Agronomy journal, Vol. 68 No. 1, 2006.
Review article
Systems of conservation tillage in Europe
Anđelko Butorac
Jasminka Butorac
Ivica Kisić
Abstract
At the end of the 19th century, but specially in the first decades of the 20th century, some scientific findings and, particularly, practical observation and experience, induced new ways of thinking about soil tillage, the traditional intervention directly into the physical and indirectly into the chemical and biological soil complex. However, it was only after the Second World War, notably in the last two decades, that advances in some natural sciences made it possible to implement some, earlier unconceivable, ideas on growing field crops. This constituted the basis for a different approach to soil tillage. As a consequence, new methods of soil tillage have been, among which conservation, that is reduced tillage is most important. After being tested by exact scientific investigations, as well as by practical experience, new methods have already become common practice in a number of European countries, where they are applied with different success in sometimes quite divergent ecological conditions. Nevertheless, it should be noted that they have became deeply rooted in the minds of those plant growers who do not regard new trends in soil tillage only from their practical aspects, but also from the more sophisticated aspect of preserving the balance of habitat factors within a particular ecosystem.
This paper and the other five papers which are presented in this journal deal with the problems of conservation tillage, in the broadest sense of the word, all over Europe. Based on numerous scientific publications, obtained from the most eminent scientists in the field in Europe, a survey is given of the trends, scope and investigation results. In addition to some general considerations relating to soil tillage, conceptual interpretation is made of conservation soil tillage, estimation of soil suitability for its application, standing of conservation tillage in Europe and the development trends of minimum tillage, including treatments with chisel- and para-plough. Furthermore, conservation tillage is also treated from some other aspects, such as energy consumption, application of special seeding machines for the tillage system, weed control, erosion control, as well as changes of the physical, chemical and biological soil properties, with special emphasis on the relation between conservation tillage and nitrogen application, and partly plant diseases. At the end, a survey is given of the responses of some major field crops to different kinds of conservation tillage. On the assumption that this tillage system is further investigated, objectively and thoroughly, in terms of some of its specific characteristics in the ecological conditions of this country, it could find its permanent place in our agricultural production, not only as a substitute for the prevailing systems, in equivalent proportion, but also as a supplement to them.
Keywords
conservation tillage system; Europe, soil suitability
Hrčak ID:
3621
URI
Publication date:
10.3.2006.
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