DEVELOPMENT OF THE DIRECT SEEDING METHOD ON THE CHERNOZEM SOILS OF RUSSIA

Abstract

In a context of the yield growth and gross yields, a catastrophic situation with soil fertility was created in the country. The best chernozem soils of the country, which have lost half
of their fertility since the time of V.V. Dokuchaev, suffered the most. This process can be
stopped with cultivating crops without tillage (direct seeding, No-till farming), when the soil
is not cultivated for a long time and plant residues remain on its surface. This method is highly effective on chernozem soils with good hydrophysical, chemical and biological properties.
With the help of numerous studies, which were conducted in long-term field experiments on chernozem soils of the Central Black Earth zone, the North Caucasus, the Volga re
gion, Ural, Western and Eastern Siberia, it was found that when using this method with cultivation of field crops, the soil is not firm, the structural and aggregate composition improves,
the water stability and diameter of soil aggregates increase, the moisture of atmospheric precipitation accumulates more and is better preserved. Plant residues on the surface protect the
soil from erosion. They are food for earthworms and microbiota that suppress pathogenic microbial flora, which makes it possible to effectively fight plant diseases and pests with the
help of biological plant protection products. All those things improve soil fertility, expand the
range of cultivated crops in arid conditions, and increase their productivity and profitability of
production. It indicates to the possibility and need for a wider application of direct seeding
method on chernozem soils in our country. It is necessary to develop the cultivation of agricultural crops in the system of direct seeding with the obligatory support of scientific institutions of the country. In order to do this, it is necessary to develop and adopt a comprehensive
program of scientific researches with its government financing and coordination of researches
by one of the research centers