Agrophysical condition of chernozem as a criterion for its readiness for soil tillage minimization
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Kuupäev
2025
Kättesaadav alates
Ajakirja pealkiri
Ajakirja ISSN
Köite pealkiri
Kirjastaja
Estonian University of Life Sciences
Abstrakt
The objective of this study was to develop an agrophysical criterion for assessing the condition of leached chernozem under systematic shallow tillage for six years, using differential porosity, crop productivity, and energy efficiency as indicators. The results were compared to those obtained under conventional ploughing, with the goal of evaluating the feasibility of further tillage minimization in a short-rotation grain crop rotation system. The study employed standard research methods, including field observations, laboratory analysis, mathematical statistics, and comparative-calculative approaches. Under shallow tillage, the median bulk density in the 0–30 cm soil layer was higher by 0.03 g cm–3 compared to ploughing, while the standardized density range remained similar across tillage systems. However, both the upper and lower typical values increased by 0.02 g cm–3 under shallow tillage. The coefficient of variation for bulk density was 1.85 times higher under ploughing than under shallow tillage. Differential porosity measurements across five crops in the sixth year of the trial revealed that in spring, shallow tillage resulted in higher bulk density (by 0.06 g cm–3), lower total porosity (by 3%), and a 6.0% reduction in air-filled pore volume compared to ploughing. At the same time, the ratio of waterfilled to air-filled pores approached an optimal 1:1 balance under shallow tillage, whereas ploughed soils showed a dominance of air-filled pores. Systematic use of both ploughing and conservation-oriented shallow tillage over five years in a five-field grain-row crop rotation produced similar levels of productivity in terms of yield, energy efficiency, and output of grain and feed units. While productivity indicators under ploughing remained stable relative to the mean, shallow tillage demonstrated a positive trend. This trend is associated with the completion 1513 of the transition period following the cessation of deep ploughing and the shift toward preliminary deep chisel tillage, followed by systematic shallow tillage at a depth of 10–12 cm.
Kirjeldus
Received: June 6th, 2024 ; Accepted: November 11th, 2025 ; Published: November 13th, 2025 ; Correspondence: jyri.olt@emu.ee
Märksõnad
leached chernozem, bulk density, soil moisture, ploughing, shallow tillage, articles
Viide
Ihnatiev, Y., Bulgakov, V., Demydenko, O., Holovach, I., Trokhaniak, O., Rucins, A., & Olt, J. (2025). Agrophysical condition of chernozem as a criterion for its readiness for soil tillage minimization. Estonian University of Life Sciences. https://doi.org/10.15159/AR.25.103