Conservation Tillage Techniques Research Articles

How much do conservation cropping practices mitigate runoff and soil erosion under Western European conditions: A focus on conservation tillage, tied ridging and winter cover crops

AbstractConservation farming practices are known for their capacity to mitigate runoff and erosion, but the magnitude of their effectiveness is highly variable across studies. In order to better understand the contribution of environmental and management factors to their effectiveness, up to 37 studies reporting 271 individual trials were collated for a quantitative review regarding 3 common conservation agriculture‐related practices, at the plot scale and in a Western European context. Two different methods suitable for hierarchically structured data sets were used for the meta‐analyses—hierarchical nonparametric bootstrapping and linear random effects models—, yielding nearly identical average outcomes but differing in terms of confidence intervals. We found that, on average, winter cover crops reduce cumulative seasonal (autumn‐winter) runoff by 68% and soil losses by 72% compared with a bare soil. The occurrence and intensity of stubble tillage on the control plot is a key explanatory variable for the mitigation effect of winter cover crops. In potato crops, tied ridging reduces cumulative seasonal (spring–summer) runoff by a mean of 70% and soil erosion by 92%. Conservation (non‐inversion) tillage techniques alleviate cumulative seasonal overland flow by 27% and associated sediments losses by 66%, but strong evidence of publication bias was detected for this farming practice, probably leading to an overestimation of its effectiveness. These mitigation effects are shown to be much greater for spring crops than for winter crops, and to increase with time since ploughing was stopped. The type of conservation tillage scheme strongly affects the ability to attenuate surface flows. Intensive non‐inversion tillage systems relying on repeated use of (powered) tillage operations appear to be the least effective for reducing both water and sediment losses. The best performing scheme against runoff would be a deep (non‐inversion) tillage (−61%), while against erosion it would be a no‐till system (−82%). Although several explanatory factors were identified, there remains a high (unexplained) variability between trials effect sizes, thus not attributable to pure sampling variability. Meanwhile, this review provides farm advisors or policy makers with guidance on the contexts in which implementation of such conservation practices should be supported so as to maximize expected benefits.

Building Soil Health and Fertility through Organic Amendments and Practices: A Review

Soil health and quality are foundational to agricultural sustainability and meeting global food security priorities. However, intensive farming practices have degraded soil ecosystems. Organic amendments and regenerative management practices can restore soil function by overcoming nutritional limitations, improving physical and biological properties, and promoting general soil and crop resilience. This review synthesizes research on major sources of organic soil amendments including animal manures, composts, cover crops, crop residues and living mulches. We describe their multifaceted edaphic and agronomic benefits from providing a slow release bank of macro and micronutrients, increasing soil organic matter, and stimulating beneficial microbial communities. Complementary and synergistic soil building practices are also covered, encompassing conservation tillage techniques like no-till, crop diversification via rotations and intercropping, and agroecological integration of trees and livestock. Although transitioning from degraded conventional systems requires patience as years of soil regeneration are needed to enable high system performance, outcomes consistently show integrated practices that minimize disturbance and maintain living ground cover while leveraging organic inputs can transform the foundation of agricultural systems by enhancing soil ecosystem function. Widespread adoption of this soil health paradigm can thereby enable sustainable intensification and resilience.

Assessing N2O Emissions from Tropical Crop Cultivation in Mineral and Peatland Soils: A Review

<p>Nitrous oxide (N<sub>2</sub>O) emissions from agricultural activities contribute significantly to global warming. Understanding the factors influencing N<sub>2</sub>O emissions is crucial for developing effective mitigation strategies. This review assesses N<sub>2</sub>O emissions from various crops cultivated in tropical mineral and peatland soils, providing insights into the impact of land use, fertilization practices and rainfall on N<sub>2</sub>O fluxes. Field measurements of N<sub>2</sub>O fluxes were conducted in agricultural fields growing corn, peanuts, and cassava in Bogor Regency, West Java Province, as well as in peatland areas with Acacia plantations and natural primary forests in Bengkalis Regency, Riau Province. The study assesses the total N<sub>2</sub>O fluxes for each crop and land type, revealing significant variations in N<sub>2</sub>O emissions among different crops and land uses. Peatland areas exhibit higher emissions compared to mineral soils, emphasizing the need for targeted mitigation measures in these ecosystems. The findings highlight the importance of considering the type and age of land use when evaluating N<sub>2</sub>O emissions. Land management practices, such as fertilizer use and soil disturbance, emerge as critical factors affecting N<sub>2</sub>O emissions. Improper fertilizer application and excessive soil disturbance can lead to increased N<sub>2</sub>O emissions, underscoring the necessity for careful N fertilizer management and conservation tillage techniques.</p>

Conservation tillage effects on European crop yields: A meta-analysis

Across Europe, many studies have investigated conservation tillage techniques, which are generally implemented as means of erosion control. Farmers are reluctant in shifting from their traditional tillage/conventional tillage (CT) methods to conservation tillage, their motive being driven by economic reasons stemming from higher crop yields under CT. While, no-till (NT), reduced tillage and minimum tillage have been widely covered by studies across Europe, little is done on ridge (RT) and strip tillage (ST) which might be a compromise between CT and NT. Thus, this study was set out to assess the impact of RT and ST on crop yields within Europe in comparison with NT and CT. The hypothesis tested was that unlike NT, RT and ST significantly increases European crop yields. This was tested by conducting a meta-analysis of 128 studies, based on 624 crop yield observations from 21 European countries. We analysed the influence of crop rotation, crop type, texture, climate, tillage depth, residue retention, and duration of experimentation on the relative yield (response ratio), i.e., yield under NT/RT/ST over yield under CT. In assessing RT and ST, ridge height and strip tilled depth were added. The results show that, on average, NT within Europe resulted in 5.1% reduction in crop yields while RT and ST each led to a 5% increase in crop yield over CT. The major moderator responsible for the increase in yields are ridge heights of at least 20 cm and, loam soil texture on ridges, and strips with tillage depth of 8 cm and a loamy sand texture on strips. Grain maize was the most negatively affected crop type under all conservation tillage techniques with yield reductions of 8% under NT and 18% under RT, except under ST where it showed a 7% increase.

Changes in Soil Properties and Crop Yield under Sustainable Conservation Tillage Systems in Spring Wheat Agroecosystems

The cultivated soils in several semi-arid areas have very low organic matter due to climatic constraints that limit primary crop yield. Conservation tillage systems, outlined here as no tillage, no tillage with straw return and straw incorporation into the field, have been accepted as capable systems that preserve soil’s resources and sustain soil productivity. However, in semi-arid climates, there is presently no knowledge about the influence of different conservation tillage techniques on soil’s physical, chemical and biological properties at different soil depths in spring wheat fields and only little information about spring wheat yield in these management systems. Therefore, the present study was carried out with the objective of examining the impact of conservation tillage systems on soil properties (physical, chemical and biological) and spring wheat yield. The three conservation tillage treatments consisted of no tillage system (NT), wheat stubble return with no tillage (NTS) and straw incorporation with conventional tillage (CTS), as well as one conventional tillage (CT) control treatment, which were evaluated under randomized complete block design with three replications. The three conservation tillage treatments were compared with the conventional tillage control. Conservation tillage significantly increased the bulk density, gravimetric water content, water storage, hydraulic conductivity and soil aggregates and decreased the pore space and soil temperature compared to CT; however, no significant difference was found in the case of field capacity. Soil chemical properties in the 0–40 cm soil layer increased with conservation tillage compared to CT. Conservation tillage also notably increased the soil microbial counts, urease, alkaline phosphatase, invertase, cellulase and catalase activities relative to CT. Microbial biomasses (carbon and nitrogen) and wheat yield significantly elevated under conservation tillage compared to CT. Therefore, conservation tillage could significantly improve soil properties and maintain wheat yield for the research zone.

Conservation Tillage Technology: A Study on the Duration from Awareness to Adoption and Its Influencing Factors—Based on the Survey of the Yellow River Basin in China

Studying the dynamic duration of technology adoption helps farmers weigh and select different attributes and stages of conservation tillage techniques. In this study, non-parametric K-M survival analysis and discrete duration models were employed to estimate the time taken by farmers in the Yellow River Basin region to transition from awareness to the adoption of conservation tillage techniques between 2002 and 2020. The results indicate (1) The duration from awareness to adoption of conservation tillage technology is relatively short. (2) The likelihood of farmers postponing adoption decisions is highest in the initial 10 years and gradually decreases over time, suggesting negative time dependency. (3) Controlling for proportional hazards assumptions, it was found that factors such as education level and social learning positively influence the duration from awareness to adoption of conservation tillage techniques. Extreme weather variations and household labor migration delay the adoption time for farmers. In the process of promoting and implementing conservation tillage techniques, it is essential to consider the issue of intertemporal technology choice, stimulate farmers’ intrinsic demand, shorten the time interval from awareness to adoption, and ultimately improve technology adoption rates.

Conservation Tillage: A Sustainable Approach for Carbon Sequestration and Soil Preservation. A Review

Minimum tillage is a soil conservation tillage aimed at minimizing soil disturbance required for productive crop production. Unlike intense tillage, which uses ploughs to alter the soil's structure, this tillage technique does not turn the soil over. Only secondary tillage is used sparingly in minimum tillage, with primary tillage being totally avoided. Practices like minimum furrowing, using organic fertilizer, using biological pest control techniques, and using less pesticides are all included in minimum tillage. Soil erosion and soil degradation have been increased by the use of conventional agricultural techniques, such as extensive tillage centered on the removal of crop residue. Global interest in finding various sustainable ways to lower the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has grown in recent years as a result of the gradual increase in their concentration. The amount of carbon stored in soil is 2-4 times greater than that in the atmosphere and four times greater than that in vegetation. In order to prevent or, carbon sequestration (CS) delay dangerous climate change entails storing other forms of carbon or transferring CO2 from the atmosphere into the soil. The potential of soils to store carbon and reduce the accelerated greenhouse effects by implementing various agricultural management strategies is covered in the current review. Conservation tillage techniques improve carbon sequestration in agricultural soils. Conservation tillage can be a practical way to store carbon in the soil and minimize the effects of climate change. Conservation tillage reduced the green house gas. Zero tillage has been identified as the most environmentally friendly tillage practice for the mitigation and adaptation to climate change processes. No-till farming is thought to make it possible to increase crop production sustainably in order to fulfill future agricultural demands

IMPROVEMENT OF SOME SOIL CHEMICAL PROPERTIES ON MARGINAL LANDS TO INCREASE CORN PRODUCTION THROUGH CONSERVATION TILLAGE TECHNIQUES AND ORGANIC FERTILIZERS

This study aims to analyze the effect of applying conservation tillage techniques and a combination of organic and inorganic fertilizers on soil chemical properties on marginal land and maize production. This research was conducted in Jambi Outer City District, Muaro Jambi Regency, Jambi Province, from January to April 2021 using a randomized block design with 15 treatments and 3 replications. Parameters observed were corn plant height at the age of 15 DAP, 30 DAP and 45 DAP, weight of corn cobs, weight of dry shelled corn seeds, Soil pH, Soil C-Organic Content, Soil Nitrogen Content, Soil Phosphorus Content, Soil Potassium Content, Cation Exchange Capacity, Base Saturation. The results showed that the application of conservation tillage techniques and a combination of organic and inorganic fertilizers had a significant effect on corn plant height 45 DAP, corn cob weight, soil pH, C-Organic Soil, Soil Phosphorus Content, Soil Potassium Content, Cation Exchange Capacity.

Long-Term Impact of Different Straw Management Practices on Carbon Fractions and Biological Properties under Rice–Wheat System

Intensive agriculture has led to generation of a vast volume of agri-residue, prompting a reliance on conservation tillage techniques for prudent management. However, to ascertain the long-term impacts of these practices, the interrelation with the carbon fractions and the biological properties of the soil must be identified. Therefore, in a long-term experiment, five different treatments involving the incorporation of paddy straw as mulch or through disc harrow and farmer practice, including the partial burning of rice straw, were evaluated. After the harvesting of the wheat crop, soil samples collected from 3 different depths (0–15, 15–30 and 30–45 cm) were analyzed for various attributes critical to assessing soil health. Crop residue retention in both seasons (T4) improved carbon fractions, soil microflora viable cell counts and enzyme activities. The principal component analysis (PCA) revealed a positive interaction among the organic carbon, bacterial counts and soil enzyme activities. Thus, a positive impact of conservation tillage techniques involving a minimal disturbance was recorded as improvement in the soil properties, build-up of organic carbon, and wheat productivity in rice–wheat cropping systems.

Effects of conservation tillage strategies on soil physicochemical indicators and N2O emission under spring wheat monocropping system conditions

As one of the important greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide (N2O) has attracted much attention globally under climate change context. Agricultural practices are the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Nevertheless, scarcity of literature is available on the effects of different tillage measures on soil N2O emission under spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) ecosystem in the semi-arid area of the Loess Plateau. The main objective of the experimental study was to explore the influence of conservation tillage techniques on soil physicochemical properties, nitrous oxide emission and yield in the Northern semi-arid Dingxi region of China. Four treatments viz., conventional tillage (CT), no tillage (NT), straw mulch with conventional tillage (TS) and stubble-return with no-till (NTS) were evaluated under randomized complete block design with three replications. Our results depicted that compared with conventional tillage, bulk density and water content of topsoil was increased and soil pH value was reduced under conservation tillage techniques. Conservation tillage NT, TS and NTS increased organic carbon, TN, MBN and NH4+-N and reduced the accumulation of NO3–N. Additionally, although the N2O emission under NT, TS and NTS was 8.95, 41.90 and 21.05% respectively higher than under T treatment, the corresponding wheat yield was 15.40, 31.97 and 63.21% higher than T treatment. Moreover, correlation analysis showed that soil moisture and temperature were the most significant factors affecting soil N2O emission. The NTS treatment pointedly increased crop yield without significantly increasing soil N2O emission. Consequently, based on economic and environmental benefits and considering N2O emission and crop yield, we suggest that NTS technique is the best conservation tillage strategy in the semi-arid environmental zone of the Loess Plateau of Dingxi China.

Willingness to pay for adopting conservation tillage technologies in wheat cultivation: policy options for small-scale farmers

Traditional farming involves intensive tillage causing soil degradation and erosion. On the contrary, conservation tillage technologies are expensive to purchase for small-scale farmers. However, the adoption of these technologies reduces soil tillage costs which lead to reduced overall production costs. In this milieu, this study assessed the willingness to pay (WTP) for adopting conservation tillage technologies in terms of individual and cooperative payment systems using the primary data collected from 320 wheat farmers in Bangladesh. The contingency valuation method (CVM) was followed to estimate their WTP, and factors affecting WTP were identified through the logistic regression model. The results elicited farmers perceived that conservation tillage technologies would facilitate by reducing costs, timely land preparation, seed sowing and planting, appropriate positioning of seed and fertilizers, and higher soil moisture. Nevertheless, most of the farmers wanted to adopt conservation tillage technologies, while about 79% would like to pay for it. Although farmers' average WTP for individual purchases was higher, most were interested in the cooperative systems for adopting conservation tillage machines. Farmers' WTP for both individual and cooperative purchases was influenced by location of wheat production, farming experience, and demonstration plots. Additionally, individual payment system was affected by the amount of wheatland and training while credit affected the cooperative purchase system. Besides, the farmers would like to expand their wheat farms by approximately 73.33% after adopting conservation tillage technologies. The refusal to pay for conservation tillage technologies was mostly due to low-quality spare parts, lack of technical understanding, and unawareness of the technology. This study suggests that providing training among farmers and operators, credit support, and making machines and spare parts available in the nearest markets would support adopting conservation technologies. Besides, cooperative-based payment system should be formed to help small-scale farmers adopt conservation tillage techniques for sustainable agriculture in an environment-friendly way.

Growth, weed control, and nitrogen uptake of winter-killed cover crops, and their effects on maize in conservation agriculture

The utilization of winter-killed cover crops is increasing due to their benefits in intensive cropping systems based on summer cash crops. However, there is still a lack of knowledge about their management in temperate climates, where maize is planted early under conservation tillage techniques. For these conditions, here we document for the first time various agronomic effects of winter-killed cover crops under different management options. We evaluated the production, the nitrogen uptake, and the weed control of five pure winter-killed cover crop species, as well as the production of the subsequent maize and its nitrogen recovery, in four different sites. Several management options were compared (cover crop fertilization, sowing technique, and cover crop termination method). Legume cover crops (Trifolium alexandrinum L. and Vicia benghalensis L.) had a small above-ground biomass (on average 0.6 t DM ha−1 in November), while for non-legumes (Avena strigosa Schreb., Sinapis alba L., and Raphanus sativus L.) the production (on average 2.4 t DM ha−1, N uptake 89 kg N ha−1) was higher, as well as weed control and N uptake. The difference in the above-ground biomass between the two groups of cover crops was smaller at the end of winter (0.4 Mg DM ha−1), when in five out of eight site × year combinations, soil mineral N was significantly higher in a cover crop treatment compared to the no cover crop, presumably due to N release from cover crops. Cover crops did not increase maize production, and their residues did not hamper maize sowing and emergence. The recovery of cover crop N by maize was 86% for legumes and − 1% for non-legumes. We conclude that productivity, N uptake, and weed control of winter-killed cover crops (especially non-legume species) are encouraging, with no negative effects on maize yield.

Fragrant rice performances in response to continuous zero-tillage in machine-transplanted double-cropped rice system

Zero-tillage is one of conservation tillage techniques. In order to investigate the effects of continuous zero-tillage on yield formation and grain 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP, key component of fragrant rice aroma) content of fragrant rice, present study was conducted with a six-season field experiment from 2017 to 2019. The conventional tillage (twice puddling with rotary cultivator before transplanting) was set as control (CK) and zero-tillage was set as treatment (ZT). At the first year after applying zero-tillage, yield loss was observed in the ZT treatment which was attributed to the lower effective panicle number per area and grain number per panicle. However, from late season in 2018 to late season in 2019, significant higher grain yield was recorded in ZT than CK. ZT increased the net photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll content (SPAD value) by 6.81–20.77% and 7.23–23.80% in the last three cropping seasons compared with CK. Higher nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus accumulations in plant tissues were also recorded in ZT than CK from late season in 2018 to late season in 2019. Other hand, higher grain 2-AP content was recorded in ZT than CT in the whole six cropping seasons which might be related to the grain proline content. Furthermore, compared with CK, ZT significantly increased the soil organic matter content and the number of bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes in the last three cropping seasons. In conclusion, continuous zero-tillage could improve soil and increase the photosynthesis and nutrient accumulation and finally achieve the improvement of fragrant rice yield.

Sustainable Conservation Tillage Improves Soil Nutrients and Reduces Nitrogen and Phosphorous Losses in Maize Farmland in Southern China

Monitoring nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) losses on farmland is essential for the prevention of agricultural non-point source pollution (NPS). This study was conducted on typical dry farmland in southern China to determine the effect of conservation tillage and conventional tillage (CT) on soil physical and chemical properties, nutrient movement, as well as on N and P losses. Four conservation tillage techniques (i.e., no-tillage direct seeding (NTDS), no-tillage transplanting (NTTS), minimum tillage direct seeding (MTDS), and minimum tillage transplanting (MTTS)), as well as one CT technique, were carried out in a randomized complete block design with three replicates each. The results suggest that MTDS and NTDS improved soil physical and chemical properties by ensuring adequate retention of these properties at the 0–20 cm soil depth. Low levels of N and P losses in runoff and drainage water were recorded under NTTS and NTDS compared to CT. Our results, therefore, suggest that conservation tillage approaches, such as MTDS and NTDS, are the most suitable tillage techniques for improving soil nutrients and reducing agricultural N and P losses while providing an eco-friendly and sustainable agricultural practice.

Modeling soil organic carbon and carbon dioxide emissions in different tillage systems supported by precision agriculture technologies under current climatic conditions

Soil organic matter (SOM) represents the biggest pool of carbon within the biosphere and influences the flux of greenhouse gases between land surface and atmosphere. In this regard, conservation tillage systems have been adopted to reduce negative impacts of conventional tillage practices on greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. However, the role of these techniques to increase carbon sequestration also depends upon soil features and climatic conditions, which is studied and managed by precision agriculture (PA) principles and technologies. Simulation models have shown to be useful tools to understand the interaction between soil, climate, genotypes and management practices to simulate the long-term effects of management approaches of different soils on crop yield, soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, and GHG emissions. The research goals of this study are (1) to examine the mid-term (15 years) trajectory of SOC in the upper 0.4 m of the soil profile under different tillage systems using the SALUS model; (2) determine the impact of PA on the inputs to the crop and CO2 emissions; (3) identify the strategies, derived from the synergy between conservation agriculture and PA, so as to decrease the CO2 emissions of agricultural systems. The validated SALUS simulation showed a significant reduction in SOC losses in minimum tillage (MT) and no-tillage (NT), 17% and 63% respectively, compared to conventional tillage (CT). Furthermore, the adoption of conservation tillage techniques decreased carbon emissions related to farming operations, while PA technologies led to an optimization of the exhaustible sources such as fossil fuels and fertilizers. Finally, the synergy between conservation tillage systems, especially NT, and PA strategies represents a useful tool in terms of carbon emissions mitigation with a reduction of 56% of total CO2 as compared to CT.

Conservative Precision Agriculture: an assessment of technical feasibility and energy efficiency within the LIFE+ AGRICARE project

The integration of conservation agriculture with the benefits of precision farming represents an innovative feature aimed to achieve better economic and environmental sustainability. The synergy between these principles was assessed through a technical feasibility and energy efficiency to define the best approach depending on different agricultural systems, spatial and temporal field variability. The study compares three conservation tillage techniques supported by precision farming with conventional tillage in a specific crop rotation: wheat, rapeseed, corn and soybean. The preliminary results show a positive response of precision farming in all the conservation tillage systems, increasing yields until 22%. The energy efficiency achieves highest level in those techniques supported by precision farming, gaining peak of 9% compared to conventional tillage.

Conservation tillage as an approach to enhance crops water use efficiency

ABSTRACTConservation tillage practices great role in improving productivity of water. This study hypothesis that tied-ridging and riding tillage could enhance the yield and water use efficiency. Hence, a field experiment was carried out to investigate their potentiality in improving the water use efficiencies for different crops (cotton, groundnut, sorghum and wheat) compared to basin (control) during two excessive seasons. The experiments were organized in a spilt-plot experimental design. The water use efficacies (WUEs) were examined in term of technical, economical and hydraulic water use efficiencies for the both conservation tillage under irrigated conditions. The results indicated that both the conservation tillage techniques showed positive effect (P ≤ .05) on the WUEs. The tied-ridging gave the highest values of WUEs than ridging for all crops. Moreover, tied-ridging increased the average values of water use efficiency by 75%, 48%, 17% and 85% for cotton, sorghum, groundnut and wheat, respectively, compared to that of control treatment, which significantly differed from the ridging treatment. Accordingly, conservation tillage improved WUE and the capability of soil to keep moisture which is reflected in high crops production. This suggests that there is substantial scope for improving irrigation water use efficiency of crops by adoption of conservation tillage.

Management of weed emergence and weed seed bank in response to different tillage, cropping systems and selected soil properties

The agronomic practices used to manage the soil play an important role in the maintenance of biological diversity within crop fields. Conservation agriculture technology has been extensively adopted in dry land conditions. In these systems, the relationship between soil properties and weed density and soil weed seed bank has not been explored deeply. We conducted this study in order to: (1) examine the cumulative impact of tillage systems (CT, MT and NT) on weed emergence on the field; (2) test the effects of different tillage and crop systems on weed species density and diversity (Shannon’s index, Pielou index and species richness) within the transient and persistent seed bank of the soil; and (3) analyse the impact of two soil parameters on weeds: water stable aggregates (WSA) and particulate organic matter content (C-POM). The highest weed density was recorded in conservation tillage systems (MT and/or NT) several years after the implementation of these systems. Additionally, the cumulative effects of conservation tillage techniques were found to have increased the seed density and species diversity in soil seed bank, which was probably due to particular conditions created in the soil; a low or negligible level of soil disturbance (as is expected with MT and NT) possibly allowed seeds to keep in the soil seed bank and remain dormant, due to, among other reasons, improved water stable aggregates and organic matter content. Results from the study confirm the complexity of the matrix formed by weed-seed bank-soil.

TILLAGE AND ESTABLISHMENT METHOD IMPACTS ON LAND AND IRRIGATION WATER PRODUCTIVITY OF WHEAT–RICE SYSTEM IN NORTH-WEST INDIA

SUMMARYThe resource conservation technologies (RCTs), being advocated for countering the threat to the sustainability of wheat–rice cropping system (RWCS) in the north–west (NW) Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) of India, have been evaluated mostly for the individual crops, without depicting the impact of these technologies on the succeeding or preceding crop. A study was thus conducted during 2012–2014 in NW India to assess the land and irrigation water productivity (WPI) of RWCS under different establishment and conservation tillage techniques in a sandy-loam soil (coarse loamy, calcareous, mixed, hyperthermic Typic Ustochrept). The treatments included zero (ZTW) and conventional (CTW) tillage in wheat as main plot, establishment methods (direct seeded (DSR) and mechanically transplanted rice (MTR)) as sub-plot and tillage in rice viz. puddle (PR), dry (CTR) and zero (ZTR) tillage as sub–sub plot treatments, replicated thrice in split–split plot design. The land productivity of RWCS was significantly lower in ZTW plots than in CTW plots. The residual effect of tillage in wheat on rice productivity was distinct during the second year of study, when the CTW plots recorded significantly higher (17.5%) rice yield than the ZTW plots. The productivity of the cropping system with DSR was statistically similar to that with MTR. The WPI of RWCS increased in the order ZTW–DSR–ZTR25 < CTW–DSR–ZTR < ZTW–MTR–CTR < ZTW–DSR–PR < CTW–DSR–PR < ZTW–MTR–PR26 < CTW–MTR–PR.

Conservation tillage practices in the alpine forelands of Austria — Are they effective?

If it comes to the advantages of conservation tillage practices, a considerable amount of evidence supports positive effects towards reduction of surface runoff and soil erosion. However studies concerning arable land frequently are conducted under ideal laboratory conditions or “controlled” field conditions, meaning that the experimental approaches were not managed by farmers in the way they usually perform conservation tillage but managed towards an optimisation of the tested features. In addition, applicability of different existing conservation tillage techniques such as no tillage or mulching may be regionally different. The alpine forelands of Central Europe are dominated by small scale farming systems which frequently have limited access to special machinery which is needed to successfully implement no tillage treatments. We therefore carried out rainfall simulation experiments employing conservation tillage practices to test the effectiveness of actual real life conservation tillage methods under conditions prevailing in the alpine forelands of Central Europe. Experiments were carried out in the years 2011 and 2012 for testing the relative performance of different mulching and no tillage treatments on surface runoff and erosion. The tested treatments for the year 2011 were a) no tillage with prior rough seedbed (NT1), b) no tillage with prior fine seedbed (NT2), c) mulching with rotary harrow (M1), d) mulching with rotary harrow and disc harrow (M2) and e) conventional tillage (CT11). The tested treatments for the year 2012 were a) combined mulching (MC), b) mulching with loosened wheel tracks (M−T), c) mulching without loosened wheel tracks (M+T) and d) conventional tillage (CT12). In 2011, total surface runoff and total soil loss for the different treatments were ordered as follows: NT1<NT2<CT11<M1<M2. No significant differences for total soil loss could be identified. For total surface runoff differences were significant (p<0.05) between all treatments, except for NT2 and CT11. The treatments also differed with respect to runoff initiation, sediment concentrations and shear stress. As a main reason for the unexpected bad performance of the mulching treatments M1 and M2 lack of sufficient soil cover (M1: 6%, M2: 11%) together with shallow surface cultivation were identified. In 2012, total surface runoff and total soil loss for the different treatments were ordered as follows: MC<M−T<CT12<M+T. Although there were a visible trend in these results, significant differences could only be observed for total surface runoff between treatments MC and M+T (p<0.05). We attribute the good performance of treatment MC to the improved soil cover (25%). Wheel tracks of treatment M+T obviously had influenced soil erosion and surface runoff. Under real life conditions of agricultural conservation practices in small scale farming systems, a sufficient soil cover was not obtained for mulching treatments in 2011 and only partially in 2012. In contrast to the vast majority of literature that stresses the positive and even dramatically positive effects of conservation tillage treatments compared with conventional agricultural management techniques, our results reveal possible problems when applying these best management techniques in small scale farming systems.