Potential for no-tillage and clipped-weed mulching to improve soil quality and yield in organic eggplant production

ABSTRACTDeep-inversion tillagefor weed controland residue incorporation can have a detrimental effect on agroecosystems. Despite the potential for no- tillage(NT) organic farmingto improve soil quality, the yield response of NT can vary. This study compared the effects of NT and conventional rotary tillage(CT), leafmould application (LM+) and no leafmould (LM–), clipped-weed mulchapplication (CM+) and no weed mulch(CM–) on eggplant yield and crop residue(Solanum melongenaL.) and on soil chemical and physical properties under standard organicfarming conditions. In both years, NT CM+ resulted in higher yield and crop residuethan in NT CM–. Soil bulk density was 34 and 32% lower in 2014 and 2015, respectively, in NT compared with CT. In both years, CM+ had a significant impact on the water content in the surface-layer in both tillagesystems. Soil organic carbon and active carbon concentrations, at 0–2.5 cm depth, were 85 and 20% higher in NT than in CT. In October, NO3-N, exchangeable Mg2+, Ca2+ (...