Abstract
Soil biochemical properties shaping soil fertility and agro-ecosystem productivity depend on the reduced tillage system and the dose and method of application of fertilizer; therefore, the research hypothesis put forward proposes that under reduced tillage system conditions, the subsurface application of a multi-component mineral fertilizer would increase soil enzymatic activity, thus favourably influencing the biodiversity of the soil environment. The objective of the three-year study was to evaluate the impact of subsurface application of varying mineral fertilizer rates on soil enzymatic activity under reduced tillage system conditions in soybean, winter wheat and maize rotations. The field experiment was set up as a split-plot design in four replicates. The first experimental factor included two methods of mineral fertilization application: fertilizer broadcast over the soil surface (S); fertilizer applied deep (subsurface placed) using a specially designed cultivator (Sub-S). The other factor was the rates of the mineral fertilizer (NPKS): 85 kg∙ha−1 (F85) and 170 kg∙ha−1 (F170). The method of application and rate of mineral fertilizer did not have a significant effect on the organic carbon and total nitrogen content in the soil of the plots with all rotational crops. Subsurface application of fertilizer significantly increased available phosphorus content in soil under soybean and winter wheat crops; however, it significantly decreased soil pHKCl values within sites with all crops in the rotation compared to surface application. At the same time, deep application of mineral fertilizer significantly stimulated dehydrogenase activity in the soil under the winter wheat crops and acid phosphatase activity in the soil under all rotation crops. The higher level of mineral fertilization contributed to reduction of soil pHKCl under winter wheat and maize, and promoted an increase in the soil P content. Additionally, significant increases of dehydrogenases and urease activity in the soil under winter wheat and maize crops, alkaline phosphatase activity in the soil under all the studied crops, and acid phosphatase activity in the soil under the soybean crops were found, compared to mineral fertilizer in the amount of 85 kg NPKS∙ha−1. The results of the present study have demonstrated a positive effect of subsurface application of compound mineral fertilizer on the soil biochemical parameters in reduced tillage. This may be a recommendation for the subsurface use of multicomponent mineral fertilizers in sustainable agriculture. However, a full objective characterization of the soil environment processes induced by in-depth application of mineral fertilizer in reduced tillage requires long-term monitoring.
Highlights
Introduction conditions of the Creative CommonsIn the approach of sustainable development, developed in response to the problems of the modern world, a balance between economic growth, care for the environment and quality of life is extremely important
The study showed that the chemical properties and enzymatic activity of the soil in the plots studied depended on the type of parameter analysed, the method of application of compound mineral fertilizer and its dose, the plant grown and the years of the study (Tables 4–9)
There was no significant effect of the method of application of compound fertilizer on the activity of dehydrogenases and alkaline phosphatase in soil under soybean crops
Summary
Introduction conditions of the Creative CommonsIn the approach of sustainable development, developed in response to the problems of the modern world, a balance between economic growth, care for the environment and quality of life is extremely important. 2015, contains 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) addressing, among other things, food security, the promotion of sustainable agriculture, and the protection of biodiversity [1]. New ways are constantly being sought to increase crop productivity while making responsible use of environmental capital, including soils. Soil management in various agroecosystems to enhance food production has some trade-offs or disservices (i.e., accelerated water and wind erosion, decline in biodiversity and non-point source pollution), which must be minimized by developing sustainable agriculture. A good solution for sustainable agriculture is the use of minimum/reduced tillage systems and no-tillage systems (the absence of mechanical soil disturbance) [2,3,4,5,6]. Reduced cultivation is a tillage practice that does not invert the soil, combined with 30% of crop residues left on the soil surface, whereas no-tillage is defined as a system in which the soil remains undisturbed from harvest to planting and the seeds are drilled into the stubble of the previous crop [6]
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