RESULTS OF STUDYING DIRECT SOWING TECHNOLOGY IN THE CRIMEA

Abstract

The studies were conducted from 2017 to 2018 at the stationary experiment in the Crimea. The long-term average annual precipitation in this zone is 413 mm. The average annual temperature is 10,4º C. The soil of the experimental plot is southern low humus chernozem on loess like light clays. We studied two crop rotations: 1) bare (unsown) fallow – winter wheat – oil flax – winter barley – grain sorghum (all crops were cultivated using traditional technology); 2) peas were sown instead of bare fallow and all crops were cultivated using direct sowing technology. In direct sowing technology in autumn and winter, much more moisture is accumulated in one-meter layer of soil and retained for sowing spring crops than by traditional technology. The yield of winter wheat by traditional technology was significantly higher than by direct sowing technology, which is due to the better availability of soil moisture when sowing on bare fallow than by peas in direct sowing technology. The yields and quality of the obtained products of winter barley, oil flax and sorghum are the same for both technologies, which indicates the possibility of avoiding a decrease in the yield of cultivated crops in early years for the development of direct sowing technology. The grain of winter wheat, obtained by traditional technology, contained more protein and fiber, while by the direct sowing, the grain contained more starch, its weight, grain unit and vitreousness were more than by traditional technology. But all the differences between the technologies (except for the protein content and grain unit) were not significant.