The influence of the main method of tillage on its moisture and temperature conditions

BACKGROUND: In agricultural areas with insufficient and unstable moistening, the shortage of soil moisture has a clear impact. Various methods of tillage are used to conserve and accumulate moisture effectively and to establish an optimal moisture-temperature conditions of the soil. AIM: Study of the influence of the methods of tillage on soil moisture and temperature conditons. METHODS: Studies of soil moisture and temperature, in soil horizons at a depth of 30 and 55 cm, were carried out on ordinary carbonate heavy loamy chernozem. Four variants of main tillage were compared: flat-cut, layered, dump and without tillage. During the research, the meteorological conditions of the observed period were taken into account. RESULTS: It was found that at a depth of 30 cm and 55 cm, the soil on the agricultural background without treatment (No-till) was the most humidified and had humidity values of 40.40% and 69.79% respectively. Relative to it, soil moisture in other agricultural backgrounds was reduced by 9.42% and 18.37% respectively with the flat-cutting method, by 10.79% and 33.31% with the layered method, by 16.32% and 30.88% with the dump method. The temperature condition of the soil at a depth of 30 cm and 55 cm on the agricultural background without treatment was the most cooled and had values of 15.06 °C and 12.00 °C, respectively. Relative to it, the soil temperature in other agricultural backgrounds was increased by 1.93% and 7.75% respectively with the flat-cutting method, by 5.38% and 7.50% with the layered method, by 6.91% and 6.83% with the dump method. CONCLUSION: It was revealed that the agricultural background without tillage has the most stable moisture-temperature regime of the soil, which is an advantage when introducing this type of tillage in agroclimatic zones with a semi-arid climate.