Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T13:44:07.696Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Organic zero-till in the northern US Great Plains Region: Opportunities and obstacles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2011

Patrick M. Carr ,
Randy L. Anderson ,
Yvonne E. Lawley ,
Perry R. Miller  and
Steve F. Zwinger
Patrick M. Carr*
Affiliation:
Dickinson Research Extension Center, North Dakota State University, 1041 State Avenue, Dickinson, ND 58601, USA.
Randy L. Anderson
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS, Brookings, SD 57006, USA.
Yvonne E. Lawley
Affiliation:
Department of Plant Science, University of Manitoba, 222 Agriculture Building, 66 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada.
Perry R. Miller
Affiliation:
Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, PO Box 173120, Bozeman, MT 59717-3120, USA.
Steve F. Zwinger
Affiliation:
Carrington Research Extension Center, North Dakota State University, PO Box 219, Carrington, ND 58421-0219, USA.
*
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The use of killed cover crop mulch for weed suppression, soil erosion prevention and many other soil and crop benefits has been demonstrated in organic no-till or zero-till farming systems in eastern US regions and in Canada. Implements have been developed to make this system possible by terminating cover crops mechanically with little, if any, soil disturbance. Ongoing research in the US northern Great Plains is being conducted to identify cover crop species and termination methods for use in organic zero-till (OZ) systems that are adapted to the crop rotations and climate of this semi-arid region. Current termination strategies must be improved so that cover crop species are killed consistently and early enough in the growing season so that subsequent cash crops can be grown and harvested successfully. Delaying termination until advanced growth stages improves killing efficacy of cover crops and may provide weed-suppressive mulch for the remainder of the growing season, allowing no-till spring seeding of cash crops during the next growing season. Excessive water use by cover crops, inability of legume cover crops to supply adequate amounts of N for subsequent cash crops and failure of cover crops to suppress perennial weeds are additional obstacles that must be overcome before the use of killed cover crop mulch can be promoted as a weed control alternative to tillage in the US northern Great Plains. Use of vegetative mulch produced by killed cover crops will not be a panacea for the weed control challenges faced by organic growers, but rather one tool along with crop rotation, novel grazing strategies, the judicious use of high-residue cultivation equipment, such as the blade plow, and the use of approved herbicides with systemic activity in some instances, to provide organic farmers with new opportunities to incorporate OZ practices into their cropping systems. Emerging crop rotation designs for organic no-till systems may provide for more efficient use of nutrient and water resources, opportunities for livestock grazing before, during or after cash crop phases and improved integrated weed management strategies on organic farms.

Keywords

organic farmingecological farmingconservation tillageno-tillroller-crimpercover cropscrop rotation
Type
Preliminary Report
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 27 , Issue 1: Special Issue: Conservation Tillage Strategies in Organic Management Systems , March 2012 , pp. 12 - 20
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1Carter, M.R. 1994. Strategies to overcome impediments to adoption of conservation tillage. In Carter, M.R. (ed.). Conservation Tillage in Temperate Agroecosystems. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA. p. 1–19.Google Scholar
2Triplett, G.B. Jr. and Dick, W.A. 2008. No-tillage crop production: A revolution in agriculture. Agronomy Journal 100:S-153–165.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3Mirsky, S.B., Ryan, M.R., Curran, W.S., Teasdale, J.R., Spargo, J.T., Maul, J., Moyer, J., Grantham, A., Weber, D., and Way, T. 2012. Reducing tillage in Mid-Atlantic organic grain production. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, in press.Google Scholar
4Shirtliffe, S.J. and Johnson, E.N. 2012. Progress towards no-till organic weed control in western Canada. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, in press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5Padbury, G., Waltman, S., Caprio, J., Coen, G., McGinn, S., Mortensen, D., Nielsen, G., and Sinclair, R. 2002. Agroecosystems and land resources of the Northern Great Plains. Agronomy Journal 94:251–261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6Johnson, A.M., Larney, F.J., and Lindwall, C.W. 1995. Spring wheat and barley response to long-term fallow management. Journal of Production Agriculture 8:264–268.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7Bauer, A. and Conlon, T.J. 1974. Effect of tillage interval of fallow on available soil nitrogen, soil physical properties and wheat yields. North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station Research Report 51. Fargo, ND, USA.Google Scholar
8Bauer, A. and Black, A.L. 1983. Effect of tillage management on soil organic carbon and nitrogen. North Dakota Farm Research 40(6):27–31.Google Scholar
9Haas, H.J., Evans, C.E., and Miles, E.F. 1957. Nitrogen and carbon changes in Great Plains soils as influenced by cropping and soil treatments. Technical Bulletin 1164.United States Department of Agriculture. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, USA.Google Scholar
10Lyon, D.J., Miller, S.D., and Wicks, G.A. 1995. The future of herbicides in weed control systems of the Great Plains. Journal of Production Agriculture 97:347–348.Google Scholar
11Karlen, D.L., Wollenhaupt, N.C., Erbach, D.C., Berry, E.C., Swan, J.B., Eash, N.S., and Jordahl, J.L. 1994. Long-term tillage effects on soil quality. Soil and Tillage Research 32:313–327.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12Peterson, G.A., Schlegel, A.J., Tanaka, D.L., and Jones, O.R. 1996. Precipitation use efficiency as affected by cropping and tillage systems. Journal of Production Agriculture 9:180–186.Google Scholar
13Lyon, D.J. and Peterson, G.A. 2005. Continuous dryland cropping in the Great Plains: What are the limits? Agronomy Journal 97:347–348.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14Ali, M.B. and Johnson, R.G. 1981. Economics of Summer Fallow – Wheat Systems in North Dakota. North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 511. Fargo, ND, USA.Google Scholar
15Carr, P.M., Martin, G.B., and Poland, W.W. 2001. Yield and quality of hard red spring wheat cultivars following fallow and wheat. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 81:399–404.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16Peairs, F.B., Bean, B., and Gossen, B.D. 2005. Pest management implications of reduced fallow periods in dryland cropping systems in the Great Plains. Agronomy Journal 97:373–377.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17Carr, P.M., Martin, G.B., and Horsley, R.D. 2006. Impact of tillage and crop rotation on spring wheat yield: Rotation effect. Crop Management [electronic journal]. Available at Web site http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/pub/cm/research/2006/wheat1/ (accessed May 18, 2011).Google Scholar
18Miller, P.R., Engel, R.E., and Holmes, J.A. 2006. Cropping sequence effect of pea and pea management on spring wheat in the northern Great Plains. Agronomy Journal 98:1610–1619.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
19Miller, P.R. and Holmes, J.A. 2005. Cropping sequence effects of four broadleaf crops on four cereal crops in the northern Great Plains. Agronomy Journal 97:189–200.Google Scholar
20Snapp, C.C., Swinton, S.M., Labarta, R., Mutch, D., Black, J.R., Leep, R., Nyiraneza, J., and O'Neil, K. 2005. Evaluating cover crops for benefits, costs and performance within cropping system niches. Agronomy Journal 97:322–332.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21Teasdale, J.R.Contribution of cover crops to weed management in sustainable agricultural systems. Journal of Production Agriculture 9:475–479.Google Scholar
22Cherr, C.M., Scholberg, S., and McSorley, R. 2006. Green manure approaches to crop production: A synthesis. Agronomy Journal 98:302–319.Google Scholar
23Blackshaw, R.E., Moyer, J.R., Doran, R.C., Boswall, A.L., and Smith, E.G. 2001. Suitability of undersown sweetclover as a fallow replacement in semi-arid cropping systems. Agronomy Journal 93:863–868.Google Scholar
24Carr, P.M., Poland, W.W., and Tisor, L.J. 2005. Natural reseeding by forage legumes following wheat in western North Dakota. Agronomy Journal 97:1270–1277.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
25Badaruddin, M. and Meyer, D.W. 1990. Green-manure legume effects on soil nitrogen, grain yield, and nitrogen nutrition of wheat. Crop Science 30:819–825.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
26Badaruddin, M. and Meyer, D.W. 1989. Water use by legumes and its effect on soil water status. Crop Science 29:1212–1216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
27Power, J.F. 1991. Growth characteristics of legume cover crops in a semiarid environment. Soil Science Society of America Journal 55:1659–1663.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
28Foster, R.K. 1990. Effects of tillage implement and date of sweetclover incorporation on available soil N and succeeding spring wheat yields. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 70:269–277.Google Scholar
29Townley-Smith, L., Slinkard, A.L., Bailey, L.D., Biederbeck, V.O., and Rice, W.A. 1993. Productivity, water use and nitrogen fixation of annual-legume green-manure crops in the Dark Brown soil zone of Saskatchewan. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 73:139–148.Google Scholar
30Tanaka, D.L., Bauer, A., and Black, A.L. 1997. Annual legume cover crops in spring wheat–fallow systems. Journal of Production Agriculture 10:251–255.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
31Walley, F.L., Clayton, G.W., Miller, P.R., Carr, P.M., and Lafond, G.P. 2007. Nitrogen economy of pulse crop production in the northern Great Plains. Agronomy Journal 99:1710–1718.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
32Pikul, J.L., Aase, J.K., and Cochran, V.L. 1997. Lentil green manure as fallow replacement in the semiarid northern Great Plains. Agronomy Journal 89:867–874.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
33Miller, P.R., Gan, Y., McConkey, B.G., and McDonald, C.L. 2003. Pulse crops for the northern Great Plains: II. Cropping sequence effects on cereal, oilseed, and pulse crops. Agronomy Journal 95:980–986.Google Scholar
34Kandel, H.J., Porter, P.M., and Carr, P.M. 2009. Spring wheat cultivar harrowing evaluation in Minnesota. Crop Management doi:10.1994/CM-2009–0612-02-RS.Google Scholar
35Kandel, H.J., Porter, P.M., Carr, P.M., and Zwinger, S.F. 2008. Producer participatory spring wheat variety evaluation for organic systems in Minnesota and North Dakota. Journal of Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 23:228–234.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
36Carr, P.M., Kandel, H.J., Porter, P.M., Horsley, R.D., and Zwinger, S.W. 2006. Wheat cultivar performance on certified organic fields in Minnesota and North Dakota. Crop Science 46:1963–1971.Google Scholar
37Stofferahn, C.W. 2009. Personal, farm and value orientations in conversion to organic farming. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture 33:862–884.Google Scholar
38Trewevas, A. 2004. A critical assessment of organic farming-and-food assertions with particular respect to the UK and the potential environmental benefits of no-till agriculture. Crop Protection 23:757–781.Google Scholar
39Miller, P.R., Buschena, D.E., Jones, C.A., and Holmes, J.A. 2008. Transition from intensive tillage to no-tillage and organic diversified annual cropping systems. Agronomy Journal 100:591–599.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
40Entz, M.H., Guilford, R., and Gulden, R. 2001. Crop yield and soil nutrient status on 14 organic farms in the eastern portion of the northern Great Plains. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 81:351–354.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
41Russelle, M.P., Entz, M.H., and Franzluebbers, A.J. 2007. Reconsidering integrated crop–livestock systems in North America. Agronomy Journal 99:325–334.Google Scholar
42Krall, J.M. and Schuman, G.E. 1996. Integrated dryland crop and livestock production systems in the Great Plains: Extent and outlook. Journal of Production Agriculture 9:187–191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
43Liebig, M.A. and Doran, J.W. 1999. Impact of organic production practices on soil quality indicators. Journal of Environmental Quality 28:1601–1609.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
44Taylor, D.C., Dobbs, T.L., and Smolik, J.D. 1992. Beliefs and practices of sustainable farmers in South Dakota. Journal of Production Agriculture 5:545–550.Google Scholar
45Menalled, F., Jones, C., Buschena, D., and Miller, P. 2009. From conventional to organic cropping: What to expect during the transition years. MontGuide Number 2009901AG. Available at Web site http://msuextension.org/publications/AgandNaturalResources/MT200901AG.pdf (accessed June 1, 2011).Google Scholar
46Reberg-Horton, S.C., Grossman, J., Kornecki, T.S., Meijer, A.D., Price, A.J., Place, G.T., and Webster, T.M. 2012. Utilizing cover crop mulches to reduce tillage in organic systems in the Southeast. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, in press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
47Miller, P.R., Lighthiser, E.J., Jones, C.A., Holmes, J.A., Rick, T.L., and Wraith, J.M. 2011. Pea green manure management affects organic winter wheat yield and quality in semiarid Montana. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 91:497–508.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
48Rick, T.L., Jones, C.A., Engel, R.E., and Miller, P.R. 2011. Green manure and phosphate rock effects on phosphorus availability in a northern Great Plains dryland organic cropping system. Organic Agriculture 1:81–90.Google Scholar
49Vaisman, I., Entz, M.H., Flaten, D.N., and Gulden, R.H. 2011. Blade roller–green manure interactions on nitrogen dynamics, weeds, and organic wheat. Agronomy Journal 103:879–889.Google Scholar
50Izard, E.J. 2007. Seeking sustainability for organic cropping systems in the northern Great Plains: Legume green manure strategies. M.S. thesis. Available at Web site http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/2007/izard/IzardE0807.pdf (accessed June 6, 2011).Google Scholar
51Lancashire, P.D., Bleiholder, H., Van Den Boom, T., Langeluddeke, P.P., Stauss, R., Weber, E., and Witzenberger, A. 1991. A uniform decimal code for growth stages of crops and weeds. Annals of Applied Biology 119:561–601.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
52Anonymous. 1987. CI Noble (Versatile) model 5000 blade plow. Available at Web site http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/eng3085/$FILE/526.pdf (accessed June 8, 2011).Google Scholar
53Mirsky, S.B., Curran, W.S., Mortensen, D.A., Ryan, M.R., and Shumway, D.L. 2009. Control of cereal rye with a roller/crimper as influenced by cover crop phenology. Agronomy Journal 101:1589–1596.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
54Mischler, R., Dulker, S.W., Curran, W.S., and Wilson, D. 2010. Hairy vetch management for no-till organic corn production. Agronomy Journal 102:355–362.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
55Zadoks, J.C., Chang, T.T., and Konzak, D.F. 1974. A decimal code for the growth stages of cereals. Weed Research 14:415–421.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
56Anderson, R.L. 2010. A rotation design to reduce weed density in organic farming. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 25:189–195.Google Scholar
57Anderson, R.L. 2008. Diversity and no-till: Keys for pest management in the U.S. Great Plains. Weed Science 56:141–145.Google Scholar
58Entz, M.H., Bullied, W.J., and Katepa-Mupondwa, F. 1995. Rotational benefits of forage crops in Canadian prairie cropping systems. Journal of Production Agriculture 8:521–529.Google Scholar
59Entz, M.H., Baron, V.S., Carr, P.M., Meyer, D.W., Smith, S.R., and McCaughey, W.P. 2002. Potential of forages to diversify northern Great Plains cropping systems. Agronomy Journal 94:240–250.Google Scholar