THE INFLUENCE OF WINTER COVER CROPS AND THEIR INCORPORATION METHODS ON SOIL BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES

Abstract

Field experiment was conducted in 2022 and 2023 at the Experimental Station of Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy. The soil of the experiment is Endocalcaric Amphistagnic Luvisol. The objective of the experiment was to determine the influence of winter cover crops of different botanical families and their incorporation methods into the soil on the soil biological properties in the spring wheat agrocenosis under organic farming conditions. Experimental treatments: Factor A: methods of incorporation of cover crops into the soil: 1) deep ploughing (20 cm deep) in spring, 2) shallow incorporation (6 cm deep) in the spring, Factor B: winter cover crops: 1) without cover crop, 2) crimson (incarnate) clover (10 kg ha^-1), 3) winter vetch (50 kg ha^-1), 4) perennial ryegrass (10 kg ha^-1), 5) winter rye (50 kg ha^-1). The highest number of earthworms was found in the fields, where crimson clover was deeply ploughed. After deep incorporation of crimson clover and shallow incorporation of winter vetch, the biomass of earthworms was determined to be significantly 2.6 and 2.8 times higher than that of shallow incorporation of perennial ryegrass. In the shallowly tilled fields, compared to deeply ploughed fields, a trend of increasing the amount of organic matter in the soil was determined. Cover crops and their incorporation methods did not significantly affect the activity of the soil enzyme saccharase. After deep and shallow incorporation of winter vetch and rye and shallow incorporation of crimson clover, enzyme urease activity was determined to be significantly higher from 45.5 to 90.0 % than in the fields without cover crops.