Corn (Zea mays L.) grown following corn, on poorly drained, fine-textured soils, with no-till tends to yield less than with other tillage systems. Surface residues conserved with no-till reduce erosion, thus, techniques must be found to avoid yield reductions. Field experiments were conducted to evaluate use of the Paraplow (Howard Rotovator Co., Inc.), a tillage tool that loosens soil without inversion, for continuous corn production. No-till, chisel plow, moldboard plow, and Paraplow systems were evaluated on three poorly drained, medium- and fine-textured soils in Iowa. All tillage tools reduced bulk density and penetration resistance to the depth of tillage. However, after planting only the soil tilled with the Paraplow remained less dense. Plant residue cover had more effect on corn growth than did soil loosening. Emergence and yield of corn were inversely related to amount of residue on soil surface after planting.