The effect of the minimisation of autumn tillage on soil properties and yield
2001
Lauringson, E. | Talgre, L. | Kuill, T. | Vipper, H. | Hirsnik, L. (Estonian Agricultural Univ., Tartu (Estonia). Dept. of Field Crop Husbandry)
The study was conducted in 1987-1997. Under cereal rotation, the possibilities of replacing autumn ploughing with stubble cultivator loosening to an equal depth were studied. The tillage depths used were 16-17 cm, 21-22 cm and 24-25 cm. The study demonstrated that the replacement of autumn ploughing with stubble cultivator loosening resulted in a better decompaction of the upper 0-8 cm soil layer. A looser layer in turn led to a greather soil water supply. A prolonged use of stubble cultivator resulted in the compaction of the lower 16-24 cm soil layer and consequently in a decrease in soil water supply. Greater ploughing depths (21-22 cm and 24-25 cm) led to an even distribution of humus throughout the tilled layer. Shallower ploughing (16-17 cm) and stubble cultivator loosening resulted in the humus content being greater in the 0-10 cm layer than in lower soil layers. In this experiment, different tillage techniques led to no differences in soil phosphorus content under smaller tillage depths (16-17 cm). Under greater tillage depths, however the replacement of ploughing with stubble cultivator loosening resulted in a drop in the P content throughout the tilled layer. In this experiment, stubble cultivator loosening led to a reliable increase in the K content in the upper 0-10 cm layer. Autumn ploughing increased the content of Ca and Cu. The duration of the replacement of ploughing with stubble cultivator loosening is determined by weed invasion. Of all the factors involved chemical weed control had the strongest and direct effect on the results of the experiment, and that effect was increasing over the experimental period
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