A Technical-Economic Comparison between Conventional Tillage and Conservative Techniques in Paddy-Rice Production Practice in Northern Italy

Aldo Calcante,Roberto Oberti

doi:10.3390/agronomy9120886

Abstract

In this study a technical-economic comparison was conducted to compare three different agronomic practices applied to paddy rice cultivation areas in Italy: one based on conventional tillage (CT), and two adopting conservative agriculture approaches, namely minimum tillage (MT) and no-tillage (NT). Data about production inputs (seed, fertilizers, agrochemicals, fuel) and working time were measured for each technique during the whole production season in three experimental fields. The total production costs were computed by adding the mechanization costs, calculated through the ASABE (American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers) EP (Engineering Practice) 496.3 methodology, and the production input costs. The results of the study highlighted a significant reduction of total costs obtained with both minimum (−16%) and no-tillage (−19%) compared to conventional tillage.

Highlights

Conservation agriculture is a farming system that aims at reducing soil erosion due to intense rainfall and wind phenomena, by promoting the maintenance of a permanent soil cover, minimum soil disturbance, and diversification of plant species
The goal of the present study was to experimentally evaluate and analyze the details of total mechanization cost, including ownership and operating costs, of conventional tillage, minimum tillage, and no-tillage techniques applied to paddy rice cultivation in a typical rice farm in Northern Italy, located in a major rice producing district of Europe
The lowest field capacity was found for conventional tillage, and for seeding, due to the small working width of the machines

Summary

Introduction

Conservation agriculture is a farming system that aims at reducing soil erosion due to intense rainfall and wind phenomena, by promoting the maintenance of a permanent soil cover, minimum soil disturbance, and diversification of plant species. It enhances biodiversity and natural biological processes above and below the ground surface, which contribute to increased water and nutrient use efficiency and to improved and sustained crop production [1]. Recent studies showed that in specific conditions, the adoption of conservation agriculture can reduce the mechanization costs up to more than 50% in the case of no-tillage farming of corn, and by even more than 75% for common wheat, due to the reduced fuel consumption and the contextual decrease of the work time which results in labor cost savings [6,8,16,17]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion