Baseline information on agricultural practices in the EU ... - Europabio

With minimum or zero-tillage the soil is not or only superficially laboured. In this way, crop residue
from previous crops is left in the surface during the critical soil erosion period, retaining more rain
water and, therefore, diminishing soil erosion and nutrient wash out. The fertile soil is kept in the
upper layers, soil structure is kept intact and soil organisms are not disturbed. Seeds are sown
directly. This practice is useful on slopes and on fields with low carrying capacity. Yields are usually
lower in comparison with tilled fields.
The Sixth Environment Action Programme (6 th EAP) sets out the framework for environmental policy
making in the European Union for the period 2002-2012 and outlines actions that need to be taken to
achieve them. The 6 th EAP calls for the development of seven thematic strategies, including a
strategy on soil protection: the Soil Thematic Strategy. In September 2006 the Commission proposed
a Soil Framework Directive, which is currently under discussion.
In the final report on the project ‘Sustainable Agriculture and Soil Conservation (SoCo Project Team;
2009), conservation agriculture is positioned in the thematic strategy on soil protection. The report
was commissioned by the European Parliament and provides for conclusions and recommendations
on soil degradation processes, soil conservation practices and policy measures at European level.
No-tillage and reduced tillage, in combination with permanent soil cover (cover crops, crop residues)
and crop rotation, are essential practices in conservation agriculture. These practices minimise the
risk of soil degradation by increasing the organic carbon stock, thus improving biological activity, soil
fertility, soil structure and the water-retention capacity of soils. As a consequence, soil erosion and
nutrient runoff are reduced (with positive effects on water quality), and soil resistance to compaction is
improved. In addition, significant cost savings with respect to labour and fuel consumption are
reported.
Fertilisation of the soil needs to be adapted to the needs of the crop taking into account what is
already present in the soil. Also, the length of the growing season, hybrid type and other crops in the
rotation, including green manure crops influence the final fertilisation. The amount of nutrients found in
the harvested parts of silage maize is presented in Table 9. These are the amounts that are retrieved
from the soil. Usually mineral and/or farmland manure is combined for silage maize.
Table 9: Mineral content (in kg/ha) in the harvested product of silage maize at different yield levels
(Source: Maïshandboek)
Nutrient Expected yield in tonnes dry matter/ha
12.0 14.5 17.0
N 150 185 215
P2O5 55 65 75
K2O 185 225 265
MgO 25 30 35
General crop requirements for grain maize are provided in
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