Travail du sol et agriculture durable

Context

n order to protect the environment and meet the new economic constraints farmers must cope with in Europe, technical solutions allowing to develop a sustainable agriculture must be found. One solution is to minimise the costs by reducing soil tillage and the use of agrochemical products. This way, environmental constraints are met (reduced consumption of fuel, less pesticides, less disturbance of the soil’s structure, …), but also economic constraints by reducing the costs. Within this framework, the global study will make it possible to make an inventory and analyse the impacts on the different farming parameters.

Objectives

To study the impact of reduced tillage on the yields, the soil compaction, the fuel consumption.

Description of tasks

 To measure the harvesting yields of cereals and row crops. To define the tare proportion according to the soil tillage techniques ;
 to measure the soil compaction depending on the different tillage techniques, to put forward the soil redevelopment during the farming year ;
 to measure the motor working parameters when carrying out the works, to define the hour consumption, the specific consumption, the couple and power.

Expected results

Comparison of the impacts of the different soil tillage methods on environmental, economic and farming aspects.

Contribution

Crop Production Department (nitrate) ; Pesticides Research Department (greenfly infestation).

Partners

Agricultural Hydraulic Unit – FUSAGx, Analytic Chemistry and Pesticides Research Unit – FUSAGx, Soil Science Unit – UCL, Crop production of temperate regions Unit – FUSAGx, Plant Clinic– CORDER non profit – making organization –UCL.