JULY 2026  SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA   31
Zero-till was once seen as the cure for soil compaction. While it helps 
slow further compaction, it doesn’t eliminate the underlying issue.
aging fungal growth by reducing tillage, lowering fertilizer 
rates, eliminating fungicides, maintaining living roots through­
out the season, widening plant diversity, and ideally incorporat­
ing livestock.
High nitrogen fertilizer increases soil nitrates, which in turn 
stimulate weed growth. Fungicides kill beneficial fungi, tillage 
tears apart fungal hyphae, and fallow periods deprive mycorrhi­
zae of hosts. If we want fewer weeds, our soils must favour crops 
more than early successional species.
Kochia: A Symptom of Salinity
Kochia, however, points to a deeper issue: salinity. Addressing 
salinity takes more than one pass with a tool. It begins with 
reducing evaporation and restoring drainage. Adding shredded 
straw provides immediate cover, and planting saline-tolerant, 
deep-rooted species creates pore space and uses moisture deeper 
in the soil profile. As water moves, salts are pushed downward, 
allowing seedlings to germinate.
Deep roots also draw calcium upward, and mycorrhizal 
fungi help release more calcium from the soil. As calcium 
increases, soil structure loosens, enabling greater root develop­
ment. With improved structure, salts leach downward, deeper 
moisture is used, excess nitrates convert to other nitrogen forms, 
and cover crops take hold. Only then does kochia decline. And 
once soil becomes saline, it always holds the potential to return 
— another reminder that symptoms aren’t the problem.
Agriculture is an ecosystem, and most issues are connected. 
When something isn’t working, we need to assess the whole 
system. Are we treating symptoms, or are we uncovering the root 
causes? When we fix the cause — or causes — the symptoms 
naturally fade. That’s how we know we’ve truly improved the 
system. 
Cereals
Farmers Growing
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available for Canadian farmers. With an ever-growing
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