Within the last four decades, widespread transition to no-till corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] production in Pennsylvania has improved soil conservation and soil quality but can result in residue and pest management challenges. To effectively manage residue in no-till cropping systems, some growers have adopted vertical tillage, a residue management practice characterized by cutting and incorporating crop residue within the top 5–10 cm of soil. Despite few studies documenting effects on crop production and soil conservation, vertical tillage has become widespread. Replicated on-farm trials were conducted over a 2-year period in 2021–2022 to improve grower and consultant decision-making regarding the role of vertical tillage relative to continuous no-till on southeast Pennsylvania farms located within the environmentally sensitive Chesapeake Bay Watershed. We assessed the effects of vertical tillage on corn residue cover, winter annual weed abundance, slug damage, and soybean performance in 40 paired strip trials comparing spring vertical tillage to no-till using three different vertical tillage tools used by farmer cooperators. Vertical tillage equipment type is a driver of variation in changes to surface residue cover. Baseline surface residue cover was similar among no-till strips, but a greater proportion (32%) of strips had mean surface residue cover levels below a 60% conservation program compliance threshold when a Kuhn-Krause Excelerator was used. Relative to no-till, vertical tillage resulted in a 50% reduction in winter annual weed cover, a 24% reduction in slug damage, and no significant differences in soybean stand establishment or grain yield.

中文翻译：

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垂直耕作对宾夕法尼亚州作物生产和病虫害防治的影响

在过去的四十年中，宾夕法尼亚州广泛转向免耕玉米 ( Zea mays L.) 和大豆 [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] 生产，改善了土壤保持和土壤质量，但可能导致残留物和害虫管理方面的挑战。为了有效管理免耕种植系统中的残留物，一些种植者采用了垂直耕作，这是一种残留物管理实践，其特点是将作物残留物切割并纳入土壤顶部 5-10 厘米。尽管很少有研究记录对作物生产和土壤保持的影响，但垂直耕作已变得普遍。在 2021 年至 2022 年的两年时间内进行了重复的农场试验，以改善种植者和顾问关于垂直耕作相对于连续免耕在环境敏感的切萨皮克湾流域内的宾夕法尼亚州东南部农场的作用的决策。我们在 40 个配对条带试验中评估了垂直耕作对玉米残茬覆盖、冬季一年生杂草丰度、蛞蝓损害和大豆性能的影响，使用农民合作者使用的三种不同垂直耕作工具比较春季垂直耕作与免耕。垂直耕作设备类型是地表残留物覆盖变化的驱动因素。免耕带的基线表面残留物覆盖情况相似，但当使用 Kuhn-Krause Excelerator 时，更大比例 (32%) 的带材平均表面残留物覆盖水平低于 60% 保护计划合规阈值。与免耕相比，垂直耕作使冬季杂草覆盖减少了 50%，蛞蝓损害减少了 24%，并且大豆林分建立或谷物产量没有显着差异。