COMPARISON OF PRESEEDING TILLAGE WITH TOTAL AND MINIMAL TILLAGE BY VARIOUS SEEDING MACHINES ON SPRING WHEAT PRODUCTION IN SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN

Abstract

In a 6-yr study at Swift Current, Saskatchewan in the Brown soil zone of Western Canada, preseeding tillage did not significantly influence the volume weight or yield of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). There were some indications that protein content of wheat was enhanced by preseeding tillage but the results were not consistent. A 2-yr supplementary study, on the other hand, did not show any benefits from preseeding tillage. Plant density was lower on plots seeded with the discer, whether direct-seeded or following preseeding tillage. The seed was also placed deeper in the soil compared to seeding with the hoe press or double-disc seeders, as indicated by the length of the plants’ subcoronal internodes. However, the differences in plant density and depth of seed placement were not reflected in the final wheat yields; this emphasized the ability of the wheat plants to compensate for establishment differences within the moisture limits encountered. There were no significant differences in volume weight, yield, or protein content of wheat for those seeders that provided total tillage during the seeding operation (discer or cultivator-rod weeder drills) as compared to seeders that provided only minimal tillage in the seed row (hoe, single-disc or triple-disc drills) when preseeding tillage was not practiced.