- Zero Tillage (ZT). The variations of this technology where planting is carried out without cultivating the soil with any kind of tillage implements, usually after an application of a desiccant herbicide prior to planting,
- Zero Tillage into Crop Residues (ZT). Planting into the residue left by previous crops, with minimum disturbance of residue and soil in the planting operation. The cover should ideally be 100% but down to 70% at planting is acceptable.
- ZT into a Permanent Cover Crop (ZTPC). To prevent excessive competition, the permanent cover is checked as necessary by herbicide or mechanical means at planting and during the crop cycle. The cover crop recovers in the pre-harvest stage and remains as winter crop or forage.
- ZT into Weed Cover (ZTWC). This is not ideal because weeds gives poor and uneven cover. This makes planter adjustment difficult and it provides insufficient residue generation for sustainability. To be uses as an emergency measure or first experience only.
- Emergency ZT after Conventional Tillage (CT/ZT). An emergency measure on land prepared but unplanted because of continuous rain. Unchecked weeds are killed with a desiccant and planting carried out with a conventional planter.
- Oversowing (OS). Usually into soya at or before early leaf fall, thereby gaining three weeks of rainfall. Sowing is mostly with millet and sorghum, but it also successful with molasses grass and Brachiaria.
- Minimum Tillage with ZT in rice (MT/ZT in rice). One disc harrowing in paddy fields at the beginning of the rains provokes weed germination, especially of red rice. This is later desiccated with herbicide and rice planted with a ZT drill.
- Strip Tillage (ST). Preparation of a narrow strip in a cover crop for planting of an annual or a permanent crop with full cover between strips.
- A Crop Succession constitutes two or more crops in one agricultural year.
- A Crop Rotation implies different summer and winter crops in successive agricultural years, or a series of different crop successions each year.
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