Effect of Conservation Tillage on Soil Properties, Field Capacity, Fuel Consumption, and Wheat Yield in the Wheat-Corn Rotation

This study was conducted using a randomized complete block experimental design with five treatments and four replications in Marvdasht region, Fars province, for four years. Treatments included: 1) reduced tillage, 2) wheat and corn direct seeding, 3) corn direct seeding for four years, wheat direct seeding for the first two years and the fourth year, and conventional planting in the third year, 4) wheat direct seeding for four years, corn direct seeding for the first two years and the fourth year, and conventional planting in the third year, and 5) conventional tillage. Results showed that direct seeding and reduced tillage methods decreased fuel consumption, compared to the conventional tillage for 80% and 58%, respectively. Effective field capacity for seed bed preparation and planting increased in direct seeding and reduced tillage methods compared to the conventional tillage for 6 and 3 times, respectively. Conservation tillage methods also increased soil moisture retention (maximum of 32%) with respect to conventional tillage. However, there was no significant difference between tillage methods from the soil aggregates point of view; conservation tillage methods had more stable soil aggregates. For the first three years, wheat yield was significantly affected by the tillage methods (conventional tillage was practiced in most of these years); whereas, there was no significant difference between tillage methods for wheat yield in the fourth year of the study.