Cover crops (CCs) are used in vineyards to deliver a number of ecosystem services, including soil erosion prevention, water infiltration and storage, reduced nutrient losses, increased organic matter content and competition with weeds. In conservation agriculture, CCs can be terminated and residues can be retained on soil surface and act as a dead mulch to suppress the weeds, also protecting the soil from rapid desiccation and keeping the soil moisture at good levels during the summer season. A method to terminate CCs in organic no-till systems is to use roller crimpers (RCs). There is a higher termination rate when RCs are used at least from the flowering stage of legume CCs and the anthesis of grass CCs. In this demo event we will show a new RC for vineyard built by Dondi srl, that have the possibility to increase its weight by adding ballast modules. The CC tested is a mix the includes: phacelia, vetch and triticale.
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