Harvesting is twice as fast as in conventional tillage as the pumpkins need no wash. This means a cost reduction of roughly AU$1,000 per hectare (see table below).
| Harvest Cost (labour)* | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | $/t | $/ha | Difference ($/ha) |
| Ryecorn cover crop + Roll + Strip-till | 20 | 1,000 | |
| Conventional tillage | 40 | 2,000 | + 1,000 |
* Assumptions: Labour cost at $30/h/person; yield (average) is 50 t/ha; harvest speed is 1.5 t/ha and 0.75 t/ha for Cover crop + Roll + Strip-till and Convential tillage respectively.
This project has been funded by Hort Innovation using the vegetable research and development levy and contributions from the Australian Government.
This project is supported by Applied Horticultural Research, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
