LONG-TERM PRESERVATION OF SOIL FERTILITY BY CONSERVATION TILLAGE

Reducing tillage intensity to prevent soil compaction and having crop residues on or near the soil surface to eliminate soil erosion are the basic ideas of a future concept of soil tillage (conversation tillage). However, there are obstacles to adoption of conservation tillage system which require further clarification. Field experiments at Braunschweig-Volkenrode and Muncheberg are carried out to solve open questions: - lack of research data for site-specific soil types and crops - lack of soil loosening management programmes regarding different crop rotations - lack of accurate information due to the nutrition dynamic in the soil - lack of weed, insect, and disease management programmes.