What is Conservation Tillage?

Abstract

Confusion exists over the meaning of the term “conservation tillage.” Writers often use the term interchangeably with minimum tillage, reduced tillage, mulch tillage, no-till, and so on. In the most recent edition of the Resource Conservation Glossary (5) alone, there are 16 terms, which if defined loosely, are all some form of conservation tillage. No wonder the general public is confused by the terminology when those of us who work daily in soil conservation speak ourselves in many tongues. Perhaps the term that leads to the most confusion is “minimum tillage.” Minimum tillage is defined by the Resource Conservation Glossary as the minimum soil manipulation necessary for crop production, or meeting tillage requirements under the existing soil and climatic condition. Admittedly, this overused term has been the bellwether for the benefits of good tillage practices over the past 30 or more years. At one time, the term “minimum tillage” was almost synonymous with plow-plant and wheel-track planting in the Corn Belt and stubble mulch tillage in the wheat-growing areas of the Great Plains. Because the definition, at least in the Resource Conservation Glossary , includes no mention of soil and water …