Conservation tillage practices
Conservation tillage refers to a set of agronomic practices aimed at reducing the intensity and depth of soil tillage. Compared to traditional methods such as ploughing, harrows are used—often featuring a combination of different working elements (e.g., discs and tines) within the same implement. The goal is to make soil management more sustainable by input savings limiting erosion, improving moisture retention, and promoting the accumulation of organic matter. The main techniques include minimum tillage, strip tillage, and no-till seeding, which is done without any soil tillage.
Is it possible to achieve effective weed control with less soilimpacting tillage?
These approaches, however, also affect weed management, with outcomes that can be both beneficial and challenging. For example, the retention of crop residues on the soil surface can hinder weed germination by acting as a physical barrier and reducing light penetration into the soil. Additionally, the absence of deep tillage limits soil disturbance, thereby reducing the risk of bringing weed seeds from deeper layers up to the surface where they might be stimulated to germinate. In some cases, the constant presence of residues can also enhance biodiversity by providing shelter for natural seed predators. On the other hand, since there is no inversion of soil layers, weed seeds tend to accumulate in the upper soil layers, where they can easily germinate if favourable conditions are met (e.g., in the case of annual species). Furthermore, without mechanical operations that disturb the root systems, some perennial weeds may become more aggressive and increasingly difficult to control.
For this reason, in conservation tillage systems, it is crucial to adopt an integrated weed management strategy that includes practices such as crop rotation and the use of cover crops. In summary, while conservation tillage provides several agronomic and environmental benefits, it also calls for careful and well-planned weed control.
Additional information
Timing is crucial, so there are narrow intervention windows, despite the execution speed. Very effective on certain types of weeds (e.g., dicotyledons) if present at the time of cultivation.
Lorenzo Gabriele Tramacere, Lorenzo Gagliardi, Christian Frasconi, Daniele Antichi
Centro di Ricerche Agro-ambientali “Enrico Avanzi”, Università di Pisa
European Thematic Network for unlocking the full potential of Operational Groups on alternative weed Control
Completed | 2022-2025
- Main funding source
- Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- Greece, Italy, Spain, Latvia, France, Sweden, United Kingdom