Tag Archives: soil tillage

409-414 D. Janušauskaitė and A.Velykis
The influence of the expansion of winter crop proportion in the rotation structure on soil biological activity
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The influence of the expansion of winter crop proportion in the rotation structure on soil biological activity

D. Janušauskaitė¹ and A.Velykis²

¹Plant Pathology and Protection Department, Lithuanian Research Centre forAgriculture and Forestry Akademija, Dotnuva, Kedainiai District, Lithuania, LT-58344; e-mail: daliaj@lzi.lt
²Joniskelis Experimental Station, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry,Joniskelis, Pasvalys District, Lithuania, LT-39301; e-mail: velykisalex@gmail.com

Abstract:

The effect of the expansion of the winter crop proportion in the crop rotation structure under conditions of conventional (ploughing) and sustainable (reduced) soil tillage on soil biological properties was investigated on a clay loam Gleyic Cambisol at the Joniskelis Experimental Station of the Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry over the period 2004–06. The effect of a different proportion of winter crop in the rotation on microbial populations in soil was influenced primarily by the weather conditions during the growing seasons. In different years, the number of ammonificators ranged from 5.68 to 28.37 mln g-1, the number of mineralizators ranged from 8.23 to 37.01mln g-1, fungi from 28.55 to 101.46 thousand g-1 of soil. The soil microbial amount was higher under wetter conditions. The numbers of microbes differed between soil tillage systems and had diverse impact. The number of ammonificators did not differ markedly between the soil tillage treatments; however, the number of microbes in the conventionally tilled plots exceeded that in the sustainable tillage system by 5.57%. The sustainable tillage system was positive for N assimilators and fungi. Increasing the winter crop in the rotation did not exert any strong positive effect on all microbes. Increasing the winter crop proportion was favourable for micromycetes. More bacteria were found in the rotation with 25% of winter crop, more mineral N assimilators were found in the rotation with 25% and 50% of winter crop, and fungi max under 50%, 75% and 100% of winter crop in the rotation.

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471-476 V. Seibutis, I. Deveikytė and V. Feiza
Effects of short crop rotation and soil tillage on winter wheat development in central Lithuania
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Effects of short crop rotation and soil tillage on winter wheat development in central Lithuania

V. Seibutis, I. Deveikytė and V. Feiza

Lithuanian Institute of AgricultureInstituto aleja 1, Akademija, Kedainiai distr., LT-58344, Lithuania;e-mail: vytautas@lzi.lt

Abstract:

A three year (2005–2008) field experiment was conducted in Central Lithuania to study the effects of different crop rotations (spring oil-seed rape-spring barley-winter wheat; winter wheat-spring rape; winter wheat monocrop) in conventional (ploughing to a 20–22 cm depth) and reduced (stubble cultivation to a 10–12 cm depth) soil tillage systems on winter wheat yield and its components. Winter wheat grain yield increased in the three-course crop rotation in the conventional (ploughing) cultivation system. However, wheat grain yield decreased by only 1.4 % in reduced tillage (stubble cultivation) compared to conventional tillage. Shortening of crop rotations, or different soil tillage systems used, did not exert any adverse effect on the variation of the number of grains per ear and the length of straw. The results of the study indicate that the different crop rotations in two soil tillage systems in Central Lithuania did not significantly affect wheat grain yield components.

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315-327 E. Šarauskis, E. Vaiciukevičius, A. Sakalauskas,K. Romaneckas, A. Jasinskas and R. Lillak
Impact of sowing speed on the introduction of winter wheat seeds in differently-tilled soils
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Impact of sowing speed on the introduction of winter wheat seeds in differently-tilled soils

E. Šarauskis¹, E. Vaiciukevičius¹, A. Sakalauskas¹,K. Romaneckas², A. Jasinskas¹ and R. Lillak³

¹Department of Agricultural Machinery, Lithuanian University of Agriculture,Studentu St. 15A, LT-53361 Kauno r., Lithuania; e-mail: egidijus.sarauskis@lzuu.lt
²Department of Soil Management, Lithuanian University of Agriculture,Studentu St. 11, LT-53361 Kauno r., Lithuania
³Estonian Research Institute of Agriculture, Teaduse 13, 75501 Saku, Harjumaa, Estonia

Abstract:

Research tests in Europe disclosed that minimized soil tillage changes the soil qualities, the distribution of harvested crop residues (especially straw) in the soil, and the conditions of seed introduction into the soil, etc. In addition, completely different requirements are needed for design and technological parameters of the seeders in minimal soil tillage or no-tillage soils if compared with traditional seeders used in tilled soils.The paper describes the tests of winter wheat sowing in differently-tilled soils. Theimpact of the sowing speed of the winter wheat seeds on the even introduction and the distribution of the various size soil lumps in the seed bed layers was investigated. Furthermore, the change of the soil hardness and moisture content in various soil depths in differently-tilled soils was tested.Research suggested that the soil hardness in the winter wheat seed introduction zone inminimal soil tillage or no-tillage soils was approximately 250 kPa, and was significantly lower in tilled soil, i.e., 100 kPa. When winter wheat seeds were sown into no-tillage soil the sowing speed had greater impact on the composition of the soil lumps in the seed bed if compared with other more intensive soil tillage technologies. The tests disclosed that when the speed of the drill was increased from 8 to 12 km h-1, the number of small soil lumps (<2 mm) in all the layers of seed bed minimized and the amount of larger than 5 mm soil lumps maximized. The even introduction of seeds was negligible in minimal tillage soils.

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349-357 D. Šimanskaitė
The impact of soil tillage minimization on sandy light loam soil
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The impact of soil tillage minimization on sandy light loam soil

D. Šimanskaitė

Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture, Instituto al. 1, Akademija, Kėdainiai district, Lithuania;e-mail: dana@lzi.lt

Abstract:

Experiments conducted during the period 2001–2005 at the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture, were designed to evaluate the effects of plough and ploughless soil tillage and methods of sowing on an Endocalcari-Endohypogleyic Cambisol and to estimate their effects on soil physical properties and cereal yield. The experiment was set up in 2001 after pea harvesting. Our experimental evidence suggests that different soil tillage and sowing methods had a significant effect on soil structure, soil bulk density, soil penetration resistance, total and air-filled porosity, soil moisture and yield. In cereal crop rotation when winter wheat had been direct drilled after peas into minimally tilled soil the yield increased by 9.7%, when it had been direct drilled the yield tended to increase, compared with conventional soil tillage; the spring barley yield was 14.7% and 7.9% lower compared with conventional tillage; when it had been direct drilled the yield tended to increase compared with conventional tillage. When oats were direct drilled a non-significant yield reduction trend was observed, and when sown into minimally tilled soil the yield was similar (5.77 t ha-1) to that produced in the conventional soil tillage treatment (5.84 t ha-1). When peas were grown, both these simplified tillage methods significantly declined the yield, when peas were direct drilled, the yield declined by 44.0% and by 21.7% when drilled into minimally tilled soil by a direct drill.

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441-445 A. Velykis and A. Satkus
Influence of crop rotations and reduced tillage on weed population dynamics under Lithuania’s heavy soil conditions
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Influence of crop rotations and reduced tillage on weed population dynamics under Lithuania’s heavy soil conditions

A. Velykis and A. Satkus

Joniskelis Research Station of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture, Joniskelis, LT-3930,Pasvalys District, Lithuania; tel.fax.: 370-71-38224; e-mail: joniskelio_lzi@post.omnitel.net

Abstract:

Experiments to study the weed population dynamics in cereals, under conditions of expanded winter crop proportion in rotations and reduced soil tillage, were carried out on a clay loam Gleyic Cambisol at Joniskelis Research Station of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture. Variations were as follows: A. Crop rotations with different proportions of winter and spring crops: 1. Without winter crops; 2. Winter crops 25%; 3. Winter crops 50%; 4. Winter crops 75%; 5. Winter crops 100%, growing annual and perennial grasses, spring and winter wheat, triticale and barley; B. Soil primary tillage systems: 1. Conventional (ploughing). 2. Reduced (ploughing after grasses, ploughless after cereals) were investigated. The results of investigations show that increasing the proportion of winter crops in rotations during a four-year rotation resulted in reduction of perennial weeds in the cereal crops; however, the content of annual weeds was higher. The prevalent annual and perennial (14.7% of total number) weeds spread in spring cereals (wheat, triticale, barley) were more dangerous to crops than to the weed species found in winter cereals. Perennial weeds amounted to only 6.9% in winter cereals. The perennial weeds recorded in cereals were only 3.9-18.0% at the beginning of crop growing season, depending on crop rotation, however before crop harvest they reached 24.2−52.1%. When growing cereals with reduced soil tillage, the number of perennial weeds was 2.4 times higher; annual weeds, somewhat lower, and the air-dried biomass of all weeds was 44.5% higher compared to conventional tillage.

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211–218 A. Velykis and A. Satkus
Soil protection value of winter crops and reduced tillage on clay loams
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Soil protection value of winter crops and reduced tillage on clay loams

A. Velykis and A. Satkus

Joniskelis Research Station of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture, Joniskelis, LT-5240 Pasvalys District, Lithuania;
Tel/fax: 370-71-38224; e-mail: joniskelio_lzi@post.omnitel.net

Abstract:

Experiments to reduce soil physical degradation were carried out at Joniskelis Research Station of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture over the period 1998–2002. The soil of the experimental site is characterised as glacial lacustrine clay loam on silty clay (Gleyic Cambisol). The following was investigated: Factor A. Crop rotations with different proportions of winter and spring crops (1. Without winter crops; 2. Winter crops 25%; 3. Winter crops 50%; 4. Winter crops 75%; 5. Winter crops 100%), growing annual and perennial grasses, spring and winter wheat, triticale, and barley. Factor B. Soil tillage systems: 1. Conventional (primary soil tillage was performed by ploughing); 2. Sustainable (after grasses the soil was ploughed, after other preceding crops the soil was loosened without inverting the topsoil). Our experimental evidence suggests that increasing winter crops in the crop rotation reduced compaction of the topsoil from high to moderate, maintained up to 37.3% of higher productive moisture reserves, improved water to air ratio, and increased the crop rotation productivity up to 44.7%. The application of reduced primary tillage in a sustainable system had persistence of high soil compaction and 8.0% lower air-filled porosity at the bottom of the topsoil, but the whole topsoil reached physical maturity more evenly in the spring. The grain yield of cereals was 6.4% lower compared with the yield after conventional soil tillage. On these clay loam soils, spring cereals were more sensitive (poorer performance) to reduced soil tillage compared with winter cereals.

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