Wheat establishment after cotton with minimal tillage

Abstract

A method of establishing wheat after cotton by broadcasting the seed without any previous stalk chopping and/or tillage and seed incorporation by a light cultivator was studied under Creek conditions in comparison with conventional (ploughed) tillage. Drilling was done by a conventional drilling machine by removing the tubes conveying the seed from the feeding mechanism to the soil surface. Thus, a homogeneous distribution of the seed was achieved. Stalk chopping and linear drilling were also studied as separate treatments. The results showed that plant emergence and development were not significantly affected by tillage treatment. Yields were higher in plots with unchopped stalks and Linearly drilled in comparison to chopped stalks and broadcasted but did not differ significantly from ploughed plots. The no tillage methods present a lot of advantages in terms of timeliness, low economic cost and energy consumption and appear to be a good alternative practice allowing farmers to increase their margins and adapt to the new conditions of the market after the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the Trade and Tariffs agreement. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.