[Clay soil habitableness as affected by reduced tillage in a Mediterranean environment]

Cascio, B. lo; Venezia, G. . Istituto di Agronomia Generale

[Clay soil habitableness as affected by reduced tillage in a Mediterranean environment]

1986

Cascio, B. lo | Venezia, G. (Palermo Univ. (Italy). Istituto di Agronomia Generale)

Four tillage systems were tested for six years in a typical Mediterranean environment: ploughing, rotavation, shallow tine cultivation and direct drilling. In this clay soil the main physical characteristic which was modified by treatments was the pore space system. There were fewer transmission pores in direct drilling than in ploughing, perhaps because of the low soil fauna activity due to the dry climate. Microporosity and aggregate stability was increased by direct drilling. A higher root density and a more uniform root distribution was observed in the direct drilled treatment. The root system from shallow tine cultivation and rotavation treatments were more concentrated in the top layers. The crop (durum wheat) yield was affected by tillage treatments in interactions with the climate. Yield was higher with direct drilling in the drier years and by ploughing in the less dry years.

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