The article provides an analysis of the influence of factors that influence the increase in the yield of agricultural crops, the importance of using mineral fertilizers and their effect on plants is indicated. An analysis of the existing methods of applying mineral fertilizers was carried out. The methods of applying fertilizers to the soil are considered, the advantages and disadvantages of these methods are given. The results of the scientists' research on the placement of mineral fertilizers applied by the method of surface scattering in the soil horizons after their cultivation by tillage tools are presented. Attention is focused on the local method of applying fertilizers, combined with surface cultivation of the soil, with combined tools. The methods of placement of mineral fertilizers, introduced by the intrasoil method, relative to the root system of cultivated plants and their effect on plants are considered. It was determined that the priority method of fertilizing is in-soil combined with surface tillage. An analysis of tillage tools that can be used for this operation is given. The design of the combined disk tool designed for this technological operation is presented. Design solutions that provide quality performance indicators of the proposed tool are indicated and attention is focused on its advantages over existing analogues. It has been established that a more promising way of increasing soil fertility and crop yield is the local application of granular mineral fertilizers combined with surface tillage. It is expected that the use of the proposed combined working body will allow to reduce the time for the execution of works due to the combination of operations of loosening the soil, applying fertilizers and their earnings, reducing the costs of mineral fertilizers and the general economic costs of obtaining crops.

The article considers a mathematical model for determining the operational indicators of a machine-tractor unit, for determining a rational fleet of farm machines that ensures the performance of work with minimal operating costs and in optimal agrotechnical terms. The structure of operating costs during the cultivation of agricultural crops using different technologies was obtained. Patterns of changes in operational costs for growing crops using No-till and Strip-till technologies. The application of these regularities makes it possible to obtain predictive values of the efficiency of the use of the farm's machine-tractor park even at the planning stage. The choice of technical means must be carried out taking into account the requirements of agricultural techniques for growing agricultural crops, zonal soil and climatic conditions and the condition of the fields. To ensure the performance of works with minimal operating costs, it is necessary to equip the machine and tractor park with technical means that ensure high-quality performance of works in optimal agrotechnical terms. It was established that in the structure of the total operational costs for growing agricultural crops using intensive technology, about 55...66% are the costs of technological materials used during the cultivation of agricultural crops.The developed mathematical model for determining the performance indicators of the MTA makes it possible to obtain predictive values of the efficiency of the use of the farm's machine-tractor fleet even at the planning stage.