Mode of moistening ordinary chernozem using the “no-till” technology

Abstract

Studies of the influence of different technologies of conventional chernozem cultivation on the reserves of productive moisture for the cultivation of maize over grain and winter wheat in the Steppe zone of Ukraine were carried out. The parameters of productive moisture in the technology of growing field crops using “no-till” soil treatment in relation to shelf ploughing were determined. It was established that the “no-till” system substantially reduces moisture loss due to unproductive evaporation with a high coefficient of precipitation assimilation and provides reliable protection of the soil from erosion. If the soil surface is covered close to 100% in the summer under maize, the reserves of productive moisture in the root layer are over 1.5 times higher than the corresponding reserves under conventional technology; in the absence of mulch, the moistening regime for no-till technologies is more intense compared to the conventional one. The mode of moistening the soil under winter wheat over maize for silage is preferable according to the “no-till” technology, but there was no substantial difference between the variants on average for 3 years. In a winter with little snow, the height of the snow cover was 3.2 times higher with the “no-till” technology with mulch compared to the conventional technology. It was found that a prerequisite for growing crops without tillage in the zone of insufficient moisture is the creation of a powerful layer of mulch due to the non-commodity share of the crop, which stays on the soil surface in crushed form. Projective mulch coverage of 100% or close to this level is the key to the widespread introduction of technologies for growing without tillage in arid Steppe conditions