EFFICIENCY OF SOIL’S TILLING MINIMIZING AND APPLICATION OF AGRICULTURAL CROPS BY-PRODUCTS UNDER SPRING BARLEY IN THE CONDITIONS OF WESTERN FOREST-STEPРЕ

Abstract

Goal is to study of soil’s tilling minimizing effect and agricultural crops rotation by-products on soil density, weediness of crops and yield of spring barley in the conditions of Western Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. Research methods used in study: field (study of tillage influence, agricultural crops by-products, segetal vegetation in spring barley crops); laboratory (determination of bulk soil mass (compaction density)); counting (determination of weediness, crop productivity); chemical (determination of the content of nutrients in the soil); mathematical and statistical (reliability assessment of research results). Results. According to the results of research conducted in a stationary field experiment during 2009–2019 in the Western Forest Steppe on dark gray light loam soil, it was established that plowing under spring barley at 20–22 cm, discing at 10–12 cm and discing at 6–8 cm for alienation from the field of by-products of the predecessor, the density of the soil in the 0–10 cm layer was 1,23–1,26 g/cm3, respectively; 1,22–1,25 g/cm3 and 1,23–1,28 g/cm3, and in a layer of 10–20 cm, respectively: 1,22–1,28 g/cm3; 1,30–1,33 g/cm3 and 1,30–1,35 g/cm3. For all tillage methods, the volumetric mass of the soil at a depth of 20–30 cm was in the range of 1,32–1,44 g/cm3. The application of agricultural crops by-products of precursor crops for fertilization contributed to a decrease of density in the cultivated soil layer, but increased the weediness of crops, which increased with a decrease of cultivation depth. The highest grain yield – 5,32 t/ha for the disposal of agricultural crops by-products and 5,45 t/ha for its use as fertilizer – was obtained in conditions of plowing for 20–22 cm. Replacing of plowing with disking and reducing its depth was accompanied by a decrease in yield. Incorporation of leaf-stem mass of corn into the soil in the first rotation decrease the yield of spring barley, and in the following rotations – to its significant increase.