Soil Tillage Methods Research Articles

The effect of the soil tillage methods for forecrop and N-mineral fertilization on the yield of winter triticale (× Triticosecale sp. Wittmack ex A. Camus 1927)

The aim of the research was to evaluate the effect of three different methods of soil cultivation for the forecrop on the yield and protein content in winter triticale grain depending on the amount of mineral nitrogen used. The yield of winter triticale grain depended the most on the distribution and sum of rainfall and on the doses of mineral N. A significant impact of the increasing total amount of rain and the distribution of precipitation in the years and months of the research on most of the studied features of triticale was found. The average triticale grain yield and protein content were significantly higher when soybean forecrop was grown using the reduced and strip-till method than after traditional plow cultivation. N doses from 60 to 180 kg ha–1 had the highest, but, on average, insignificantly differentiated impact on the yielding of triticale in the years of the study. N fertilization did not differentiate the number of spike-bearing stalks or the weight of 1000 grains. The triticale yield and protein content increased significantly up to the dose of 120 kg N ha–1.

Maize response to localized mineral or organic NP starter fertilization under different soil tillage methods

An early maize (Zea mays L.) sowing date plays a key role in increasing the grain yield, especially in a temperate climate. The adoption of reduced tillage techniques, such as strip tillage (ST), can decrease cultivation costs, compared to plowing (PLOW), but might also reduce the crop early development rate as a result of lower soil temperatures. Therefore, farmers often adopt starter fertilizations when sowing maize, in order to improve the early-season nutrient uptake, nutrient use efficiency and plant development. The aims of this study were to assess the effects of the adoption of ST, compared to PLOW, and a starter fertilization with deep-injected digestate (DIG) or sub-surface placed diammonium phosphate (DAP), compared to an unfertilized treatment (NT) on the early growth, grain yield and grain qualitative and sanitary traits of maize. Field experiments were carried out in NW Italy over the 2019 and 2020 growing seasons on two different soils. ST determined cooler soil conditions at both sites, compared to PLOW, thus resulting in lower NDVI values due to both slower plant development and lower final crop density. The starter fertilization with DAP recorded the best early vigor and canopy development, expressed as plant height in both sites and for both tillage techniques, while the DIG values were intermediate between the DAP and NT treatments. Although the effects on the early vigor of maize differed between the experimental sites, displaying more pronounced differences in the finer-textured soil, ST on average delayed the flowering (+2.2 days) and consequently delayed the moisture dry down process (+1.2% grain moisture content at harvest), compared to PLOW. The starter fertilization with DIG or DAP led to an earlier flowering, compared to NT (−2.6 and −4.6 days, respectively). The grain yield was not affected by the tillage system, as the plants in ST compensated for the lower plant density with an increased ear length (+1.5%). Instead, DIG and DAP recorded similar and higher grain yields (+1.8 and +1.6 Mg ha−1) than NT. DIG application led to a higher grain protein content and lower level of fumonisin contamination than the other treatments, while ST determined higher deoxynivalenol values than PLOW. The combination of ST and DIG as a starter fertilization can help maintain the production level and the grain quality, compared to conventional techniques that involve the use of mineral fertilizers and plowing, thereby leading to a higher sustainability of the maize cropping system.

In‐situ tin casting combined with three‐dimensional scanner to quantify anecic earthworm burrows

AbstractEarthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) play a critical role in soil ecosystems. Analyzing the spatial structure of earthworm burrows is important to understand their effect on water flow and solute transport. The aim of this study was to quantitatively characterize structural characteristics (cross‐sectional area [A], circularity [C], diameter [D], actual length [Lt], tortuosity [τ]) of anecic earthworm burrows that were open and connected at the soil surface at two sites of different tillage treatments (no‐till at Lu Yuan [LY] and rotary tillage at Shang Zhuang [SZ]) by combining a new in‐situ tin casting method with three‐dimensional (3D) laser scanning technology. The cross‐sections of anecic earthworm burrows were almost circular, and the C values were significantly negatively correlated with D and A. Statistically, there were no significant differences in the τ values (1.143 ± 0.082 vs. 1.133 ± 0.108) of anecic earthworm burrows at LY and SZ, but D (6.456 ± 1.585 mm) and A (36.929 ± 21.656 mm2) of anecic earthworm burrows at LY were significantly larger than D (3.449 ± 0.531 mm) and A (9.786 ± 2.885 mm2) at SZ. Our study showed that burrow structures at two different sites differed from each other. Soil tillage methods, soil texture, and soil organic matter content at the two sites could have affected earthworm species composition, variation of earthworm size and the morphology of burrows. The method used in this research enabled us to adequately assess the spatial structure of anecic earthworm burrows in the field with a limited budget.

Quantifying the relationships of soil properties and crop growth with yield in a NPK fertilizer application maize field

Spatial variability of soil properties, crop performance, fertilization management, and tillage methods play an important role in yield prediction and improvement. However, the farm nutrient management in most regions of the world is still based on conventional and uniform management strategies, without take into consideration the spatial variability of the above factors. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to delineate potential management zones (MZs), with the considering of spatial variability of soil properties, crop performance, fertilization management, tillage methods, and investigate their relationships with yield, and their contributions to yield in each management zone. A 1.60 ha maize field with fertilizer and tillage management, in Lishu County, Jilin Province, China, was selected as the study area and soil samples with soil organic matter, total nitrogen and soil pH measured values, crop samples with crop height, leaf nitrogen content, above ground biomass at V6, silking, and maturity growth stages, and yield measured values were collected in 2019 and 2020. Firstly, the rectangular MZs were defined to divide the study area into relatively homogeneous areas based on the spatial variability of soil properties, crop performance, and yield of 2019 and 2020. Secondly, the correlations of soil properties and crop performance with yield were obtained across MZs and growth stages in 2019 and 2020. Lastly, the yield prediction models were established based on the above four types of factors by using random forest (RF) model and the contributions of main factors were obtained quantitatively across different MZs and years. The results showed that (1) the small maize field was divided into three rectangular MZs and most of the soil and crop attributes presented homogeneous characteristics in each zone; (2) correlations of soil properties and crop performance with yield varied across different MZs and growth stages, and even different years; (3) RF model obtained good performance across MZs and years, with R2 = 0.86 and RMSE = 0.77 kg/ha in 2019 and R2 = 0.89 and RMSE = 1.04 kg/ha in 2020 both for the whole field. The contribution of main factors for yield varied across both MZs and years, while some characteristics of the main factors’ contributions remain unchanged. This study would open the opportunity to farmers and agricultural experts for site-specific nutrient management in the maize field.

Carbon isotope discrimination and the factors affecting it in a summer maize field under different tillage systems.

Based on two years of field experiments, under different soil tillage methods and straw management practices, which included conventional tillage (CT), subsoiling (SS), rotary tillage (RT), and no-tillage (NT), combined with either straw return (S) or straw removal (0), we characterized the dynamic changes in Δ13C among three height layers [upper (U, 240 cm above the ground), middle (M, 120 cm above the ground), and lower (L, 30 cm above the ground)] of the summer maize canopy. The Δ13C, the factors affecting it, and the relationships between Δ13C and soil water content (SWC), the leaf area index (LAI), canopy microclimate, and the CO2 concentration were elucidated. The results indicated that the Δ13C of summer maize at the pre-filling stage was greater than that at the post-filling stage. Δ13C also varied at different heights, with the order of the Δ13C values being L > U > M. Among the different tillage methods, the Δ13C values were ordered SSS > CTS > RTS > NTS. SSS and NTS significantly increased the LAI; air temperature and relative humidity tended to gradually decrease with the increase in height of summer maize. Correlation analyses of the various influencing factors and Δ13C showed that SWC, LAI, air temperature, and CO2 concentration were all positively correlated with Δ13C, in which LAI and air temperature were significantly or extremely significantly positively correlated with Δ13C. In addition, we show that Δ13C can be used as a prediction index for summer maize yield, providing a theoretical basis for future yield research that may save precious time in summer maize breeding efforts.

Direct onion sowing under soil tillage methods

Onion production is conditioned to the adopted techniques during the cultivation. Sowing depth, soil preparation and cultivars are determinant factors for productivity to be increased. Two experiments were developed, the first with the objective of evaluating the effect of sowing depths and soil preparation methods on the germination and development of onion seedlings, while the objective of the second was to evaluate the productivity of onion cultivars as a soil preparation function. In experiment I, the split plot scheme was adopted, where the main plots consisted on soil tillage methods (total area and bed) and in the subplots, the sowing depths (0.5; 1.0; 1.5 and 2.0 cm), with six replicates. Experiment II was carried out in a split plot scheme, in which the main plots consisted on soil tillage methods (total area and bed) and in the subplots, such as onion cultivars (Itajubá, Rainha, Salto Grande, Ômega, Mulata and BR29), with four replicates. The 1.5 cm sowing depth provided greater speed of germination and plant stand. Raising beds offers the best initial seedling development. The onion cultivation under beds offers the highest vegetative development and productivity.

IMPACT OF METHODS OF SOIL CULTIVATION AND TIMING OF FERTILIZATION ON INCREASING THE DROUGHT RESISTANCE OF WINTER WHEAT IN NATURAL CONDITIONS

In order to mitigate the decline and loss of crop yields due to the deterioration of ecological conditions, the impact of methods of soil tillage and fertilization on regulation of water regime and increase of drought resistance of winter wheat was studied in the brown gravel soils of the lowland zone of Martuni region in the conditions of rainfed agriculture. The advantage of the zero tillage over the improvement of water properties of soil compared to the traditional tillage was revealed by experimental-research method and also the positive effect of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers and the negative impact of nitrogen and complete fertilizers used before tillage on such physiological property which provides drought tolerance of wheat plants as the decrease of intensity of transpiration was found out. At the same time, it turned out that phosphorus-potassium fertilizers given before sowing and nitrogen fertilizer given in the spring as nutrient create a equal balance of nutrients in plants, xerophyte traits are developed in plants and high crop yield is obtained in the conditions of high tension of atmospheric factors.

THE ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY OF PRODUCTION OF A TRITICALE HYBRID GENETIC LINE AT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF INTENSITY

The aim of the study was to evaluate the economic efficiency of production of a hybrid genetic line of winter triticale in comparison with a short-straw form, at different intensity levels under cereal crop rotation conditions. Calculations were made based on three-year (2017-2019) field trial results. The analysis included tillage methods (traditional and simplified), differentiated nitrogen fertilization (0,90 and 120 kg N/ha) and two forms of triticale: The rotondo variety and the hybrid genetic line – BOH 2415. The gross margin was taken as a measure of economic efficiency. The economic effectiveness of cultivation of both forms of winter triticale was assessed from the perspective of utilizing one of the basic production factors, i.e., land. The gross profitability index for particular variants of the experiment was also calculated as the relation of production value to direct costs. The analysis of production and economic indices showed that the more favorable variant of winter triticale cultivation was hybrid form cultivation technology with the use of traditional tillage (plough) and a nitrogen fertilization rate at a level of 120 kg N/ha. The level of the obtained gross margin was more influenced by the level of the obtained yield and the purchase price of triticale than by the level of incurred direct costs depending on the soil tillage method.

Soil biological activity of short rotation crop at the maximum saturation with sunflower

Soil biological activity of short rotation crop at the maximum saturation with sunflower

Application of rainfall simulator methods for the study of soil processes

Rainfall simulator methods for experimental studies of erosion soil losses, soil absorption capacity and loss of dissolved substances from the soil are described. The methods are based on the concept of similarity and on the criteria of similarity. They provide the use of experimental data for natural rains. The study of soil infiltration on four variants is described: two soil tillage methods (plowing and No-till) and two crops (winter wheat and peas). The experiments were carried out on March, 27 and August, 4, 2020. The density and moisture of the soil were close, there were more plant residues on the soil surface on August, 4. The following is established: for winter wheat with No-till the type of infiltration differed from the type of infiltration on other variants. For natural rain and all variants calculations of rain runoff were carried out. On all the variants the runoff was on March, 27, and on August, 4 there was no runoff. The hypothesis is formulated that all this is associated with plant residues on the soil surface.

Conservation Strip Tillage Leads to Persistent Alterations in the Rhizosphere Microbiota of Brassica napus Crops

Microbes play vital roles in many soil ecosystem functions and services, which are crucial for agricultural productivity. Among different agricultural management practices, soil tillage methods can result in changes in a soil's physical, chemical and biological properties, including the soil microbiome. In addition, crop type and the plant developmental stage are important drivers of rhizosphere bacterial microbiota structure and composition. Here, we have used high-throughput, 16S amplicon sequencing to explore the rhizosphere bacterial structure and composition of Brassica napus (winter oilseed rape) in two contrasting tillage practices; conventional-plough based tillage and conservation strip tillage, over three different plant growth stages (vegetative, flowering and harvesting stage). This was the first year that conservation strip tillage was used in this field, as in previous years plough based tillage practices has been used. Our findings show that tillage and growth stages were important determinants of microbial community structure and composition, but the effect of tillage became stronger at plant maturity. The combined effect of conservation strip tillage and harvesting stage had a impact on the rhizosphere microbiota selection. The rhizosphere bacterial community of winter oilseed rape under conservation strip tillage was different to that under conventional tillage. Our data suggests that different tillage regimes created distinct ecological niches that selected different microbiota with potential consequences for the ecosystem services provided to the plants and the soil environment.

An Automated Machine Learning Framework in Unmanned Aircraft Systems: New Insights into Agricultural Management Practices Recognition Approaches

The recent trend of automated machine learning (AutoML) has been driving further significant technological innovation in the application of artificial intelligence from its automated algorithm selection and hyperparameter optimization of the deployable pipeline model for unraveling substance problems. However, a current knowledge gap lies in the integration of AutoML technology and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) within image-based data classification tasks. Therefore, we employed a state-of-the-art (SOTA) and completely open-source AutoML framework, Auto-sklearn, which was constructed based on one of the most widely used ML systems: Scikit-learn. It was combined with two novel AutoML visualization tools to focus particularly on the recognition and adoption of UAS-derived multispectral vegetation indices (VI) data across a diverse range of agricultural management practices (AMP). These include soil tillage methods (STM), cultivation methods (CM), and manure application (MA), and are under the four-crop combination fields (i.e., red clover-grass mixture, spring wheat, pea-oat mixture, and spring barley). Furthermore, they have currently not been efficiently examined and accessible parameters in UAS applications are absent for them. We conducted the comparison of AutoML performance using three other common machine learning classifiers, namely Random Forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), and artificial neural network (ANN). The results showed AutoML achieved the highest overall classification accuracy numbers after 1200 s of calculation. RF yielded the second-best classification accuracy, and SVM and ANN were revealed to be less capable among some of the given datasets. Regarding the classification of AMPs, the best recognized period for data capture occurred in the crop vegetative growth stage (in May). The results demonstrated that CM yielded the best performance in terms of classification, followed by MA and STM. Our framework presents new insights into plant–environment interactions with capable classification capabilities. It further illustrated the automatic system would become an important tool in furthering the understanding for future sustainable smart farming and field-based crop phenotyping research across a diverse range of agricultural environmental assessment and management applications.

Monitoring of Khorasan (Triticum turgidum ssp. Turanicum) and Modern Kabot Spring Wheat (Triticum aestivum) Varieties by UAV and Sensor Technologies under Different Soil Tillage

Khorasan wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. turanicum (Jakubz.)) is an ancient tetraploid spring wheat variety originating from northeast parts of Central Asia. This variety can serve as a full-fledged alternative to modern wheat but has a lower yield than modern varieties. It is commonly known that wheat growth is influenced by soil tillage technology (among other things). However, it is not known how soil tillage technology affects ancient varieties. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of different soil tillage technologies on the growth of the ancient Khorasan wheat variety in comparison to the modern Kabot spring wheat (Triticum aestivum) variety. The trial was arranged in six small plots, one half of which was sown by the Khorasan wheat variety and the other half of which was sown by the Kabot wheat variety. Three soil tillage methods were used for each cultivar: conventional tillage (CT) (20–25 cm), minimum tillage (MTC) with a coulter cultivator (15 cm), and minimization tillage (MTD) with a disc cultivator (12 cm). The soil surface of all of the variants were leveled after tillage (harrows & levelling bars). An unmanned aerial vehicle with multispectral and thermal cameras was used to monitor growth during the vegetation season. The flight missions were supplemented by measurements using the GreenSeeker hand-held sensor and plant and soil analysis. The results showed that the Khorasan ancient wheat was better suited the conditions of conventional tillage, with low values of bulk density and highvalues of total soil porosity, which generally increased the nutritional value of the yield in this experimental plot. At the same time, it was found that this ancient wheat does not deplete the soil. The results also showed that the trend of developmental growing curves derived from different sensors was very similar regardless of measurement method. The sensors used in this study can be good indicators of micronutrient content in the plant as well as in the grains. A low-cost RGB camera can provide relevant results, especially in cases where equipment that is more accurate is not available.

Farklı Temel Toprak İşleme Yöntemlerinin Ayçiçeği Tohumlarının Toprak Katmanındaki Dikey Dağılımına ve Bitki Gelişimine Etkisi

The investigation was carried out on slightly leached chernozem soil type during 2014 – 2016. The effects of different soil tillage methods for sunflower on the vertical distribution of the seeds in the soil layer and the development of the plants were followed – ploughing at 24-26 cm, chisel ploughing at 24-26 cm, disking with disk harrow at 10-12 cm and no-tillage. The highest percent of sunflower seeds in the zone of the soil layer optimal for sowing (5-7 cm) were significantly placed in the areas cultivated with chisel-ploughing (62.1%). Under the other types of soil tillage, their amount decreased. When sowing was performed at a mean diurnal air temperature close to the norm (10.1 °С), the emergence of the plants in the variants with chisel ploughing, disking and no-tillage occurred significantly slower in comparison to ploughing. At higher mean diurnal air temperature (12.0 °С), only at the beginning of sunflower emergence some delay was observed depending on the type of the applied soil tillage. Under these conditions, a significant difference in the occurrence of the phenophases was determined in the variants with disking and direct sowing, as compared to the areas with ploughing. With the minimizing and exclusion of the soil tillage, the growth of the sunflower plants was significantly retarded at the initial stages of their development. At phenophase flowering, the plant height and the stem diameter were lowest in the areas cultivated with disking. The investigated types of soil tillage did not have a significant effect on the diameter of the sunflower heads.

Resource-saving methods of fodder crop cultivation in the Trans-Baikal Territory

The results of the study on the comparative assessment of different tillage methods in the field crop rotation with different levels of mineral nutrition (N30P30 and N60P30 kg of active ingredient/ ha) are presented. The experiment was carried out on low-humus low-carbonate chernozem of the forest-steppe zone of Eastern Trans-Baikal Territory in 2012–2014. The zoned variety of Buryatskaya-79 spring wheat, and Metis oat variety were used for sowing. Low-cost methods of soil tillage were studied, providing for the preservation and improvement of soil fertility, an increase in the productivity of grain and fodder crops, and a decrease in material and energy costs. Replacement of the basic tillage with a PN-4-35 plow with a ring roller in the third and fourth crop rotation fields by surface tillage with a Stepnyak-7.4 cultivator and direct sowing on the stubble with a PPM Ob4-ZT seeder when applying mineral fertilizers at a rate of N60P30 kg of active ingredient/ha had a positive effect on the condition of the soil. The following indicators of soil fertility were achieved: structural coefficient 1.28–1.38, organic matter content 3.15–3.33%, productive moisture content in the 0–50 cm layer 29.2–31.8 mm, the release of carbon dioxide 1.810–1.969 kg per 1 hour, the content of Р2О5 in the 0–20 cm layer 71–96 mg/kg of soil, the content of K2O – 57–82 mg/kg of soil. An increase in the yield of oat grain of 0.16–0.21 t/ha, the green mass of annual grasses of 3.44.0 t/ha, the collection of feed units of 0.32–0.34 t/ha, a reduction in the cost of fuel and lubricants by 31.2-36.4%, and an increase in profitability by 25.0–40.3% were achieved.

The Application of an Unmanned Aerial System and Machine Learning Techniques for Red Clover-Grass Mixture Yield Estimation under Variety Performance Trials

A significant trend has developed with the recent growing interest in the estimation of aboveground biomass of vegetation in legume-supported systems in perennial or semi-natural grasslands to meet the demands of sustainable and precise agriculture. Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are a powerful tool when it comes to supporting farm-scale phenotyping trials. In this study, we explored the variation of the red clover-grass mixture dry matter (DM) yields between temporal periods (one- and two-year cultivated), farming operations [soil tillage methods (STM), cultivation methods (CM), manure application (MA)] using three machine learning (ML) techniques [random forest regression (RFR), support vector regression (SVR), and artificial neural network (ANN)] and six multispectral vegetation indices (VIs) to predict DM yields. The ML evaluation results showed the best performance for ANN in the 11-day before harvest category (R2 = 0.90, NRMSE = 0.12), followed by RFR (R2 = 0.90 NRMSE = 0.15), and SVR (R2 = 0.86, NRMSE = 0.16), which was furthermore supported by the leave-one-out cross-validation pre-analysis. In terms of VI performance, green normalized difference vegetation index (GNDVI), green difference vegetation index (GDVI), as well as modified simple ratio (MSR) performed better as predictors in ANN and RFR. However, the prediction ability of models was being influenced by farming operations. The stratified sampling, based on STM, had a better model performance than CM and MA. It is proposed that drone data collection was suggested to be optimum in this study, closer to the harvest date, but not later than the ageing stage.

A Spectroscopic Approach to Evaluate the Effects of Different Soil Tillage Methods and Nitrogen Fertilization Levels on the Biochemical Composition of Durum Wheat (Triticum turgidum subsp. durum) Leaves and Caryopses

The agricultural sector is required to produce food at the same pace as population growth, while accounting for pollution and costs. For this reason, conservative agricultural practices have been employed worldwide. Attenuated Total Reflectance–Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy has the ability to provide a snapshot of the macromolecular composition of a sample in a timely and cost-effective way and it has been widely applied in the field of agriculture to assess food quality. The aim of this study was to exploit ATR-FTIR spectroscopy to assess the impact of different soil tillage methods (conventional tillage, CT; minimum tillage, MT, and no tillage, NT) and nitrogen fertilization levels (0, 90 and 180 kg N ha−1) on the macromolecular composition of leaves and caryopses of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum subsp. durum). The analysis of the spectral data revealed that the quality of durum wheat, in terms of protein content, grown on soil with no tillage was not reduced. Indeed, with regards to caryopses, the different tillage methods influenced only the lipid and hemicellulose content, whereas the macromolecular composition of leaves was sensitive to tillage methods mostly during the early stage of growth. Moreover, no relevant effects were found in leaves and caryopses when different fertilizer concentrations were used. These results provide important knowledge supporting the adoption of both no-tillage soil treatments and reduced fertilization dosage for the development of durum wheat management strategies and support the use of spectroscopy for conservative agriculture practices.

ВПЛИВ МІНІМАЛІЗАЦІЇ ОБРОБІТКУ ГРУНТУ НА ВОЛОГОЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ ТА ПРОДУКТИВНІСТЬ ЯЧМЕНЮ ЯРОГО В ЗОНІ ЛІВОБЕРЕЖНОГО ЛІСОСТЕПУ УКРАЇНИ

Ячмінь ярий (Hordeum vulgare L.) наразі є однією з важливих зернових культур продовольчого й фуражного спрямування. В умовах сьогодення актуальним є питання збільшення врожайності куль-тури з одночасним скороченням ресурсних витрат. Метою досліджень було з’ясувати вплив різних способів обробітку основного ґрунту на водоспоживання та продуктивність ячменю ярого в умовах Лівобережного Лісостепу. Визначення вологозабезпеченості метрового шару ґрунту на час сівби ячменю ярого показало, що за системи No-till порівняно з класичним обробітком ґрунту, вміст дос-тупної вологи в шарі 0–100 см був вищим на 8,8 мм або 5,3 %. У разі проведення мілкого обробітку на глибину 10–12 см і поверхневого обробітку на глибину 6–8 см у системі Mi-till вміст доступної вологи був практично на рівні класичного обробітку ґрунту. Аналогічною була тенденція і на час зби-рання культури. Встановлено вплив варіантів основного обробітку ґрунту на показники елементів структури врожаю ячменю ярого. За умови класичного обробітку ґрунту кількість продуктивних стебел була найвищою і переважала варіанти мінімального обробітку на 2,2–15,7 %. В досліді не виявлено істотного впливу варіантів обробітку ґрунту на довжину і кількість зернин у колосі. Максимальну урожайність культури (4,16 т/га) одержано за умови проведення під ячмінь ярий по-линевого обробітку на глибину 20–22 см. У разі мінімального обробітку ґрунту (глибина 10–12 см) і Mini-till технології продуктивність культури була нижчою порівняно з технологією класичного обробітку ґрунту на 0,13–0,17 т/га або 3,4–4,1 %. При системі No-till істотне зниження врожайно-сті зерна ячменю порівняно з полицевою оранкою на глибину 20–22 см спостерігається впродовж 2016–2018 рр., а 2019–2020 рр., досліджень різниця між цими варіантами за рівнем продуктивності перебувала в межах НІР.

Influence of tillage methods on the water-physical conditions of chernozem typical and winter wheat yield

The article presents the results of three-year studies to determine the effectiveness of local chisel, ultra-deep chisel, chisel conventional and disk tillage when growing winter wheat after fallow in the conditions of the Left-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. It has been established that changing the plowing of local or disking soil tillage leads to an increase in the density and hardness of the arable layer. Solid chisel tillage ensures the agrophysical state of the soil at the level of plowing. Chisel loosening improves the structure of the arable layer due to an increase in the number of water resistance aggregates by 2.5–3.4 % in comparison with plowing. The methods of soil tillage in fallow have little effect on the change in the moisture content of the arable and meter layers, which is facilitated by the accumulation and retention of moisture during the maintenance of fallow. Chisel tillage contributes to an increase in soil protection efficiency of the surface by 5–7 % in comparison with plowing due to the partial preservation of crop residues in the period after harvesting the predecessor to the beginning of summer, improvement of the structure of the upper layer and differentiated redistribution of the root system. The highest level of soil protection efficiency is provided by local chisel loosening. All non-moldboard tillage in fallow contributed to an increase in the yield of wheat grain in comparison with plowing, especially after solid loosening with a chisel plow at 33-35 cm, where an increase in yield was recorded by 0.36 t/ha (9 %). An increase in the level of profitability by 16–25 % makes it possible to recommend chisel local and solid loosening by 33–35 cm in a fallow when growing winter wheat in the conditions of the Left-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. Keywords: winter wheat, chisel loosening, local loosening, efficiency, density, hardness, water resistance, yield.

Tillage recommendation for commercial forest production: Should tillage be based on soil penetrability, bulk density or more complex, integrative properties?

Efficient soil tillage methods to create a favorable environment for commercial forest require proper evaluation of soil compaction with depth, by using operative indicators of physical quality for diverse soils. Our aim was to investigate the spatial variability of field-measured penetration resistance (PR), and then determine the relationships between penetrability and mechanical and hydrologic properties of Planosol, Nitisol, and Regosol used for eucalyptus production. Low, intermediate, and high compaction states were defined based on field PR spatial variability, and in those areas with distinct compaction states we determined bulk density, degree-of-compactness, macroporosity, water retention and availability, and least limiting water range. The soil compaction states are related to composition or capacity (mass/volume) properties, most consistently with soil bulk density and relative compaction. Whether using simple measurements such as penetrability and bulk density, or more complex, integrative properties (e.g. degree-of-compactness and least limiting water range), tillage recommendation would be the same. Namely, deep tillage for Nitisol, and shallower tillage for Planosol and Regosol. In practical terms, the first soil requires deep subsoiling, and second and third soil demand shallower subsoiling associated or not with ridging. In conclusion, mapping of soil compaction states based on PR data can be used for best management practices and tillage recommendation for forest installation.