First testing of horse-drawn roller-cutter for green-manure crops management in Croatia

Abstract

Green manuring (GM) for raising the soil fertility becomes increasingly important due to environmental and other sustainability issues. However, GM is unavoidably associated with additional agrotechnical operations and energy consumption required for establishment of GM crops and their termination or incorporation of a GM herbage into soil, depending on the soil tillage system. Horse powered agriculture could be an option to decrease or avoid the consumption of fossil energy, as well as CO2 emissions from powering the cultivation of arable crops. However, some operations in GM management might be challanging by using solely the living horse power, namely the chopping of GM’s hergabe before its incorporation into soil. An entirely CAD-designed retroinnovation developed in Schaff mat Paerd asbl. of Luxembourg has given a horse-drawn alternative to tractor powered choppers and mulchers. The horse-drawn roller-cutter showed a good performance on crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) GM crop at the experimental site near Požega. However, the broad acceptance of horse-powered farming might be chalanging due to decrease of human labor efficiency when compared to modern tractorized farming. Rising the consciousness about sustainability issues and need for improved resilience to changing climate, as well as personal inner transformation of people might be needed to improve the image of such a labor-intensive agriculture.