No-till in northern, western and south-western Europe: A review of problems and opportunities for crop production and the environment

Abstract

Reduced erosion and runoff after adoption of no-till are widely observed and are of particular importance in southwestern Europe. No-till reduces losses of phosphorus in runoff and, in some cases, reduces the loss of nitrate through leaching. Emissions of greenhouse gases CO2 and N2O from no-till soils are highly variable and depend on complex interactions of soil properties. Emission of CO2 from fuel during machinery usage is always appreciably reduced with no-till. Increased soil organic carbon in surface layers of no-till soils is widely found but may not be associated with increased carbon sequestration throughout the profile. The evaluation of the relative carbon balance for no-till and ploughing depends upon complex inter-relationships between soil and climate factors which are as yet poorly understood. Adoption of no-till could be encouraged by government financial assistance in recognition of environmental benefits, although future restrictions on the use of herbicides may be a deterrent. Opportunities for further research on no-till are outlined. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords

No-till; Direct drilling; Zero tillage; Ploughing; Northern Europe; Western/South-western Europe

Published in

Soil and Tillage Research
2012, volume: 118, pages: 66-87
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

SLU Authors

• Arvidsson, Johan

  • Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Agricultural Science

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2011.10.015

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/43765