By TIM THORNBERRY
Kentucky Correspondent

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Spring is here: the trees are budding, flowers are blooming and once again, it is time to plant.

But as common as the ritual is, farmers are faced with more decisions than ever concerning how to incorporate new growing techniques.

Conservation tillage, or no-till, is just one of those methods. Even though it has been practiced for years mainly on grain crops, in a state still known for its tobacco production, no-till methods have been slow to grow in popularity.

Bob Pearce, University of Kentucky tobacco specialist, has worked the last 13 years researching ways to incorporate tobacco production with no-till practices, and while the method has been slowly adopted, technical advances are making it a more attractive option.

“No-till tobacco requires a higher level of management, is not as forgiving and is still developing,” Pearce said. “It has been a hard sale to many producers. For people interested, I advise them to get as much information as they can through extension, articles and farmers who have done it.”

Tradition has a lot to do with it, said Pearce. Producers were taught to grow the crop by plowing their fields. In addition, lack of good weed-control products and transplanters made it less attractive to producers.

Better weed control and transplanters have made this less of an issue now. The uncertainty surrounding tobacco in the 1990s and early 2000s, however, caused many producers to hesitate in making any changes concerning their tobacco crops until the buyout was completed.

“I’ve seen a spike in interest from farmers after the buyout. They now have a long-term view of where tobacco is going,” said Pearce.
Of course, there are pros and cons for each method of production.

Conventional tillage has the upper hand when it comes to weed control, reduced compaction and incorporation of organic matter, fertilizer and chemicals into the soil.

But tillage can also increase soil erosion, creating higher fuel cost, damaged soil structure and compaction, if not done properly.
Advantages of no-till include soil and water conservation, reduced erosion, less fuel consumption and the ability to get into fields to perform various tasks when tilled patches are too wet.

Another advantage is a cleaner leaf because residue left on the ground in no-till production limits mud and dirt splashing onto it, according to Pearce.

Muddy tobacco became somewhat of an issue last year when the state was bombarded in areas with rain right at about harvest time.
Pearce has worked over the years to modify existing transplanters to make them viable for no-till production.

These modifications include adding a coulter (a cutting tool attached to the beam of a plow, which makes a vertical cut in the surface to permit clean separation and effective covering of the soil and materials being turned under) that can cut the residue and provide an area where the plant can be placed in the ground.

A no-till transplanter must be able to place a seedling in the soil with good soil/root contact, without causing damage to the seedling.

 A shank that breaks up soil beneath the surface is also helpful in loosening dirt to allow roots to get established.

The shank helps pull the plant into the ground, and modified press wheels help push dirt back around the plant.

There are now some no-till planters on the market, and many existing ones can be easily modified.

Pearce said weed control has become less of an issue in no-till, thanks to new chemical formulations. But going into the weediest patch of ground on the farm is still not the best management practice when considering no-till tobacco.

“No-till planting into soybean stubble offers the best option, but corn stubble and wheat stubble can also be effectively used,” he explained. “If using a small grain cover crop, producers need to kill it about a month before planting or when it gets knee-high, because it can compete with plants and makes it more difficult for the transplanter to work effectively.

“With sod, growers may benefit from fall applications to kill the grass. The main thing is that there is really only one chance for weed control in no-till, so early control is critical.

“Post-transplant weed control is still the biggest weakness. Mowers and weed-eaters are an option, and there are some chemicals that can be used to control grasses. Shield spraying may also be an option, but there is nothing available today to spray over the top that doesn’t also damage tobacco,” he said.

While there are reasons both for and against this type of production, the bottom line for most farmers is the bottom line.

“There is no inherent reason why yields would be different for no-till tobacco, as opposed to conventional tillage,” said Pearce. “More and more farmers will get into a certain comfort zone as they see others doing well with it. I have seen yields consistently high over the years with no-till and under good management, there should be little or no difference.”

For more information, visit www.uky.edu/Ag/Tobbaco