Lets throw the cat amongst the pigeons.
Before I retired in 95 I managed a property in Africa (
now in Portugal) that grew 6000 acres of cereals a year. Twenty odd years ago
the system was change from ploughing to minimal cultivations.90% of the
straw was chopped behind the combine and immediately incorporated in the top
3-5" of soil with preferably a tined cultivator. Approximately every third year
a Shakerator was used,the tines of this going down to 2/3-1 m. and the vibration
gently shattered the area above the points. The volunteer crop and weeds
was grazed by livestock, mainly sheep which were removed to allow the
volunteer/weeds to grow and were then sprayed with Roundup!!.This killed all the
plants and the new crop was planted without further cultivation by a tined air
seeder.The results were fantastic,less erosion, greater water holding capacity,
Hugh build-up of O.M.less disease, higher yields and mono culture was no problem
,one field grew barley for 20 years and had the same or better yield that
when broken from virgin country.
I wish I knew about ACT which I would use together with
the same system.
ALL THIS COULD NOT HAVE BEEN DONE WITHOUT THE USE OF
ROUNDUP!!
I am in my mid seventies + and use Roundup in my garden and
orchard here as this is the only hope I have of controlling grasses and
weeds.
Three years ago I went organic in the garden and orchard and
last year started using ACT and have had the best top fruit yields ever and
these and the strawberries tasted out of this world. Very few aphids
about, peach leaf curl now seems a past problem,most of the top fruit had to
have a lot of set fruit removed as far too many for the tree to cope with in
this dry climate.
Now for the deluge of comments re. Roundup.
Bill H.
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