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

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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 Page 24 of 64
Table 10. Page 25 of 64
Page 1 and 2: Baseline i
Page 3 and 4: 1 Introduction Under the current Eu
Page 5 and 6: 3 Maize cultivation in Europe 3.1 C
Page 7 and 8: Figure 3: Grain maize production by
Page 9 and 10: Zone Member State Maize type 2010 2
Page 11 and 12: Zone Member State Number of holding
Page 13 and 14: Zone Member State Main weed species
Page 15 and 16: Zone Member State Main pest species
Page 17 and 18: Figure 4: Distribution of Diabrotic
Page 19 and 20: 4 Preparation 4.1 Seeds Breeding go
Page 21 and 22: Table 7 provides an overview of mat
Page 23: Insecticides are included in seed t
Page 27 and 28: Zone Member State Use Tillage B Cen
Page 29 and 30: • In Germany the Fertilisation Or
Page 31 and 32: Zone Member State Use Sowing dates
Page 33 and 34: Table 14: Chemical weed control (pr
Page 35 and 36: Zone Member State -: no data availa
Page 37 and 38: Zone Member State Use Insecticides
Page 39 and 40: Zone Member State Main pest species
Page 41 and 42: Integrated pest management (IPM) pr
Page 43 and 44: Figure 5: European Irrigation Map (
Page 45 and 46: Table 20: Irrigation of maize in Bu
Page 47 and 48: Zone Member State Region grain maiz
Page 49 and 50: Table 21: Irrigation methods and so
Page 51 and 52: Irrigation methods Zone Member Stat
Page 53 and 54: Irrigation methods Zone Member Stat
Page 55 and 56: The main overall objective of EU wa
Page 57 and 58: Zone Member State Use Harvest date
Page 59 and 60: 7 Consulted sources The following t
Page 61 and 62: Křístková M., 2010, Experience w
Page 63 and 64: Bayerischer Bauernverband; http://w
Page 65 and 66: Wageningen UR Livestock Research ht

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