Conservation Tillage in Sustainable Agro-Ecosystems

Dear Colleagues,

Conservation tillage, such as no-tillage (also named sod-seeding) and minimum tillage, refers to tillage systems that minimize mechanical operations, reducing soil disturbance and preserving more surface residues than conventional tillage. Conservation tillage can provide sensible economic advantages for farmers, associated with reductions in work time, machinery wear and tear, and energy use. Benefits for agricultural systems include soil protection from erosion, reduced soil compaction, enhanced storage of soil organic matter, and a general improvement of soil quality. In addition, tillage reduction commonly increases water holding capacity and infiltration rates, which is particularly relevant for areas where conservation tillage can perform best since water availability in the soil is limited by climatic constraints.
This Special Issue intends to cover the state-of-the-art and recent progress in different aspects related to the adoption of conservation tillage in a wide range of cropping systems across different agro-ecological strategies.
All types of contributions (original research, reviews, and meta-analysis) providing new insights on conservation agriculture are welcome. The Editors encourage submissions to evaluate the advantages of conservation tillage over conventional systems in terms of agronomic, economic, and environmental aspects.

Dr. Claudia Di Bene
Dr. Roberta Farina
Dr. Rosa Francaviglia
Dr. Jorge Álvaro-Fuentes
Guest Editors

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