A still blanket of snow in the winter can help boost dryland crop productivity in the summer , and according to USDA enquiry , no - till management is one elbow room to ensure that blanket coverage .
Through a series of study on two neighboring farms in Washington , soil scientist David Huggins , with USDA ’s Agricultural Research Service , determined how standing crop residues involve snow accumulation and soil ’s urine grade across entire field . Both farm have the hilly topography typical of the Palouse region in easterly Washington , but much of one farm has been under continuous no - till direction since 1999 , while the fields on the other farm were conventionally tilled . For two eld , C. P. Snow depth , density and the grime ’s piddle storage were measured manually at hundreds of full point across the fields on both farms . Residue height at datum collection point was also measured on the no - till fields .
Sir William Huggins found that standing wheat residue on the no - boulder clay farm importantly increased the amount and uniformness of snow cover across the entire field of force . blow depth on the no - till champaign grade from 4 to 39 inches , with an intermediate depth of 11 inch , while snow depths on the conventionally tilled field ranged from 0 to 56 inches , with an average depth of 8.5 inches .
The C. P. Snow - distribution pattern on the no - cashbox farm made the soil ’s water distribution more unvarying and increased the territory ’s water - recharge charge per unit . The more uniform snow statistical distribution under no - boulder clay was particularly apparent for ridge tops and outrageous , south - facing incline where there was typically 4 to 8 more inches of snow than on conventionally tilled fields .
Huggins depend that the neat storage of dirt water in no - till systems could increase winter wheat return potential drop by 13 bushels per acre on ridge tops , six bushel per acre on south - confront gradient and three bushel per acre in valleys . As a result , regional Farmer could increase their winter - pale yellow earnings by an average of $ 30 per acre and as much as $ 54 per ridge - top acre under no - till direction .
Producers affected by the 2012 drouth might also benefit from using no - money box method acting to increase the amount and uniformness of coke screening on their fields . This would increase soil ’s body of water - recharge charge per unit and moisture storage , which would facilitate the return of drought - stricken fields to their former productivity .
consequence from this work were published in 2011 inTransactions of the ASABE .
