Organic conservation tillage – evidence from more than 15 years of research

Summary

In Europe, the plough is a common machine for soil tillage. Its history is dating back to the early days of agriculture and hence its use is deeply rooted in European culture. With ongoing heavier machines, larger fields and less landscape diversity, ploughing contributed to large-scale soil degradation. The bare soil surface is prone to erosion; the risk of soil fertility decrease is high. Long-term sustainability of current ploughing practices is therefore questioned. In organic farming, ploughing is seen as an important tool for weed control, ley termination and incorporation of organic material. Yet, also organic farming practices can still be improved. The aim was therefore to replace ploughing by less intensive tillage methods and to monitor changes in soil quality and yield performance. At FiBL, research started roughly in 2000 with both scientific and practice oriented trials and collaborations.