WP 3. Cultivation practices effects to crops and soil conservation.

Plot experiments will be carried out to study the effect of crops used, crop rotation and tillage on crops performance and yield, water run off and soil loss from erosion. One experiment will cover two crop rotations (one for rain fed fields and one for irrigated) , five tillage methods (conventional with ploughing at 25 cm, reduced I with 20 cm tillage depth, reduced II using rotary cultivator at 15 cm, strip tillage for irrigated- disk harrow for rain fed  and no tillage) and four replications (40 plots). Tillage experiments will be carried out in the UTH farm in Velestrino and in TEI Farm in Larissa.

 Suggested crop rotations

An experiment to study the effect of tillage methods (conventional and no tillage), the direction of tillage and planting (to and normal to the countour) and of cover crop (with and without cover crops) on soil erosion and water runoff. The experiment will be carried out in the farm of TEI of Larissa, in Thessaly in a field with slope around 5%.

The Groups of TEI of Larissa and  UTH will participate.

Leading scientist Dr D. Pateras of TEI of Larissa.