b'Seed Breeding and Traits for No-Till Success Perspectives on No-Till Challenges and BenefitsOne of the early challenges to no-till was the equipment.Even with the remaining challenges, there are many no-till Planters were not set up to create the nice seed beds neededbenefits. for good germination and emergence. As a result, seed compa- Christopher Weaver is an experienced no-till farmer in nies began to rate their seeds for no-till.Maryland. "Rapid emergence is critical in no-till systems," Beck explains."No-till farming allows us to keep our soil intact, reduce runoff, "Hybrids that don\'t emerge quickly can be detrimental, espe- and improve our water management significantly," he says.cially when dealing with residue and cooler soil temperatures." Insect, weed and disease pressures can become higher in The time it takes for the plant to reach canopy is alsono-till situations if not properly managed. In Weavers case, the extremely important in no-till. That canopy shading is needed toincreased organic matter has resulted in an increased slug popula-minimize weed pressures. tion in the soil. These traits, seed quality, rapid emergence and quick canopyOne option to deal with these pressures is to treat the problem. are important to any farmer, regardless of tillage practice.Seed treatments have come a long way, improving the plants Naturally, seed companies continued to breed for these traits,ability to resist diseases and insects. Farmers like Weaver do and they are common in basically every seed variety. A companytheir own seed treatment, applying treatments specific to issues would have a hard time selling seed that wasnt quick to emerge.within a given field or even a given acre. We use a lot of biologicals, Trichoderma, bacillus, to help get the plant up and out of the ground, Weaver explains. We are also adding insecticides, so everything is right there.Evolution of Seed Treatments and EquipmentAdditionally, changes in plant breeding and incorporating her-bicide resistance by seed companies have given no-till farmers more herbicide options to tackle the weeds in their fields. Rapid emergence is critical in no-till systems.Spraying equipment and disease treatments have also improved. Hi-boy sprayers have allowed for later season treat-Hybrids that dont emerge quickly can bement applications combined with GPS steering resulting in less detrimental, especially when dealing withrunover rows. The treatments themselves are better, meaning less fluid is needed per acre for applications. This has opened residue and cooler soil temperatures.the door to more plane and helicopter applications as well as Dwayne Beck drone application of treatment on specific infected regions of the field. However, one of the benefits of no-till is savings on fuel by eliminating a pass over the field with the tillage equipment. If a grower must increase the number of sprayer passes to control weeds, disease and insects, it negates the initial fuel savings.The Importance of Crop Rotation in No-Till SystemsThroughout the process of researching no-till practices, it became apparent that crop rotation can be an effective way to This progression in breeding strategies has given no-till farm- reduce these pressures. ers more options to choose from when selecting seed.Becks primary research in central South Dakotawas winter Despite the evolution of no-till, there are still challenges withand spring wheat. He says there were not many options for other the practice, but that is not deterring farmers from integratingcrops that would grow well in that region.no-till as a farming strategy. We needed rotational crops, we needed to be able grow With the development of the U.S. Department of Agriculturescorn, sorghum, peas, lentils and those kinds of things, he says. (USDA) Climate-Smart Commodities partnerships, farmers haveNobody was really making seed for our area of those crops and even more incentive to adopt no-till and reduced tillage prac- there werent people there to supply them.tices. The USDA views no-till as a way to sequester carbon in theSeed companies have been developing corn and soybeans soil thus reducing the amount in the atmosphere.to grow in more regions of the country. They have developed Of the 141 Climate-Smart projects available, the majority ofvarieties that grow faster and still produce a valuable yield allow-them include row crops as a commodity. Those programs alling colder climate areas to raise them. They have also developed include reduced tillage as an acceptable practice for raisingdrought resistant varieties, allowing dryer regions to explore new climate-smart commodities and potentially offer financial ben- crop rotations. efits to encourage no-till. 42/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2024'