May 11, 2002 after 2 inches of rain over a 2 hour time frame.

On the left a tilled soybean stubble field planted to corn.
On the right a 3-year no-tilled field ---- corn planted into soybean stubble.

Above is the same no-till field from a different angle showing a C to D slope. This picture and the one below were taken the same time.
Above is the tilled field from a different angle shown in the top picture which is a C slope.


Above is a flat bottom ground no-till field.
This picture was taken 1 hour after the 2-inch rain.


Above is a flat bottom ground tilled field just across the road from the no-tilled field above.
This picture was also taken 1 hour after the 2-inch rain.
The water standing in the field in the foreground is water that collected just from the rain.
The water in the field in the distance is both rain water and the run-off from the tilled sidehill.

Above is a no-till field where major tillage was done last fall and this spring to provide drainage of a low area.

The water standing here is only from the rain event. No run-off came into this area.
This gives you an idea of how much water soaks in the undisturbed no-till ground during a 2 inch rain.

 

Nightcrawlers are very important in the water infiltration of a no-till field.

To further show the water infiltration differences between a tilled field, no-tilled field, no-tilled field with nightcrawlers and CRP with nightcrawlers this web page will show you the dramatic results found during a water infiltration test. Water Infiltration Test

The pictures above visually back up the accuracy of this water infiltration test.

 


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