DSSAT/INFOCROP to a limited take care of the soil conditions as influenced with tillage and other management options.
Lot of work has been done in recent past to evaluate effects of zero/minimum tillage, bed planting, other RCTs on suggesting management options and also assessing growth and yield of crops.
Transfer functions generated to a limited extent, long term consequences missing to a greater extent.
we need to include these transfer functions within the body of the crop growth model, or evolve a simple soil health module to include the mediated effects
some work in understanding of the entire system, which subsequently aids in developing a sub-routine
regards
The main tillage induced soil property is aeration. It is for increasing aeration tillage is carried out. But one of the natural property that tillage destroys is soil structure through destruction of water stable aggregates and biological constructions.
Zero tillage operations increase the biological activity and naturally the structure will be properly retained leading to good aeration. Structure is a complex physical quality, which primarily determines aeration and indirectly influence soil biotic activity and thus the fertility.
There is no single direct measurement by which the tillage induced damage can be measured; perhaps the best of single measurement that can reveal tillage induced soil degradation is that of 'bulk density'
This article talks about crop yield response to deep tillage in Kentucky. There might be some information that could be useful for your questions
CROP YIELD RESPONSE TO PRECISION DEEP TILLAGE
L. G. Wells, T. S. Stombaugh, and S. A. Shearer
Use of tillage should be considered on the basis of soil conditions. Usually deep tillage is good in heavy soils. Minimum tillage and Zero tillage or No tillage become important in sandy, silty and loamy soils. Tillage prepare the soil for better plant growth. Without tillage, the cropping is possible in only highly sandy soils, like arid sandy zones. Tillage improves soil health in a particular situations. Negative effect of tillage can only be studied on looser soils, where we have need hardening of soil for establishment of seedlings. However various chemicals are also available which makes soil harder.
Thanks for your suggestions, but we still need a simple model to include tillage induced soil properties changes influencing growth and yield of crops, where the expertise of researchers like you are needed
These two papers may help:
G. Philip Robertson, Katherine L. Gross, Stephen K. Hamilton, Douglas A. Landis, Thomas M. Schmidt, Sieglinde S. Snapp and Scott M. Swinton (2014) Farming for Ecosystem Services: An Ecological Approach to Production Agriculture. BioScience doi: 10.1093/biosci/biu037
R. Lal (2013) Enhancing ecosystem services with no-till. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems - Cambridge Journals Online. 28: 1742-1713.
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