Min-till for the majority of field crops
Minimum cultivation techniques are adapted to most field crops, although spring crops can be tricky....
Minimum cultivation
Minimum cultivation sits midway between ploughing and direct drilling and is the choice of many farmers. With the right seed drill, this technique preserves the soil and lightens the workload leading to savings and a first step towards conservation agriculture.
What is the difference between min-till and direct drilling?
Direct drilling and min-till are two agricultural methods for planting crops. They are minimum cultivation techniques. These methods are modelled on conservation agriculture, but they differ in severa...
Minimum cultivation methods and direct drilling in organic farming
Weed management and adequate fertilisation for crop development are the major issues when combining organic farming with direct drilling or min-till seeding. That’s why it’s important to think about w...
Minimum cultivation: key crop management stages
There are as many crop management techniques for minimum cultivation as there are farms that use them. Eliminating the ploughing stage is one of the constants though, which means no more soil turning ...
Seeding the right cover crop for a minimum cultivation approach
There are many advantages to planting cover crops. They contribute to fertilising the soil as well as improving its structure and combatting erosion and slaking. Cover crops are also used on livestock...
A less intensive cultivation method than ploughing
Min-till differs from direct drilling, which comprises of no soil preparation between harvest and seeding the next crop, by tilling the plot at least once between these 2 steps. And compared to a soil preparation technique that includes the plough, min-till is less intensive and does not mix the soil’s different layers.
Stubble cultivation can be carried out after harvest as part of a min-till method. Stubble cultivation boosts the decomposition of harvest residues or plant cover, as well as helping with weed control, airing the soil, and improving its structure, all of which facilitate seeding the following crops. Working depth will depend on the type of stubble cultivator used (with discs or tines).
Get the benefits of direct drilling with less constraints
As with direct drilling, eliminating the plough as part of a minimum cultivation method will improve fertility and regenerate soil life. Earthworms and micro-organisms will gradually recolonise the soil and contribute to improving its structure. In addition, reducing the number of passes and especially using lower-consumption tools will lead to fuel savings.
The delicate question of weed control remains, but in the case of min-till, there are more ways of managing them, such as mechanical weeding or shallow tillage to encourage weed emergence in order to destroy them more effectively. As with direct drilling, a long and diversified rotation is key to preventing too many weeds.