POSSIBILITIES OF MINIMIZING SOIL TILLAGE IN FOREST-STEPPE IN THE MIDDLE VOLGA REGION

Abstract

The research was carried out in order to study the effectiveness of resource conservation technologies for the cultivation of spring wheat, which allow to form stable yields at the
lowest cost. The research was carried out in the Ulyanovsk Research Institute of Agriculture –
branch of the Samara Scientific Centre RAS in stationary field experiment in 2017-2019. The
soil of the experimental unit was leached, medium-power chernozem with a humus content of
6.35% in the arable layer, labile (according to Chirikov) phosphorus 225, potassium 119 mg/
kg, the soil reaction is neutral (pH = 6.8), base absorption sum is 48.6 milligram-equivalent /
100 g of soil. In the experiment, the technologies of spring wheat cultivation were studied. They differ in the number of technological operations and methods of basic tillage with regard
to the use of mineral fertilizers and plant protection products.
Conventional tillage method included plowing to a depth of 23-25 cm. (control), resource conservation technology – non-moldboard tillage with racks of Siberian Research Institute of Mechanization and Electrification of Agriculture to the same depth. According to
the conservation tillage method, the main tillage was not carried out in autumn. Sowing was
carried out with simultaneous cultivation to the seeding depth in spring. The highest yield of
spring wheat in the wet year was obtained using conventional and resource conservation technologies of 4.21 and 4.15 t/ha, and the minimum yield was 4.12 t/ha, which is significantly
less than the conventional one by 0.09 t/ha. In a dry year, the yield was significantly higher
for resource conservation technology – 2.72 t/ha. In a moderately dry year it was higher for
conventional and resource conservation technology – 3.39 and 3.40 t/ha. The developed resource conservation and conservation technologies of spring wheat cultivation allow to preserve soil fertility, reduce costs by 3.0-5.5%, lower production costs by 2.5-8.4%, increase
labor productivity and profitability of grain production by 65-75%.