No-tillage ed Indicatori di Qualità del Suolo

[Autom. eng. transl.] The transition from irrationally intensive methods of part of the current agricultural world to Conservation Agriculture systems has already begun in Italy, albeit with some slowness. The new criteria, techniques and equipment are gradually integrated with the previous experience to form a sustainable agro-system, from an ecological, agronomic, social and economic point of view. The environmental and agronomic advantages are now demonstrated in many experimental tests (Tabaglio and Gavazzi 2009; Mazzoncini et al. 2011), to the point that the rural development programs of some regions provide for specific environmental measures. The most effective spring in this conversion is the reduction of production costs, followed by concern for the lowering of soil fertility, linked to the decline in organic matter and structural stability. The feasibility of non-processing (no-tillage, NT) has already been proven, including the fact that in certain situations it is inapplicable, and needs instead to be followed scientifically to adapt it to the various pedo-climatic situations. For a correct adoption of the NT, soil quality indicators are needed that can promptly mark the direction and goodness of the results achieved. The experimental hypothesis is that biological indicators are faster in understanding the pedological dynamics and therefore more useful in the short time, compared to the physical-chemical ones. The results obtained have shown that even in the short term, IS and QBS-ar are reported as valid indicators of soil quality for speed and robustness of results, while organic matter requires more dilated time.