Globally, agriculture represents a substantial contributor to net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (c. 25%)1, and accounts for at least 10% of all GHG emissions in the United States2. To address the current climate emergency, agriculture remains a key player, with substantial potential to contribute to the solution. Reduced tillage as part of a ‘conservation agriculture’ approach is considered an important way of achieving this and is gaining popularity globally. Leaving the soil uncultivated, also referred to as zero or no tillage (that is, not ploughing), has been shown to offer considerable benefits for the ‘health’ of soil, including improved soil structure, a thriving soil faunal community (for example, earthworms) and, potentially, sequestration of carbon3. It has recently been shown, for temperate arable systems, that there is potential for a substantial (up to 30%) reduction in GHG emissions by simply moving to direct drilling, as the resulting changes in the soil structure help reduce GHG emissions4. Minimizing tillage also dramatically cuts the diesel consumption linked to crop production. However, there are negatives associated with this reductionist approach, most notably the proliferation of weed plant species that have traditionally been controlled via the implementation of tillage.
Source: Ecology - nature.com
