Influence of Soil Tillage and the Preceding Crop on Certain Indicators of Soil Fertility and Yield of Spring Wheat under the Conditions of the Dry Steppe of North Kazakhstan

Abstract

The main factor limiting crop productivity in arid conditions is the deficiency of atmospheric and soil moisture. Soil cultivation in dry land farming is used as a regulator of accumulation and conservation of soil moisture. In this regard, in 2010-2016, in the conditions of the arid steppe of Northern Kazakhstan (50⁰64^/N; 71⁰02^/E), research was carried out to study the long-term use of tillage technologies in the cultivation of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In the experiment, the researchers studied the influence of traditional deep dry land ploughing (DDLP), shallow dry land ploughing (SDLP), paraploughing (PP) and no-till cultivation (NT) on the dynamics of productive moisture reserves, structural condition, density and filtration capacity of the soil, as well as spring wheat productivity. Studies have shown that a decrease in the intensity of soil cultivation leads to a compaction of the arable layer, reaching maximum values in the no-till system. With an increase in density, the filtration capacity of the soil proportionally decreases, which negatively affects the level of moisture reserves for sowing and ultimately affects the yield of spring wheat. It is shown that in the conditions of an arid steppe, the best option, ensuring the accumulation of soil moisture and a favorable physical condition of the soils, is deep fall tillage, while a greater positive effect is achieved in case of the non-fallow preceding crop. Wheat yields, in case of fallow wheat, do not depend on tillage.