Long-Term Experiment: Tillage

Long-Term Experiment: Tillage

Tillage in Transition: Three Decades of Research in Raasdorf By Pia Euteneuer

The tillage experiment in Raasdorf has been ongoing since 1997, resulting in numerous theses and publications. The Experimental Farm Groß-Enzersdorf provides a brief insight into the experimental setup and an overview of the current results.

The experiment includes 5 tillage systems with 2 crop rotations and 4 replications. The 40 plots (20 × 40 m) can be worked with conventional tillage equipment. The tillage treatments are: conventional tillage with plow (25-30 cm), reduced tillage (25-30 cm), minimal tillage (10 cm), integrated tillage, and no-till (0 cm). Crop rotation A consists of winter wheat (WW) - maize - WW - sugar beet, and crop rotation B consists of WW - soybean - WW - winter rapeseed. The soils of this region are Chernozems, derived from calcareous fine sediments. They are deep, medium-textured, and consist of silty loam, with a significant increase in silt content in the subsoil.

After nearly three decades, significant differences between the systems are evident in several physical, chemical, and biological soil parameters. For example, no-till increased soil aggregate stability, bulk density, organic carbon, water productivity, and earthworm density compared to plowing [1-3], and influenced additional soil chemical properties [4]. In dry years, the yield of no-till is higher, in average wet years it is the same, and in wet years it is lower than that of the plowed variant [5]. Additionally, no-till saves fuel [6; 7].

You are warmly invited to include the tillage experiment in your research projects. Further details can be found in the publications of recent years:

  1. Euteneuer et al., 2024. doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105517
  2. Liebhard et al., 2022. doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2022.107719
  3. Simon et al., 2025. doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105863
  4. Neugschwandtner et al., 2020. doi.org/10.31545/intagr/114880
  5. Neugschwandtner et al., 2015. doi.org/10.17221/820/2014-PSE
  6. Moitzi et al., 2021. doi.org/10.17221/615/2020-PSE
  7. Moitzi et al., 2019. doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2018.11.002

Long-Term Experimant: "Eternal Rye"

Long-term agricultural experiments enable the study of cropping and soil management systems, as well as their complex interactions on plants, soils, pests and diseases, nutrient dynamics, and microbial biodiversity with a view to sustainable crop production (Frye and Thomas, 1991; Merbach and Deubel, 2008). The “eternal rye” experiment was initiated in 1906. It is located on the fields of the Experimental Farm Groß-Enzersdorf (48°11’N, 16°33’E; 153 m a.s.l.) east of Vienna. The Experimental Farm is situated on the western edge of the Marchfeld, an intensive arable farming area. The soil is a silty loam and classified as Chernozem of alluvial origin. It is rich in calcareous sediments. The average annual temperature is 10.6°C, and the average annual precipitation is 538 mm (1980–2009). 

Two factors are tested: (1) Cropping system (continuous rye cultivation compared to a three-field rotation of black fallow – winter rye – spring barley; (2) Fertilization: 1. Control (unfertilized), 2. Mineral fertilizer, and 3. Organic fertilizer. 

In 2011, nutrient contents in soil depths of 0-30 cm, 30-60 cm, and 60-90 cm were analyzed. The pHCaCl2 decreased in the topsoil layer as follows:  Control > Mineral fertilizer > Organic fertilizer. 

No differences were observed between the fertilization treatments in the following two soil layers (Figure 1a). The soil organic carbon (SOC) content increased in the topsoil layer as follows: Control < Mineral fertilizer < Organic fertilizer and was higher in the control treatment at a depth of 30-60 cm than with mineral fertilizer and organic fertilizer at a depth of 60-90 cm (Figure 1b). 

The plant-available contents of phosphorus (P, according to Olsen, Figure 1c) and potassium (K, according to Mehlich, Figure 1d) in the 0-30 cm depth were as follows: Control < Mineral fertilizer < Organic fertilizer. At a depth of 30-60 cm, P and K were higher with organic fertilizer than in the control and mineral fertilizer treatments. At a depth of 60-90 cm, they were higher with organic fertilizer than with mineral fertilizer. After 105 years, there are thus significant differences in pH, SOC (%), available P, and available K in the topsoil layer. In the following two layers, there are hardly any differences.

Long-Term Experiment: BOWAFU

Soil water is a vital component of the environmental water cycle and a crucial ecological factor for plant growth and soil health. The components of the soil water regime significantly influence the supply of water and nutrients to plants, nutrient leaching, soil temperature, and crop yield. In 2003, a long-term three-factor experiment was established in Raasdorf to investigate the effects of irrigation, soil tillage, and crop rotation on the yield of maize, wheat, and peas. The experiment covers 84 plots and an experimental area of 2.3 hectares. The experimental design is a split-split-plot setup with three replications:
 • Main plot factor: Irrigation: Three irrigations of 40 ml each versus non-irrigated control.
 • Sub-plot factor: Soil tillage: Plowing (24 cm depth) versus cultivation (15 cm depth).
 • Sub-sub-plot factor: Crop rotation: There are three crop rotations: (1) Maize – Wheat, (2) Maize – Wheat – Mustard as a cover crop, (3) Maize – Wheat – Mustard as a cover crop – Peas – Mustard as a      cover crop. Research focuses on yield formation, nitrogen uptake, and nitrogen use efficiency.