Legnaro, Italy

 Study Site Trials

 The SICS selected for trialling in this Study Site are described below:

General Treatment Category Study Site Trials
Tillage, cover crops

1. Loss of SOM and Compaction control - Mouldboard plough and bare soil; Mouldboard plough and deep rooting cover crop (tillage radish); No tillage and bare soil; No tillage and deep rooting cover crop (tillage radish)


Study Site poster 2018; Study Site poster 2019 (download) 

Tillage radish  

   italy tillage and radish.png     

Read this fact sheet in Italian here

  
Tillage raddish    
Winter wheat    
Winter wheat    
Bare soil    
Bare soil    

 

Key findings 

  • The no tillage treatment was more susceptible to adverse environmental conditions, which could lead to crop failure.
  •  Tillage radish did not have a clear effect in any of the parameters considered.
  •  Earthworm populations have benefitted from no tillage.
  •  After a conversion time, conservation agriculture could reduce production costs, while maintaining high yields.

 

Geographical description

Location: The study area is located in the low Venetian plain and is characterized by sedimentary loamy soils with shallow groundwater (<2 m). The local climate is sub-humid, with an annual rainfall of about 850 mm. Temperatures increase from January (minimum average: 1.5 °C) to July (maximum average: 27.2 °C). SOM content is strongly affected by the peculiar texture (low physical protection) and climatic conditions, and usually ranges from 10 to 20 g kg-1 in the top layer.

Pedo-climatic zone
Mediterranean North, Cambisol 

Map LTE
Location of the study site in NE Italy Overview of part of the long-term experiment (50-yrs old).

Cropping systems

Cropping intensity: Conventional.

Types of crop
Exp. 1: wheat, maize, soybean, sugarbeet, alfalfa, permanent meadow, 7 crop rotations: six-years (maize, sugarbeet, maize, wheat, alfalfa, alfalfa), four year (sugarbeet, soybean, wheat, maize), two years (wheat, maize), continuous maize, continuous wheat, continuous silage maize, permanent meadow
Exp. 2: wheat, maize, tomato, sugarbeet, four-year rotation Management of soil, water, nutrients and pests
Exp. 1: Moldboard ploughing in autumn; due to the shallow water table (ranging from 60 to 200 mm) irrigation is used occasionally; nutrient status is regulated through organic (cattle slurries or farmyard manure) and mineral inputs + introduction of soybean and alfalfa in 4-year and 6-year rotation respectively; chemical weed and pest control.
Exp. 2: Moldboard ploughing in autumn; due to the shallow water table (ranging from 60 to 200 mm) irrigation is used occasionally; nutrient status is regulated through organic (residue incorporation or residue incorporation + poultry manure) and mineral inputs; chemical weed and pest control.