Book ChapterDOI
Conservation agriculture, improving soil quality for sustainable production systems?
Nele Verhulst,Bram Govaerts,Els Verachtert,A. Castellanos-Navarrete,Monica Mezzalama,Patrick C. Wall,A. Chocobar,Jozef Deckers,Ken D. Sayre +8 more
- pp 137-208
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TLDR
In this article, a comparative soil quality evaluation is performed in which the performance of the system is determined in relation to alternatives, and the results show that the effect of a reduction in tillage on the variation in total porosity with depth may be related to differences in traffic on different sites, or on soil quality at the time tillage was reduced or stopped.Abstract:
Conservation agriculture has been proposed as a widely adapted set of management principles that can assure more sustainable agricultural production. Conservation agriculture removes the emphasis from the tillage component alone and addresses a more enhanced concept of the complete agricultural system. Applying conservation agriculture essentially means altering literally generations of traditional farming practices and implement use. Within the framework of agricultural production, high soil quality equates to the ability of the soil to maintain a high productivity without significant soil or environmental degradation. A comparative soil quality evaluation is one in which the performance of the system is determined in relation to alternatives. Inconsistent effects of a reduction in tillage on the variation in total porosity with depth may be related to differences in traffic on different sites, or on soil quality at the time tillage was reduced or stopped.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Conservation agriculture and ecosystem services: An overview
TL;DR: The potential and limitations of conservation agriculture for low productivity, small-scale farming systems in Sub Saharan Africa and South Asia is discussed in this article. But, the authors highlight some research priorities for ecosystem services in conservational agriculture.
Journal ArticleDOI
Limited potential of no-till agriculture for climate change mitigation
David S. Powlson,Clare M. Stirling,Mangi L. Jat,Bruno Gérard,Cheryl A. Palm,Pedro A. Sanchez,Kenneth G. Cassman +6 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the potential for climate change mitigation through soil carbon sequestration that is possible from a change to no-till agriculture has been widely overstated, arguing that the potential of climate adaptation through carbon sequestering is limited.
Journal ArticleDOI
When does no-till yield more? A global meta-analysis
Cameron M. Pittelkow,Bruce A. Linquist,Mark E. Lundy,X. Q. Liang,Kees Jan van Groenigen,Juhwan Lee,Natasja van Gestel,Johan Six,Rodney T. Venterea,Rodney T. Venterea,Chris van Kessel +10 more
TL;DR: The authors conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the influence of various crop and environmental variables on no-till relative to conventional tillage yields using data obtained from peer-reviewed publications (678 studies with 6005 paired observations, representing 50 crops and 63 countries).
Journal ArticleDOI
Achieving yield gains in wheat.
Matthew P. Reynolds,John Foulkes,Robert T. Furbank,Simon Griffiths,Julie King,Erik H. Murchie,Martin A. J. Parry,Gustavo A. Slafer +7 more
TL;DR: Crop development should favour spike fertility to maximize harvest index so phenology must be tailored to different photoperiods, and sensitivity to unpredictable weather must be modulated to reduce conservative responses that reduce harvest index.
Journal ArticleDOI
Crop residue management and soil health: A systems analysis
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reviewed crop residue management practices, mainly surface retention, incorporation or removal, describing their advantages and limitations in cereal-based agroecosystems in developing countries.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Interpretation of microbial biomass measurements for soil quality assessment in humid temperate regions
M.R. Carter,Edward G. Gregorich,Denis A. Angers,Michael H. Beare,G. P. Sparling,David A. Wardle,R. P. Voroney +6 more
TL;DR: In this article, both the limitations and benefits of indirect microbial biomass (SMB) measurements are outlined, along with their value and interpretation as attributes or indicators to assess some soil quality (SQ) functions.
Journal ArticleDOI
The impact of ant bioturbation and foraging activities on surrounding soil properties
TL;DR: In this article, the extent of pore distribution as cavities and galleries was evaluated by taking photographs of a cross section of an ant mound after pouring in water miscible paint (1:8 paint to water suspension) into an open cut on the top of the mound.
Journal ArticleDOI
Reduced tillage effects on physical properties of silt loam soils growing root crops
Karoline D'Haene,Jan Vermang,Wim Cornelis,Ben L.M. Leroy,Wouter Schiettecatte,Stefaan De Neve,Donald Gabriëls,Georges Hofman +7 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the short and long-term effect of reduced tillage agriculture on bulk density (BD), water retention curve (WRC), aggregate stability and field-saturated hydraulic conductivity of silt loam soils with crop rotations including root crops was evaluated.
Journal ArticleDOI
Influence of Tillage Practices on the Fertility Status of an Acid Soil Double-Cropped to Wheat and Soybeans1
Journal ArticleDOI
Applying innovations and new technologies for international collaborative wheat improvement
TL;DR: The potential synergy between genetic improvement and innovative crop management practices has been referred to as the Doubly Green Revolution as discussed by the authors, which is the case in a number of less-developed countries where the activities of International Agricultural Research Centres (IARCs) and other development assistance organizations can provide continuity in agricultural research and infrastructure.