Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

The effect of reduced tillage on soil physical properties and winter wheat yield response

Author(s):

Denis Topa, Gerard Jitareanu*, Costica Ailincai, Raus Lucian

Recieved Date: 2013-08-18, Accepted Date: 2013-10-20

Abstract:

Research on the yields obtained under different tillage systems are contradictory. Whilst some have found that conservation tillage provides higher yield compared with conventional tillage, others contradict this statement. Field experiments have been carried out since 2005 at the Experimental Research Station of the Agricultural University, in Iasi, somewhere in the north-eastern part of Romania (47°07’36” N latitude, 27°30’45” E longitude), at 125 m elevation, on a clay-loamy textured cambic chernozem (haplic chernozems), 6.8 pH, with a 2.7% humus content and a medium level of fertilization, without irrigation. The present study mainly focuses on the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 agricultural years with a particular research on winter wheat growing seasons. The experimental soil tillage systems were the following: V₁  disc harrow (2x), V₂  paraplow, V₃  chisel plow + rotary harrow (for seedbed), V₄ plough at 20 cm (control variant) and V₅ - plough at 30 cm. Plots covered an area of 60 m² with a rotation of soybean - winter wheat - maize, with the current experiment in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum). Results indicated that winter wheat yield was affected by tillage methods and fertilization rate. In 2011 and 2012, the grain yield corresponding to conventional and minimum tillage ranged from 2645-6847 kg ha^-1 and 1534-3879 kg ha^-1, respectively. The highest percentage of water stable aggregates was recorded on chisel treatment (79.3%) meanwhile the poorest aggregate stability was measured on disc harrow treatment, 3.3% lower than the highest value. According to the average data of two years investigation, the lowest bulk density in 0-10 cm soil layer was recorded by the conservation tillage treatment chisel (1.29 g cm^-3) whereas the highest value was recorded by the disc harrow treatment, 8.5% higher.

Keywords:

Reduced tillage, penetration resistance, soil structure, bulk density, wheat yield

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2013
Volume: 11
Issue: 3&4
Category: Environment
Pages: 2174-2177

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