High Crop Yields Produced with or without Tillage on 3 Typical Soils of the Humid Mountain Region of Puerto Rico

Abstract

Yields of tobacco, sugarcane, plantains, taniers, yams, corn, sweetpotatoes, and beans were similar under tillage and no-tillage systems on three typical soils of the Humid Mountain Region of Puerto Rico. All three soils had excellent physical condition, with bulk densities averaging 1.05 and with 15,5 percent of the pores drained at 1/3 atmospheres of pressure. These data suggest that no tillage is necessary for production of widely different crops in the area, if weeds and grasses are controlled by herbicides. If crops can be grown without tillage, the erosion problems that normally plague this area can be greatly reduced.