Autumn 2023 EN

ENGLISH ISSUE
BIOGAS JOURNAL | AUTUMN_2023
There is no need
to search for earthworms
for long on
the no-till farming
fields of the Demsin
agricultural company.
Up to 400 of these
diligent soil aerators
can be found in one
cubic meter of soil.
Keeping every
Drop of Rain
in the Soil
The introduction of no-till farming unveils
new opportunities for the agrarian enterprise
Demsin to sustainably enhance operational
results on loamy soils: Farmers now
want to fully exploit this trump card.
Author: Dipl.-Journ. Wolfgang Rudolph
Has the field already been tilled? Christian
Rohne, Managing Director of the agricultural
enterprise Demsin, often hears this
question when he stands with visitors at
the edge of the field. And really, you have
to look closely to discern the rows of delicate light
green shoots pushing through the carpet of withered
remnants of volunteer oilseed rape, volunteer barley,
and shredded corn on this late autumn day in 2022.
To all appearances, it will be a field of grain like any
other in the region, at least until after the harvest. Unlike
most surrounding stubble fields, however, a catch
crop mixture, sown directly on the day of harvest, will
soon penetrate through the mulch layer that has now
grown with an additional plant component. It provides
a water-conserving cover and assumes other agronomic
tasks, such as loosening the soil, preserving nutrients,
and the biological fixation of atmospheric nitrogen by
legumes. Without any additional intermediate work, an
employee will then sow corn directly into the plants,
which will undoubtedly be frozen after this winter.
Earthworms and Co. as Helpful
Collaborators
The field is among the company’s initial areas transitioned
to no-till farming. So, the mulch layer contains
plant residues from crop rotation dating back to 2018.
“It looks more like fallow land. Even for me, it took
some getting used to,” admits Rohne. However, the collaborators,
of whom the company has thousands “under
contract” seem unfazed by the mix of organic matter
and crops – the earthworms. “On the contrary, they really
feel at home here,” says Rohne, who has a degree
in agriculture (MSc.), as he pushes the blade of a spade
effortlessly into the loose but stable soil of the wheat
field with his foot. After a brief search in the excavated
clump of soil, several diligent soil aerators are found.
“At this location, there are an estimated 200 earthworms
per cubic meter of soil,” Rohne says, adding
that a healthy acre of farmland houses a total of about
7 tons of soil organisms. The microorganisms, worms,
and insects form humus from the layer of dead plant
residues on the surface, aiding the plants in nutrient
uptake through symbiotic relationships in the root zone.
However, the no-till farming operation knows by experience
that it will take several years for such a benefi-
PHOTOGRAPHS: CARMEN RUDOLPH
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