Realities and Beliefs in Sustainable Soil Tillage Systems

1. VI. Alps-Adria Workshop 2007 Birkás M- Kalmár T- Fenyvesi L- Földesi P REALITIES AND BELIEFS IN SUSTAINABLE SOIL TILLAGE SYSTEMS – A RESEARCH APPROACH

2. VI. Alps-Adria Workshop 2007 Introduction Sustainable soil tillage Sustainable agriculture R E A L I T I E S B E L I E F S ≠ cultivation culture Cato(170, BC): De agri cultura

3. VI. Alps-Adria Workshop 2007 Materials and Methods • Belief examples: • plantdemand, • fine-aggregated seedbed, • goodwinter ploughing, • goodsummer ploughing, • wild-earth, • biological, shading and frost mellowing, • eco-tillage • Terms are degraded to commonplace: • moistureconservation tillage, • goodstubble tillage, • surfacelevellingin spring, • harmfulintensiveland use

4. Beliefs, interpretations and explanations

5. Plant ‘demand’ Belief: loosening, inverting, clod breaking, levelling, aerating, pressing etc.….as plant demands

6. Fine-aggregated seedbed – as plant demand ? mm mm Sugar beet seedbed quality, 2005 (left), 2006 (right)

7. Steps to increase soil aggregation 1. Prevent soil compaction, and moderate clod formation. 2. Reduce mechanical stresses. 3. Conserve soil structure; disturb and aerate moderately. 4. Prevent soil drying. 5. Maintain friable structure in any tillage situation. 6. No traffic and till on wet soil. 7. Handle stubble residuesrationally, mulch the surface after harvest. 8. Plant soil structure improving crops. clod dust aggregate fine-aggregate

8. ‘Good’ winter ploughing Belief: a winter ploughing stabilises the yieldessentially… Results of field monitoring 1. 2005, November: fulfilment of the planned depth: 90% (from 40 was 36). 2. 2006 April: adequate looseness: 45% (from 40 was 18) Loosening effect remaining and deteriorating (Szentes, 2006).

9. ‘Good’ summer ploughing Belief: A deep inverting and a clean surface is required Comparisons of summer ploughing (SP) variants

10. Soil mellowing Belief: mellowing has great valuein soil tillage From biological processes From frost From shade damageable by equipment and removable by wind cut by drying durable - may create or maintain by conserving tillage

11. Belief: wild earth Fact: pan-layer, broken by share up

12. Eco-tillage Fact: diskpan compaction is the most frequent tillage defect in arable fields.

13. Stereotypes Belief: A deep stubble tillage and a clean surface is required…. Realities instubble tillage practice (2006)

14. What is sustainable? The deterioration of soil quality was begun from the first tilling disturbance thousands ago. The usual practice is also held responsible for soil degradation in many cases. Soil quality condition in Hungary has become an important factor in crop production during last two decades because of water-logging and severe drought harms.Referring to sustainability, a big fault would be maintained any bed soil condition.Doubtlessthatsome classic demands – stubble tillage prepared to black, deep winter ploughing,clean surface for sowing – loose their importance in any arable sites. However new technique is to learned and applied regarding to climate extremes

15. Conclusions Soil tillage in a sustainable land management harmonises the soilprotection with demands of the crop and aims soil conservation, withoutincreasing the production risks even in the long term. 1. Crops do not ask forplough or disk….they demand a good soil condition for germination andgrowth. 2. For decrease the climate harms classic beliefs are tosupervised, e.g. fine-aggregated seedbed, surface preparation by disk on ploughed soils, summer ploughing, durability of shade/frost mellowing. 3. Some high-sounding technologies are to high revision before adoption in our soils.

16. Acknowledgements This paper presented results of research programs supported by OTKA-49.049, NKFP-3B/0057/2002, KLIMA-05 and NKFP-6/00079/2005 Our thanks also to Experimental and Training Farm of Józsefmajor, Hatvan