Description of practice

Minimum tillage is a soil conservation practice that aims to reduce soil disturbance to the minimum necessary for successful crop production while not turning the soil over. It is a contrast to intensive tillage which changes the soil structure using ploughs.

Examples of how to use minimum tillage Further information
(see Note below)

AMP08 01

Minimizing tillage operations

Tillage is reduced to a combined, one-pass seedbed preparation and sowing operation. Additional shallow stubble cultivation may be used after harvesting.

 

»WOCAT technology 1315

AMP08 02

Non-inversion tillage

Non-inversion tillage is a tillage method that does not turn the soil over. Usually only the upper 10-18 cm of the soil surface is tilled.

 

»WOCAT technology 3120

AMP08 03

Alternate inter-row minimum tillage in vineyards

Minimum tillage in vineyards is performed in alternate inter-row zones, to prevent soil compaction and maintain partial vegetation cover.

 

»WOCAT technology 2879


Note: Most of the Further information links are to a full description of the example in the WOCAT database. However sometimes the link may be to similar practices or a research paper. Occasionally the link is to a commercial product in which case it should be understood that this does not imply any endorsement of the product by iSQAPER.