July-2000-p14.jpg
STUBBLE IS VITAL. No-tilling in some of the worldâ??s worst soils, Carlos Crovetto of Concepcion, Chile (right, shown with David Schentz, a NRCS agronomist from Washington, D.C., on left), says that paying close attention to stubble has provided so much soil health that he no longer needs to apply phosphate.

Don't Be Subtle With Stubble

While many farmers may not think stubble is the most attractive thing in the world, it's still the real key to successful no-till farming.

If you want to be successful with no-till, you can’t neglect the importance of stubble.

At least, that’s what Carlos Crovetto says.

This no-tiller from Concepcion, Chile, says stubble plays a much bigger part in his no-tilling success than one would think.

“Stubble is the main thing in successful no-till farming,” he says. “If you feed the soil, you feed the plant, allowing us to use less fertilizer.”

Stubble And The Carbon Cycle

With all the interest regarding carbon storage in the soil and atmosphere, Crovetto attributes no-till stubble to helping keep harmful carbon dioxide from escaping into the atmosphere. When stubble is worked into the ground, the opposite reaction can occur.

“Any remaining stubble left on the soil will begin decomposition as soon as the water content and temperature are adequate,” he says. “If the stubble is buried and the soil is moist and contains adequate levels of oxygen, rapid oxidation of incorporated organic matter will take place because the microorganisms will be nurtured excessively from the stubble. This phenomenon implies quick loss of carbon that escapes to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO2). This rapid decomposition and release of CO2 prevents the buildup of organic carbon within the soil profile.”

While Crovetto admits the carbon cycle is a naturally occurring phenomenon, he says it’s difficult to balance the human intervention element of the gas in the soil with the gas in the atmosphere.

“At the recent World Congress of the Environment in Bonn, Germany, it was reported that…

To view the content, please subscribe or login.
 Premium content is for our Digital-only and Premium subscribers. A Print-only subscription doesn't qualify. Please purchase/upgrade a subscription with the Digital product to get access to all No-Till Farmer content and archives online. Learn more about the different versions and what is included.

Top Articles

Current Issue

Cover_NTF-December-2024.jpg

No-Till Farmer

Get full access NOW to the most comprehensive, powerful and easy-to-use online resource for no-tillage practices. Just one good idea will pay for your subscription hundreds of times over.

Subscribe Now

View More

Must Read Free Eguides

Download these helpful knowledge building tools

View More
Top Directory Listings