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Productivity of Green Corn (Zea mays L.) and Soil Quality Under Various Tillage Systems
Abstract:
In order to meet the increasing demands for food and fiber, and sustain environmental integrity, soil quality must be maintained. Several studies have shown that tillage practices have a significant impact on soil properties and that proper tillage management could further raise the farmer’s productivity.
Field experiments during dry and wet seasons were conducted to determine the effects of different tillage systems on soil quality, yield, and profitability of green corn production.
Results showed that conventional tillage had a significantly faster rate of corn seeds germination compared with zone tillage, perforated tillage, or no tillage treatments. However, no significant differences among tillage systems were found on number of days to tasseling and silking, plant height, ear length, fresh biomass, root distribution, and total ear yield of corn in both cropping seasons.
At plowing depth during the early growing period, conventional tillage resulted in a significantly higher conductivity and soil temperature than the rest of the treatments. At deeper soil layers, however, no significant differences were observed among tillage treatments. Higher moisture retention was observed in zone tillage, perforated tillage, and no tillage than in conventional tillage. Highest return on investment (ROI) was observed in zone tillage while conventional tillage gave the lowest ROI.