Integration of modern land reclamation equipment into the system of precision agriculture using MZURI technology in the south of Ukraine

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibilities of increasing the efficiency of agricultural production in southern Ukraine by using modern land reclamation equipment in combination with precision farming technology to improve soil water regime and the sustainability of agroecosystems. The study employed an experimental approach with variations in tillage and irrigation, determination of physical and water properties of the soil, root system development and plant condition, yield, resource costs, and economic indicators for a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of agricultural technologies. The study found that strip tillage, a field-based precision tillage system with row planting, combined with Netafim Uniram drip irrigation provided the greatest soil moisture at 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm (28 m3 /ha and 24 m3 /ha, respectively), reduced soil density to 1.26 g/cm3 and increased capillary water capacity to 27 m3 /ha. The depth of the root system reached 110 cm, while the normalised difference vegetation index was 0.82. Yields reached 10.8 t/ha, water use efficiency (WUE) was 3.09 kg/m3 , net profit was 21,000 UAH/ha, and profitability was 62%. The variant using the Bauer Rainstar E precision field system with row spacing and precision sprinkling showed a yield of 10.5 t/ha, slightly below the maximum result, but greater than the control. The field system of precision cultivation with row planting without land reclamation yielded 9.5 t/ha, while convention0al irrigation (control) showed the lowest results – 8.9 t/ha. The data revealed that the integration of strip-till with modern irrigation systems increases the productivity and economic efficiency of maize