global warming by increasing carbon uptake into soil

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Concept Review No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Less energy is needed in no-till farming because it requires fewer passes over a field No-till requires 50 to 80 percent less fuel and 30 to 50 percent less labor than conventional tillage Comparison of agricultural methods

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Concept Review No-Till: The Quiet Revolution No-till has been slow to catch on; in 2004, only 7 percent of global cropland was farmed using no-till methods The U.S. has the largest acreage under no-till agriculture with 22 percent of cropland farmed using no-till in 2004 Farmers in Europe, Africa, and Asia have been much slower to adopt no-till farming

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Concept Review No-Till: The Quiet Revolution No-till acreage in 2004

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Concept Review No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Changing from standard tillage to no-till is difficult In switching, farmers often find new pest species, weeds, and crop diseases Farmers are advised to go slowly in the transition, converting 10 to 15 percent of their acreage at a time Improved information exchange among farmers, universities, agribusinesses, and government agencies can help ease the transition to no-till

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Concept Review No-Till: The Quiet Revolution No-till doesn’t work well in all conditions For example, yields in poorly drained soils are lower and seed germination is slower because of reduced spring time soil temperatures No-till also demands heavier dependence on herbicides and often increases in nitrogen fertilizer use No-till agriculture should be viewed as one important piece of a larger plan for sustainable agriculture, not a cure-all

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Concept Review No-Till: The Quiet Revolution No-Till’s Costs and Benefits PayoffTradeoff Reduced soil erosion Transition to no-till is difficult Improved soil health No-till equipment is expensive Reduced fuel and labor costs Heavier reliance on herbicides Reduced sediment and fertilizer pollution Prevalence of weeds, disease and pests sometimes shift in unexpected ways Increased carbon sequestration Sometimes initially requires more nitrogen fertilizer Can slow seed germination and reduce yields

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Testing Your Comprehension The root cause of agricultural land degradation is: a) pesticide runoff b) loss of soil nitrogen c) conventional tillage d) salinization

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Testing Your Comprehension The root cause of agricultural land degradation is: c) conventional tillage

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Testing Your Comprehension A significant problem with conventional plowing is: a) soil erosion b) phosphate depletion c) an inability to fully break up the soil d) increased soil carbon sequestration

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Testing Your Comprehension A significant problem with conventional plowing is: a) soil erosion

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Testing Your Comprehension It takes about ________ years to create an inch of soil. a) 100 b) 200 c) 1,000 d) 10,000

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Thinking About Science It takes about ________ years to create an inch of soil. c) 1,000

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Thinking About Science Advantages of no-till farming include all the following EXCEPT: a) decreased weed and pest problems b) decreased water usage c) decreased runoff d) improved soil structure

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Thinking About Science Advantages of no-till farming include all the following EXCEPT: a) decreased weed and pest problems

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Testing Your Comprehension In which country would you expect to find the least amount of no-till agriculture? a) the U.S. b) France c) Brazil d) Canada

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Testing Your Comprehension In which country would you expect to find the least amount of no-till agriculture? b) France

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Testing Your Comprehension Farmers typically find that the transition from conventional to no-till agriculture is: a) effortless b) fairly easy c) difficult d) impossible

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Testing Your Comprehension Farmers typically find that the transition from conventional to no-till agriculture is: c) difficult

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Testing Your Comprehension No-till agriculture is one part of a larger vision for: a) sustainable agriculture b) organic farming c) elimination of genetically modified foods d) ultimately growing crops without soil

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Testing Your Comprehension No-till agriculture is one part of a larger vision for: a) sustainable agriculture

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Thinking About Science The problems of new pests and crop diseases that is sometimes seen in the switch to no-till agriculture can be predicted from: a) ecological theory b) evolutionary theory c) agricultural theory d) crop science theory

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Thinking About Science The problems of new pests and crop diseases that is sometimes seen in the switch to no-till agriculture can be predicted from: a) ecological theory

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Biology and Society Countries opposed to the extensive use of herbicides and genetically engineered herbicide-resistant crops should not be pressured to adopt no-till farming practices Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree A. E. C. B. D.

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Interpreting Charts and Graphs Where is the greatest benefit in soil conservation achieved? a) when ground cover is increased from 0 to 20 percent b) when ground cover is increased from 40 to 60 percent c) when ground cover is increased from 80 to 100 percent d) the same benefit is achieved by all these increases Ground Cover (percent) Soil Loss Ratio

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings No-Till: The Quiet Revolution Interpreting Charts and Graphs Where is the greatest benefit in soil conservation achieved? a) when ground cover is increased from 0 to 20 percent Ground Cover (percent) Soil Loss Ratio