ChileanJAR

Conservationist tillage systems have advantages over conventional systems because they allow the protection of natural resources. However, it is important to validate these advantages to encourage the adoption of this type of technology by farmers. The objective of this study was to determine if the type of tillage affects moisture content in the soil profile. To this end, the effect of three tillage systems on water availability in an Ultisol soil was compared. The treatments were: no tillage and burning residues (CL+Q); no tillage without burning residues (CL-Q); and traditional tillage (TRAD). The results showed that between end of tilling - beginning of internode elongation and heading, the mean value of the moisture index for CL-Q was 1.023, significantly higher than 1.001 and 0.998 corresponding to CL+Q and TRAD, while between heading and harvest the index for CL-Q was 0.963, statistically higher than 0.941 and 0.938 corresponding to CL+Q and TRAD. This effect was due to water content differences in the soil profile above 40 cm. Considering the three periods of plant development together, the mean value of the moisture index for CL-Q was 1.015, statistically higher than 0.996 and 0.990 from CL+Q and TRAD. This study confirmed that in terms of soil moisture retention in the profile of an Ultisol soil, it is recommendable to use zero tillage without burning the residues.