The first impulse of many growers may be to plow under Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) ground when converting it back into cropland. While there is a dense network of fibrous material beneath the soil surface, what really gets the attention of producers is the “low-flying jungle” in plain view, says John Baker.

However, no-tilling into sod can be easy, the no-till researcher from New Zealand maintains. In working with the Cross Slot no-tillage system developed in his homeland, Baker says the original intent of the machine's design was to find a way to successfully seed into sod.

“Sadly, the problem of physically handling the biomass often compromises the issue of making the best use of it,” Baker told attendees at the 16th annual National No-Tillage Conference in Cincinnati.

There are two main considerations when no-tilling crops directly into CRP, Baker says. You need to:

1. Cope with the jungle of grasses, weeds, legumes and possible pests without either blocking the machine or destroying all the good biological things that have happened to the soil while in CRP the past decade.

2. Create a biological environment that favors and protects the newly sown crop and harnesses the wonderful biological assets that 10 years of nonproduction will have so carefully created and nurtured.

Baker has outlined a number of principles for successfully no-tilling into sod, but it all begins with one thing not to do.

“The worst possible thing that can be done to CRP is to till it,” he says.

Here are Baker's suggestions for effectively no-tilling into CRP residue.

1. Kill It. When sprayed with an effective herbicide, CRP should behave like, and be treated as if it is, a heavy crop residue. Because untouched CRP land will not have been cut, residue handling by machinery should be easier than when dealing with cut and lying cereal residues.

2. Harvest Helps. Where a cut of silage is allowable before CRP land is cropped again, residue handling will be greatly simplified, especially for non-disc-type openers. You may be able to spray long grasses with glyphosate and harvest them 3 or 4 days later prior to drilling a new crop. However, this can test your confidence with the glyphosate translocating to the grass roots, since removal of the leafy material will disguise any die-back for a period.

3. Control Weeds. This involves accurate identification of the species present and possibly blending two or more herbicides. For that reason, knowledge of herbicide compatibility is important.

4. Avoid Cereals. Sowing a cereal as the first crop after CRP is not preferred, although it can be done. Keep in mind that many pests of grasses have flourished for 10-plus years under CRP, and they are often pests of cereals, too. Make sure you identify these pests carefully before sowing a cereal crop.

5. Watch For Pests. Slugs and rodents thrive within dense sod and don't care what they eat. They may not have been a problem in CRP, but could easily become an issue.

6. Add Nitrogen. Decomposing CRP biomass will likely lock up large quantities of soil nitrogen after spraying.
This will lead to poor initial growth of any crop and even plant yellowing. Add nitrogen when seeding, but only if it can be safely banded separately from the seed. Also, avoid broadcasting fertilizer since results are usually disappointing.

7. Select Openers Carefully. Most disc-type openers do not double-shoot seed and fertilizer effectively and are likely to hairpin in heavy residue. Therefore, no-tillage opener choices are limited, which is why many people reluctantly revert to tillage with CRP ground

8. Horizontal Slots Best. Baker says it's best to avoid vertical slots when drilling into sod. Horizontal slots, such as found on the Cross Slot openers, fulfill the requirements of double-shooting and residue handling without compromising either function. Horizontal slots hinge up the two soil flaps on either side of the slot.

9. Wait To Drill. All openers will perform better if you increase the interval between spraying and seeding. Waiting allows the soil to become increasingly crumbly.

10. Don't Wait Too Long. The downside of waiting too long to seed after spraying is that you risk regeneration of weeds. The weed seed pool found within CRP soils is vast.

11. Plant Later. If seeding in the spring, realize that excessive soil water will be removed more quickly by sod that's growing rather than dead or dying sod. Dead sod may prevent soil from drying or warming. In those situations, Baker favors a shorter interval between spraying and seeding. It may be best to sow a later-planted crop or later-maturing hybrids or varieties.

“It seems that everyone is astonished when you tell them no-tilling into sod is easy, but it can be with the right equipment and management,” Baker says.

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