One of the principle reasons why farmers plough the soil is to control weeds. Tillage is easy and weed control can be complete. Weed control without tillage is more complicated and requires much more knowledge. A lot of ...

Soil tillage leads to the breakdown of soil structure and land degradation (see bulletin on land and soil degradation) and is therefore not sustainable. However to be able to plant into unploughed soil, special methods or ...

The growing of two or more crops on the same piece of land in the same season is called intercropping. Crops grown as intercrops should be of different growth habits, canopy structure and rooting architecture. Maize for ...

Dominant weed species in smallholder farming systems are broadleaved annuals and perennials, and grasses. The most common and difficult to control broadleaved weed species on smallholder farms are (Wandering dew), (Mexican ...

Conservation agriculture (CA) is a crop management system based on three principles: a) minimum soil movement (no soil inversion by tillage) b) soil surface cover with crop residues and/or living plants and c) crop rotations ...

Crop residues consist of dead plant parts, or stover, that remain from previous crops, including green manure cover crops, and may be supplemented with dried weeds or other imported plant material. Soil cover is one of the ...