Sodosol soils are at risk of degradation under existing fallow managem
ent practices involving tillage. Topsoil erosion exposes horizons with
reduced infiltration and low concentrations of plant nutrients. Conse
rvation management systems are needed on these soils to avoid a revers
ion to low intensity grazing. This paper reports on a 4 year study (19
86-1989) of the effects of tillage practices on profile soil water and
crop yield in a Sodosol (Typic Natrustalf ) in central Queensland, Au
stralia. The tillage treatments were: zero till fallow (weed control b
y herbicides), reduced till fallow (chisel plough/scarifier or herbici
des) and conventional till fallow (chisel plough/scarifier) in two lin
ked experiments. In the first experiment, wheat was grown in three con
tour bays (approximately 1 ha), and in the second, wheat was grown in
replicated plots (30 m x 6 m) to allow statistical comparisons. Zero t
ill provided consistent advantages in grain yield in all 4 years compa
red with conventional till. Zero till also outyielded reduced till as
well as conventional till in the plot experiment. The average yield in
crease of 0.5 t ha-1 in zero till compared with conventional till was
associated with greater water use and increased water use efficiency.
Tillage practice caused only marginal differences in the available wat
er content in the root zone (0-100 cm) at sowing; zero and reduced til
l contained, on average, an additional 4 and 8 mm, respectively, compa
red with conventional till. The tillage treatments had no effect on pl
ant available water capacity. Some of the soil water that accumulated
during the fallow drained beyond the root zone in all treatments and w
as not available to the following wheat crop. At the conclusion of the
experiment, soil water accumulation in the 100-180 cm soil layer was
86 mm in zero till, 39 mm in reduced till and 40 mm in conventional ti
ll. Results indicate that zero till can be a more productive wheat far
ming practice than conventional mechanical tillage. The increase in wa
ter storage below the root zone of the wheat crop shows that there may
be benefit in using a deeper-rooting crop or pasture species in rotat
ion with wheat, particularly after zero till fallows.