THE INFLUENCE OF VARIOUS MEANS OF TILLAGE SIMPLIFIED MODIFICATION ON SELECTED PHYSICAL AND WATER PROPERTIES OF THE ARABLE-HUMUS HORIZON IN A MINERAL SOIL

摘要

This paper presents the results of testing studies of the basic values of physical and water properties of the humus horizon in a typical black earth where three variants of simplified tillage were implemented. The state of a three-phase system of soil after fourteen years of no-tillage cultivation was compared with the variant of single deep plowing and plowing with manure fertilization. The following properties were marked: texture, specific and bulk density, porosity, moisture, maximal hygroscopic capacity, saturated hydraulic conductivity, water binding potential, total (TAW) and easily (RAW) available water, drainage porosity. It was acknowledged that the systems of most of the physical and water properties in the investigated combinations were very similar. There was no evidence of negative changes of key physical properties in the soil after the 14-year long no-tillage cultivation when compared with the variant of single traditional tillage rotation. Some minor differences were found withinhydraulic and water properties and total carbon, however, they cannot practically deteriorate the agrotechnical state of a humus horizon and cannot have a negative effect in the field environment. It was affirmed that within a three-phase soil system, the no-tillage cultivation provides plants with almost identical conditions of growth and development as the systems with the tillage rotation.