Zero Tillage

1. ‫الرحيم‬ ‫الرحمن‬ ‫هللا‬ ‫بسم‬
University of Khartoum
Faculty of Postgraduate
M.Sc. Agricultural Engineering
Seminar on :
ZERO TILLAGE
Presented by:
1. Islam Elrayah
2. Hassan Sdeig
3. Mohammed Habeb
4. Nossiba Abdullah
September 2021

2. Outlines:
 Introduction
 Type of tillage
 Zero tillage
 Advantages of zero tillage
 Zero tillage practices around the world
 Zero tillage in Sudan
 Conclusion

3. Introduction:
 Tillage is the mechanical manipulation of soil with tools
and implements for obtaining conditions ideal for seed
germination, seedling establishment and growth of crops.
 Objectives of tillage:
The main objectives of tillage are:

4.  To prepare a good seed bed which helps the
germination of seeds.
 To control the weeds effectively.
 To make the soil capable for absorbing more rain
water.

5. Types of Tillage :
There are many type of tillage , the main three
type of tillage as follow:
 Conventional tillage:
is a tillage system using cultivation as the major
means of seedbed preparation and weed control.

6. https://www.grainsa.co.za/conventional-vs-minimum-tillage-and-its-
effect-on-soil

7.  Conservation tillage:
 any tillage and planting system that covers 30 percent or
more of the soil surface with crop residue, after planting.
 CT is an agricultural management approach that aims to
minimize the intensity of tillage operations in an effort to
promote certain economic and environmental benefits.

8. https://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2019/11/plan-to-attend-2019-
conservation.html

9. Zero tillage is one of a set of techniques used in
conservation agriculture (CA), which aims to enhance and
sustain farm production by conserving and improving soil,
water and biological resources. Essentially, it maintains a
permanent or semi-permanent organic soil cover.
 No -till or Zero tillage

10. https://precisionagricultu.re/no-till-farming-also-known-direct-drilling-
or-zero-tillage/

11. Zero tillage:
 Zero tillage refers to a farming system of crop production
where the soil is not tilled.
 Zero tillage was described as " one pass operation
which place seed and fertilizer into an undisturbed
seedbed packs of the furrow and retains adequate
surface residues to prevent soil erosion.

12.  Zero tillage is direct seeding without plowing or
harrowing and using chemical treatments for weed
control before and during growing season.
 Zero tillage as planting crops in previously unprepared
soil by opening a narrow slot.

13. Advantages of zero tillage
There are many advantages of zero tillage as follows:
 Moisture conservation
Zero tillage improves the soil moisture on a field by
trapping snow and reducing runoff of both snow and rain
water
 Improved yields
Zero till farmers are reluctant to boast of major increases in
crop yields. The fact is that on average, yields are the same
or higher with no-till than with conventional farming.

14.  Reduced fuel
Fuel savings result from land preparation operation, with
harvest, processing and transportation remaining about
equal with the various cultural systems is use.
 Reduced labor requirements
Zero tillage will reduced labour requirement for the land
preparation.

15.  Erosion control
No doubt that zero tillage have an advantage to reduce soil
erosion by wind or/ and water.
 Infiltration rate
Most producers and researchers have found more advantages
and fewer management problems as the number of years in
no-till increases.

16.  Increase land use:
The soil conservation service has recommended
increasing the intensity of land use within capability
classes when no-tillage systems are in use.

17. Machinery requirements for ZT system depending
on area :
Level of application Area to be planted fed
(feddan)
Types of Machinery required
1.Manual 1-50 Furrow opener (V-hoe)
Small Sprayer(knapsack)
2. Fully Mechanized:
a. Small scale 50-200 2 Rows ZT Planters
6 meter sprayers
60 HP Tractors
b. Medium scale 200-1000 4- 6 Rows ZT Planters
12 meter sprayers
80 HP Tractors
c. Large Scale 1000and above 8-12 Rows ZT Planters
12-24 meter sprayers
120 and 175 HP Tractor
Source.(JAI, No.4, 2006).

18. Zero tillage practices around the world
 Zero tillage has been the focus of research in the United
States as early as the 1940s and more intensively in the
1950s.
 In Europe, research into zero tillage began in the 1960s
and in Brazil and Latin America research into the
technology began in the early 1970s.

19. Today, zero tillage technology is widespread.
 Canada had some 4.1 million hectares of agricultural
land under zero tillage in 1996, the fourth highest land
area in the world .
 Only the United States (19.3 million hectares) Brazil
(11.2 million hectares) and Argentina (7.3 million
hectares) had more area under zero till

20. Zero tillage in Sudan
 It introduced by Arab Authority for Agricultural
Investment and Development (AAID) in 2000 in
Blue Nile.
 The successful application of zero tillage from
investment view was in season 2005 in its project,
which achieved overwhelmingly increasing in
sesame from 175kg per feddan to 1100kg per
feddan, sun flowers from 120 kg-519kg per feddan.

21.  In Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and
Development project in Gadarif state the first
time application of zero tillage system in 2004 in
area about 6 million feddan and it achieved a
higher yield.

22. References:
Alnail (2005): M.Sc. Thesis evaluation of zero tillage
in Gadarif area (Sudan).
Naufal et all (2006).Experience of the Arab Authority
for Agricultural Investment And Development in the
adoption and dissemination of Zero tillage system to
the traditional farmers in the Sudan, Journal of
Agricultural investment Issue No, 4. Pp. 6-13.

23. THANK YOU FOR ATTENTION