Modern Agricultural Systems Research Articles

Gender Concepts In The Novels of Nazar Sajjad In The Context Of Feminist Reform

Thousands of years ago, system “Madr sari” system was prevalent. Women used to live independent life. Modern agricultural system introduced “Padar.shahi” system which changed the whole situation and women became subjugated and negligible, which placed them in defiance of the historical powder and dominance under the British Rule women were granted some of basic rights giving rise to their recognition in the society. The authors including female writers presented women as a subject of their novels. One of the female writers of that era is Nazar Sajjad Haider who presented the concept of modern and independent women with bravely.She is the mother of Qrat u lain Haider. She emphasized over the issues such as modern and higher education for the women, important of women consent at the time of marriage and men’ s right of second marriage, in her writings . This research work will analyze the social position of women under the novels of Nazar Sajjad Haider. She was practically a feminist who fought against the old fashioned and feudal prevalent traditions of her time.

Development Status and Countermeasures of Agricultural Mechanization in Hilly Mountainous Areas of Yulin

During the "14th Five-Year Plan," Yulin's agricultural mechanization developed rapidly, hilly mountain agricultural production gradually from animal power-based to rely on mechanical power transformation. However, due to the restriction of natural conditions and development basis, there are still problems such as unbalanced development of agricultural machinery and equipment, imperfect service system of agricultural mechanization, the small scale of agro-machinery industry and insufficient input of agricultural scientific research in Yulin. In view of this, put forward the policy suggestions to promote the development of agricultural mechanization in Yulin: improve the effectiveness of infrastructure construction, strengthen the innovation of agricultural science and technology, construct the modern agricultural management system, increase the investment of agricultural machinery scientific research and other countermeasures.

Internet of Things (IoT) in digital agriculture: An overview

AbstractClimate change, land degradation, and limited land and water resources have challenged our ability to meet the food demand of a rapidly growing population. To tackle this challenge, modern agricultural systems are relying on new technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) to improve agricultural productivity and resource use efficiency. Although IoT has gained considerable attention in the last few years, the key concepts of IoT and their applicability across different domains of agriculture are still new to many researchers, practitioners, managers, and policymakers. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review of the use of different IoT platforms, wireless sensor networks, and other associated technologies like remote sensing, cloud computing, and big data analytics in digital agriculture. The review also explores the use of communication technologies, microcontrollers, and machine learning in smart irrigation and decision support systems. The necessity of interoperability (data transfer and communication without human interference) among devices is discussed in detail with regard to facilitating and exchanging agricultural data more effectively. The discussion also includes opportunities and challenges in standardizing IoT; developing energy‐efficient and affordable technologies; and improving data collection, transfer, storage, processing, security, anonymity, and privacy. This paper further calls for collaborative research in sensor and communication technologies in the agricultural sector.

Life Cycle Analyses of Fertilizers: Carbon Emissions as a Measure of Energy Effi ciency

Using the analysis of the life cycle of fertilizers, it is shown that the values of greenhouse gas emissions can be considered as an indicator of energy ef iiency. Taking into account the huge array of data accumulated in recent years on greenhouse gas emissions (primarily CO2 and methane), it is possible to consider the problem of energy ef iiency (carbon dioxide emissions occur during fuel combustion, f rst of all, as well methane and CO 2 as precursors for N fertilizer) in the chain from fertilizer production to their logistics, application, production and waste disposal. Relevant examples are given in the text of the article. It is shown, that an increase in energy ef iiency in the considered life cycle of fertilizers, from production to utilization of agricultural waste, can signif cantly reduce the role of agricultural production in undesirable GHG emissions. It should be emphasized that reducing the potential of GHG emissions in the production of fertilizers depends on the source of energy used and the transfer of power plants from coal to gas, and especially RES, will be the most signif cant. When growing products, factors related to the use of modern farming systems based on accurate fertilization, the use of electronic soil maps, precision farming and increasing the ef iiency of fertilizer use, in particular, nitrogen and phosphorus, play a very important role.

Education and assistance in hydroponic plant cultivation for strengthening the self-reliant economy

Assistance with a hydroponic cultivation theme towards strengthening the self-reliant economy of Sukoreno Village is a manifestation of awareness in contributing to the development of a more modern agricultural system and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) within the community. The partners for this activity are 10 members of the Sukoreno Village Youth Organization ("karang taruna"). The implementation method consists of three stages: planning, implementation, and evaluation. During the planning stage, the situation and potential of the Sukoreno Village community are analyzed. In the implementation phase, seminars are conducted to provide information and invite the local youth organization and village government officials to practice farming using hydroponic systems, which are more space-saving, environmentally friendly, and practical to maintain. This aims to raise awareness among the community that farmers do not always have to rely on large plots of land. Evaluation involves regular checks on the hydroponic growing media in the village's greenhouse. Based on the monitoring and assistance activities conducted by our group members, the cultivated plants have thrived and become assets for the village's youth organization. Furthermore, some residents have shown interest in practicing hydroponics in their own homes. This activity can be further expanded on a larger scale within the Sukoreno Village area.

Multifaceted Impacts of Plant-Beneficial Pseudomonas spp. in Managing Various Plant Diseases and Crop Yield Improvement.

The modern agricultural system has issues with the reduction of agricultural productivity due to a wide range of abiotic and biotic stresses. It is also expected that in the future the entire world population may rapidly increase and will surely demand more food. Farmers now utilize a massive quantity of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides for disease management and to increase food production. These synthetic fertilizers badly affect the environment, the texture of the soil, plant productivity, and human health. However, agricultural safety and sustainability depend on an ecofriendly and inexpensive biological application. In contrast to synthetic fertilizers, soil inoculation with plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) is one of the excellent alternative options. In this regard, we focused on the best PGPR genera, Pseudomonas, which exists in the rhizosphere as well as inside the plant's body and plays a role in sustainable agriculture. Many Pseudomonas spp. control plant pathogens and play an effective role in disease management through direct and indirect mechanisms. Pseudomonas spp. fix the amount of atmospheric nitrogen, solubilize phosphorus and potassium, and also produce phytohormones, lytic enzymes, volatile organic compounds, antibiotics, and secondary metabolites during stress conditions. These compounds stimulate plant growth by inducing systemic resistance and by inhibiting the growth of pathogens. Furthermore, pseudomonads also protect plants during different stress conditions like heavy metal pollution, osmosis, temperature, oxidative stress, etc. Now, several Pseudomonas-based commercial biological control products have been promoted and marketed, but there are a few limitations that hinder the development of this technology for extensive usage in agricultural systems. The variability among the members of Pseudomonas spp. draws attention to the huge research interest in this genus. There is a need to explore the potential of native Pseudomonas spp. as biocontrol agents and to use them in biopesticide development to support sustainable agriculture.

The effect of the method of preservation of bee honey on the development of the pharyngeal gland in honey bees Apis mellifera L

Modern agricultural systems involve the use of large monocultures, which significantly limits the variety of flowers for bees. The article presents data on the biochemical composition of monofloral bee pollen and its influence on the development of pharyngeal glands in honey bees. The conducted studies give reason to believe that the protein content in bee pollen depends on the species origin and the preservation method. The studied samples for protein content show that its amount ranges from 11.9 to 24.9 %. The maximum amount of protein was found in fresh rapeseed and apple bee pollen. To study the influence of monofloral diets on the growth and development of the pharyngeal gland, 9 groups of analogous bee families were formed, 3 in each, which were fed three types of feed. The first type is fresh bee pollen from the following plants: apple tree, dandelion, winter rapeseed, buckwheat, clover, chestnut, raspberry. The second type is a similar bee pollen, only after a year of deep freezing storage. The ration of the third species consisted of the indicated bee pollen only in the process of harvesting it was dried. Along with this, the formed group of bee families was divided into two more subgroups. Some consumed mixed feed in equal proportions, others did not have any protein feed. The duration of the experiment was 15 days. On the 10th day, the development of acini of the pharyngeal gland was determined. The morphometry of the acini and the dynamics of vesicle filling indicate that the best indicators were found in the group of bees that consumed mixed bee pollen. A highly beneficial increase in the length and width of the acini of the pharyngeal gland was revealed by 36.4 and 34.7 % compared to bees that did not consume pollen at all. A group of bees that received fresh rapeseed and apple seed in their diet fully demonstrated their potential for royal jelly production. The worst development of the pharyngeal gland was found in the group of bees that consumed dried dandelion nectar. In this group of bees, the area of the acini ranged from 15.5 to 16.4 thousand μm2. The relationship between the protein content in the diet and the degree of development of the pharyngeal gland was revealed. Of the researched methods of its preservation, the conditions of deep freezing turned out to be the best. The use of experimental monofloral diets has a negative effect on the internal indicators of the body of honey bees. Key words: Apis mellifera L., pharyngeal gland, nutrition, protein, bee pollen, pollen storage.

Assessment of willingness-to-pay for bio-based fertilisers among farmers and agricultural advisors in the EU

Modern agricultural systems heavily depend on replenishing nutrients in the soils via mineral fertilisers. However, the extensive use and production of mineral fertilisers lead to adverse environmental effects. Furthermore, the raw materials used for the production of mineral fertilisers are unevenly distributed in the world and are susceptible to price fluctuations on the international market. A more circular solution is needed to ensure the sustainable supply of nutrients for agriculture in Europe. Bio-based fertilisers (i.e. fertilisers recycled from various waste streams while avoiding the use of fossil resources) can be a solution. The transition requires significant marketing efforts, but there is very little information on pricing preferences for newly developed bio-based fertilisers. This article aims to fill the gap by performing analyses of willingness-to-pay and price sensitivity using the Van Westendorp pricing technique and its extended version. Our analyses exemplified how the Van Westendorp methodologies can be used to generate insights into the price sensitivity of farmers and agricultural advisors in the EU. The selected methodologies allowed us to consider the ‘revenue vs. market share’ trade-off and thus distinguish the prices that are needed to gain the largest product market share and the prices that are needed to maximise the revenue from the products. Our results suggest that the price for a bio-based fertiliser at the 30–46% discount compared to the price of an equivalent mineral fertiliser would allow to maximise the market share of the product. Yet, to maximise the revenue the prices can be set equivalent to the ones of the mineral fertilisers. Combined with benchmarking studies and technical economic assessments our results contribute to the understanding of the key aspects needed for the development of marketing strategies and business case analyses for newly introduced products, such as bio-based fertilisers.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIGITISATION OF AGRICULTURAL AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS

Agriculture and development of rural areas are characterized by transformations, reforms, changes, and the search for innovation. Identification of solution alternatives and their effective implementation require human resources capable of concentrating and systemically setting priorities and performing necessary tasks for realization of ideas. With the help of agricultural digitization, one employee can communicate with several robotic devices at once by sending them specific instructions, thereby synchronizing their work with each other. Such activities in agriculture help to save time and achieve higher productivity. Purpose of the study is to analyse opportunities for digitisation of agricultural and rural development solutions. The focus is on one of the options, the aim is to define how in a digital environment, using decision support systems (DSS), one employee can carry out several jobs and, according to feedback signal, perform their quality monitoring. Using digital technologies in agriculture and rural change management, employees can guarantee that every modern agricultural and rural development management system will start its work on time, perform it qualitatively and finish it on time. An employee can monitor the processes of change in agriculture and rural environment with the help of information technology. With the help of internet technologies and robots, implemented advanced information systems (such as DSS) can collect, analyse and process huge data (metrological, soil conditions, market information, etc.), so one person can perform several jobs at the same time. Not all DSS are equally modern, allowing to analyse both tactical and strategic decisions. In order to successfully address the challenges of digitisation of agriculture and rural development, it is proposed to facilitate cooperation between a human (operator) and a robot when they exchange and (or) share tasks, control multifunctional processes, and, according to the obtained results, make changes to the components of the process in order to achieve the best result.

Robustness of plant breeding systems under automated phenotyping

Automated phenotyping is hailed to transform modern agricultural systems and relieve many sustainability challenges, like maintaining food security, halting biodiversity loss, and adapting to climate change. Yet, these issues can be traced from farming back to plant breeding and highly depend on the crop genetic diversity in use. Engineering and plant science usually take a look at automated phenotyping from a technical perspective and value its merits for research in plant breeding. In contrast, we lay out a more holistic view and ask what the social-ecological-technical repercussions to the robustness of on-site crop genetic diversity are from laboratory to breeding nursery where varieties for farming are being produced. We argue that automated phenotyping has a twofold impact on systemic robustness. On the one hand, it improves adaptive capacity by accelerating the breeding process. On the other hand, it's implementation can destabilize the system and have unforeseen negative impacts on on-site crop genetic diversity. Therefore, we call for explicit monitoring of the possible side effects by the system's governance.

Commercialization of Home Gardens in Upland Farming Systems: Evidences from Cash Crop Regimes of Rural Meghalaya, Northeast India

In developing countries, home garden is essential part of rural ecosystem and cater multiple functions including household food security. However, home gardens are getting commercialized in the developing world including the uplands of northeast India. Hence, we look at the impacts of commercialization on home gardens of different farming systems of Meghalaya. In this exploratory assessment, authors have employed qualitative methods including in-depth interviews to collect primary information from seven different farming systems that include two subsistence, three traditional, and two modern cash crop-based farming systems. The study has investigated the traditional practices of home gardening and its extent in different farming systems, crop and livestock diversities, levels of commercialization and the driving factors. It was found that crop diversification in the home garden is maximum in the jhum (shifting) farming system followed by tea-strawberry farming system. Similarly, the highest number of commercial crops is grown under home gardens in broom farming system and it had also made inroad to jhum (shifting) farming system to some extent. It is also found that chicken and pig rearing is common to all farming systems with some variations. Cattle have been introduced in some villages, as a direct consequence of introduction of wet paddy in the narrow valleys and partly a response to gradual cultural diffusion from the nearby plains. Besides, housing pattern of some settlement or space between dwelling units determine the existence of home garden.

Prediction of Crop Yield Based-on Soil Moisture using Machine Learning Algorithms

Agriculture planning is playing an important role as the economic growth is very high day by day in our daily life. There is lot of research study going on as there are few important issues like soil nutrients, crop prediction, farming system, crop monitoring in agriculture with modern farming system. Based on various parameters, farming issues and farming system, there is lot of change in production rate and market prices. Crop prediction and crop monitoring is main factor to produce good quality of crops for farmers to predict crop yield based on soil moisture. Prediction of crop yield includes forecasting factors like temperature, humidity, rainfall, etc., and crop yield based on soil moisture includes few measures like pH, NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorous and potassium) values using various sensors. Farmers can predict or come to a decision the type of soil moisture values, farmers can decide the type of crop to be planted. In this paper, we proposed decision tree supervised machine learning algorithm to improve our results for the prediction of crop yield based on soil moisture parameters to achieve economic growth for achievement of better results.

A Perspective Review on Green Nanotechnology in Agro-Ecosystems: Opportunities for Sustainable Agricultural Practices & Environmental Remediation

The modern agricultural system is facing the unprecedented task of contriving the extensive demand for agrarian production owing to population explosion and global climate change. The employment of Nanotechnology in agriculture has gained immense interest in recent times for the development of sustainable agricultural technologies and environmental remediation strategies. Nanotechnology pertains to the employment of nanoparticles and furnishes the potential to fabricate novel materials and products possessing improved quality. The nanomaterials may be used as; nanosensors, nanocides, nanofertilizers, nanobarcodes, and nano-remediators, which play a significant role in modern agricultural practices. However, the physical and chemical processes of nanoparticle production is neither economical nor environmentally sustainable. Therefore, the need for green or biogenic nanoparticles obtained from plants, bacteria, fungi or their metabolites has emerged as novel, sustainable, economical, biocompatible, and eco-friendly technology. In this perspective, the production and sources of biogenic nanoparticles and their implication in agro-ecosystems for crop productivity, soil health management, biocontrol, and environmental remediation have been focused on in this review. The potential development and implementation challenges are also explored.

Assessing farmland suitability for agricultural machinery in land consolidation schemes in hilly terrain in China: A machine learning approach.

Identifying available farmland suitable for agricultural machinery is the most promising way of optimizing agricultural production and increasing agricultural mechanization. Farmland consolidation suitable for agricultural machinery (FCAM) is implemented as an effective tool for increasing sustainable production and mechanized agriculture. By using the machine learning approach, this study assesses the suitability of farmland for agricultural machinery in land consolidation schemes based on four parameters, i.e., natural resource endowment, accessibility of agricultural machinery, socioeconomic level, and ecological limitations. And based on "suitability" and "potential improvement in farmland productivity", we classified land into four zones: the priority consolidation zone, the moderate consolidation zone, the comprehensive consolidation zone, and the reserve consolidation zone. The results showed that most of the farmland (76.41%) was either basically or moderately suitable for FCAM. Although slope was often an indicator that land was suitable for agricultural machinery, other factors, such as the inferior accessibility of tractor roads, continuous depopulation, and ecological fragility, contributed greatly to reducing the overall suitability of land for FCAM. Moreover, it was estimated that the potential productivity of farmland would be increased by 720.8 kg/ha if FCAM were implemented. Four zones constituted a useful basis for determining the implementation sequence and differentiating strategies for FCAM schemes. Consequently, this zoning has been an effective solution for implementing FCAM schemes. However, the successful implementation of FCAM schemes, and the achievement a modern and sustainable agriculture system, will require some additional strategies, such as strengthening farmland ecosystem protection and promoting R&D into agricultural machinery suitable for hilly terrain, as well as more financial support.

Application of Smart Techniques, Internet of Things and Data Mining for Resource Use Efficient and Sustainable Crop Production

Technological advancements have led to an increased use of the internet of things (IoT) to enhance the resource use efficiency, productivity, and cost-effectiveness of agricultural production systems, particularly under the current scenario of climate change. Increasing world population, climate variations, and propelling demand for the food are the hot discussions these days. Keeping in view the importance of the abovementioned issues, this manuscript summarizes the modern approaches of IoT and smart techniques to aid sustainable crop production. The study also demonstrates the benefits of using modern IoT approaches and smart techniques in the establishment of smart- and resource-use-efficient farming systems. Modern technology not only aids in sustaining productivity under limited resources, but also can help in observing climatic variations, monitoring soil nutrients, water dynamics, supporting data management in farming systems, and assisting in insect, pest, and disease management. Various type of sensors and computer tools can be utilized in data recording and management of cropping systems, which ensure an opportunity for timely decisions. Digital tools and camera-assisted cropping systems can aid producers to monitor their crops remotely. IoT and smart farming techniques can help to simulate and predict the yield production under forecasted climatic conditions, and thus assist in decision making for various crop management practices, including irrigation, fertilizer, insecticide, and weedicide applications. We found that various neural networks and simulation models could aid in yield prediction for better decision support with an average simulation accuracy of up to 92%. Different numerical models and smart irrigation tools help to save energy use by reducing it up to 8%, whereas advanced irrigation helped in reducing the cost by 25.34% as compared to soil-moisture-based irrigation system. Several leaf diseases on various crops can be managed by using image processing techniques using a genetic algorithm with 90% precision accuracy. Establishment of indoor vertical farming systems worldwide, especially in the countries either lacking the supply of sufficient water for the crops or suffering an intense urbanization, is ultimately helping to increase yield as well as enhancing the metabolite profile of the plants. Hence, employing the advanced tools, a modern and smart agricultural farming system could be used to stabilize and enhance crop productivity by improving resource use efficiency of applied resources i.e., irrigation water and fertilizers.

Resilience theory and coerced resilience in agriculture

There is uncertainty regarding the resilience of modern intensive agricultural systems, given that they have been developed recently in history (post-WWII). Historically, agricultural sciences have focused on scales from the molecular and plant to plot and field. Innovation in this space has led to increased efficiency in agricultural production at local scales, but it remains a challenge to scale up such knowledge to explain dynamics in soil, water, nutrients, and biodiversity at larger spatial and temporal scales, or to account for complex interactions and feedbacks. We present agricultural systems as coerced regimes, and then discuss three underutilized resilience concepts relevant for investigations of agricultural systems as multi-scaled complex adaptive systems (CASs): scales, uncertainty, and regime shifts. Framing agricultural systems as coerced regimes situates them according to their degree of self-organization, the impact on resilience, and the possibility of alternative regimes. Collectively, these resilience concepts offer a path forward for evaluating the resilience of modern agriculture systems and expanding agroecological principles to scales beyond that of the field or farm because they explicitly account for agricultural systems as multi-scaled complex adaptive systems. This knowledge base has immediate management implications from the farm to continental scale, as climate and land use change force challenging decisions regarding the ability of modern agriculture to persist as is, adapt, or transform in order to avoid undesirable regime shifts.

Productivity of high-oleic sunflower when grown in the conditions of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine

In modern agricultural systems, the basis of cultivation technology and an important factor determining the yield and quality of high-oleic sunflower seeds is regulation of mineral fertilizer rates. Therefore, the determination of their influence on the productivity of the culture determines the relevance of the conducted research. The purpose of the study is to determine the optimal rates of mineral fertilizer application to increase the yield of high-oleic sunflower hybrids in non-irrigated conditions of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine. To achieve the goal, a field study was conducted in the fields of the Mykolaiv State Agricultural Research Station of the Institute of Irrigated Agriculture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine. The subjects of the study are high-oleic sunflower hybrids Kadet, Hektor and Oplot, the originator of which is the V.Ya. Institute of Plant Breeding. Yuryev of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine. As a result of the study, it was found that when applying N90P90K60, the Kadet hybrid formed the largest diameter of the basket - 19.5 cm, under the same feeding conditions, the diameter of the basket in the Hektor and Oplot hybrids was 14.3 cm and 16.4 cm, respectively. The largest mass of 1000 seeds for the level of N90P90K60 fertilization was established in the hybrid Cadet – 59.8 g, and at the level of fertilization N30P40K30 the lowest mass of 1000 seeds – 41.7 g was formed in the hybrid Hector. In addition, in the high-oleic sunflower hybrid Kadet, the content of crude fat in seeds and oleic acid in oil was the highest compared to other hybrids in all variants of fertilization. The application of mineral fertilizers also affected the yield of high-oleic sunflower, so the yield of the Kadet hybrid was 24.1% higher with the application of N90P90K60, compared to the variant of application of N30P40K30, and the yield of the Hektor and Oplot hybrids was 33.3% and 28%, respectively, which makes it possible to state that the level provision of mineral fertilizers helps to increase crop productivity. The obtained results provide an opportunity to improve the technology of growing high-oleic sunflower under conditions of insufficient moisture, and the perspective of further research may be to study the effect of increased norms of each individual macroelement or their joint effect on the productivity and quality of the high-oleic sunflower crop

Blood transcriptomic differences in the immune response under stressful environmental according to stocking density in pigs.

The implementation of animal welfare in the pig industry is becoming a global trend, and welfare can be improved through livestock management. In modern and intensive farming systems, it has become important to find a reasonable compromise between stocking density and productivity. The simultaneous detection of behavioral and physiological parameters is helpful when considering welfare levels for stocking density. This study aimed to confirm the effect of stocking density through transcriptome linkage. A comparison of three groups according to stocking density (low density, eight pigs and 1.0 m2 per head; normal density, eight pigs and 0.8 m2 per head; and high density, eight pigs and 0.6 m2 per head) was performed, and their transcriptomic changes were observed using the RNA-Seq method. Differentially expressed genes were identified for each comparison group (low density vs. normal density, 95 upregulated genes and 112 downregulated genes; high density vs. normal density, 133 upregulated genes and 217 downregulated genes; and high density vs. low density, 245 upregulated genes and 237 downregulated genes). Biological mechanisms according to stocking density were identified through functional annotation. T-cell differentiation and immune disease pathway enriched in the high-density group caused immune imbalance through dysregulated T-cell signaling. Moreover, oxidative stress, together with DNA damage, can lead to high susceptibility to disease. Our study confirmed the biological mechanisms through immunological expression patterns according to stocking density. The study results are expected to provide comprehensive insight into systematic operation strategies considering stocking density and biomarkers for use in welfare evaluation.

Substantiation of the weed control system when placing grain production in microzones of the Central Chernozem region

The most important link in modern farming systems is the protection of crops from weeds. Only by taking effective measures to reduce the weediness of crops one can get a high yield of cultivated crops and high-quality products. On a field or plot with high weediness all other agricultural activities aimed at increasing crop yields will be ineffective. When planning for weed control, the grower must give priority to preventive and organizational measures. It is much easier to prevent weeding of agricultural land than to try to weed an already weeded area. Preventive measures include: seed cleaning; preparation of feed for feeding, allowing them to be cleaned of viable weed seeds; preparation of organic fertilizers (manure, composts) before applying them to the fields. An important measure that reduces the weediness of fields is the destruction of weeds on lands adjacent to fields: on unused plots, field edges, roadsides, edges of forest belts. Cleaning of weed seeds from wastes is necessary by means of agricultural machines and vehicles, as well as by means of containers.

Influence of fertilization and tillage systems on the humus condition of dark-grey podzolic soil

Topicality. Modern agricultural systems have an ambiguous effect on the humus condition of soils. The urgent task is to restore and preserve the fertility of the dark grey podzolic soil and increase the organic matter content in the agricultural system. Purpose. To determine changes in the humus condition of dark grey podzolic soil under sunflower under different tillage and fertilisation systems using crop rotation by-products. Materials and methods. In the long-term stationary experiment, the following tillage systems were used: ploughing at a depth of 25–27 cm, disking at 15–17 cm and disking at 10–12 cm. Ploughing under sunflower was carried out with plough PLN-3-35, disking – disc harrow AG-2.4-20. The fertilisation systems were as follows: 1) no by-products; 2) by-products; 3) N10 (ammonium nitrate) per 1 tonne of by-products. The humus content in the soil was determined according to the I.V. Tyurin’s method, the group composition of humus – according to method of M. M. Kononova and N. P. Bielchikova. Results. It was established that the highest humus content in the 0–20 cm layer of the soil under sunflower was 2.09 % for the variant with disking at a depth of 15–17 cm using by-products. On dark grey podzolic soil, humus accumulation is enhanced by disking at 15–17 cm and fertilisation with by-products and N10, which is accompanied by characteristic changes such as an increase in the total content of humic acids and non-hydrolysed residue in the humus group composition. The highest content of humic acids was 0.29–0.34 % in the plots with moldboardless tillage under different fertilisation systems. The lowest content of this important humus fraction was 0.23–0.25 % in the variant with different depth ploughing. In the variants with disking to a depth of 15–17 cm and 10–12 cm when using by-products with N10, the highest values of the ratio between carbon in humic acids and carbon in fulvic acids were 1.26 and 1.27, respectively. Conclusions. Application of moldboardless tillage, disking at a depth of 15–17 cm and fertilisation system with by-products + N10 contribute to the recovery of dark grey podzolic soil fertility and improvement of its humus condition. In Western Polissia of Ukraine, it is recommended to carry out disking at a depth of 15–17 cm with the use N10 per 1 ton of by-products in the fertilisation system for sunflower cultivation. Key words: humus, dark grey podzolic soil, fertilization system, humic acids, fulvic acids