The effect of minimum methods of primary tillage on the structural and aggregate composition of gray forest soil in the Chuvash Republic

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The article informs on the 2006-2019 studies of the effect of resource-saving methods of tillage based on the use of combined tillage units KOS-3 (1st minimum), BDM-3.2х4 (2nd minimum), Spider-6 (3rd minimum without autumn tillage) in two crop rotations (grain-fallow-row crop rotation and grain-fallow-row green manure crop rotation) on the structural-aggregate composition of gray forest soil and crop yields. During the year of laying the experiment the percentage of structural aggregates (0.25-10 mm) in the soil of a grain-fallow-row crop rotation ranged from 72.2 to 74.4 %, in a grain-fallow-row green manure crop rotation – from 70.1 to 73.2 %, with the structural coefficient (K) 2.60-2.91 and 2.41-2.73, respectively. For two crop rotations the structural state of the soil improved due to the effect of green manure crop rotation (К = 3.07, LSD05 = 0.13) as compared to the grain-row without green manure (К = 2.93). More significant differences according to the soil structure coefficient were obtained in studied tillages: 3.03 (plowing), 3.41 (1st minimum), 2.91 (2nd minimum), 2.65 (3d minimum) with LSD05 = 0.17. The first and the second methods of minimal tillage had an advantage over plowing as to the increase in agronomically valuable aggregates (0.25-10 mm) as compared with the original soil. On the average among the crop rotations the yield of grain crops by classical and 1st minimum methods of tillage (3.65-3.66 t/ha) exceeded significantly the indicators of all the rest variants with minimum tillage (by 0.15-0.43 t/ha, LSD05 = 0.10). The yield of potato in all variants with minimal soil tillage was significantly lower (by 5.1-8.3 t/ha, LSD05 = 1.44) than with plowing (27.8 t/ha). The assessment of profitability of grain crops cultivation showed the advantages of replacing the moldboard plowing for resource-saving methods using combined tillage units KOS-3 and BDM-4-3.2 which provided the yield of spring and winter wheat, barley and spring vetch at the level of 2.42-4.50 and 2.33-4.41 t/ha, respectively, with cultivation profitability of 51-64 and 44-59 %. The third minimum method of tillage decreased the cultivation profitability of grain crops and vetch by 10-15 %. The best indicators of potato production profitability (67-82 %) were achieved when using the classical variant of soil tillage.