Erosion TTool/Stopping soil work
From Triple Performance
Complete cessation of tillage requires a period of adaptation and evolution of soil properties to limit yield losses and weed problems.
Description
Advantages
- Reduces soil compaction and promotes water infiltration.
- Promotes biodiversity.
- Increases the rate of organic matter in the soil in the top few centimeters (if combined with the use of cover crops).
- Limits mechanization costs.
- Yield and harvest quality maintained (once soil properties are restored).
Disadvantages
- Tillage only on the seeding line with adapted tools.
- Requires a complete adaptation of the system (no-till, weed management via the use of herbicides, choice of cash crops and cover crops).
- Management of pests (slugs, wood mice, weeds, etc.) can be complicated.
- The conversion must be gradual and can be technical.
Adaptation advice[1]
- To be considered with the use of cover crops.
- Crop rotation:
- Limit the proportion of wheat after wheat due to grass weed management.
- Avoid wheat after corn due to the risk of fusarium head blight.
- Adjust sowing dates.
- Lengthen rotations by including spring crops and alternating winter/spring crops.
- Seeding densities can be increased.
- Fertilization:
- Prefer organic inputs.
- Be aware that in the first years of conversion, nitrogen supply from mineralization is often more limited (around 15 to 30 kg N/ha).
- Pest management:
- Slugs: prefer less palatable covers (mustard, black radish) sown under good conditions so that the cover emerges quickly; avoid destroying the cover too late to limit attacks on the following crop. Possibility to graze the cover.
- Wood mice: installation of perches for birds of prey.
- Possibility to convert to organic with weed management via covers that are mechanically destroyed.
