INFLUENCE OF TILLAGE, STRAW AND COVER CROPS ON SOIL AGROPHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Abstract

Transformation of soil agrophysical properties in winter wheat and spring barley agrocenoses. The research was conducted in 2023–2024 at the Experimental Station of Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy in a long-term stationary experiment. It was found that the application of no-tillage (NT) and no-tillage with cover crops (CCNT) significantly increased soil shear strength in the 0–25 cm topsoil layer (on average by 25.0–35.0%) compared to conventional ploughing. Regarding the structural state, it was determined that in untilled soil with straw and cover crops, soil aggregate stability in the 0–10 cm layer was up to 25.9% higher than in the ploughed treatments. The results confirm that the complex application of sustainable agrotechnical measures in cereal cultivation ensures the formation of a more stable agrophysical framework and increases the physical stability of Planosols and their resistance to mechanical degradation.