Comparison of Reduced Tillage Cropping Systems for Onions

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Comparison of Reduced Tillage Cropping Systems
for Onions
Mulched No-Till vs. Cover Cropped Ridge Till
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Fall

• Oats Growing on Ridges

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(No Transcript)
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Following Spring

• Mulch of Winterkilled Oats on Ridges

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Mulch No-Till
Cover Crop Ridge-Till

• Ridge-Till top removed
• Lightly tilled

• Slit made in soil for hand planting onions

• Hand planted onions
• Stuttgart cooking onions

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Mulch No-Till
C.C. Ridge-Till

• 2 cultivations
• Single seed hairy vetch
• as living mulch for
• erosion control

• Mulch of wheat straw in valleys for moisture and
  erosion control

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? Mulch No-Till
Cover Crop Ridge-Till?
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Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with
Straw Mulch
Moisture
Crop Value Partial Crop Production Cost
Soil Temperature
Yield
Soil Quality
Inputs
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Soil Moisture
Soil Water Potential
Rainfall (in)
No-Till
Ridge-Till
Rainfall
Date
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Moisture Scale

• No Irrigation, gt more moisture better
• 0 0
• 100 100
• Results

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Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with
Straw Mulch
Moisture
Crop Value Partial Crop Production Cost
Soil Temperature
Yield
Soil Quality
Inputs
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Soil Temperature
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Soil Temperature Scale and Results

• No significant difference between treatments
• Ideal temperature for onions
• 55o 75o F during growth
• In dry/hot year, no-till would conserve more
  moisture and stable temperature
• Both treatments scaled
• 100 for moderate temperatures

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Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with
Straw Mulch
Moisture
Crop Value Partial Crop Production Cost
Soil Temperature
Yield
Soil Quality
Inputs
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Soil Quality
Earthworm Count Infiltration Nutrient Levels
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Soil Quality Discussion and Scale

• Slightly lower P2O5 in mulched no-till
• Possibly due to leaching of nutrients through
  constant saturation and high infiltration rate
• Experiential double-cropping with brassicas after
  onion harvest supports lab finding of less than
  optimum P
• Earthworm results
• Optimum soil health indication 25/ft3
• Varies with time of day, soil moisture levels
• This sample 4 pm, hot day gt still high
• Mulched No-Till
  C.C. Ridge Till
• Scale approximations 75
  85
• (out of 100)

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Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with
Straw Mulch
Moisture
Crop Value Partial Crop Production Cost
Soil Temperature
Yield
Soil Quality
Inputs
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Differing Field Labor Input Costs (per 300 ft.
row)

• Mulched Cover Crop
• Labor (10/hr) No-till
  Ridge-till
• Seedbed Preparation 3 min 6 min
• Cultivation ----- 8 min
• Mulching 1 hr 30 min -----
• Interseeding and ----- 5 min
• Vine Trimming
• Hand-weeding 1 hr 45 min 35 min
• Materials
• Mulch 9.00 -----
• Vetch Seed ----- 0.30
• Total 42.00 9.30

Does not include onion seed, harvesting,
processing, marketing
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Differing Field Labor Inputs Scale

• 100 0 input
• 0 100
• Results

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Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with
Straw Mulch
Moisture
Crop Value Partial Crop Production Cost
Soil Temperature
Yield
Soil Quality
Inputs
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Yield Quality
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Yield Sample
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Yield Scale

• 100 8 crates ( 10 ton/acre)
• 0 0 crates
• Results

CC. Ridge till
No till with mulch
5.75
7.5
Crates
72
94
Scale
Yield difference primarily due to lower incidence
of Fusarium Bottom Rot in no-till onions.
This was also observed in no-till onions in other
fields.
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Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with
Straw Mulch
Moisture
Crop Value Partial Crop Production Cost
Soil Temperature
Yield
Soil Quality
Inputs
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Profit Margin (Crop Value Cost of differing
inputs field work)

• Straw Mulched No-Till
• 240 - 42 192/row

• Cover Crop Ridge-Till
• 184 - 9 175/row

Scale 75
Scale 68 100 256 (12,800/acre)
100 256 (12,800/acre)
Does not include onion seed, harvesting,
processing, marketing
32.00/crate, assumes 0.80/lb. and 20 loss
due to shrinkage and disease
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Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with
Straw Mulch
Moisture
Crop Value Partial Crop Production Cost
Soil Temperature
Yield
Soil Quality
Inputs
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Ridge-Tillage with Vetch vs. No-till Ridges with
Straw Mulch
Moisture
Crop Value Partial Crop Production Cost
Soil Temperature
Yield
Soil Quality
Inputs
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Summary of Results

• Soil moisture
• Mulched no-till preserves more moisture during
  low rainfall, high temperatures, and crop
  bulbing-up, which could affect yields.
• Mulched no-till also provided more disease
  suppression in wet weather
• Caused more leaching of nutrients
• Soil moisture temperature were similar in 2003
• No-till yields and Ridge-till yields were same in
  2003
• Graphical Representation
• Does not show definitive better growing
  technique
• Growers perspective ridge-till requires less
  labor during busy season, but no-till promises
  more dependable yield and crop quality