Mechanical processing of the soil layer is the main stimulator of crop rotation processes. A well-developed cultivation system, in particular, improves the moisture supply and aeration of the earth, and also helps to activate beneficial microorganisms. Modern methods of cultivating the soil combine elements of the traditional culture of cultivating the land and new technologies, but in each case, when using them, external microclimatic conditions and requirements for specific vegetation must also be taken into account.
Tillage Tasks
By means of agrotechnical implements, an agricultural enterprise or a farmer at his own site organizes the process of creating favorable conditions in the soil from the point of view of the development of cultivated plants. The benefits of mechanical processing have a completely scientific justification. Favorable effects are on both the fertile layer and the plants, acting in several directions simultaneously - at the biological, physical and chemical level. Fundamentally important is the regulation of temperature and humidity conditions, which is achieved due to structural changes in the soil cover. As an example of the positive impact of agrotechnical implements on the process of plant development, various methods of tillage can be cited. The influence on the productivity of castor oil plant with the intensive use of this system is positive. The highest productivity indicators of this culture in terms of specific figures correspond to 1.25-1.28 t / ha. Of course, we are not talking about the universal application of such methods, since in each case the mechanical action has different effects. For this reason, multilevel processing systems are formed taking into account the seasonal state of plants and the fertilizer application program.
According to specialists, the percentage effect of soil cultivation on the processes of crop development with a mandatory increase in yield on average varies from 3 to 12%. In the most favorable conditions, this percentage can reach 26-60% depending on the methods and operations used for mechanical tillage. The tasks posed by users of these soil care methods based on scientific knowledge are as follows:
- Regulation of the culture medium for cultivated plants. Achieved both by targeted placement of fertilizer materials in the soil, and by increasing the activity of microbiological processes.
- Conversion of sowing and arable soil layers in order to increase their agrophysical qualities.
- Artificial embedment in the soil cover to the depth of plant residues, grass sod, fertilizers, agronomic materials and ameliorants.
- Destruction of pests and reduction of their population in arable layers to the optimal threshold of harmfulness.
- Providing balances of air, water and thermal conditions.
- Minimizing the development and occurrence of soil erosion.
- The formation of microrelief, which will make it possible to produce high-quality field work on the entire cycle from sowing to post-harvest events in a short time.
- Creation of favorable conditions for increasing the capacity of the arable layer in terms of its fertility and positive biochemical activity.
The main technological operations in the processing of soil
The nature of the deformations to which the soil structure is subjected affects further physicochemical and biological processes in the fertile layer. Each operation involves a certain impact, which has its own task in the framework of the general crop rotation. The basic and most common methods of tillage can be summarized as follows:
- Crumbling. In the process of exposure, the whole mass of the soil mass decomposes into lumps (small or large). In the cutting operation, disc harrows and dump plows are used. From an agronomic point of view, clods with a fraction of 0.25 to 3 mm are valuable, depending on the type of soil.
- Loosening. If crumbling changes the size of the lumps, then loosening affects the configuration of their relative position. Thus, non-capillary porosity of the soil, its water permeability, and overall throughput increase. In regions with an arid climate, loosening is especially important as a way of enhancing aeration and the deep penetration of water vapor. This operation is performed by rotary hoes, steam cultivators and plane cutters.
- Stirring. It is usually used in one process with the addition of useful materials to the soil, which are distributed on the surface or at a certain depth. The main task is to ensure a uniform structure in terms of the content of useful components within a specific site.
- Alignment. It is required for closing moisture inside the soil structure, reducing the evaporation capacity and, as a result, increasing the productivity of the cover. This operation is similar to surface methods of mechanical tillage by harrowing. To do this, use harrows, lightweight rollers, drags, etc.
- Seal This method serves to give the upper part of the soil layer the desired structure. The fact is that the processes of mineralization in conditions of insufficiently dense embedment of the soil are slowed down due to evaporation of moisture in the open structure. Accordingly, to eliminate such processes, a soft seal is required. The working surface is pressed by water filling rollers with a pressure of about 50 kN.
Dump and non-dump soil cultivation methods
The mechanics of the blade are reminiscent of wrapping, but in augmented form. The wrapping itself in this case may be incomplete, however, this part of the operation must be followed by loosening, mixing and cutting. If necessary, a temporary opening of the formation can be used for fertilizing - termination.
It is worth noting the varieties of the dump method of tillage:
- Rotary disk. Provides crumbling and mixing until a uniform strip is created for future sowing.
- The combined technique. It combines the above processing operations, but also provides for the possibility of their implementation at depth.
As for the non-moldboard method, then when it is loosened, it is produced without wrapping. It should be noted here that the need for formation rotation itself arises in situations where tools of surface small-format impact are ineffective in front of a dense soil structure. However, there are cases when the dumping method is not allowed. For example, in regions with a low moisture coefficient, the discovery of the soil structure at depth can lead to the drying of the arable layer. The subsurface method in the main tillage consists in performing deep loosening (up to 30 cm) every 3-4 years. In the intermediate periods, loosening is also applied, but in a softened form - to a depth of 12 cm by disk cultivators.
At the same time, the upper soil layers remain unmixed, which contributes to the accumulation of organic nutrients due to the remains of annual plant crops. On the other hand, the preservation of the earth strata with the non-subsurface processing method also contributes to the accumulation of weed seeds and pathogens in the upper layer, which leads to a deterioration in the phytosanitary state of the soil.
Methods of basic tillage
In accordance with GOST 16265-89, a technique in the context of soil cultivation is called a single exposure to the fertile layer with an agrotechnical tool in order to produce one or a series of technological operations.
Plowing is one of the basic techniques of basic tillage. The methods and approaches to its implementation vary depending on the current requirements for soil conditions. Most often, plows with dumps of various shapes are used for this. For example, the screw working bodies of the dumps allow you to perform a turn, and a plow with a cylindrical surface crushes the earth more effectively into small lumps.
Loosening may be added to the plowing process. In one design of the mounted cultivator, a plow and loosening legs are installed, which allows you to achieve several positive processing effects at a depth of up to 15 cm at the same time. Also, plows with a wiper are used specifically to ensure the removal of excess fluid in fields oversaturated with water. The latter forms drainage channels with a diameter of about 5 cm at a depth below 30 cm. On heavy loamy soils, drainage networks of this type can persist for several years without structural changes.
On poorly leveled surfaces, which also contain a large amount of unwanted plant debris, milling is used as the most suitable way to till the soil. Techniques with connecting milling and other cutting tools are in principle effective in conditions of a rigid soil structure. Such conditions are not necessarily formed for natural reasons. Improperly used annual plowing in one direction may well form dense soil with disturbed geometry on the surface - with bumps, weed curtains and other defects. Intensive milling at a depth of up to 20 cm, followed by crumbling and leveling, creating a homogeneous arable layer, just helps to fix the situation.
Surface tillage techniques
The mechanical effect on the fertile layer to a depth of 8 cm is called surface. Often the same group also includes small-scale operations, in which the penetration depth of the tool can reach 16 cm. The tasks of such an impact on the soil structure are reduced to creating favorable conditions for sowing. That is, the shape of the relief is adjusted to the optimal requirements for convenient seed placement. In addition, surface methods of mechanical tillage are also used in cases where, due to various reasons, it is impossible to perform actions at deeper levels.
After the fields are free from grain crops, peeling is carried out. This operation is necessary to deprive pests of their habitats - in the remnants of the previous vegetation after harvesting. In conditions of drought, peeling allows solving a number of problems, including weed cutting, loosening of the top soil layer, activation of mulch, and reduction of moisture evaporation processes.
A wide range of operations on the surface layers is performed using cultivators. This is a suspension equipment that usually implements several methods of tillage at the same time. The methods of the basic spectrum, which are most often carried out as part of cultivation, include loosening, crumbling, rolling, mixing, cutting, etc. Depending on the configuration of the working bodies, both inter-row and continuous processing can be performed at depths from 5 to 16 cm
Features of tillage for forest crops
Although in this case, the processing processes have quite obvious limitations in terms of using various technical means, the whole range of mechanical techniques can be applied, as well as chemical and thermal methods of influencing the fertile layer. Another thing is that the technology itself is adjusted in the mechanics of using certain tools.
The choice of specific methods of soil treatment for forest crops is determined by the conditions of growth, the characteristics of the forest zone, as well as the bioecological properties of the grown vegetation. The most common types of processing include partial and continuous. In the first case, we are talking about cultivation systems with the formation of strips, furrows and landing sites. The goals are to improve air and water regimes, destroy pests and eliminate the remnants of infected vegetation. As for continuous processing, it is used in areas that were not in the forest zone. In this case, the range of operations expands due to harrowing, rolling and plowing.
Work on the care of the soil in the conditions of the cutting area are of a specific nature against the background of the general agrotechnical process of crop rotation. This is also due to the fact that soil cultivation methods for forest crops are generally designed to create conditions for planting seedlings and seedlings of shrub plants and trees. Another thing is that there is a universal set of microbiological and chemical parameters that should be improved due to such processing.
Assessment of the quality of soil cultivation
Obviously, the mechanical treatment of the fertile layer of the earth itself does not guarantee an increase in the nutritional properties of the soil and the necessary regulation of water-air characteristics. Therefore, on large farms, an analysis of the quality of processing is periodically performed taking into account its compliance with agricultural requirements. Start with the fact that activities should be carried out in a timely manner. Violation of the schedule or seasonality can nullify the positive effects of crop rotation. For example, autumn-tillage methods of tillage with early plowing are more effective in terms of ensuring the preservation of moisture and pest control than in later periods. Delayed field work can lead to a violation of uniformity when planting crops, not to mention the risk of drying out the soil.
In addition to terms, processing parameters such as directionality and depth are taken into account. The direction is chosen strictly across the previous orientation or at an angle to it. As noted above, annual unidirectional plowing can lead to reinforced deformation of the surface layer, after which milling is required. With regard to depth, the level of occurrence of working tools should be justified. This value is directly related to the possibility of regulating the moisture balance of the lower layers. In any case, all methods of deep tillage should ensure uniformity and a minimum degree of deviation. So, with arable depth of 20 cm, the maximum allowable slope reaches 2 cm.
Minimal processing principles
Even with the observance of the general rules for cultivating the land, the risks of its depletion with prolonged mechanical impact on the fertile layer remain. In addition, the likelihood of soil erosion and its physical degradation increases, against which the ability to master humus decreases. These and other negative factors of techniques and methods of mechanical tillage determined the relevance of the topic of introducing the principles of the minimal impact of agrotechnical implements on the ground. In practice, this is expressed in the following principles:
- Reducing the frequency of application of deep processing without superficial adjustment of the layer.
- Soils in optimal condition are cultivated in gentle conditions.
- Within one technological operation, several work procedures are performed.
- The number of operations involving the connection of wheeled and tracked vehicles is reduced. This measure reduces pressure on the soil.
In this case, the logical question arises about the risks of using optimized methods of cultivating the soil, such as reducing yield indicators. Indeed, part of the indicators reflecting the fertile properties of the earth decreases against the background of a drop in the intensity of mechanical stress in one form or another. But, on the other hand, this damage is fully compensated due to the general stimulation of positive soil processes associated with the regulation of nutrients and microorganisms. Particularly favorable effects are observed in the biochemical processes of the exchange of enzymes and the transformation of various organic compounds.
Alternative soil treatments
Along with the principles of minimalist cultivation, alternative cultivation systems are emerging. Among the most notable are the Strip-till moderate processing technology and the No-till method. In the case of the Strip-till technique, it is assumed to perform deep strip cultivation, in which nutrients are abundantly introduced. On the one hand, fertilizer further stimulates the growth of planted crops, and on the other, it supports biochemical processes in the structure of the soil itself. Strip-till , . , . , , . No-till . . , .
Conclusion
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