Comparison of direct drilling, reduced cultivation and ploughing on the growth of cereals

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The results are reported of two experiments made on a silt loam soil over chalk on downland in southern England. Three primary tillage treatments (ploughing, deep or shallow tine cultivation) were compared with direct drilling for their effects on the growth of spring barley during the years 1969–74 and winter wheat during 1974–8.No significant differences in barley population density or early growth were recorded. In the first 2 years more grain was produced on the shallow tined and direct-drilled plots than on those that were ploughed, but the differences did not persist into subsequent years. The mean yield of each treatment over the 4 years did not differ.Significant differences in population density and winter mortality of wheat occurred but these were not consistently associated with differences in yield. In this crop also the mean yields of the cultivation treatments over the 4 years were not significantly different.It is concluded that choice of primary tillage system on this chalk downland soil was not a significant factor in the production of either spring barley or winter wheat.