The effect of elements of soybean cultivation technology on its productivity and water consumption on the slopes of ordinary blackearth

Abstract

Soy is a multifaceted agricultural crop. Its demand increases significantly every year. At the same time, the effect of elements of soybean cultivation technology on its yield and water consumption in conditions of erosion-dangerous lands of ordinary blackearth (chernozem) has not been sufficiently determined. The purpose of the current study was to assess the effect of soil cultivation methods, sowing methods and the background of mineral fertilizing on productivity and water consumption of soybean on the eroded slopes of the Pre-Azov area of the Rostov region. The trial was laid in the system of contour-landscape arrangement of the territory with the strip placement of crops on an erosion-dangerous slope with a steepness of up to 3.5–4°. The settlement of trial variants according to the methods of main soil cultivation and sowing methods is systematic, the repetitions of the trial and the background of fertilizers have been randomized. The field trial scheme included options with moldboard and chisel main tillage and such two sowing methods as a wide-row method with 45 cm row spacing, and a continuous row method (soil protection) with 15 cm row spacing. Mineral fertilizing included ‘0’ background was a natural fertility; ‘I’ background was N30Р60 kg/ha; ‘II’ background was N50Р90 kg/ha. The forecrop was spring barley. The study used the generally accepted methods, developed by B.A. Dospekhov (1979), A.N. Kostyakov (1957), S.A. Vorobyov (1971) and others. In the process of the study, there have been determined the parameters and nature of the formation of soil moisture reserves, its total amount for water consumption and for the development of a unit of production depending on various tilling systems, sowing methods and levels of mineral fertilizing. As a result of the study, there was found that the maximum soybean productivity (2.51 t/ha) and the most productive moisture consumption (88 mm t) were obtained using the chisel basic tillage and a continuous row sowing method against the background of mineral fertilizers N50Р90 kg/ha.