Plant Soil Environ., 2005, 51(3):124-130 | DOI: 10.17221/3564-PSE

The effect of soil conservation tillage on soil moisture dynamics under single cropping and crop rotation

K. Kováč¹, M. Macák¹, M. Švančárková²

¹ Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Slovakia

² Research Institute of Plant Production, Piešťany, Slovakia

During 1993-1995 the effect of conventional tillage, reduced till, mulch till and no-till technology on soil moisture dynamics has been studied in field experiment on Haplic chernozems near Piešťany. The tillage treatments were evaluated under a single cropping of maize and spring barley - common peas - winter wheat crop rotation. Soil samples for gravimetric determination of moisture content were collected from six layers up to 0.8 m, three times per year (April-July). The soil moisture was highly significantly influenced in order of importance by date of sampling, year, growing crops, tillage treatments, soil layer and by interactions year × crops, year × date of sampling, crops × date of sampling, tillage × date of sampling, year × tillage, date of sampling × layer and significant influences by interactions, tillage × crops. The soil under conventional tillage had significantly higher moisture content than tested reduced till, mulch till and no-till treatments. The significant influence of maize stand on better soil humidity condition (16.35%) in comparison to crops grown in a crop rotation (in average 14.10%) has been ascertained.

Keywords: tillage; soil moisture dynamics; crop rotation; maize; spring barley; common peas; winter wheat

Published: March 31, 2005  Show citation