Blog 7 - Cropping Systems, Tillage and Crop Establishment

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Blog 7 - Cropping Systems, Tillage and Crop Establishment

Monocropping or polyculture?

The pecan tree usually takes more than 10 years to grow. (Stark Bro's , n.d.). Therefore it might be handy to set up a lay-out and plan for the farm site.

The term agroforestry was first used in 1977 to describe the integration of trees and agriculture. But the integration of trees and agriculture is as old as the days of the Neolithic revolution when forestry and agriculture were combined to eventually be integrated into settled systems. (Smith, 2010).

Different options in agroforestry are listed underneath:
- Multipurpose windbreaks enable you to protect crops from wind and develop a different ecosystem. In return you can place e.g. black walnut trees as these windbreaks which will give both walnuts, hazelnuts, shrubs or Christmas trees. (University of Minnesota, n.d.)
- Forest farming or a plantation is only of use when one is working with a natural forest. The return investments is long. The trees provide a canopy under which crops can grow. Since it is rather warm in summer in the areas where the pecan grows, this could be a viable option. (University of Minnesota, n.d.). enable you to protect crops from wind and develop a different ecosystem. In return you can place e.g. black walnut trees as these windbreaks which will give both walnuts, hazelnuts, shrubs or Christmas trees. (University of Minnesota, n.d.).
- Alley cropping is a practice in which you make alleys with different rows based on height. You could place all sorts of cherry bushes next to each other. Do this with care. Some shrubs do not fare well with frost so do investigation to each crop in which the larger crops are able to shield of the smaller ones. This could also be done as form of windbreak. (University of Minnesota, n.d.).
- Another option could be the production of medicinal plants. (University of Minnesota, n.d.).
- Forest farming or a plantation is only of use when one is working with a natural forest. The return investments is long. The trees provide a canopy under which crops can grow. Since it is rather warm in summer in the areas where the pecan grows, this could be a viable option. (University of Minnesota, n.d.).
- Silvopasture is mixing livestock grazing land with trees. (University of Minnesota, n.d.).

The pecan is mostly harvested by scooping the ground or shaking the tree and then scooping the ground. (Savage , n.d.). So, in harvest season you have to make sure that the crops are gone and all the pecan nuts can be collected. This means that you could only plant annuals that are harvested from September to late March. This is depended on the pecan variation. (US Pecans, n.d.). For placing other nut trees around the pecan the same rule applies. When the two different types mix up, a lot of effort and money will have to be put in separating the nuts. 

Therefore, one could do best experimenting with surrounding trees or shrubs that do not block the way for harvesting machinery. Since nut separation takes up a lot of money if the harvest seasons of the nuts collide, it would be best to place fruit trees or berry plants.

Tillage

The pecan is a tree, which means that tillage is primarily used as a method of weed control. (Noble Research Institute, 2000). The weeds battle with the trees for nutrients. Another important factor is that they can house insect pests. (Locke, 2012). Tillage could combat this while also playing a role in enhancing the mineral cycle. (Noble Research Institute, 2000). However, the bare soil could also very well become subject to soil erosion, which will have the opposite effect when it comes to nutrients, for the topsoil will be destroyed. If the tillage is done too close to the trees, the root tops are pruned, which could lead to root damage and an increased need for irrigation. (IPM Centre, 2002). Another negative point of tillage is that it releases a lot of CO2 into the atmosphere, while this process of denitrification would normally take longer. Normally, an important reason for tillage is to get rid of hardpans, but since the pecan is a tree, the roots would be able to break through this layer on its own.

Another approach is the placement of an orchard floor as a way to combat soil erosion. This could already play a large role in minimizing weeds from growing. Since nitrogen fertilizers cost money, often pecan farmers choose to incorporate nitrogen-fixing plants, such as clover. One could even go as far as integrating silvopasture on their farm, as explained earlier. (Locke, 2012).

Therefore, tillage is a weed control method that has many disadvantages and would better be replaced by other options, such as an orchard floor.

Tillage equipment & machinery

Most of the trees are bought that come from a nursery. Therefore, seeding does not play a large role, neither does the machinery. Instead, large holes are made in which the young 1 or 2-years-olds are put to develop further. (Stark Bro's , n.d.).

Bibliography

IPM Centre. (2002, June). Crop Profile for Pecans in Texas. Retrieved from IPM Centre: http://www.ipmcenters.org/cropprofiles/docs/txpecans.pdf
Locke, J. M. (2012). Weed Management in Pecans. Retrieved from The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation: https://www.noble.org/globalassets/docs/ag/pubs/soils/nf-so-12-04.pdf
Noble Research Institute. (2000, November). Soil-Pecan Relationships. Retrieved from Noble Research Institute: https://www.noble.org/news/publications/ag-news-and-views/2000/november/soil-pecan-relationships/
Savage . (n.d.). Welcome to Savage Equipment. Retrieved from Savage : http://www.savageequipment.com/
Smith, D. (2010). The History of Temperate Agroforestry. Retrieved from Organic E-Prints: http://orgprints.org/18173/1/History_of_agroforestry_v1.0.pdf
Stark Bro's . (n.d.). Nut Trees: How Many Years Until Harvest? Retrieved from Stark Bro's : https://www.starkbros.com/growing-guide/article/nut-trees-how-many-years-until-harvest
University of Minnesota. (n.d.). Searching for profit niches on your farm. Retrieved from University of Minnesota Extension: http://www.extension.umn.edu/environment/agroforestry/discovering-profits-in-unlikely-places/profit-niches/
US Pecans. (n.d.). Pecan Harvest. Retrieved from US Pecans: https://uspecans.org/

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