Key Points
- The Lincoln Tillage Trial was established to determine if the use of less intensive tillage practices could help to sustainb soil quality and arable crop performance following improvements under grass pasture.
- Key results of the trial will be described in this and subsequent Arable Updates.
- In the short term (first 4 years) tillage intensity had no significant effect on main crop yields.
- In the longer term (>5 years) no-tillage and, to a lesser extent, minimum tillage practices produced higher yielding crops that may be attributed to higher water use efficiency and greater top soil nitrogen availability.
- Effective slug control is important for crop establishment under no tillage, particularly for autumn sown cover crops and also main crops known to be susceptible to slug damage - such as peas.