Impact of different tillage management on soil and grain quality in the Anatolian paddy rice production

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the impact of conventional tillage (CT) and two different reduced tillage methods (RT1 and RT2) on some soil properties, grain yield and post-harvest grain quality during paddy rice production in the semi-arid Mediterranean conditions for two years. According to the results, soil bulk density was higher in CT with 1.46 and 1.47 g/cm3, respectively for both years. Ntot in RT1 was determined to be higher at a significant level with an average of 0.135%. The lowest soil organic carbon was found in the CT yearly as 2.91% and 2.50%. Penetration resistance did not exceed the limit value of 2–3 MPa in any method that may have impact on plant root growth. RT1 yielded higher results with regard to rice grain yield and provided the highest milling yield for both cultivars and years. There was no statistical difference among dry matter, thousand kernel mass and protein content values of rice grains in terms of cultivars, years and tillage factors. It can be observed in the light of short-term results that the RT1 is a good alternative for CT due to its positive impact on soil characteristics, grain yield and quality.