Drill and crop performances as affected by different drill configurations for no-till seeding

No-till farming can reduce soil erosion, conserve soil moisture and minimize labor and fuel consumption. A 2-year field trial of seeding wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and corn (Zea mays L.) and soybeans (Glycine max [L.] Merr) with a low disturbance no-till drill was conducted on clay loam soils with three different stubble conditions and in a laboratory condition. The sites were located at the Manitoba Zero Tillage Research Farm in Brandon, Man., Canada. The drill’s seeding-unit consisted of a large offset double disc opener, gauge wheel and press wheel. A fertilizer attachment was an option for mid-row fertilizer banding. Seeding trials were conducted with four different drill configurations as treatments. When the press wheel was removed from the original seeding unit, the speed of emergence and the plant population were reduced in the normal and dry seeding condition. In the wet soil condition, advantages on the speed of emergence were observed without using press wheel. In the soft soil condition (laboratory condition), the removal of the gauge wheel resulted in two-fold greater seeding depth, which resulted in reduced speed of emergence and plant population. Those drill configurations without using press or/and gauge wheels had lower crop yields in the dry and normal seeding conditions. Effects of press and gauge wheels on drill and crop performances differed between dry and wet soil condition, and between field and laboratory. In general, banding fertilizer at the same time as seeding had little negative effects in this regard.