1. CONSERVATION TILLAGE PRACTICES IN CALIFORNIA Jeff Mitchell Department of Plant Sciences University of California, Davis Conservation Farming Systems Session Resource Management Track 3 Regency B International Conference on The Future of Agriculture: Science, Stewardship and Sustainability Hyatt Regency Sacramento Sacramento, CA August 8, 2006

2. Collaborators Anil Shrestha. Tom Barcellos. John Beyer Dan Munk
Collaborators Anil Shrestha Tom Barcellos John Beyer Dan Munk Jim Couto Rob Roy Will Horwath Andy Zylstra Bob Fry Steve Wright Dino Giacomazzi Johnnie Silizinoff Herman Meister Mark Borba Mike McElhiney Randy Southard Scott Schmidt Brooks Englehardt Nick Madden Andrew Clark Steve Hill Kurt Hembree Fred Leavitt Herman Meister Steve Fortner Ron Harben Karen Klonsky John Diener Julie Baker Darrell Cordova Alan Wilcox Gene Miyao Helmut Klauer Ralph Cesena, Sr. Howard Ferris Jonathan Avila Jon Bjornberg Tom Lanini Tony Turkovich Andrew Siebert Lee Jackson Larry Beckstead Wes Wallender Bill McCloskey Bob Hutmacher Steve Husman Allen DuSault Jaime Solorio Kristen Hughes Ed Scott Mike Buser Ladi Asgill Lyle Carter

3. OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION -. development of resource-conserving crop
OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION - development of resource-conserving crop production systems in California - toward wider adoption - examples of leading conservation tillage innovation - anticipating future tillage systems

6. Iowa, 2001
Iowa, 2001
Brazil, 2004
Georgia, 2001

8. (Conservation Technology Information Center, Lafayette, IN, 2002)
Conservation tillage practices have increased by 300% in the Midwest during the last decade.
In California however, less than 0.3% of crop acreage is farmed using conservation tillage practices.
(Conservation Technology Information Center, Lafayette, IN, 2002)

9. California CT Survey 2004 Cotton Tomatoes Dry edible beans Corn silage
Minimum
Tillage
Other
Tillage
<30% Residue Cover after Planting
>40% Reduction in total passes
<30% Residue Cover after Planting
Crops to survey for
Minimum Tillage No
Till
RT / ST
Mulch
Till
Total
Acreage
Subtotal
Cotton
Tomatoes
Dry edible beans
Corn silage
Corn for grain
Small grains for grain
Sml grains, hay or ensiled
Melons
2,000
200
2,855
410
200
490
1,000
150
5,000
20,000
15,000
200
2,000
1,200
3,795
5,000
20,410
15,000
39,536
2,000
6,000
20,553
5,000
520
964
612,852
228,756
39,705
322,330
125,554
267,255
793,052
652,388
230,756
45,705
342,883
130,554
288,185
809,016
RT/ST = Ridge Till and Strip Till
*Corn Silage and small grain forage will usually be double cropped together

10. Mitchell et al., In preparation

11. Mitchell et al., In preparation

12. “The San Joaquin Valley is currently classified as a serious non-attainment region for PM10 under both state and federal standards. “
Dec. 30, 2004
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District

13. CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (CMP) PLANNING
A handbook of CMP’s has been
developed from which growers
can choose practices (including
conservation tillage) aimed at
minimizing agricultural PM10
emissions.
July 1, 2004

14. CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PRACTICES Conservation Management Practices are farming activities that reduce the “normal” amount of dust produced by agricultural operations. The practices have been developed by farmers, farm groups, NRCS, RCD, the Air District, the Farm Bureau, and other groups. CMPs fall into one or more categories: - Reducing or eliminating the need to disturb the soil - Protecting the soil from the wind - Modifying equipment - Applying dust suppressants - Reducing speed on unpaved roads - Burning alternatives - Reducing pesticide application July 1, 2004

15. Opportunities for Offsetting Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Croplands . . .
Less tillage
Increase crop intensity, reduce fallow
Use of cover crops
Fertility and water management
High biomass crops
Rangeland or Pasture . . .
Management of marginal lands
Adding legumes
Improved grazing management
Fertility and water management
Animal Agriculture. . .
Improved feed and forage
Methane capture

16. Possible benefits of conservation tillage - saves fuel - saves soil - saves time - saves labor - saves machinery - permits timely planting - reduces run-off - increases soil moisture - increases soil organic matter - sequesters carbon - improves habitat for beneficial organisms Dr. Sharad Phatak, University of Georgia, dust (PM10 and PM2.5) emissions mitigation - surface water (sediment, nutrient and pesticide) runoff reduction (?)

17. Conservation Tillage:
1) a wide range of crop production practices that minimize or eliminate primary, or intercrop tillage operations such as disking, plowing, chiseling, ripping, and
2) manage residues to enable efficient planting, harvesting and pest management

18. Keeping the CT paradigm broad

19. Minimum Tillage Approaches
(Non-Permanent
Bed Systems)

20. Minimum Tillage Implements, 2004
(Non-permanent
Bed Systems)

21. Minimum Tillage Approaches (Permanent Bed Systems)

23. C O N S E R V A T I O N T I L L A G E CONSERVATION TILLAGE
Row Crop System Development •
Cover Crop Residues
Single Crop
CT Development
Integrated Systems Development
Species selection
ongoing
Tomatoes
ongoing
Tomato - Cotton
ongoing
Water Use
ongoing
Melons
Wheat - Tomato
ongoing
Water Balance /
Runoff ongoing
Cotton
ongoing
Corn - Tomato
ongoing
Pollution Reduction
ongoing
Squash
ongoing
CONSERVATION TILLAGE
Cropping Systems

24. Conservation / Standard Tillage Comparison Study (1999 – ongoing)
With cover crop
Without cover crop
Conservation Tillage
With cover crop
Without cover crop
An example of developing alternative tillage systems

25. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS 1)
EXPERIMENTAL METHODS 1) tomato / cotton rotation with and without winter triticale/rye/common vetch cover crops 2) 10 X 90 m plots, replicated 4 times in RCBD 3) “reduce tillage to greatest extent possible” in CT systems 4) monitor all inputs and operations for economic analysis 5) machine harvest yield determinations

26. Standard Tillage Tomato System (Coming Out of Cotton)
Year 1 (going into tomatoes)
• shred cotton stalks
• undercut cotton plants
• disk 2X
• chisel
• list
• cultimulch
• winter weed control
• apply preplant herbicide
• recultimulch beds
• transplant tomatoes
• irrigate
• cultivate
• fertilize
• harvest
Year 2 (going into cotton)
• flail chop tomato residue
• disk 2X
• chisel
• disk
• list
• winter weed control
• apply preplant herbicide
• plant cotton
• irrigate
• cultivate
• fertilize
• harvest

27. Conservation Tillage Tomato System (Coming Out of Cotton)
Year 1 (going into tomatoes)
• shred and undercut cotton
• sweep furrows
• spring herbicide application
• transplant tomatoes
• irrigate
• cultivate
• harvest
Year 2 (going into cotton)
• spring herbicide application
• plant cotton
• irrigate
• cultivate
• fertilize
• harvest

28. Conservation tillage system following tomato harvest and before cotton planting
Five Points, CA 2000

31. Postharvest cotton stalk management consisting of one-pass shredding
and root undercutting and a second pass
to sweep out the furrows
Five Points, CA, 2002