Minimum tillage systems

Once again, we are talking about minimum tillage systems, as we consider it to be a fundamental aspect concerning sustainable soil management without critically affecting the structure and biology of the soil. Let's start by pointing out that the minimum tillage system reduces erosion losses and conserves soil moisture, compared of course with the conventional tillage method where mechanical handling is applied with excessive use, usually in the minimum tillage systems plant residues are left on the soil surface that fulfills various functions among them as organic matter.

When this type of ecological method is implemented, from the economic point of view many costs can be reduced starting with the reduction in the application of fertilizers, taking into account that organic matter is being provided to the soil and if the soil biota has the ideal conditions in the soil, it will be possible to execute the transformation of said organic matter into essential inorganic elements for crops, on the other, as the producers are accustomed to the excessive use of machinery, the fuel consumption and working hours per hectare can be reduced if the machinery is rented.

Also by leaving the plant residues after harvesting, such as the corn plant, this material covers the soil and considerably reduces soil erosion due to wind or severe precipitation, another advantage is the conservation of moisture, the reduction of soil compaction which can be reflected in an increase in the potential of the crop, according to some researchers, the yield of crops under tillage can often equal or exceed the yields of crops whose soil was prepared under conventional methods.

- As for the humidity of the soils prepared with the described tillage system after sowing they leave 50% or more of the residues covered on the soil surface, they usually increase the humidity throughout the entire season due to the increase in infiltration and the decrease in evaporation. In areas with a low amount of rainfall during the year and in soils with little holding capacity, the added water should increase the productive potential.

- It also influences the soil temperature, since several studies have shown that the increase of residues on the surface decreases the rate of soil warming, in tropical areas this can be beneficial, some data indicate that the temperature difference between conventional and ecological tillage can vary by 1 and 4 °C.

- In the same way, it can influence the fertility of the soil, due to the increase in residues and the decrease in tillage, minimum tillage systems produce different levels of humidity, temperature, organic matter content, decomposition rate and microbial population. All these factors influence the availability of nutrients and, therefore, the need for fertilizers. This process of transformation of organic matter the soil microorganisms require nitrogen as a fundamental element for the process of transformation of organic matter, microorganisms can take nitrogen from the same plant material depending on the type of plant for example legume leaves could provide adequate percentage of nitrogen, but in case the plant material does not provide enough nitrogen the microorganisms will take it from the soil taking it from its inorganic to organic form. Therefore, it is important to maintain adequate nitrogen fertilization levels during the first few months.

Dear readers, these are some of the effects that minimal or zero tillage can cause, of course this must be well managed to ensure that organic matter left in the soil decomposes efficiently, this method has had good results in some crops such as paprika, we had the opportunity to observe a plantation of said crop management on zero tillage and the fruits obtained had the ideal characteristics for its commercialization, in addition to being a quality product for human consumption.