Effect of tillage regimens on soil erosion, nematodes, and carrot yield in Prince Edward Island

Abstract

Prince Edward Island soils have rooting depths of 25 to 40 cm (10 to 16 in), and soil erosion is critical on these shallow soils. Soil erosion has been identified as a problem by local carrot producers. The objective of this project was to examine the impact of pre- and post-planting soil conservation methods on the reduction of soil sediment loss and relative water runoff using a rainfall simulator. The effect of these methods on carrot yield and change in nematode populations were also assessed. Pre-planting treatments consisted of fall mold-board plowed, fall disced, fall chisel plowed, and no fall tillage with or without fall-applied mulch. Post-planting treatments were established between-row as mulch, dyking, fall rye, barley, and a control (no treatment). The pre-planting experiments show that fall disced, fall chisel plowed and no tillage with or without mulch are unacceptable to producers because they hinder bed formation and seeding operations. Root-lesion nematodes in the carrot root at harvest were four times higher in the mulched than the non-mulched plots. The post-planting results show that between-row mulching or dyking in combination with the spring chisel plowed significantly reduced relative soil sediment loss overall by 68% and 48%, respectively. We conclude that soil erosion prevention in a carrot crop can be achieved with spring chisel plowed combined with post planting mulching.