THE EFFECT OF LONG-TERM CROP ROTATIONS ON SOIL PROPERTIES IN SPRING BARLEY CROPS

Abstract

Intensive farming and short crop rotations have encountered problems of soil degradation. Finding solutions to these problems as well as new challenges requires returning to old farming practices, adapting them to current issues. In 1965, a field experiment (crop rotation collection) was set up at the Experimental Station of Vytautas Magnus University, the significance of which not only did not decrease, but became increasingly more relevant. The object of the research is spring barley crops in cereal, Norfolk, field with row crops, intensive and for green manure crop rotations as well as continuous bare fallow. The aim of the research was to investigate the effect of long-term crop rotation combinations on soil properties in spring barley crops. Crop rotations with perennial grasses or manure fertilization have demonstrated a positive effect on soil properties. Improving the agrophysical properties also improves the biological and chemical soil properties. This tendency becomes apparent in the field experiment carried out for more than fifty years in the same place.