U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Columbia Plateau Conservation Research Center: Pendleton, OR
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    Careers


        


                    Related TopicsSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Pacific West Area Pendleton, Oregon Columbia Plateau Conservation Research Center Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            Williams, Johnitem
                                            Gollany, Heroitem
                                            Siemens, Markitem
                                            Wuest, Stewartitem
                                            Long, Daniel
  Submitted to: Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 5/28/2008
                                    Publication  Date: 1/1/2009
                                    Citation: Williams, J.D., Gollany, H.T., Siemens, M.C., Wuest, S.B., Long, D.S. 2009. COMPARISON OF RUNOFF, SOIL EROSION, AND WINTER WHEAT YIELDS FROM NO-TILL AND INVERSION TILLAGE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN NORTHEASTERN OREGON. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 64(1):42-53.Interpretive Summary: Efforts to compare of yields and conservation effectiveness in no-till and traditional inversion tillage systems is often criticized by farmers for not representing production field. Our intention was to conduct a study comparing the traditional two year system used in this region with a more intensively managed four year systems at a spatial scale appropriate to conservation and crop yield issues of production agriculture. Two small drainages, 15 acres and 25 acres, in north-central Oregon, 13.5 inch per year rainfall zone were instrumented to record runoff and erosion 2001 through 2004. One drainage was farmed in a two year wheat/fallow rotation by the cooperating producer using inversion tillage practices. The second drainage was divided into four equal areas in a four year no-till rotation, winter wheat/chemical fallow/winter wheat/garbanzos. Soil moisture, runoff, soil erosion, and crop yields were recorded and analyzed. We recorded 13 runoff events from the inversion tillage and three from the no-till drainages. There was 13 times more runoff and 53 times more erosion from the traditional system  There were no significant differences among the average wheat yields from inversion or no-till tillage treatments, despite having one year of fallow replaced with a garbanzos crop in the four year rotation. In a production field-scale comparison, the four year no-till treatment was a more effective soil and water conservation system while producing comparable wheat yields to a two year inversion tillage treatment. This information is useful for farmers considering a change from traditional inversion tillage to no-till farming practices.
                                Technical Abstract: Comparisons of yields and conservation effectiveness in no-till and inversion tillage systems is typically confined to small plot research. Results from this type of research are often criticized for being site specific with results that do not transfer to production field scales, for crop yield or conservation effectiveness. Our intention was to conduct a study comparing the traditional two year system used in this region with a more intensively managed four year systems at a spatial scale appropriate to conservation and crop yield issues of production agriculture. Two small drainages, 5.76ha and 10.68ha, in north-central Oregon, 340 mm/yr precipitation zone were instrumented to record runoff and erosion 2001 through 2004. One drainage was farmed in a two year wheat/fallow rotation by the cooperating producer using inversion tillage practices. The second drainage was divided into four equal areas in a four year no-till rotation, winter wheat/chemical fallow/winter wheat/garbanzos. Soil moisture, runoff, soil erosion, and crop yields were recorded and analyzed. We recorded 13 runoff events from the inversion tillage and three from the no-till drainages. Four year total runoff and erosion were 5.1mm:422.5kg/ha and 0.7mm:7.94kg/ha from the inversion and no-till treatments, respectively.  There were no significant differences among the average wheat yields from inversion or no-till tillage treatments (kg/ha/cy), despite having one year of fallow replaced with a garbanzos crop in the four year rotation. In a production field-scale comparison, the four year no-till treatment was a more effective soil and water conservation system while producing comparable wheat yields to a two year inversion tillage treatment.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov