The URL can be used to link to this page

The Lucknow Sentinel, 1982-04-07, Page 34The Fara Edition, Week of April 7, 1982, - 15 Plowdown a method to reduce summerfallow Depleted soils and escalat- ing costs, are, causing many farmers to rethink their soil management practices. Plow own is emerging as a gooday to reduce or re- place traditional suiremerfal- low.' Simply Rut, plowdown is. the technique of allowing a legume crop such as clover or alfalfa, to grow to the blossom stage, then incor- porating the :entire plant growth into the soil. Summerfallow, used for weed control and moisture conservation, has many dis- advantages. Decreased or- ganic levels in fallowed fields reduce 'the overall fertility of the soil. Topsoil is left ex- posed for long periods of time . and is susceptible to wind and water erosion. As the tilled surfaces : dry out, water', is drawn up from deeper levels, bringing salts which ' aggravate . salinity problems. Repeated. tillage opera- tions add greatly to farm operating costs . as fuel and labour costs rise. A poor job of summerfallow may lead to a reduction in total available nitrogen in the soil. Plowdown, on the other hand, can overcome all of these potential problems! Increased organic levels plus the deep root systems produced by legumes im- prove water infiltration and thereby reverse the saliniz- ation process. , Soil surfaces are exposed formuch shorter time peri- ods so there is much less potential' for erosion. Also, the high humus levels pro- moted . by plowdown •make even exposed soils less sus- ceptible to the forces of wind or water. Any legume adapted to the area will provide valuable plowdown material. Alfalfa, trefoil, sainfoin, peas, faba- beans and so forth are rela- tively expensive and harder to grow. The most cost-effec- tive plowdown legumes are clovers. Seed is economical and there is plenty of high quality Canadian grown seed availably. One area in which it pays not to skimp is seed selection for plowdown. It is very important to obtain the best quality, weed -free seed. Id- eally, this means certified seed which is of known ger- mination and essentially weed free. Certified forage seed is plentiful and inexpensive ev- erywhere in Canada. Higher germination and cleaner, healthier stands will offset the difference between com- mon seed and Certified seed of a known variety. By planting pedigreed seed, the risk of weed. contamination is greatly reduced. Also, if a mixture is desired, it is • wiser to buy certified seed of each species and variety. The reason is that seed used in commercial mixtures may be of lower overall quality. Once certified seed has been obtained, other import- ant crop management deci- sionsinclude seed inocula- tion with the proper strain of rhizobia bacteria for that species .(the bacteria form colonies in nodules on the roots and perform the nitro- gen filling function). Seeding should be done with care to ensure .the good stand essential for a success- ful plowdown crop; legumes may be planted with or with- out companion crops but rates will have to be adjusted accordingly. The crop should be incorporated promptly at the full bloom stage to get the greatest benefit; any later than full bloom leadsto a ,rapid decline in the soil improvement value of the Plowdown crop. Legumes may be incorpor- ated with a moldboard plow in the traditional way. How- ever, a combination of disk implements and heavy culti- vators can be as efficient. The key is td incorporate near the surface to encour- age bacterial fermentation and decomposition. This pro- vides better humus' 'forma- tion and release of more plant nutrientsthan deeper placement under a furrow. The unique ability of leg- umes to fix nitrogen by hosting biicteria in . their root systems provide a sensitive nitrogen balance in the soil, adding as much . as 120 pounds of N per acre per year. The cost of . innoculated seed and the seeding labour is more. than offset by the substantial fuel and labour saving from eliminated culti- vation. Research across western Canada has proved conclus- ively that plowdown is a ben- eficial practice in all areas where rainfall is sufficient to provide normal crop growth in a given year. Essentially, this is everywhere outside the Palliser • Triangle. Tn these areas, summer - fallow hascontinued to be practiced largely for con- venience or 'out of • habit. Little concern has been shown for lossesfrom re- duced organic matter, in- creased erosion, leached nut- rients or inadvertently en- couraged salinization. In a normal rotation, plow - down is inserted in place of the fallow year, or used ai a breakcrop in more intensive- ly farmed land. , Some fanners seem to be under the impression that plowdown will replace com- mercial fertilizers. While the practice adds nitrogen, some • commercial fertilizers will. still be needed to replace other nutrients, however, ratesand analysis will'gener- ally be different and less costly. While. fertility is import- ant, the advantages to ploW- down from improved tilth and soil structure are even greater, especially in the long run. Humus creation makes soil easier to . work; improves water infiltration and holding capacity; im- Tui to page 21' A winning combination for you! Now, McKee Shaw, :Limited are maid to announce the introduction tc' North American sgrleulturo OI A full line of die:lei tractors manufactured to McKoe a peciticatforls by Ntotor iberlos, the largest tractor rhanufzkcturer in Spain. This 4uperb line of tractor, id the result of atmoat sixty years cf design antt praduottoli know-how dmreloued throupttctokea *0Daratianwiti+ the targett tactor tnthe world end ell Ebro / McKee tratters; a4 they will be known In North America, areboweract by the.wt rid fanous Perking (Niue Engine for eif tlrtt.l totor lbar lca has tate manutacturioithcenes.• Model 350 HORSEPOWER 45. P.T.O. at 2250 rpm 32 D.B. at , 2250 rpm Model 460 HORSEPOWER' 57 P.T.O. at 2208 rpm 45 Q.B. at 2205 rpm Model 470 HORSEPOWER 67 P.T.O. at 1950 rpm 53 D.B. at 1950 rpm Model 480 HORSEPOWER 72 P.T.O. at 2100, rpm 61 D.B. at 2100 rpm' Deutz MOHAWK -- BUSH HOGG — EASTERN FARM — TURNCO GEORGE WHITE -- FERANO KONGSKILDE - SMALL ENGINE REPAIR -- HAGEDORN A&AT4ATO 41 yy t 4.• Big performance.... compact machine. 1 . •., 'r 41 • t 0, 4 . , d• .; ,�..• ,C, •.,� M. 11 4',3 4,44 r.' n. '41 ''.11",4•• vo„ 11 . 4 4144,0 „nit ;r'a! s .fr.+ ., •'a.' n' n.e�appA 1rr:U'•4 coo at o'•s 4' • a,• .i, oe,1a„ A., 014' 44 .,514. • 1••r ,4 1' ,1 ', i, ' 4'1,1 C1'. '114. 'CI .1411,1••, , ,n1 4 4k4 4, h,ea r • •41, ,' C.'1••4', • 4 .. ., . ,I 4 a. , C.'1•• r, 01 ,' 14 1' 4 141,4, r the ,.d r e, r', 1' •. r, Mr 353 Grinder -Mixer. i o , , i i , . ' ►A 0;r y;CHRIS. COOKE &SON ►�; % 'R � 1'''' 'Seed Cleaning Mille -',�L '---, e R; R. 0 2 blii119W • 529.7644 l " . SEED;r • Cleaning and Treating • . . . BAGGED OR SULK 00 1 00 , i FOR SALE Seed Grains & Grass See41... .. ...... A winning combination for you! Now, McKee Shaw, :Limited are maid to announce the introduction tc' North American sgrleulturo OI A full line of die:lei tractors manufactured to McKoe a peciticatforls by Ntotor iberlos, the largest tractor rhanufzkcturer in Spain. This 4uperb line of tractor, id the result of atmoat sixty years cf design antt praduottoli know-how dmreloued throupttctokea *0Daratianwiti+ the targett tactor tnthe world end ell Ebro / McKee tratters; a4 they will be known In North America, areboweract by the.wt rid fanous Perking (Niue Engine for eif tlrtt.l totor lbar lca has tate manutacturioithcenes.• Model 350 HORSEPOWER 45. P.T.O. at 2250 rpm 32 D.B. at , 2250 rpm Model 460 HORSEPOWER' 57 P.T.O. at 2208 rpm 45 Q.B. at 2205 rpm Model 470 HORSEPOWER 67 P.T.O. at 1950 rpm 53 D.B. at 1950 rpm Model 480 HORSEPOWER 72 P.T.O. at 2100, rpm 61 D.B. at 2100 rpm' Deutz MOHAWK -- BUSH HOGG — EASTERN FARM — TURNCO GEORGE WHITE -- FERANO KONGSKILDE - SMALL ENGINE REPAIR -- HAGEDORN A&AT4ATO 41 yy t 4.• Big performance.... compact machine. 1 . •., 'r 41 • t 0, 4 . , d• .; ,�..• ,C, •.,� M. 11 4',3 4,44 r.' n. '41 ''.11",4•• vo„ 11 . 4 4144,0 „nit ;r'a! s .fr.+ ., •'a.' n' n.e�appA 1rr:U'•4 coo at o'•s 4' • a,• .i, oe,1a„ A., 014' 44 .,514. • 1••r ,4 1' ,1 ', i, ' 4'1,1 C1'. '114. 'CI .1411,1••, , ,n1 4 4k4 4, h,ea r • •41, ,' C.'1••4', • 4 .. ., . ,I 4 a. , C.'1•• r, 01 ,' 14 1' 4 141,4, r the ,.d r e, r', 1' •. r, Mr 353 Grinder -Mixer. i