A presentation from the WCCA 2011 conference in Brisbane.

1. Development and promotion of zero tillage in
Iraq and Syria
Colin Piggin, Atef Haddad, Yaseen Khalil
ICARDA, Syria
Development of conservation cropping systems in the drylands of northern Iraq (2005-11) WCCA
Partners
Syria - ICARDA Brisbane, Aust
Iraq - Ministry of Agriculture, University of Mosul 26-29 Sept 2011
Australia - UniWA, UniAdelaide, AgWA

2. Middle Eastern dryland cropping systems
Characteristics
• excessive cultivation
• grazing/burning of stubbles
• late sowing (Dec-Jan)
Consequences
• low yields (<1t/ha for wheat)
Syria Iraq

3. ZT is the key to conservation cropping
- minimal soil disturbance
- stubble retention
Widely adopted around the world
Little awareness/adoption in ME region

4. Logical R&D program to promote ZT
• verification and adaptation research
1. does ZT work?
2. what are benefits of early sowing?
3. are special varieties needed for ZT?
• addressing the major constraint
4. local availability of effective, affordable ZT seeders
• promoting awareness, experience and uptake
5. demonstrations and ZT evaluation by farmers on-farm

5. Zero tillage (ZT) and CC system
conventional cultivation (CC) • 1-3+ cultivations - mouldboard, disc, chisel
• seeding – seed drill or broadcasting above disc plow
ZT system
• seeding into uncultivated soil under stubble

6. Verification and adaptation research
1. Does ZT work?
Long term Trial (commenced 2006-07 at ICARDA)
Cereal-legume rotation
Treatments (0.5ha plots x 3 replicates)
Tillage
- conventional cultivation
- zero-till
Date of sowing
- early
- late

7. Lentil on wheat stubble – C16 2007-08
Zero-till 29 April 08 Conventional till
Early sowing
28-29 Nov 07
Late sowing
23 Dec 07

8. Barley on lentil stubble - C16 2008-09
Zero-till 2 June 09 Conventional till
Early sowing
22 Oct 08
Late sowing
6 Dec 08

9. 1. Does ZT work?
R/F 222mm R/F 291mm
4.00 3.74 ZT
3.41 3.37 3.35
3.50 CC
Grain yield (t/ha)
3.00
2.50
2.00
1.50 1.29
1.08
1.00 0.81
0.67
0.50
0.00
29-No v-07 23-Dec-07 22-Oct-08 6-Dec-08
Date of sowing
Lentil Barley
Sig main effects: T**; DOS** Sig effects: DOS**; TxDOS**
LSD = 0.15 t/h a fo r T an d 0.20 LSD = 0.28 t/h a between T o r
t/h a fo r DOS 0.16 t/h a with in T
Lentil response/ha: Straw Grain Barley response/ha Grain
CC/late vs ZT/early 1227kg 615kg CC/late vs ZT/early 390kg
$261 $716 $80

10. Verification and adaptation research
2. The importance of early sowing?
Grain yield responses to time of sowing in lentil and barley under ZT and CC
C16 long-term trial
Tillage Early Late Delay/loss Loss/day
Lentil 2007-08 28 Nov 07 23 Dec 07 24 days
CC 1077 kg 670 kg 407 kg 17.0 kg
ZT 1285 kg 810 kg 475 kg 19.8 kg
Barley 2008-09 22 Oct 08 6 Dec 08 45 days
CC 3406 kg 3346 kg 60 kg 1.3 kg
ZT 3737 kg 3373 kg 364 kg 8.1 kg

11. Yields over 5 years - C16 2006-11
315mm 222mm 291mm 270mm 259mm
NS T*; D** D**; Tx D** D* NS
4.0
CC Early
3.5
CC Late
3.0
ZT Early
Grain yield (t/ha)
2.5 ZT Late
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
Wheat 06-07 Lentil 07-08 Barley 08-09 Wheat 09-10 Lentil 10-11
Crop and year
Generally
- ZT ≥ CC
- early ≥ late planting

12. Verification and adaptation research 2009-10
3. are special varieties needed for ZT?
10 lines/varieties under ZT vs CC 19-20Nov09
Cereals
Bread wheat, durum wheat, barley, oats
Legumes
Chickpea, lentil, faba bean, peas
15May; 19June10
Details
Replicates: 4
Seed rate: 100kg/ha
Plot size: 1.62m * 10m
Harvest area: 3 rows*0.275m*8m

13. Grain yield (t/ha)
0.5
1.5
2.5
3.5
0
1
2
3
Alanda_01
Arabi Abiad
Arta
ER/Apm
Furat_2
Nawair_1
Barley
Rihane_03
Saida
Suran_2
WI2291
Cham_6
Daira_4
Damara_5
Hamam_4
Jawhara 19
Khider_1
Rama_2
Bread wheat
Shamiekh_5
Shihab_2
Zafir_10
Amidacol_1
Ammar_8
Crop and variety
Azeghar_2
Feda_98
Hourani_27
Lahn Hokan
Maamouri_3
Durum wheat
Miki_3
Om Rabi_5
Yones
Brusher
Carrolop
Euro
ICARDA Check
ICARDA Short
wheat, durum wheat and oats at ICARDA Syria 2009-10
Oats
ICARDA Tall
Kangaroo
Mitika
Possum
Effect of tillage on grain yield (kg/ha) of 10 varieties of barley, bread
Wintaro
Significant effects: C**; CxV**
No significant TxCxV interactions
ZT
CT
Tillage

14. Addressing constraints
4. Local availability of effective, affordable ZT seeders - Syria
• ICARDA and workshop visits - Mar/Apr 08
• experimental manufacture of local ZT seeders
ZT seeder fabrication
ICARDA visits Workshop visits

15. Local ZT seeders: first production in Syria - Sept 2008
Amazon – imported ($60000) Local seeders (3PL; 2.3m)
El Bab - local
• narrow points
• widely spaced spring tines
• seed/fertilizer delivery
• price ≈ $1400-2500
Qabbasin - local
Indian – imported ($2500)
Kamishley - local

16. ZT seeders comparisons 2008-09
Yield of wheat, barley, lentil and chickpea with different ZT seeders
sown early and late
3.5
3
2.5
Barley early
2 Barley late
Yield t/ha
Chickpea early
Chickpea late
1.5
Lentil early
Lentil late
1
Wheat early
Wheat late
0.5
0
Kamishley PW Kamishly AlBab Qabbaseen Amazone Indian
ZT seeder
Significant effects: Seeders NS
Early > late for barley, wheat and chickpea

17. ZT seeder advances in Syria - 2009-10
Responding to feedback
- 4m wide
- trailed or 3PL
- wider tine spacing
3-point linkage - more robust construction Trailed
- $4000 - $5500
- El Bab - Qabassin

18. 4. Local availability of effective, affordable ZT seeders - Iraq
Farmer innovation – ZT modification of local Rama (John Shearer) seeder
Lead farmers
- Sinan Jalili
- Yasser Fathi
- Gazee Fatehi
Fabricating and testing tines/points
2009-10
2007-08
Sowed 1025ha with 3 seeders
Testing depth, soil throw, backfill from
points

19. Fabrication of ZT modification kits in Iraq 2010-11
ZT openers –wide tine spacing
Press wheels
ZT points/openers

20. ZT modification of local seeders in Ninevah 2010-11
18 farmers
Modification cost: $1200/seeder

21. Promoting awareness, experience and uptake
5. Demonstrations and ZT evaluation by farmers on-farm
Maara Syria
on-farm testing
2006-09
Afrin
ZT CC
El Bab Musselmiya

22. 3.50 Comparison of ZT and CC Grain Yields in Farmer
Demonstrations Syria 2008-09
3.00
2.50
ZT CT
Grain Yield t/ha
2.00
1.50
1.00
0.50
0.00
university Roubel Roubel Moh Basem Abo Nadim Ali A. Elewi Ali A. Elewi Toma Khano
Farm Sharo Sharo Ebrahim Ebrahim
Basha Basha

23. Participatory extension of conservation cropping in
Syria 2009-11
 ACIAR-ICARDA Iraq Project
GCSAR
 NARES
o Research Commission (GCSAR)
NGOs
o Directorate of Extension
ACIAR-
Extension o Aleppo University
ICARDA  NGO
o Aga Khan Foundation
 Private sector
Manufacturers Farmers o farmers
o seeder manufacturers
o Syrian Libyan Company (SYLICO)
o private consultants
Stakeholder meeting
6 August 2009

24. ZT extension working groups 2009-11

25. Syria on-farm ZT testing 2009-11
Field days
Kamishley field day 22Apr10
Farmer experience
• ZT gave better yields with lower costs than CC
Farmer planting Farm visits/training
Kannasar 4Nov09 Hani Debah 9Apr10 Ali Alewi Kamishley 800ha wheat
CC ZT Extension training visit 22Apr10
Sulamiya 14Oct09
Edriss Saleh10Apr10

26. Demonstrations 2005/06 – 2010/11
ZT, varieties, early sowing, low seed rates
Locations
• High Rainfall
(>450mm)
Al Shikhan
Rabeea
Al Qush
• Moderate Rainfall
(200-400mm)
Al Hamdania  ICARDA
Tel Kief
Baashiqa
• Low Rainfall
(<200mm)
Tel Abta
Al Hatra
Al Mahalabya
• Supp Irrigation:
Rabeea (HRA)
Al Nimrud (MRA)
Hummaidat (LRA)

27. Baashika MRA planting 2006-07
19 January 2007

28. LRA barley 2006-07
500
Z.T
Chisel
400
Con.
300
Kg/hectar
200
100
0
Local black (C.V.) Zanbaka (C.V.) Local black (C.V.) Zanbaka (C.V.) Local black (C.V.) Zanbaka (C.V.)
Alhatra Location Tell Abta Location Almahalabia Location
Fig(1)
Effect of planting methods on grains yields (Kg/hectar) of Barley in LRA lacation

29. Iraq on-farm demonstration and testing 2007-11
Farmer experience
Field days
• ZT gave better yields with lower costs than CC
Farmer planting
Farmer-modified ZT seeder
Farm inspections Field day in Alshykhan
Tel Kief MRA 3 Feb 10
Syrian 4m ZT seeder

30. Iraq and Syria
Increases in ZT farmers, area and seeders
06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11
Iraq Farmers 12 16 18 31 ≈50
Area (ha) 52 252 492 1806 ≈6000
Seeders Manufactured 3 India 2 Iraq 4 Syria 1 Iraq, 14 Syria*
Farmer modified 1 2 18
Syria Farmers 3 6 43 119 ≈350
Area (ha) 15 30 2075 4918 ≈15,000
Seeders Man. for ICARDA 1 India 3 Syria 6 Syria 2 Syria
Man. for farmers 2 Syria 4 Syria ≈20 Syria
Farmer modified 2 3
* 14 Syrian ZT seeders for Ninevah funded by USA Ambassador

31. Conservation cropping R & D in Iraq and Syria
Conclusions (2005-11)
• ZT more productive, profitable and sustainable than CC
• early planting important in achieving high yields – facilitated by ZT
• no special varieties indicated for ZT – no VxT interaction for any crops
• local ZT seeders effective and affordable
• participatory R&D effectively raising awareness, experience, adoption
• strong prospects for wide ZT adoption over next 5-10 years
• MOA in Iraq/Syria adopting ZT as recommended cropping system

32. Farmer attraction to ZT system
- some indicative returns and savings for wheat
Operation Change Return or saving ($/ha)
Iraq Syria
Use ZT +500 kg/ha wheat 350 200
Stop plowing 2 → 0 times 50 50
Reduce seed rate 300 → 100 kg/ha 140 80
---------- ----------
540 330

33. Increasing dryland crop productivity and profitability
ZT guidelines and technology options for farmers
• stop plowing
• keep as much stubble as possible (don’t burn)
• use ZT for all crops
• control pre-sowing weeds with glyphosate (if necessary)
• plant early (November)
• use best adapted current varieties
• use optimum seed rate (50-100 kg/ha cereals; 100-150kg/ha for pulses)
• sow at optimum depth (4-6cm)
• use optimum management (fertility, weed/disease/pest control, rotations)
• stubbles can be grazed (OM/nutrients returned) – doesn’t negate ZT benefits