Zero tillage

Zero tillage is a minimum tillage practice in which the crop is sown directly into soil not tilled since the harvest of the previous crop. Weed control is achieved by the use of herbicides and/or appropriate mulching and stubble is retained for erosion control.

Benefits of Zero Tillage

• Conservation of soil moisture.
• Reduction of soil erosion by the wind since the crop residue cover isn’t plowed under the soil.
• Reduction of farm labor (i.e. time actually spent tilling the field, fuel consumption) thereby reducing farm expenses.
• Increased planting and harvesting timelines, since time spent tilling and preparing the field isn’t required.
• Earthworms, and other biological organisms, are left alone to live and manipulate the soil by creating tunnels, which otherwise would be created by tilling. This allows for good movement of water and air throughout the soil for good plant growth.
• Reduced soil compaction. Many years of tilling lead to a very hard, densely packed soil.
• Increased soil organic matter which means better soil structure and more available nutrients for plant growth. Tilling ‘burns’ organic matter away.
• Increasing soil organic matter, helps to sequester carbon as carbon dioxide, in the soil.