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Benefits of high-residue farming
Soil quality and long-term productivity
While fewer field operations represent one of the major benefits of conservation
tillage, farmers and researchers always seem to be finding more. A list
with brief explanations is on page 4.
This page and the next include highlights of research
that is giving us greater understanding of the soil quality, wildlife,
and water quality benefits that are also noted in the list.
Long-term productivity
Soon after a plow opens the ground, the soil loses a key ingredient. That loss
affects the soil's long-term productivity as well as the earth's atmosphere.
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Recent research shows that soil carbon-which accounts for about half the organic
matter in soil-is lost after the ground is intensively tilled or plowed (Table 2).
USDA Agricultural Research Service research shows that, after just 19 days,
total losses of carbon from plowed wheat fields were up to five times higher than for
unplowed fields. In fact, the loss of carbon (in the form of carbon dioxide, C02) from
the soil equaled the amount that had been added by the crop residue left on the field
the previous season.
The benefits of carbon retention to productivity and the environment are
clear. The less we till, the more carbon we capture, store, or sequester to build
organic matter and long-term productivity. |
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