2023/10/20 by Védie, Hélène, Berry, Dominique, Leclerc, Blaise +2
#Agriculture biologique #Fertilité #Maraîchage #Planches permanentes #Structure du sol #Travail du sol
paper · doi:10.17180/bwya-8h05
The effect of controlled traffic with permanent crop beds was compared to mouldboard ploughing in France for organic vegetable production. Four trials were carried out over a period of three to seven years at four sites with different pedo-climatic conditions. Variable results were obtained, depending on soil type (susceptibility to compaction), tillage machinery type, vegetable type (root or not, grown from seed or transplant) and weed development. However, our study shows that a permanent bed system is an interesting alternative that improves soil biological activity and decreases labour time using a tractor, leading to significant energy savings. However, this method has limitations depending on pedo-climatic conditions and the lack of suitable equipment. Further research is required to determine the soil tillage techniques to be used according to pedological conditions (silty soils, for instance), to improve weed control and to ensure the incorporation of fresh organic matter (crop residues and green manure).