Assessment of methods of the autumn-winter moisture accumulation in poor draining soil in the arid region of Northern Kazakhstan

Abstract

In the initial stage of the growing season, the accumulation of autumn and winter precipitation moisture in poorly draining soil in arid conditions in the Northern region of Kazakhstan was a serious production problem. Research methods included measurements of autumn and winter moisture reserves in poorly draining soil and snow on the backgrounds of ordinary stubble, stubble coulisses and tall stubble left after stripper header (continuous combing) with and without autumn chiselling. The study revealed that the use of the continuous combing and stubble coulisses on poor draining soil: (a) supports reserves of moisture in autumn soil; (b) the lack of chiselling leads to increased water runoff and the formation of limans in the fields. The use of stubble coulisses during snowy winters allowed moisture reserves in the snow to be increased in comparison with the stubble background. The use of chiselling on the background of stubble coulisses allowed: (a) to reduce runoff moisture loss in poorly draining soil by 35–50% after snowy winters, by 25–35% after little snowy winters, and prevent the formation of limans in the fields; (b) in comparison with the stubble background to increase the total reserves of autumn-winter moisture in poorly draining soil by 61–105 mm in favourable years, and by 57 mm in years with the low autumn-winter precipitation. The use of chiselling on a stubble background did not significantly affect the total reserves of autumn-winter moisture in poorly draining soil.