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Title: IMPACT OF CONSERVATION TILLAGE ON SOIL QUALITY AND CROP YIELD IN THE COLD REGION OF NORTHWESTERN CANADA

Author
item ARSHAD, M - AGRIC & AGRI-FOOD CANADA
item CLAYTON, G - AGRIC & AGRI-FOOD CANADA
item Franzluebbers, Alan
item LUPWAYI, N - AGRIC & AGRI-FOOD CANADA
item SOON, Y - AGRIC & AGRI-FOOD CANADA

Submitted to: World Congress on Conservation Agriculture
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/1/2001
Publication Date: 8/1/2001
Citation: Arshad, M.A., Clayton, G.W., Franzluebbers, A.J., Lupwayi, N.Z., Soon, Y.K. 2001. Impact of conservation tillage on soil quality and crop yield in the cold region of northwestern canada. World Congress on Conservation Agriculture.

Interpretive Summary: .

Technical Abstract: For the past several years, our research, and numerous studies elsewhere, have shown that with continuous notillage soil organic matter increases, soil structure improves, soil erosion is controlled, and with time crop yields are maintained or even increase significantly from what they were under intensive tillage. In this paper we have compiled data from several longterm studies in northern regions of western Canada to demonstrate the impact of notillage (NT) management on yields of spring crops (cereals, pulses and oilseeds) and soil quality as compared with conventional tillage (CT). Chemical (soil organic matter), physical (water storage, aggregate stability), and biological (N mineralization, microbial biomass, and diversity) indicators of soil quality suggest an improvement under NT management.