Reduced Tillage in Organic Farming Results of a long-term experiment on Loess soil in Switzerland

Summary

A field experiment was set up 2010 for the further development of reduced tillage in organic farming. The focus of the experiment is on the interaction between tillage and the type of fertilization as well as the fertilization level on loess soil. The mean yield over nine years was about 5 % reduced with RT compared to CT. We found no significant interaction between tillage and fertilization. Fertilization had a significant effect on yields in three years only. For SOC, the difference in the 0-10 cm layer became significant in 2019, while the difference in the 10-20 cm layer did not. Fertilization had a significant effect on SOC in the 0-10 cm layer but there was no significant interaction. Cmic increased in the 0-10 cm layer significantly and decreased in the 10-20 cm layer but not significantly in RT compared to CT. In conclusion, RT largely works in this location as the yield losses are low.