ABSTRACT
Soil properties change when farmers change from a system of agricultural production that includes moldboard plowing and numerous tillage operations, such as conventional tillage, to a reduced tillage system. Other tillage practices such as chisel plowing, plow-plant and disking are intermediate in tillage intensity and intermediate in how they affect soil properties. Soil properties most commonly affected are soil water retention and movement, soil density and porosity, infiltration, structure, organic matter, pH, microbial activity and nutrient distribution and availability. This means more efficient use of soil water for conservation tillage systems in terms of yields as compared to conventional tillage. Overall, the generally higher soil water content under conservation tillage is usually beneficial but can occasionally be detrimental. Plowing and other tillage operations increase the rate of organic matter decomposition. So, it is not surprising that soils have higher organic matter content after being in conservation tillage for several consecutive years.
