| Excessive straw from cereal harvest can hinder effective seedbed preparation if tillage implements and soil cutting tools cannot handle the straw loads. To remedy the problem, many farmers resort to straw burning as the most convenient way to manage surface straw. Straw burning can enhance the timeliness of tillage operations, but its leaves the soil with little surface cover and protection from wind erosion. This could be detrimental to soils in the Prairie Provinces where wind erosion is extensive and damaging. Farmers in these regions need to adopt tillage practices and implements that maintain a protective cover on the soil's surface.;This study provided a valuable opportunity to test various implements on residue cover, incorporated straw, tillage depth, and draft force requirement during tillage operations on clay soils in the Red River region over a two-year period. Seedling emergence, final population, and yield were assessed as well. The results are intended to enhance farmers' confidence in adopting suitable tillage practices that will reduce straw burning practices on clays prior to tillage. The results of this study indicated that all tillage treatments were able to maintain an adequate residue cover while surface straw was incorporated into the soil without prior burning. The recommended tillage practice will depend on the amount of straw cover the producer wants to maintain, tillage depth, and the available tractor power. The no tillage system seemed to have provided the best condition for seedling emergence, final population, and yield within the two-year period. |
