Secondo un recente studio olandese (si può scaricare QUI), nelle aziende biologiche la lavorazione ridotta del terreno per la conservazione del suolo non riduce significativamente la resa delle colture commercializzabili.
Diversified cropping systems can be time consuming for the farmer, finding techniques that can save farmers time is therefore a key goal. For the Syppre experiment in the Champagne region, France, crop diversification involves the use of diverse cover crops, to protect the soil, improve soil fertility, and store carbon. The planting of crops and cover crops must be always done under favourable conditions, and some crops such as sugar beet need deep soil loosening.
Crescono gli studi che dimostrano che l'agricoltura biologica è più redditizia di quella convenzionale, e ciò è in gran parte attribuito ai prezzi più elevati pagati per il biologico. Ma un recente studio pubblicato su Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems fa un passo avanti per dimostrare che la redditività è assicurata quando per le colture biologiche vengono utilizzate pratiche che migliorano le rese, come la diversificazione delle rotazioni delle colture.
The study is published in Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems/Cambridge University Press. Costs of production and organic price premiums are defining factors influencing the economic viability of organic crop production systems. Different agronomic practices, such as crop rotation and tillage intensity, are known to affect the economic performance of the production systems.
Massive sequencing of fungal communities showed that climatic factors, followed by edaphic and spatial variables, are feasible predictors of fungal richness and community composition. This study, based on a long-term field experiment with tillage and no-tillage management since 1995 and with a crop rotation introduced in 2009, confirmed that tillage practices shape soil properties and impact soil fungal communities.
The study is published in the journal Insects. Mediterranean environments are especially susceptible to soil erosion and to inappropriate soil management, leading to accelerated soil loss. Sustainable Land Management (SLM) practices (such as reduced tillage, no-tillage, cover crops, etc.,) have the potential to reduce soil, organic carbon (OC), and nutrient losses by erosion. However, the effectivity of these practices is site-dependent and varies under different rainfall conditions.