For a number of years advisers have suggested crop establishment is an area which offers scope for cost savings. Sceptics would ask 'at what cost?' but field trials by numerous independent authorities have proven well managed non-inversion crop establishment can yield equally as well as its' plough-based equivalent.

Weed control, and the effect a reduced tillage regime has on it, is an area which often concerns potential min-till growers the most. If not correctly managed, weeds can be more of a burden than with plough-based establishment. However, the use of good stale seedbeds and rotational ploughing can offer advantages over a fully plough-based system. The key to success is knowing the weeds present, and understanding their respective germination / dormancy requirements. Different weeds will require different approaches in terms of timing, and depth of cultivation. The most successful growers will adopt a mix of inversion and non-inversion tillage to fully exploit the weaknesses of the weeds they encounter.

Amidst rising chemical resistance growers should look to cultural methods of weed control to improve their chances of controlling them fully.

To produce a good stale seedbed, growers should think of the seedbed they would produce for a grass ley. It should be firm and fine. A second, delayed cultivator pass should be used to encourage a second flush of weeds before spraying with glyphosate. Often growers try to combine too many operations in one pass (for cost saving) but end up working too deep and leaving the seedbed too course for an effective stale seedbed. Vaderstad have found by keeping stale seedbed cultivations shallow, a higher percentage of weed seeds will germinate.