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In general, a combination of minimal tillage, constant soil cover and frequent crop rotations has been shown to contribute to an increase in soil carbon, a key factor in soil health.
Therefore, a widespread and effective practice in regenerative agriculture is the use of cover crops. These crops are not grown for commercial purposes but for their contribution to improving soil health, and they can be managed in a variety of ways.
The most common approach is to chop and then bury the plant biomass, based on green manure practice.Another cover crop management method involves rolling the biomass with a roller-crimper, a machine with a shaped roller that crushes and breaks the stems. This practice allows the use of herbicides to be reduced and the benefits of cover crops to be fully exploited. For this practice to be effective, it is essential to intervene at the right time, generally during the milk stage of ear ripening. In this way, the plants do not rise and the carbon–nitrogen ratio is maintained, preventing the next, more demanding crop from suffering from nitrogen deficiency due to the decomposition processes of the residues.
When it comes to fertilising,precision fertiliser spreaders can be used to apply fertiliser in a targeted and controlled way, reducing the risk of over-application and minimising environmental impact.
Conservation agriculture generally emphasises a reduction in the number of field passes. This results in reduced fuel consumption, but above all in reduced subsoil compaction and soil disturbance. A combined machine is a machine that is made up of a mix of different elements and is therefore able to perform several functions in a single pass. Combined machines usually allow the soil to be tilled and seeded in one go; an example of this is the seed drill we have already discussed, but there are also more complex machines that can plough, surface tillage, seed and roll. At the same time, tillage-specific solutions combining the functions of a subsoiler and a tiller are also appearing on the market.
Another factor to consider is the different impacts that wheeled and tracked machines have on the soil. Generally speaking, the choice between the two types depends on structural elements such as surface area, slope and soil texture. However, other factors can also be taken into account: in the case of a tracked tractor, the contact surface is larger, so the weight load is distributed more evenly, reducing the effect of subsoil compaction compared to a classic wheeled tractor. On the other hand, the tracked tractor has a reduced working speed and cannot be driven on the road unless it is fitted with rubber pads. To compensate for this and at the same time benefit from reduced subsoil compaction, there is a solution: coupled wheels. By coupling two or more pneumatic tyres together and reducing the tyre pressure, subsoil compaction can be minimised because the bearing surface increases and stability improves to the level of crawlers. By coupling two or more pneumatic tyres together and reducing the pressure of the tyres, subsoil compaction can be minimised because the contact surface increases and stability improves to the level of tracked tractors.
The possibility of adopting regenerative farming practices is closely linked to the availability of the right machinery. As mentioned above, in many cases, this is specific machinery that is neither part of the farm machinery fleet nor available through agricultural contractors. Given these limitations and the importance of adopting regenerative farming practices, it would be a good idea to create networks of farmers to make machinery available.
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