Minimal tillage generates savings of up to 30% in agriculture

The minimum tillage is totally safe, saves time and, most importantly, helps reduce production costs for the benefit of producers, says the agronomist, Luis Charvel López.

Interviewed while supervising a farm in the vicinity of the El Bule ejido that during the autumn-winter cycle was dedicated to the production of corn, it was harvested without moving the land immediately, established with the cultivation of spring sorghum using minimum technology tillage or conservation tillage; Charvel López assures that the technique is totally reliable and constitutes an excellent production alternative.

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What is this technology about?

I started in the minimum farm or conservation farm because it is necessary to rescue the soils. We are damaging the soils, we are removing organic matter and what we did here is to take advantage of the corn plant residues; We cut the plant with a machete cutter and direct it to the bottom of the furrow and sow on the back of the furrow with a cutting disc.

What is the benefit that producers obtain with this technique?

The stubble will better conserve the moisture that remained in the land because it will not be lost by evaporation, if a breeze arrives, we will take better advantage of it, and if rain does fall, with that the crop will go ahead and reach production, on the other hand, producers who are sowing dry, as the land is free, lose moisture.

It is said that here in Sinaloa we have the best lands, I think we had them because we are finishing them, because some burn organic matter, others give it to livestock and one or another producer incorporates it, but it is better to leave it on top because it is it conserves humidity, in addition to not letting weeds grow and acts as a thermos: if it is summer season the ground keeps it cool and if it is winter it keeps it warm, so it helps to maintain its temperature, while we are enriching and this allows to gradually lower the fertilization doses.

Does this help the producer to lower costs?

Sure, there is a decrease in costs; By not using machinery, we dropped from 20 to 30 percent because the tractor is used to a minimum and a simple one is enough for you, since large machinery is not required, since it is only necessary to cut down the cornfield and sow and then apply a herbicide two days after sowing to eliminate weeds.

So this technique if it helps to rescue soils?

Definitely yes, it is the main thing; Rescue the soils, that the soils become rich in organic matter again, conserve moisture, apart from the fact that at the same time costs are being lowered by burning less diesel, which in parallel brings better pollution, because less pollutants are sent to the atmosphere.

Apart from sowing sorghum on cornfields, what other crops do you have experience in?

We also bring good results in plantings of green beans on green beans.