Agrophysical properties of typical chernozem depending on its treatment and break crop

Abstract

The purpose of the work is to study the variability of soil density and structure under the break crop influence and the method of basic soil treatment and to identify the most optimal combination thereof to improve the agrophysical properties of typical chernozem. The study was conducted in 2011–2014 in the south-western part of the Central Chernozem Reserve (CCR), Russia. It was found that the density of the 40 cm soil layer before green manure cropping only depends on the main soil treatment method, and before their embedding – both on the soil treatment and on the type of the break crop. The highest soil density was in the black fallow variant – 1.14 g/cm3. The break crop sequence was established, according to which the soil density decreases: annual melilot – mustard – peas – vetch and oats – buckwheat and phacelia. The correlation coefficient r = 0.52 (mean bond) confirms the dependence of soil density during the cover crop embedding on their root weight. A significant decrease in the structural factor during the transition from ploughing (5.2) to energy-saving treatment was found: surface tillage up to 4.6 and subsoil tillage up to 3.9. The improvement of soil structure takes place in the following sequence: annual melilot, vetch and oats, peas, buckwheat, phacelia, mustard. In the south-western part of the CCR, mustard, vetch and oats, buckwheat and phacelia are recommended as a fallow crop with the preferential use of ploughing as the main soil treatment.

Biologization technologies in agriculture of the Belgorod region

“…For the favorable growth and development of agricultural crops, it is necessary to comply with several conditions regarding the quality indicators of the cultivated soil. On the chernozem soils of the Central BEZ, the main limiting factors include agrophysical properties, the main of which are the structural coefficient and the bulk density [8]. In the experiments, these indicators were determined for all experimental options using modern materials in accordance with approved methods.…”

Study of thickness of humus profiles of gray forest and chernozem soils of different terms of agricultural use in landscape shrubs of the central forest-steppe

“…In mineral soils, 27-77% of the organic carbon content is concentrated deeper than the top 0-20 cm layer [10]. According to generalized data including 2073 soil profiles described in various natural zones and ecosystems, the meter thickness of most soils contains 3.1 and 4.3 times more organic C than at 1-2 and 2-3 m depth, respectively, and the upper 0-20 cm layer contains from 33 to 50% of the organic C contained in the meter layer, depending on the ecosystem type [11].…”