Soil Tillage Experiment Schlatthof (Aesch Trial)
- Local identifier
- Bodenbearbeitungsversuch Schlatthof (Aesch-Vesuch)
- Years operational
- 2010—
- Objective
- Effect of tillage and fertilization on soil properties and yield
- Description
- In Aesch, Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland, a long-term field experiment was set up in 2010 for the further development of reduced tillage in organic arable farming. The questions that led to the establishment of this trial were a) whether reduced tillage in organic farming is possible on this very good soil (loess soil) and b) whether mineral fertilisation could possibly close the yield gap between reduced tillage and conventional ploughing. The focus of the experiment is on the interaction between tillage (plough versus reduced tillage) and the type of fertilization (slurry versus mineral fertilization) as well as the fertilization level (low versus high, no fertilization as control). The use of the plough (max. 20 cm deep) is compared with reduced tillage (stubble cleaner or chisel, max. 10 cm deep) on two levels of mineral and organic fertilization in the crop rotation of silage maize, field beans, winter wheat and two years of grass clover. Different varieties were also examined at times. The effects of the different treatments on plant yield, soil organic carbon, soil life, soil nutrients, weed emergence and nutrient uptake of the plants are examined.
- Data Access Statement
- Available to collaborators only
- Data Access Notes
- Data and archived samples are available to researchers on request (archived samples: depending on the amount required) and in collaboration with the data owners, provided there are no conflicts of interest with existing users.
- Data license
- Don't know
- Data policy
- Don't know
- Organization
- Research Institute of Organic Agricultureresearch organisation
+41 62 865 72 72 - People
- Dr. Meike Grosseexperiment managerResearch Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Ackerstrasse 113, P.O. Box 219, 5070 Frick, SwitzerlandDepartment of Soil Sciences
+41 62 865 6397 Dr. Paul Mäderprincipal investigatorResearch Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Ackerstrasse 113, P.O. Box 219, 5070 Frick, SwitzerlandDepartment of Soil SciencesDr. Maike KraussResearch Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Ackerstrasse 113, P.O. Box 219, 5070 Frick, SwitzerlandDepartment of Soil Sciences
Site: CH-4147 Aesch
- Type
- farmer field
- Location
- 4147 AeschBasel-LandschaftSwitzerland
- Geographic location
- 47.482014, 7.580211
- Elevation
- 349 Metres
- Visits permitted?
- Yes
- Visiting arrangements
- Visits are possible for professionals after arrangement by email or telephone.
- Management
- organic with special permit for mineral fertilization on this field
- Soil type
- luvisol
- Soil description
- silty loam
- Climatic type
- temperate oceanic climate
- Climate description
- The annual average temperature is 9.6 °C and the annual average precipitation is 785 mm.
Design period: Ongoing
- Design Type
- Split-plot
- Description
- In the Aesch Long-term Experiment ploughing (max. 20 cm deep) is compared to reduced tillage (stubble cleaner or chisel, max. 10 cm deep) and slurry is compared to mineral fertilization, both with low or high doses of fertilization. The crop rotation consists of silage maize, field beans, winter wheat and two years of grass clover.
- Design description
- The two factors - tillage and fertilization - were arranged in a split-plot design with four replicates.
- Number of subplots
- 40
- Number of replicates
- 4
- Crops
Crop Years grown maize faba beans winter wheat grass clover leys - Crop Rotation
- Unnamed
- 1maize
- 2faba beans
- 3winter wheat
- 4grass clover leys
- 5grass clover leys
- Factors
- Factor name
- Factor levels
- tillage process ploughing (max. 20 cm deep) is compared to reduced tillage (stubble cleaner or chisel, max. 10 cm deep)
mouldboard plough
chisel plough
At the beginning of the experiment also a stubble cleaner was used in the reduced tillage plots.- fertilizer exposure Slurry is compared to mineral fertilization, both with low or high doses of fertilization. No fertilization serves as control.
organic fertilizer (low dose )
organic fertilizer (high dose )
inorganic fertilizers (low dose )
inorganic fertilizers (high dose )
no fertilization
- Measurements
Variable Material Units Frequency Scale Comment yield components All crops annually yield trait All crops annually plant biomass All crops annually weed abundance Not specified 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016 soil organic carbon Soil % total soil nitrogen Soil soil pH Soil phosphorous content Soil potassium content Soil magnesium content Soil plant quality traits All crops calcium content Soil microbial biomass Soil soil density Soil
Related publications
- Soil tillage experiment Schlatthof (Aesch trial)
- Shallow non-inversion tillage in organic farming maintains crop yields and increases soil C stocks: a meta-analysis
- Effects of agricultural management practices on soil quality: A review of long-term experiments for Europe and China
- Sensitivity of labile carbon fractions to tillage and organic matter management and their potential as comprehensive soil quality indicators across pedoclimatic conditions in Europe
- Reduced tillage, but not organic matter input, increased nematode diversity and food web stability in European long‐term field experiments
- Soil suppressiveness to Pythium ultimum in ten European long-term field experiments and its relation with soil parameters