Does no-till in any way adversely affect root growth by compacting the soils?
If free wheeling of tractors and other heavy equipment is controlled to tramlines, and residues are retained to create mulch, the resistance of the roots to penetration in soil is not increased and soil compaction can be reduced substantially. Tillage is not the only to keep soils friable. More over, in order to reduce penetration resistance to roots, it is advised to plant the crops at 2-4% higher moisture content than normal and also advance first irrigation at 4-6 days. Conventionally first irrigation is applied at crown root initiation, 21 days after germination. Seeding at relatively higher soil moisture content and application of an early irrigation facilitate root penetration by reducing mechanical strength of the surface soil layers.
