Core aspects of Soil3
What method of subsoil melioration was developed and why?
To ensure the yield potential of arable soils and increase their productivity in the long-term, there is an urgent need to incorporate subsoils, with their considerable stocks of nutrients and water, into sustainable agricultural strategies. Various methods of mechanically modifying the soil profile to increase root growth and the accessibility of subsoil resources have existed for a long time.
Figure from Schneider et al. 2017, Soil & Tillage Research
Soil3 aims to optimize the use of the total soil volume for plant growth by reducing the physical penetration resistance of the subsoil, creating nutrient hotspots and storing water in the subsoil. This is achieved through the one-time incorporation of organic material into the subsoil. For this purpose, trenches 60 cm deep and 20 cm wide are made with a trencher at defined distances, which are filled with compost, greenwaste, straw or sawdust. The material is mixed in by feeding it into the decending soil material directly behind the injection coulter.
Left: Trencher prototype. Center: Management, Central field trial I, Klein-Altendorf. Right: Principle of the Soil3 technique.
