Corn Tillage and No-Tillage

The best tillage system depends on the soil type, soil slope, latitude of the field and overall climate of the field. In general, no-till is preferred in southern fields with good drainage, while tillage is preferred in heavy, wetter soils in northern areas. No-till improves soil structure and water-holding capacity in most soils. However, tillage helps northern soils warm quicker in the spring, allowing for earlier planting and potentially better stands of corn. Advances in planter technology and seed corn quality provide more opportunities for no-till in northern areas.

Tillage can improve corn stands on heavy, wetter soils that have a tendency to remain cold in the spring. Tillage helps these soils warm quicker and could lead to more uniform germination. Planter technology and row cleaners help to till a small zone of soil that allows no-till fields to function similarly to tilled fields in northern areas.

No-till farming develops a good soil structure, encourages earthworm populations, increases organic matter, and reduces erosion by water and wind. Tillage that inverts the soil layer, or otherwise stirs the soil and buries most crop residue, will immediately cancel much of the benefits from the previous years of no-till cropping. Strip-till or noninversion subsoiling are usually acceptable modifications of no-till.

Tillage often reduces the risk of foliar diseases because tillage promotes the breakdown of previous crop residue, which harbors sources of inoculum for many foliar diseases. Field location and hybrid susceptibility also must be considered when determining to apply foliar fungicides.

For more information on this and other topics related to corn production, contact your state extension corn specialist or your local extension educator/agent.

Following is the link to the corn extension specialists: state extension corn specialist.