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Residue and Tillage Management

What is residue and tillage management? soybean residue

Residue Management is managing the amount, orientation and distribution of crop and other plant residue on the soil surface throughout the year. It includes all soil disturbing activities like tillage, nutrient applications and harvesting of residue. Residue management systems can be designed to accomplish multiple purposes including:

  • Reduced water and wind erosion
  • Maintain or increase soil organic matter
  • Increase moisture available for plant use
  • Cost savings from reduced fuel usage.
  • Reduce soil particulate emissions and CO2 losses
  • Provide food and escape cover for wildlife

There are four types of residue management systems:

  1. Mulch till - Full width tillage which disturbs the entire soil surface prior to planting (spring or fall). Tillage tools such as chisels, field cultivators, disks, sweeps or blades are used. Weeds are controlled with herbicides and/or cultivation. The annual Soil Tillage Intensity Rating (STIR) value for all soil-disturbing activities shall be no greater than 60 for mulch-till and the residue levels are adequate to achieve the desired benefits specified in the conservation plan.
  2. No till - Soil and residue is left undisturbed from harvest to planting except for nutrient injection. Planting, drilling or nutrient application is done in a narrow seedbed or slot created by coulters, row cleaners, or disk openers. No full-width tillage operations are done. Weeds are controlled with herbicide; cultivation may be used for emergency weed control. This practices is also referred to as zero-till; slot till, direct seeding or slot plant. The annual Soil Tillage Intensity Rating (STIR) value for all soil disturbing activities shall be no greater than 10 for no-till and the residue levels remain adequate to achieve the desired benefit specified in the conservation plan.
  3. Strip-till - Soil and residue is left undisturbed from harvest to planing except for strips up to a third of the row width. No full width tillage operations are done. These strips are cleared of residue and tilled for warming and drying purposes either before or during the planting operation. This practices is also referred to as row-till, zone-till or fall strip-till. The annual Soil Tillage Intensity Rating (STIR) value for all soil disturbing activities shall be no greater than 15 for strip-till and the residue levels are adequate to achieve the desired benefits as specified in the conservation plan.
  4. Ridge till - Soil and residue is left undisturbed from harvest to planting except for nutrient injection. Plant in a seedbed prepared on ridges with sweeps, disk openers, coulters or row cleaners. Residue is left on the surface between ridges. Ridges are rebuilt during cultivation. Control weeds with herbicide and/or cultivation. Residue levels remain adequate to achieve the desired benefit specified in the conservation plan.
Where the practice applies

Residue and Tillage Management can be used on cropland fields where excess wind, sheet and rill erosion are a problem. Residue and tillage management is most effective when used with other conservation practices like grassed waterways, contouring, field borders, etc.

Where to get help

For assistance in planning and establishing a residue and tillage management system on your farm contact your NRCS office.

Requirements of your residue and tillage management system

Refer to the "Conservation System Summary" in your conservation plan for "after planting" residue requirements for your fields.

Applying the practice

This practice is considered to be applied when the residue levels and STIR levels specified in the conservation plan or practice standards are achieved. The critical time to maintain good residue cover is in the spring, until a crop canopy covers the soil. To do that, start planning at harvest.

When developing and implementing your tillage system, you may want to experiment with different tillage methods on a small acreage to work out the "bugs". Many types of tillage equipment are available. You'll need to shop around to determine which will best fit your operation. Your existing equipment may be adjusted to give the desired results.

The key to residue and tillage is managing the previous year's crop residue. NRCS uses the residue levels after planting the current year's crop to determine if a farmer is applying his/her conservation plan.

NRCS uses this method to measure residue:

  • Use any line that is equally divided into 100 parts. Fifty foot cable transect lines are available for this purpose. Another tool is a 50' nylon rope with 100 knots, six inches apart. A 50' tape measure using the 6" marks also works well.
  • Stretch the line diagonally across the rows. Count the number of marks (tabs or knots) that have residue under them when sighting from directly above one end of the mark. It is important to use the same point on each mark for accuracy. Don't count residue smaller than 1/8 inch in diameter.
  • Walk the entire length of the rope or wire. The total number of marks with residue under them is the percent cover for the field. If your rope or tape has only 50 marks, multiply by 2; for 25 marks, multiply by 4.
  • Repeat the procedure at least 3 times in different areas of the field, and average the findings.
Energy Savings

Using on of the Residue and Tillage Management systems described in this job sheet can result in reduced energy usage and cost savings. For an estimate of the amount of fuel that can be saved using a Residue Management system, visit www.ia.nrcs.usda.gov and click on the "Save Energy, Save Money" logo or compare the full savings using RUSLE2.

Other considerations 

Cropping considerations

  • Some plant varieties produce higher residue amounts.
  • Higher plant population and narrower rows increases residue at harvest.

Tillage considerations

  • Slower tillage speeds leave more residue on the surface.
  • Shallower tillage depth leaves more residue on the surface.
  • Adjusting equipment and adding sweeps can increase residue left on the surface.

Harvest considerations

  • Evenly distributed residue so it covers more soil surface. Combine spreader and chopper adjustments will affect the distribution and size of the residue.
  • Baling, grazing, and burning will reduce crop residue cover.
Maintaining the practice

It's important to maintain the residue levels specified in your conservation plan every year.


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