Tillage study in Wheat
STUDY CONTACT:
Benard Ngwene, AGCO Agronomist, Africa. Benard.ngwene@agcocorp.com
OBJECTIVE:
The objective is to show the effect of tillage treatment on wheat yield.
STUDY DESIGN:
During the 2018/2019 cropping season, the MF 320 seed drill was used to plant wheat in a ripped field and in a no till field at the AGCO future farm in Zambia, and the yield was compared at maturity.
RESULTS:
Overall grain yield was lower than average due to very low precipitation in this region during the 2018/2019 cropping season. Planting wheat with no till resulted in a 20% increase in grain yield (4.1 t/ha) over the ripped field (3.4 t/ha).
This yield increase was attributed to two factors. 1) Enhanced soil cover from maize straw of the previous season leading to an improved moisture conservation 2) Less soil disturbance resulting in better moisture conservation. Moisture management is very critical for crop production in this region.
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