How much moisture is lost to evaporation following the various tillage practices?
Evaporation loss is dependent on a variety of weather factors, including temperature, wind velocity, and humidity. Although these factors play important roles in evaporation, the most important and controllable factor is the amount of residue left on the soil. Residue cools the soil surface, decreases wind velocities near the soil surface, slows and traps rain and snow, and physically blocks water from leaving the soil.
