Long-Term Objectives

1. Determine the impacts of tillage practices on fertilizer and pesticide movement to ground and surface waters.

2. Characterize temporal changes in soil properties as affected by tillage practices.

3. Use the site as a demonstration area for field days.

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Short-Term Objectives

1. Install stainless steel ground water monitoring wells in two five acre blocks, one for no-till and one for conventional tillage.

2. Establish ground water flow direction, rate, and chemistry as a baseline.

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Accomplishments (new project in 1995)

1. Selected two blocks and installed piezometers for preliminary ground water surveys.

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Significance

Tillage practices have a significant impact on runoff quantity and quality, with up to 90% reductions in soil erosion in no-till fields compared to conventionally tilled fields. The effects on ground water quality are not well documented, however. Improved long-term yields and economic returns are also possible in reduced-tillage systems. The CEFS Tillage Area is being used to experiment with rotations and tillage systems to optimize these factors for the best economic returns over multiple rotations. The impacts of tillage in a corn/peanut/cotton rotation on ground water will be followed over many years to determine the expected trends in ground water quality as reduced tillage is adopted by increasing numbers of growers.

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Future Plans

1. Establish runoff collection areas to measure tillage impacts on surface water over multiple rotations.

2. Find and instrument similar sites in different soil systems around the state.

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