03943naa a2200409 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902200140006002400370007410000170011124501910012826000090031950007860032852019070111465300160302165300290303765300100306665300130307665300270308965300100311670000150312670000170314170000160315870000140317470000160318870000220320470000230322670000160324970000250326570000180329070000260330870000170333470000170335170000200336870000180338877301270340610645042024-04-18       2024    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d  a0167-19877 a10.1016/j.still.2024.1060612DOI1 aSCARLATO, M.  aTowards the development of cover crop - reduced tillage systems without herbicides and synthetic fertilizers in onion cultivationbPromising but challenges remain.h[electronic resource]  c2024  aArticle history: Received 8 May 2023, Revised 15 February 2024, Accepted 20 February 2024, Available online 6 March 2024, Version of Record 6 March 2024. -- Correspondence:  Scarlato, M.; Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de la República, Camino Folle km 35.500, CP, Canelones, Progreso, Uruguay; email:mscarlato@fagro.edu.uy -- Document type: Article, Hybrid Gold Open Access. -- Funding: This work was supported by the National Research and Innovation Agency of Uruguay (grant no. POS_EXT_2016_1_134356 and project no. FMV_3_2018_1_148038 ), the National Institute of Agricultural Research of Uruguay , and the HortEco project funded by NWO-WOTRO (contract no. W 08.250.304 ). -- Supplementary material: https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S016719872400062X-mmc1.docx  aABSTRACT.- Cover crops with reduced tillage technology (CC-RT) can foster soil health and functioning, a crucial agroecological principle in any transition strategy to more sustainable agricultural systems. However, CC-RT commonly strongly relies on herbicides and synthetic fertilizers, and vegetable crop yields are variable and often low. We assessed the effects of two tillage systems (RT and conventional tillage) and the application of native effective microorganisms (NEM) on onion crop growth and development, yield, N-status, weed pressure, and soil physico-chemical and biological quality after a summer CC, without using herbicides or synthetic fertilizers. Using a participatory research strategy, we conducted a two-year experiment at an experimental station and a one-year trial on two commercial farms. Onion yields were generally low (between 10 and 16 Mg ha-1) and lower in 2019 than in 2020, and lower in RT than in CT in 2020. The relatively low yields in 2019 and RT were associated with poor crop growth and development and leaf-N concentrations below the critical threshold in the early stages of crop development. Soil bulk density was not limiting crop growth in any treatment. Soil mineral N was lower in 2019 than in 2020 and did not significantly differ between treatments. Soil biological activity was higher in RT than in CT. Although the CC residue soil cover in the early stages of the onion crop in RT was more than 50%, RT had a higher weed pressure than CT, which was reversed later in the growing season. The NEM application did not significantly affect most crop, weed, and soil variables. In conclusion, a reduced tillage system for onions without herbicides and synthetic fertilizers is within reach. However, further research is needed to manage weeds and soil N supply dynamics to make CC-RT feasible for no or low agrochemical input systems. © 2024 The Authors  aAgroecology  aConservation agriculture  aFarms  aNitrogen  aParticipatory research  aWeeds1 aRIEPPI, M.1 aALLIAUME, F.1 aILLARZE, G.1 aBAJSA, N.1 aBERTONI, P.1 aBIANCHI, F.J.J.A.1 aECHEVERRIBORDA, G.1 aGALVÁN, G.1 aGARCÍA DE SOUZA, M.1 aGILSANZ, J.C.1 aGONZÁLEZ BARRIOS, P.1 aDIESTE, J.P.1 aTRASANTE, T.1 aROSSING, W.A.H.1 aDOGLIOTTI, S.  tSoil and Tillage Research. 2024, Volume 240, Article 106061. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2024.106061  --- OPEN ACCESS.