Chisel Tillage Under Spring Barley in the Forest-Steppe

Abstract

The degradation of chernozems and increased soil erosion led to the search for more advanced methods of tillage, taking into account climatic conditions, the quantity and quality of crop residues, and the volume of fertilizer application. The aim of the study was to establish the effect of various methods of basic tillage in the presence of preceding plant‘s crop residues on the growth and development of spring barley plants. The experiment was carried out in the forest-steppe of Ukraine. During the experiment, the influence of various methods of basic tillage on the agrophysical properties of the soil, its water regime, and weed infestation of spring barley crops was studied. For comparison, the following types of basic tillage were used: dump to a depth of 20–22 cm, chisel tillage to a depth of 14–16 cm, and disc tillage to a depth of 10–12 cm. Dump and chisel processing were characterized by higher grain yield. Chisel tillage provided better moisture accumulation compared to reverse ploughing. In spring, at the time of sowing grain crops in the layer of 0–15 cm, the reserves of productive moisture during chiselling were 145 mm, and during mouldboard processing 122.6 mm. Thus, chisel tillage for spring barley creates the best conditions for moisture supply and guarantees a high level of grain yield and significant profitability of production.