OSCAR: Optimising Subsidiary Crop Applications in Rotations
OSCAR studies the success of cover cropping systems, including cultivation methods, machinery and suitable plant genotypes, that increase the duration of soil coverage by plant canopies; minimize the need for soil tillage; increase the diversity of species within the plant canopy and the rotation; reduce the need for fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides; and in dry climates, conserve water and reduce need for irrigation. Results are based on 11 coordinated field experiments on of living mulch (LM) and cover crop (CC) based reduced tillage systems. For successful LM based cropping high crop densities are needed and regular sowing patterns were best suited. If expected cereal yields 6 t ha-1, a clover LM canopy sufficiently strong to generate a dense sward after main crop harvest can establish in temperate and north Mediterranean environments with mild winters and no water limitation of wheat productivity. In cooler places sowing the LM before the main crop or undersowing in spring can be solutions. High biomass producing CCs can compensate typical negative initial effects of reduced tillage (RT) with respect to yield and weeds. Especially further north, where the growing season is shorter, it is necessary to develop new methods for weed control in spring and autumn. Over the long-term RT either was neutral or led to positive effects on yields and weeds especially in the sub-tropical climates in southern Brazil.
See also: https://smart-akis.com/SFCPPortal/#/app-h/technologies?techid=154
Smart-AKIS: European Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) towards innovation-driven research
in Smart Farming Technology
Ongoing | 2016-2018
in Smart Farming Technology
- Main funding source
- Horizon 2020 (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- Greece