Technological aspects of introducing fallow lands into agricultural production

Today, the relevance of returning fallow lands to agricultural turnover is determined by their scientific and practical significance for agricultural production. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Russia has about 44 million hectares of unused agricultural land, of which 10% is fallow land. In order to return fallow lands, state programmes aimed at supporting agricultural producers are being developed. The purpose of the research is determined by the study of certain technological methods, realised with the use of machine and tractor arsenal of the farm, which allow to qualitatively bring fallow lands into agricultural turnover. According to the goal, the research objectives are formed, which are reduced to the assessment of technological aspects of monitoring surveys, technological methods, as well as the use of innovative technical means of mechanisation for cultivation of agricultural crops. The research method chosen is factor analysis, based on the study of relationships between the values of variables. The research was conducted on the basis of literary data, published by domestic researchers and normative-legal documents. The scientific novelty of the study is reduced to the theoretical substantiation of the need to increase the soil potential of fallow land return to agricultural turnover, which is based on energy balance and innovative technologies, implemented in a set of effective agronomic and reclamation measures based on the application of modern resources aimed at reducing degradation. The research materials were long-term theoretical and experimental data, on the basis of which the technological scheme was formed, including agro-technological methods: survey of lands, soil cover treatment, application of mineral fertilisers, sowing of agricultural crops, application of machine and tractor fleet for restoration of fallow lands into agricultural turnover, as well as assessment of crop yields. Monitoring studies are based on digital surveys of fallow lands, which allow optimising the rates of application of fertilisers and other chemical agents, as well as the technical resources used for the developed technologies. The return of fallow lands to agricultural turnover consists of technological operations that are related to the qualitative characteristics of the soil profile of fallow lands, namely the destruction of large-sized residues of plant origin, soil treatment, seeding, and fertiliser application. The results of restoration of fallow lands to agricultural production carried out on the territory of field experiments of the Tver State Agricultural Academy are presented. The proposed technology of fallow land return contributes to the increase in crop yields and reduces the negative impact on the ecological state of the environment.