Soil tillage importance

Rizvi SJH, Mishra GP, Rizvi V (1989) AUelopathic effects of nicotine on maize I. Its possible importance in crop rotation. Plant Soil 116 289-291 Roshchina VV (2001) Molecular-cellular mechanisms in pollen allelopathy. Allelopathy J 8 11-28 Roth CM, Shroyer JP, Paulsen GM (2000) Allelopathy of sorghum on wheat under several tillage systems. Agron J 92 855-860... 

Conventional tillage exposes the OM, which are naturally stabilized in the soil, to the action of sunlight and oxidation conditions that favor microbial activity. Consequently, only the very stable fraction of SOM generally remains. The importance of SOM functions is well known, but structural information, chemical composition, and changes induced by anthropogenic factors, such as tillage practices, are still under research. 

The benefits of the triazines in multiple cropping systems range from their application flexibility, effective weed control, soil residual activity, and crop selectivity to their important role in resistance management and conservation tillage. The triazines also have made a major impact on agricultural sustainability and crop yields, as evidenced by the use of atrazine, especially in com. 

Seeds are an important food source for many insects, birds, and small mammals. Seed predation is usually less in agricultural systems due to the intensive soil disturbance, seed burial by tillage, and lack of habitats for predators. However, studies have found significant weed seed loss by predation when seeds remained on the soil surface. 

In addition to the above federal programs, states have appropriated about 1 billion for conservation initiatives. These cost-share and incentive programs are resulting in increasing adoption of BMPs. The most important of these for soil, water, and wildlife quality are conservation tillage, field and vegetative buffers (conservation buffers), wetland restoration, nutrient management, and IPM. 

---