Soil quality indicators as influenced by no-tillage, conventional tillage and nitrogen fertilization after 3 years of continuous maize in the Po Valley

摘要

The technique of no-tillage (NT) has never been applied over a large area in Italy, especially for maize (Toderi and Bonari, 1986; Bartolini, 1989; Caliandro et aL, 1992). Nowadays it is probable that a total of about 55 000 ha are cropped under NT,the prevalent crops being autumn-winter cereals, with only a thousand hectares devoted to maize (Tabaglio, 2007). The limited use of this land management technique is due to several factors: wrong choice of soil-type, short-term experimental studies, andinadequate basic knowledge of the various herbicide treatments and fertiUzers needed. Overall though, the limited adaptability of farmers to the new principles of management necessary for NT has been the major obstacle. Nevertheless, the advantages andconditions for the application of NT have been repeatedly presented and discussed worldwide (Phillips and Phillips, 1984; Sprague and Triplett, 1986; Bartolini, 1989; Baker et al, 2006; Tabaglio and Gavazzi, 2006; Pisante, 2007).