Diapositiva 1

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No-Till in Argentina
Agustín Bianchini abianchini_at_okandu.com.ar
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No-Till Expansion
World Total 95 million ha
Latin America 47 million ha
Argentina 20 million ha
Source Derpsch AAPRESID (2006)
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No-Till evolution in Argentina (1977-2005)
Source AAPRESID (2005)
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No-till area evolution 1977 to 2009 Source
Aapresid
Area (hectares)
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• East to West
• Soils Silt-clay loam to sandy
• Rainfall 1000 to 500 mm
• OM 5 to less 1.5
• Growing season 270 days (N) to 180 (S)
• No snow

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SH NH

• Winter
• Soil in Spring
• Profitable crops
• Farming size
• Capital Available
• Farmer Target

• Dry Wet Snowy
• Cool-Warm Cold
• Summer Summer
  
• Big Small
• Low High
• Reduce Maximize
  costs production
• risks

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No-Till Adoption Benefits
greater stability and yield increase
increase in cropped area
lower production costs
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WHAT HAPPENED WITH SOYBEAN?
The decade of innovations
No-Till
Maturity Group IV
Round-Up Ready
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NT CT

• Energy requirement
• Capital investment
• Labor
• Training (knowledge)

• Less More
• Less More
• Less More
• MORE Less

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PhysicalDegradation
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P Availability in the Pampas Region
Darwich, 1980, 1993 and 1999
Area I Low (lt 10 ppm)
Area II Medium (10-20 ppm)
Area III Adequate (gt 20 ppm)
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The Soil in No-Till
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Key Concept 1
In no-till the function of the roots and the
macro and meso fauna plays an important role in
the macropore regeneration
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The fauna action in the pore generation
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What to do to maintain the macroporosity?

• Do not disturbe the continuity of the pore
  network (ocasional tillage effect)
• Alternate root systems to generate macropores in
  all the soil profile
• Maintain a stable structure in the first inches
  of the soil profile (residue cover)
• Generate favorable conditions for the meso and
  macrofauna developement (stable environment, C
  adition)

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Key Concept 2
In no-till the tillage layer does not exist, in
its place there is another layer enriched with
organic residues, modifying the soil organic
matter dynamics and the nutrient cycles Moraes
Sa, 1993
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The soil organic matter is considered the most
important simple indicator to define the soil
quality Larson Pierce, 1991

• OM is a key component in NT
• Moraes Sa, 1993

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Organic N in a no-till field and conventional
tillage after 10 years
mg N 100g-1 dry soil
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
0
NT
CT
4
8
Depth (in.)
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16
20
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Source Moraes Sá
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Source C. Belloso
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Management to increase soil organic
CarbonPaustian, 1997

• Reduce or eliminate tillage
• Rotations with corn, grain sorghum, pastures
• Include permanent gramineae and legumes
• Increase time of soil covered with vegetation
• Increase production and return residue to the soil

• No Till
• Crop Rotation
• Diversity
• Intensity
• Fertilization

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Key Concept 3
In no-till we make a more efficient use of the
water as we increase infiltration, decrease
run-off and evaporation losses, and improve the
water retention (water storage)
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NO-TILLAGE is a synonym of crop residue
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What to do to improve the rainfall water use
efficiency?

• Cover the soil with crop residues in an
  homogeneous and durable way
• Maintain a stable structure , mainly in the
  first inches on the soil profile

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Key Concept 4
Balanced fertilization (crop nutrition) and
adequate crop rotation are two of the most
important practices for the no-till system
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Fertilization of the rotation

• Balanced fertilization

• Higher yield response in the rotation

• Nutrient residual effects

• Balance inmovilization-release

• Soil biological activity

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NPS
NP
Santa Fe, Argentina
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Crop Rotation

• Planned and ordered crop sequence with the
  objective
• Maximize productivity,
• minimize risks,
• and preserve the involved resources.

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Crop Rotation Advantages

• Diversification of productive risks
• Inhibitory effect on pathogens
• Interruption of weed and insect cycles
• Chemical fertility nutrient balance
• Biological activity and diversity
• Improves soil physical conditions (structure and
  porosity)
• Intensification use the stored water in NT.

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The dilemma
The humanity faces today a dilemma with no
apparent solution, between the ghost of the lack
of food for an increasing demand in quantity and
quality, or a destruction of the natural
resources needed to produce them.
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The no-till system Consequences

• - 96 less soil erosion.
• 66 less fuel use.
• Maintenance or improvement of the organic
  matter.
• Higher water use efficiency.
• Increase in soil fertility.
• Lower production costs.
• Higher production stability and higher yield
  potential.
• TANGIBLE BENEFITS FOR THE FARMER

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The no-till system Benefits, beyond the farmer

• Better soils, higher capability to produce food
  and energy.
• Less competition for drinkable water (strategic
  resource).
• Higher water quality (lower erosion and
  contamination risk).
• GHG emissions reduction, positive impact on
  climate change.
• Less pressure on HCV and fragile areas (by
  production increase).
• Possibility of producing in degraded and/or
  fragile lands without the known risks of
  conventional tillage.
• BENEFITS TANGIBLE FOR THE SOCIETY (EXTERNALITY)

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Food companies working on sustainability
www.saiplatform.org
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Field to Market
Input companies, farm associations, NGOs,
working on sustainability
www.fieldtomarket.org
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The Challenge

• To develop an alternative that combines the
  interests many times confronted of reaching a
  production
• Economically viable for farmers.
• Environmentally sustainable.
• Socially accepted.
• Energetically efficient.

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No-Till in Argentina
Agustín Bianchini abianchini_at_okandu.com.ar