Aims: Conservation agriculture has been recommended as an option to mitigate climate change impact when practicing conventional, to ensure sustainability and food security This study examined the effect of conventional tillage (CT) and no tillage (NT) on mineral elements uptake, total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of barley. Study Design:  Split-plot design was applied for this study. Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was conducted in ESAK station (Boulifa, kef, North West Tunisia) during 2016/2017 cultivation year. Methodology: Mineral elements uptake, total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of barley were studied as affected by conventional tillage (CT) and no tillage (NT) for tillering and grain filling stages. Results: The results showed that tillage practices (T) had no significant effect on mineral uptake, total phenolic content and total flavonoids content under rainfed conditions. The stage (S) had showed significant effects on P, Ca and Na amounts for both tillage practices when it had no effect on K amount. The interaction T x S had no significant effect on mineral elements concentrations and TFC. However, this interaction had affected TPC significantly. Phosphorous (P) showed high significant positive correlations with Ca and Na. In addition, P presented high significant negative correlations with TPC and TFC. For partial correlation based on Tillage practices, similar correlations values were noted.  Considering the partial correlation based on plant stages, no significant correlations had been noted. Conclusion: This work enlarges our knowledge on barley mineral elements uptake, TPC and TFC as influenced by tillage practices aiding decision makers in increasing no tillage adoption in Tunisia under rainfed conditions.

Aims: As conservation agriculture have been proposed as an option to limit conventional agriculture impact and to ensure sustainability and food security. This study examined the effect of conventional tillage (CT) and no tillage (NT) on mycorrhization rate, mineral elements uptake, total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of oat during tillering. Study Design: Split-plot design was applied for this study. Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was conducted at the referential farm for direct drilling (Krib, Siliana) situated in northwestern Tunisia during 2015/2016 cultivation year. Methodology: Mycorrhization rate (MR), mineral elements uptake, total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of oat were studied as affected by conventional tillage (CT) and no tillage (NT) during tillering stage. Results: The results showed that tillage practices (T) had no significant effect on mycorrhization rate, mineral uptake, total phenolic content and total flavonoids content under rainfed conditions. Even if NT had no significant effect on MR, higher rates were noted for NT compared to CT. Conclusion: This study extends our knowledge on oat mycorrhization, mineral elements uptake, TPC and TFC as affected by tillage practices to advance results helping decision makers for no tillage adoption upscaling in Tunisia under rainfed conditions.

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In Tunisia, rainfed agriculture is facing the major challenges of low and irregular rainfall, as well as natural resources degradation. These are further accentuated by climate change. Changes in technical and management paradigms are needed to boost agricultural productivity. Since the early 1990s in Tunisia, a Conservation Agriculture (CA) system has been proposed as an adapted set of management principles to ensure more efficient and resilient agricultural production systems. In the last 20 years several research and development (R&D) projects have been implemented. Research findings in Tunisia show that the long-term adoption of CA allows increased crop yields and water use efficiency of cereals, enhanced soil biological life and soil organic carbon and reduced energy costs at farm level. Despite promising research results, adoption and up-scaling of CA in Tunisia has been rather modest (currently some 16,000 ha are managed under CA systems). The purpose of this book chapter is to summarize the previous R&D projects dealing with CA in Tunisia. It also aims to provide better insights into the complexity and potential ongoing solutions for integrating crops and livestock into CA systems. Crop-livestock systems dominate a large part of northern and central Tunisia where most of the rainfed field crops are produced.