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From Soil to Yield

Season summary and preparation for the coming years

Introduction Stubble cultivation Primary tillage Pre-sowing tillage Sowing Sowing of cover crops and catch crops Fertilization Crop protection and care Harvest of the crop and management of residue Conclusion

The nourisher and its caretaker

young farmer evaluating results of no till farming and its impact on soil condition

A farmer – just like nature – works all year round. It is a very responsible and important task: providing food for humanity.

The farmer and the soil form a perfect duo. The soil nourishes plants and people, and the farmer provides it with care.

In a nutshell: checklist

This e-book presented all stages of crop production. Below you will find a checklist to help you verify whether each of them has been carried out correctly.

field after soil cultivation – effective practices leading to better results in crop production

Stage	What should the field look like?
Post-harvest cultivation	Crop residues evenly shredded and partially mixed with the soil. Weeds and volunteers begin to germinate. Surface lightly loosened, without large clods or ruts.
Primary cultivation	Soil has good structure, is aerated and loosened to the required depth, without inversion of layers (in no till farming). Residues evenly distributed, and the field level and stable.
Pre-sowing cultivation	Surface levelled. Top layer fine and crumbly (1–2 cm). Subsoil lightly compacted, moist, without crusting or clods. Residues limited in seed rows. Soil neither too dry nor too wet.
Main crop sowing	Seeds placed at an even depth. Coulters do not clog with residues. Soil adheres to the seeds, with no excessive compaction or ruts on the surface.
Cover crop and catch crop sowing	Cover crop seeds well covered and in contact with moist soil. Emergence even, plants quickly cover the field, suppress weeds and protect the soil.
Crop protection and field care	Weeds under control. Crop plants healthy and uniform. Residues gradually decomposing No crusting or compaction between rows. Visible biological activity.
Harvest	Field evenly cut. Straw residues evenly shredded and spread. Grain clean, without major losses. No ruts after combine passes.
Residue management	Post-harvest residues form an even mulch layer or have been properly managed (incorporated, collected, used for feed/compost). Soil protected against erosion and prepared for the next season.

What’s next?

heavy Rolmako U671 disc harrow improving soil fertility through effective soil cultivation

This e-book frequently mentioned reduced/no-till cultivation – because as a brand we specialize in this very system. We also know that farmers need strong arguments to abandon the plough. That is why in the next e-book, “Without the plough, but with yields”, we will discuss the benefits and challenges of no till farming:

- Why ploughing harms the soil,
- Types of reduced and no till farming,
- Why reduced tillage is the agriculture of the future.