ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes from a whole-farm perspective, the comparative economic performance of the chisel plow variant of conservation tillage in comparison with the moldboard plow conventional tillage system. Agronomic data were collected from four-hectare side-by-side plots on selected farms in the watershed. Measurements included: yield per hectare, grain moisture at harvest, weed and insect control programs and incidence, plant disease and incidence, standard soil tests conducted by management specialists working in the watershed, fertilization program, plant population, plant growth stage across the growing season, and residue cover. Incidences where final plant population was lower under conservation tillage were frequently associated with planters that did not properly place the seed into the soil, primarily because of residue interference. In 1981, few differences were noted in the rate of plant growth between conservation and conventional tillage. Bean plant growth rates were the same under both tillage systems for all seasons.
