Improving root development

The development of plant roots can be improved both in the topsoil and in deeper layers. Mechanical tillage can be used to loosen the soil to tilth depth. In order to improve deep rooting, furrow bases and compacted layers of soil need to be broken up. In the long term, this is done by improving soil structure and nutrient performance with mechanical tillage and applying lime, and by promoting soil life with cover crops and crops featuring plants with deep roots.

• Mechanical loosening and breaking up compacted soil

Regulating the water balance

Depending on the moisture content of the soil and the expected amount of precipitation, water either needs to be retained in the soil, or sufficient drying ensured, in order to provide the right soil moisture for subsequent cultivation. The decisive factor here is the depth of the tillage process. That said, maintaining a layer of mulch and planting cover crops can also regulate the water balance without the use of tillage.

• Preventing evaporation by interrupting capillary action

• Preventing evaporation by using shallow tillage to interrupt capillaries

• Promoting evaporation by loosening the soil during tillage

• Regulating the water balance and temperature by planting cover crops

Regulating the air balance

Oxygen is essential for the balance of nutrients, and their mineralisation The targeted application of fertilisers in deeper layers can delay mineralisation by reducing the oxygen supply, while increasing the oxygen content through tillage promotes rapid conversion and mineralisation.

• Promoting mineralisation as a result of supplying oxygen by breaking up compacted soil structures

• Delaying mineralisation as a result of limiting oxygen by consolidating the surface and soil structure

Incorporation of organic material

• Even distribution of harvest residues to stimulate conversion processes by soil organisms

• Reduction of outgassing through timely and shallow incorporation of farm fertiliser for improved efficiency

Weed control

Every plant competes for nutrients, water and light in the field in order to produce good yields. The higher the density of weeds, the more they cut of the supply and suppress the development of the crop.

• Stimulating weed germination by creating a stale seedbed with shallow cultivation and rolling

• Preventing weed germination by burying the weed seeds during tillage

• Inhibiting root growth by cutting through shallow to deep roots

Creating a seedbed for crop plants

The seedbed needs to be matched to the crop and the location. A rule of thumb is that the seedbed needs to be as fine as necessary and as coarse as possible. A seedbed that is too fine is prone to ponding or erosion. If some coarser clods remain in the seedbed, they have a positive effect on the microclimate and can protect against erosion and drying out.

• Promoting rapid germination by encouraging capillary action and supplying soil water

• Creating the same conditions across the whole field to enable even emergence

Crop care

In addition to keeping the soil free of weeds, the tillage tools on crop care machines also break up the upper soil crust.

• Preventing germination and growth by covering, uprooting, and ridging

• Improving gas exchange between the soil and the ambient atmosphere

Getting an overview

There are many parameters that influence soil fertility. To find out how the soil fertility on your own farm is doing, it is a good idea to get an overview of the most important values. The simplest way of doing this is to take a spade sample. Using a spade sample, it is possible to categorise soil water, soil air, microbial processes and the soil structure. At the same time, the pH value and the free lime content can be determined using a pH meter and hydrochloric acid. This provides an initial overview, while a more in-depth picture can be obtained with soil analysis. Soil analysis provides information about the nutrient supply in the soil.

Bringing nutrients into balance

The parent rock of the soil strongly influences the nutrient balance. More information about the nutrient supply in the soil can be provided by a soil analysis. If deficiencies or surpluses are detected, these need to be balanced out. The calcium-to-magnesium ratio at the soil particle ion exchange has a particularly strong influence on soil stability. While magnesium makes the soil firmer and leads to a layered structure, calcium forms soil into stable particles that make the soil elastic. In addition to site-specific fertiliser application, care should also be taken to retain the nutrients in the soil so they are available for the next crop. Planting cover crops or companion crops ensures that nutrients are not depleted, makes them available for the following crop and helps to build up humus in the long term.

Improving soil structure

Compaction or dense soil layers prevent plant roots from growing, restrict the activity of soil life and disrupt water infiltration. Tillage can provide a short-term answer by breaking up compaction. In the long term, it is important to improve the soil structure and maintain a stable soil consistency by promoting soil life using varied crop rotations, species-rich cover crop mixtures and regular liming.

An extensive root system consisting of a wide variety of species promotes soil life and the development of living organisms right down to the deeper layers of the soil. This means that nutrients can also be used more efficiently. A varied crop rotation, in which deep-rooted and shallow-rooted crops alternate, and uninterrupted soil cover by planting cover crops between the main crops, ensures long-term improvement of root growth at crumb depth.

Building up humus

Humus is one of the biggest parameters affecting soil fertility. Building up humus over the long term directly promotes soil fertility. The humus content of the soil is limited and depends on the geographical location and the soil conditions. For example, clayey soils can have higher humus contents than sandy soils. Humus is a nutrient for our plants, improves the structure of the soil and increases its water absorption capacity. Humus is built up using varied crop rotation that returns nutrients to the soil and constantly feeds the microorganisms in the soil. These use the humus as a source of energy and become part of the humus themselves when they die.

Microorganisms are promoted by species-rich plant combinations in the field. The diversity of microorganisms is in direct proportion to the diversity of species above ground. Organic fertilisers and reduced tillage can also have a beneficial effect on the build-up of humus.