In the present strip cropping system alternating rows (6 m) of
annual vetch (Vicia villosa L.)–winter rye (Secale cereale L.) intercropping
(IC) and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)–clover
(Trifolium repens + Trifolium pretense L.) pasture was grown in the
same field. The general idea is that the rye–vetch IC strip can be
managed as an independent annual rotation, whereas tillage is
absent in the grass–clover pasture strip for 4–6 years to enhance
root biomass production and residence time of carbon (Conant
et al., 2005; Soussana et al., 2004). When the pasture is incorporated
in the soil, the two strips will change place.