Strategic or Occasional Tillage: A Promising Option to Manage Limitations of no-Tillage Farming

No-till (NT) farming has several advantages over traditional tillage due to its ability to control erosion, lower fuel costs, conserve soil moisture, and promote greater soil health. However, long-term NT systems can also suffer from several management challenges, largely centred around controlling weed, pest, and disease populations, the stratification of nutrients at the soil surface, and the development of soil structural issues, such as soil compaction. Occasional strategic tillage (ST), whereby otherwise NT soils receive infrequent tillage events, may be a management option that can help farmers deal with some of the negative effects of long-term NT practice. We have reviewed the information around the drivers prompting farmers to introduce ST into NT systems; the likely effects of ST on crop agronomy and soil physical, chemical, and biological properties; and the current evidence for how best to implement ST. Overall, there are likely to be both advantages and disadvantages associated with ST, and it is important that full consideration be given to the timing and type of tillage used to minimise any negative effects of tillage and maximise its positive impact. In addition, further research is required to better understand and guide growers on how to best use ST to their advantage on a range of soil types and cropping systems.