ǂa ǂcomparison of long-term non-inversion minimum tillage and conventional tillage
Rok Mihelič (Author), Sara Pintarič (Author), Klemen Eler (Author), Marjetka Suhadolc (Author)

Abstract

The combination of conservation tillage (non-inversion and no-till) with organic farming is rare due to weed problems. However, both practices have the potential to improve soil quality and increase soil organic C (SOC). This study investigated the changes in SOC, microbial biomass, and microbial composition during the transition from conventional to organic farming (from 2014 to 2020) in a long-term tillage trial established in 1999. Non-inversion minimum tillage to a depth of 10 cm (MT) resulted in SOC stratification, whilst conventional soil tillage with 25-cm-deep mouldboard ploughing (CT) maintained an even SOC distribution in the plough layer. After 12 years of contrasting tillage in 2011, the uppermost soil layer under MT had a 10% higher SOC content (1.6% w/w) than CT (1.45% w/w). This difference became even more pronounced after introducing organic farming in 2014. By the fall of 2020, the SOC content under MT increased to 1.94%, whilst it decreased slightly to 1.36% under CT, resulting in a 43% difference between the two systems. Conversion to organic farming increased microbial biomass under both tillage systems, whilst SOC remained unchanged in CT. Abundances of total bacterial and Crenarchaeal 16S rRNA and fungal ITS genes indicated shifts in the microbial community in response to tillage and depth. Fungal communities under MT were more responsive to organic farming than bacterial communities. The improved soil quality observed under MT supports its adoption in both organic and conventional systems, but potentially large yield losses due to increased weed cover discourage farmers from combining MT and organic farming.

Keywords

conservation agriculture;carbon sequestration;microbial biomass;bacteria;archaea;fungi;

Data

Language: English
Year of publishing:
Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
Organization: UL BF - Biotechnical Faculty
UDC: 631.4
COBISS: 183130883 Link will open in a new window
ISSN: 0178-2762
Views: 20
Downloads: 7
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Other data

Secondary language: Slovenian
Secondary keywords: trajnostno kmetijstvo;vezava ogljika;pedologija;mikrobna biomasa;obdelava tal;bakterije;glive;arheje;
Type (COBISS): Article
Pages: str. v tisku
Volume: ǂVol. ǂ
Issue: ǂIss. ǂ
Chronology: 2024
DOI: 10.1007/s00374-024-01796-y
ID: 23649480