Design and evaluation of a one-operation shallow up-cut tillage sowing method for soybean production

Sowing using a rotary tiller rotating in reverse (up-cut) is a labor-saving technology for soybean production because it can perform tillage and sowing, make ridges, and bury winter crop residues in one operation. However, the power requirement of up-cut rotation is higher than of normal rotation (down-cut), resulting in lower working speeds. Shallow tillage sowing methods may be a solution to this problem. Here, we develop a shallow tillage sowing method using an up-cut rotary and a side-disk which could perform the aforementioned works in one operation and conducted field experiments in 2015 and 2016 to study the effect of our sowing method (up-cut shallow tillage; UST) on ridge shape, soil volumetric water content (VWC) and soybean growth and yield, compared to conventional sowing methods (up-cut conventional tillage; UCT, and down-cut conventional tillage; DCT). Ridge shape did not differ among sowing methods. The VWC at 10 and 20 cm depths in DCT was always higher than in UST and UCT, indicating poorer drainage. The VWC at 10 cm depth decreased quickly after rain in UST and UCT, indicating good surface-layer drainage, but at 20 cm depth in UCT, VWC was lower than in UST, especially during dry spells, indicating higher water-holding capacity in UST than in UCT. Shoot and root growth and seed yield did not differ among sowing methods, indicating that UST did not negatively affect soybean growth and yield. These results suggest that UST can be used for soybean production.