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No-till Farming Systems for Sustainable Agriculture pp 587–599Cite as

No-Till Farming Systems in North America

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Abstract

The no-till (NT) farming system is one of the prominent conservation management practices used to reduce soil erosion, sustain crop yields, and improve soil health and environmental quality. The NT system has variable effect on crop yields and soil and environmental quality compared to conventional tillage (CT) system, depending on soil and climatic conditions and cropping systems. While crop yields are variable in irrigated cropping systems, yields are similar or greater in NT than CT in dryland cropping systems. As a result, soil organic matter is also similar or greater in NT than CT in dryland cropping systems, but variable with tillage practices in irrigated cropping systems, especially in humid regions. Nitrogen leaching can be greater in NT than CT due to the presence of large pores. Similarly, N2O emissions can be greater in NT than CT due to increased soil water content, but CO2 emissions can be lower. However, global warming potential (GWP) and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) can be lower in NT than CT. Although NT provides more ecosystem services than CT, adoption of the NT system by producers has been slow due to some social and economic concerns. This chapter discusses the impact of the NT system on crop yields, soil health, and environmental quality compared to the CT system and the challenges and opportunities of adopting NT by producers in North America.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, Sidney, MT, USA

    Upendra M. Sainju

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  1. School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia

    Yash P. Dang

  2. School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia

    Ram C. Dalal

  3. School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia

    Neal W. Menzies

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Sainju, U.M. (2020). No-Till Farming Systems in North America. In: Dang, Y., Dalal, R., Menzies, N. (eds) No-till Farming Systems for Sustainable Agriculture. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46409-7_32

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