A presentation from the WCCA 2011 conference in Brisbane.

1. An index to rate the quality of
no-till systems:
a conceptual framework
Glaucio Roloff
Federal University of Latin-American Integration (UNILA)
Ramiro A. T. Lutz
Vetagro Crop Consultants
Ivo Mello
Brazilian No-Till Federation (FEBRAPDP)
Cooperation FEBRAPDP – ITAIPU Binacional
5th WCCA & 3rd FSD
Brisbane 2011

2. No-Till System (NTS): in Brazil

Prevailing system for grains by far, especially within last 15 years

~30 million ha, ~50% of total cropland

Early adopters: an effective soil conservation technique

Current reality:

relatively stable yields and timely seeding

saves fuel and time

more crops over a time period, e.g. ...

soybean/corn/oats (cover) → regular rainfall winters

soybean/corn+Bracchiaria (cover and pasture) → dry winters
5th WCCA & 3rd FSD Brisbane 2011 2

3. NTS: sustainability

Conservation agriculture – simultaneously and balanced:

Permanent soil cover

Absence of field-wide tillage prevalent view

Crop rotation
5th WCCA & 3rd FSD Brisbane 2011 3

4. NTS: sustainability??
Eastern Parana State Western Parana State Northwestern Rio Grande do
Sul State
5th WCCA & 3rd FSD Brisbane 2011 4

5. NTS: sustainability??
Central Parana State
(Joaquim Costa, COAMO)
5th WCCA & 3rd FSD Brisbane 2011 5

6. NTS: sustainability??
Western Parana State Western Parana State
(Tiago Minozzo) (Tiago Minozzo)
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7. NTS: current shortcomings in Brazil
Reasons for the non adherence to key components:

Bollinger et al. (2006) Advances in Agronomy, 91, 47-64
– Farmers...
» …unable to afford cover crops and appropriate herbicides
» …interested only in commercial crops
– Perceived need to till eventually to...
» …alleviate compaction
» …incorporate lime

In addition
– Crop consulting dissociated from sustainability issues
– Agricultural policies dissociated from environmental policies
– Environmental policies ignore positive externalities from NTS
– Erosion and runoff no more seen as a problem
» complacency
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8. NTS in Brazil
Adherence to key components needs to be improved
… and hence improve NTS environmental services
How to gauge adherence?
Through a NTS quality index
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9. NTS in Brazil
CA key components cover all environmental externalities?
• Kassam et al. (2009) International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 7, 292–320.
» Ideal CA soil should approach forest floor condition
...hence minimal water runoff (among others)
• Usual NTS conditions far from ideal
» Inappropriate crop rotations → poor soil cover at times
» Compaction
• Rainfall intensities often > stable infiltration rates
» up to yearly run-off events
Run-off management should be an explicit component of any
NTS quality assessment
5th WCCA & 3rd FSD Brisbane 2011 9

10. NTS Quality
NTS Quality
...capacity of a given no-till field to maintain or increase crop and
livestock productivity while maintaining or enhancing soil, water and air
quality and other environmental services.
NTS Quality Index (NTSQI) premises and development
• based on a regional benchmark set of best practices
• constructed from recognisable indicators → self-evaluation
• sampling-free and non seasonal
• specific to NTS
• address directly or indirectly the four key system components
• allow for the recognition of critically low key indicators
• indicators defined by expert opinion and farmers input
5th WCCA & 3rd FSD Brisbane 2011 10

11. NTS Quality Index
NTSQI development
• Crop rotation and soil cover (partially)
» Rotation intensity (RI)
» Rotation diversity (RD)
» Crop residue persistence (RP)
• Soil cover (partially) and tillage absence
» Tillage frequency (TF)
• Run-off volume management
» Terrace adequacy (TA)
» Conservation evaluation (CE)
• Soil cover (partially) and Run-off quality (P) management
» Balanced nutrition (BN)
• Composited effects
» NTS adoption time (AT)
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12. NTS Quality Index
NTSQI formulae
Ei Ii = ith indicator
Ii= Ei = current or future parameter value
Bi Bi = benchmark value
NTSQI= ∑ ( Ii∗ fi ) fi = subjective weighing factor
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13. NTS Quality Index
NTSQI test
• 24 voluntary farmers over 6
small river basins
• Questionnaire (assisted
evaluation)
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14. NTS Quality Index
Regionalised NTSQI parameters
Indicator Ei fi Bi Critical
RI Crops past 3 yrs 1.5 9 0.56
RD Crop species past 3 yrs 1.5 4 0.50
RP Grass cover crops past 3 yrs 1.5 6 0.50
TF Whole field tillage operations past 3 yrs 1.5 6 0.50
TA Run-off over-topping events past 5 yrs 1.0 ---- 0.50
Cumulative absence of downhill seeding,
CE whole field and edge compaction signs, and 1.0 4 0.50
visible erosion
BN Cumulative presence of manure addition, soil 1.0 3 0.33
sampling and nutrient balance
5th WCCA & 3rd FSD Brisbane 2011 14
AT Years of no-till adoption 1.0 22 0.33

15. NTS Quality Index
NTSQI test
Indicator
Farme r B as in NTSQI RI RD RP TF TA CE BN AT
1 Ajuricaba 6,15 0,78 1,00 0,50 0,80 0,00 0,50 0,67 0,36
2 Ajuricaba 6.9 7,81 0,89 0,75 0,83 1,00 0,50 0,75 0,67 0,68
3 Ajuricaba 6,59 0,78 0,75 0,67 0,80 0,00 0,75 0,67 0,68
4 Buriti 8,19 0,85 0,75 0,78 1,00 1,00 0,75 0,67 0,64
5 Buriti 7.5 7,44 0,78 0,75 0,67 1,00 0,50 0,75 0,67 0,73
6 Buriti 6,87 0,95 0,75 0,92 0,80 0,50 0,63 0,67 0,71
7 Facão Torto 7,29 0,74 0,75 0,61 1,00 0,83 0,58 0,67 0,56
8 Facão Torto 6,73 0,67 0,50 0,67 0,80 1,00 0,75 0,67 0,36
9 Facão Torto 7.0 7,63 0,89 1,00 0,67 0,80 0,50 0,75 0,67 0,68
10 Facão Torto 5,50 1,00 0,25 1,00 0,00 1,00 0,75 0,33 0,05
11 Mineira 5,80 0,89 1,00 0,17 1,00 0,00 0,50 0,67 0,05
12 Mineira 5.8 6,98 0,84 1,00 0,42 1,00 0,50 0,50 0,33 0,68
13 Mineira 5,86 0,67 0,75 0,50 0,80 0,00 0,75 0,67 0,36
14 Pacuri 7,43 0,67 0,75 0,50 1,00 1,00 0,75 0,67 0,64
15 Pacuri 5,92 0,89 0,50 1,00 0,00 0,50 0,25 1,00 0,59
16 Pacuri
Pacuri
7.5 7,06 0,67 0,75 0,50 0,80 0,50
7,51 0,89 0,75 0,83 0,80 0,50
1,00
0,75
0,67
0,67
0,82
0,68
17
18 Toledo 7,77 0,73 0,38 0,84 1,00 0,75 0,63 0,67 0,80
19 Toledo 9,04 1,00 0,75 1,00 1,00 1,00 0,75 0,67 1,00
20 Toledo 7,58 0,67 0,50 0,67 1,00 1,00 0,75 0,67 0,91
21 Toledo
Toledo
8.4 7,48 0,78 0,75 0,67 1,00 0,50
8,03 0,78 0,75 0,67 1,00 1,00
0,75
0,75
0,67
0,67
0,77
0,82
22
23 Toledo 7,56 0,85 0,45 0,77 1,00 0,70 0,75 0,67 0,68
24 Toledo 0,50
7,525th WCCA & 3rd FSD Brisbane 2011
0,67 0,75 1,00 1,00 0,75 0,67 0,7315
Number of critical farms: 0 6 7 2 13 4 2 2

16. NTS Quality Index
Conclusions:
• NTSQI can be...
» … used to rank farmers and basins to promote awareness.
» … be a tool to prioritise actions to improve NTS quality and
hence of its environmental services.
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17. Thank you
glaucio.roloff@unila.edu.br
5th WCCA & 3rd FSD
Brisbane 2011
5th WCCA & 3rd FSD Brisbane 2011 17