Abstract
Reduced nutrient mineralization rates under minimum tillage are usually compensated by mineral fertilizer application. These, however, cannot be applied in organic farming systems. We hypothesized that an organic minimum tillage system based on frequent cover cropping and application of dead mulch would improve soil fertility and compensate for the potential negative effects of minimum tillage. Two long-term field experiments were set up in 2010 and 2011 to compare plowing versus minimum tillage including the application of transferred mulch. A second factor, the application of compost versus mineral potassium and phosphorus, was also compared. In 2019, soils were analyzed for soil pH, organic carbon, macro- and micronutrients, microbial biomass, microbial activity, and total nematode abundance. In addition, performance of pea in the same soils was determined under greenhouse conditions. Across both experiments, macronutrients (+52%), micronutrients (+11%), microbial biomass (+51%), microbial activity (+86%), and bacterivorous nematodes (+112%) increased in minimum tillage compared to the plow-based system. In the greenhouse, pea biomass was 45% higher in the soil that had been subjected to minimum tillage compared to the plow. In conclusion, soil fertility can be improved in organic minimum tillage systems, which include intensive cover cropping and the application of dead mulch, over plow-based systems.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Minimum tillage soil had 52% more macronutrients than plowed soil.
- Treatment
- minimum tillagee0
- Outcome
- macronutrientse0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- +52%e0
- Comparator
- plow-based systeme0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“macronutrients (+52%), micronutrients (+11%), microbial biomass (+51%), microbial activity (+86%), and bacterivorous nematodes (+112%) increased in minimum tillage compared to the plow-based system”
Claim · model-written summary
Minimum tillage soil had 11% more micronutrients than plowed soil.
- Treatment
- minimum tillagee0
- Outcome
- micronutrientse0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- +11%e0
- Comparator
- plow-based systeme0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“macronutrients (+52%), micronutrients (+11%), microbial biomass (+51%), microbial activity (+86%), and bacterivorous nematodes (+112%) increased in minimum tillage compared to the plow-based system”
Claim · model-written summary
Minimum tillage soil had 51% more microbial biomass than plowed soil.
- Treatment
- minimum tillagee0
- Outcome
- microbial biomasse0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- +51%e0
- Comparator
- plow-based systeme0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“macronutrients (+52%), micronutrients (+11%), microbial biomass (+51%), microbial activity (+86%), and bacterivorous nematodes (+112%) increased in minimum tillage compared to the plow-based system”
Claim · model-written summary
Minimum tillage soil had 86% more microbial activity than plowed soil.
- Treatment
- minimum tillagee0
- Outcome
- microbial activitye0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- +86%e0
- Comparator
- plow-based systeme0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“macronutrients (+52%), micronutrients (+11%), microbial biomass (+51%), microbial activity (+86%), and bacterivorous nematodes (+112%) increased in minimum tillage compared to the plow-based system”
Claim · model-written summary
Minimum tillage soil had 112% more bacterivorous nematodes than plowed soil.
- Treatment
- minimum tillagee0
- Outcome
- bacterivorous nematodese0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- +112%e0
- Comparator
- plow-based systeme0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“macronutrients (+52%), micronutrients (+11%), microbial biomass (+51%), microbial activity (+86%), and bacterivorous nematodes (+112%) increased in minimum tillage compared to the plow-based system”
Claim · model-written summary
Pea biomass was 45% higher in minimum tillage soil than plowed soil in the greenhouse.
- Taxon
- pea
Lathyrus oleraceuse0 - Treatment
- minimum tillagee0
- Outcome
- pea biomasse0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- 45%e0
- Comparator
- plowe0
- Setting
- greenhousee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In the greenhouse, pea biomass was 45% higher in the soil that had been subjected to minimum tillage compared to the plow.”
Claim · model-written summary
Organic minimum tillage with cover cropping and dead mulch can improve soil fertility over plowing.
- Outcome
- soil fertility can be improvede0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“soil fertility can be improved in organic minimum tillage systems, which include intensive cover cropping and the application of dead mulch, over plow-based systems”
The same questions in other papers
tillage · growth · Lathyrus oleraceus (pea)Positive and negative results
11 papers in the same direction as this paper · 5 in the opposite direction
- positive
- negative
- no effect
13 papers more in this group
See all 17 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.