Best Practice Knowledge Base
5.6 Tilling/plowing
Tilling or plowing is employed in forest restoration to alleviate soil compaction, enhancing soil aeration and water infiltration. This facilitates root penetration and supports the establishment of vegetation. Additionally, plowing can incorporate organic matter into the soil, modifying its structure and fertility. However, this method must be applied carefully to prevent potential adverseeffects, such as erosion or disruption of soil microbial communities. Therefore, it is often integrated with other restoration strategies.
I. Guidelines
| Nº | Title | Author | Year | Focus Region | Language | Summary | Link |
| 1 | Subsoiling and Ripping to Prepare a Site for Tree Planting in the Southeastern United States | Dickens and Clabo | 2023 | World | English | General recommendations for subsoiling and ripping | https://bugwoodcloud.org/resource/files/27981.pdf |
| 3 | Tillage Tools and Practices in Organic Farming Systems | USDA | - | US | English | Discusses organic tillage for in the framework of reduced-tillage cropping systems. | https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2024-07/tillage-tools-and-practices-in-organic-farming-systems-nrcs-ofrf-guide.pdf |
| 4 | Use of Tillage in Organic Farming Systems: The Basics | eOrganic | 2009 | World | English | Uuse of tillage in organic farming systems, equipment, pros and cons, and examples of no-till applications | https://eorganic.org/node/2428 |
| 5 | Conservation tilling on organic farms | Baldwin | 2009 | US | English | Describes conservation tillage and discuss how it affects management practices | https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/pdf/conservation-tillage-on-organic-/2015-02-03/tillagefinaljan2009.pdf |
| 6 | Manual on integrated soil management and conservation practices | FAO | 1997 | World | English | Describes tillage methods in detail | https://soilhealth.ucdavis.edu/application/files/3515/4223/2563/fao_conservation_practices.pdf |
II. Books or book chapters
| Nº | Title | Author | Chapter | Chapter author | Year | Focus region | Language | Summary | Link |
| 1 | Forest regeneration manual | Duryea and Dougherty | Chemical and mechanical site preparation | Lowery and Gjerstad | 1991 | US | English | Provides general recommendations for disking, among other site preparation measures | https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-011-3800-0_13 |
| 2 | Principles of soil conservation and management | Blanco-Canqui and Lal | No-till farming | - | 2021 | World | English | Provides insights into the main methods for tillage and plowing | https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4020-8709-7 |
| 3 | Vegetable production and practices | Welbaum | Tillage and cropping systems | - | 2015 | World | English | Introduces tillage in detail, along with measures to prevent damage | https://www.cabi.org/Uploads/CABI/OpenResources/45346/Welbaum%20Ch2.pdf |
III. Scientific articles
| Nº | Title | Author | Year | Focus region | Language | Type | Summary | Link |
| 1 | Soil Compaction Prevention, Amelioration and Alleviation Measures Are Effective in Mechanized and Smallholder Agriculture: A Meta-Analysis | Yang et al. | 2022 | World | English | Systematic review | Meta-analysis on the effects of deep plowing and subsoiling of compacted soils on bulk density | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/5/645 |
| 2 | Forest soil rehabilitation with tillage and wood waste enhances seedling establishment but not height after 8 years | Bulmer et al. | 2007 | British Columbia | English | Experiment | Evaluates the effects of tilling and soil amendments on soil structural properties and and tree seedling growth | https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/full/10.1139/X07-063 |
| 3 | Reclamation of forest soils with excavator tillage and organic amendments | Bulmer | 2000 | British Columbia | English | Experiment | Evaluates the effects of tilling and soil amendments on soil structural properties and and tree seedling growth | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112799003060 |
| 4 | Best tillage practices for eucalyptus growth and productivity: A review on the Brazilian experience | dos Santos and Reichert | 2022 | Brazil | English | Conceptual review | Summarizes the state of the art in tillage in eucalypt plantations in Brazil | https://www.rbcsjournal.org/article/best-tillage-practices-for-eucalyptus-growth-and-productivity-a-review-on-the-brazilian-experience/ |