Abstract
Properly selected tillage methods and management of the available organic matter resources are considered important measures to enable farming in accordance with the principles of sustainable agriculture. Depending on the depth and intensity of cultivation, tillage practices affect soil chemical composition, structure and biological activity. The three-year experiment was performed on the soil under spring wheat (cv. Tybalt) short-time cultivation. The influence of different tillage systems and stubble management on the soil’s chemical and biological parameters was analyzed. Organic carbon content (OC); content of biologically available phosphorus (Pa), potassium (Ka), and magnesium (Mg); content of total nitrogen (TN), mineral nitrogen forms: N-NO3 and N-NH4 were determined in various soil samples. Moreover, the total number of microorganisms (TNM), bacteria (B), actinobacteria (A), fungi (F); soil respiratory activity (SR); and pH in 1 M KCl (pH) were also investigated. The results show that organic matter amendment is of greater influence on soil characteristics than the tillage system applied. Manure application, as well as leaving the straw in the field, resulted in higher amounts of organic carbon and biologically available potassium. A significant increase in the number of soil microorganisms was also observed in soil samples from the experimental plots including this procedure.
Highlights
The idea of sustainable agriculture, aimed at limiting the negative impact of agricultural practice on the natural environment, with simultaneous maintenance of the production profitability, is associated with many technological, economic, and social challenges [1]
The average amounts of organic carbon were higher in the experimental plots S.1 and S.2, where the stubble was managed by introducing straw into the soil
The present research suggests that while the diversification of cultivation treatments in terms of their quantity and the level of soil inversion can influence the values of the key chemical and biological parameters for soil fertility, the selection of an appropriate method of supplementing soil organic matter seems to have a much greater impact
Summary
The idea of sustainable agriculture, aimed at limiting the negative impact of agricultural practice on the natural environment, with simultaneous maintenance of the production profitability, is associated with many technological, economic, and social challenges [1]. The negative effects of traditional plowing include, among others, increasing the susceptibility of soil to the erosion process, accelerating the mineralization of soil organic matter, and limiting its biodiversity [3,4]. Tillage systems alternative to plowing, based on modifications in plant rotation, fertilization, and limiting or eliminating agrotechnical treatments (e.g., no-till system) may significantly affect the condition of the soil, as well as the size and quality of the crop, and eliminate the undesirable effects of intensive agricultural activity [5,6]. It turns out that despite the presumed positive impact of tillage simplification on soil properties, to excessive intensification, such treatment may result in unfavorable changes in the structural properties of soil, especially density and firmness, and in a reduction in its fertility due to phosphorus and organic matter losses [2]
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