Moisture retention a feature of direct seeding/zero till practices
Direct seeding/zero till practices are meant — among other things — to preserve moisture in times of need. With dry, scorching temperatures throughout the Prairies, this is a good time to have some extra moisture on hand. Jason Casselman, a Canola Council of Canada agronomist based in northern Alberta, says the practice has definitely helped conserve moisture among the producers in his area who used it at seeding time, improving their yield potential in the process. Obviously, you can’t go back in time to change your tillage practices, but that doesn’t mean you can’t carefully weigh the pros and cons for next year. Consider tillage wisely presents the upsides and downsides of both tillage and reduced/zero tillage.
