THE IMPACT OF NO-TILL TECHNOLOGY ON WINTER WHEAT AND SPRING BARLEY AGROCENOSES AND SOIL PROPERTIES

Abstract

Long-term application of no-tillage (No-till) leads to a purposeful change in soil organic carbon, biological activity, and cereal productivity. The research was conducted at the Experimental Station of Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy in a long-term field experiment, evaluating the impact of no-tillage on winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) stands. It was found that in the 0–10 cm soil layer of untilled soil, the organic carbon (Corg​) content increased by up to 33.4% compared to conventional deep ploughing. More intensive soil CO₂​ emission was recorded in no-tillage plots, which directly correlated with increased soil biological activity – in untilled soil, the biological activity in the upper topsoil layer was significantly higher than in the ploughed treatments. The research results showed that due to an optimized moisture regime and better nutrient availability, no-tillage ensured higher cereal productivity: winter wheat yield increased by 9.6–15.5%, and spring barley by 3.8–9.6%. The obtained data confirm that no-tillage is an effective technological measure increasing carbon sequestration and crop productivity.