Project funded
by theEU–DGEnvironment
L
and
surfacerelevant
forapplication
Artificial surface
Agriculture land
Forest and semi-natural areas
Wetlands
F
inancialcosts
(C
apital
,
operation
&
maintenance
)
An average cost of 32€/ha is needed for changing rotations and
increasing
fallow index
in crop rotations. Crop rotation maintenance costs concern mainly
inputs costs
(about 400€/ha), which appear to be higher with tillage (by 20€/
ha) and lower with no tillage (by 40€/ha) than inputs costs under monoculture.
In Europe,
subsidies
supporting crop rotation have been estimated to be around
128€/ha/year.
D
esign
Overall, crop rotation should take into consideration the time necessary between
two growing seasons and the need for
alternating
between plant families,
introducing
green cover in winter
and cereals and grassland in the rotation,
alternating winter and
spring crops
, alternating “cleaning” and “dirty” crops,
introducing species that are fast and aggressive. Nitrogen balance analysis and field
tests can help identify the most efficient rotations in a specific context.
S
cale
Crop rotation is designed and imple-
mented at the farm scale and field scale.
In terms of drainage, the concerned area
is the field itself.
Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of
dissimilar/different types of crops
in the
same area in sequential seasons
. Judiciously applied
crop rotation can improve soil structure, reduce erosion and increase infiltration capacity, thereby reducing downstream flood risk. A traditional element of crop
rotation is the replenishment of nitrogen through the use of green manure in sequence with cereals and other crops. Crop rotation also mitigates the build-up
of pathogens and pests that often occurs when one species is continuously cropped.
Casestudies: :NoTillagefield trials in lowerAustria;Waterretentionspaces, reforestationandgrazingmanagement insouthernPortugal
AGRICULTURE
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