Effect of different tillage intensity on yields and yieldforming factors in winter wheat

Abstract

The paper presents results of a study on application of minimum tillage technologies when growing winter wheat. Experiments were performed in the sugar-beet-growing region with loamy chernozem within the period of 2005-2009. Aanalysed and evaluated were effects of diff erent methods of soil processing on yield-forming factors in stands of winter wheat grown after three different preceding crops (i.e. alfalfa, maize for silage and pea). Evaluated were the following four variants of tillage: (1) conventional ploughing to the depth of 0.22 m (Variant 1); (2) ploughing to the depth of 0.15 m (Variant 2); (3) direct sowing into the untilled soil (Variant 3), and (4) shallow tillage to the depth of 0.10 m (Variant 4). The effect of different tillage intensity on winter wheat yields was statistically non-significant after all forecrops. After alfalfa, the highest and the lowest average yields were recorded in Variant 2 (i.e. with ploughing to the depth of 0.15 m) and Variant 3 (direct sowing into the untilled soil), respectively. Aft er maize grown for silage, higher yields were obtained in Variant 2 and Variant 1 (conventional ploughing) while in Variants 4 and 3 the obtained yields were lower. When growing winter wheat after pea as a preceding crop, the highest and the lowest average yields were recorded after direct sowing (Variant 3) and in Variant 1 (i.e. ploughing to the depth of 0.22 m), respectively. Results of studies on effect of different tillage technologies on yields of winter wheat crops indicate that under the given pedological and climatic conditions it is possible to apply methods of reduced tillage intensity. However, the choice of the corresponding technology must be performed with regard to the type of preceding crop.