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In temperate climate zones, long periods without rainfall or with excessive rainfall are common during sowing and the initial vegetation of a catch crop. These periods can result in poor emergence and/or low yields. The study aimed to determine the influence of the depth of furrow sowing of catch crops on the soil moisture in the immediate vicinity of the seeds sown (1), dynamics of germination and plant emergence (2), and the biomass yield (3). Three furrow sowing depths (4–5 cm FS-S, 6–7 cm FS-M, and 8–9 cm FS-D) were tested and compared with traditional sowing (TS) in the cultivation of field pea and spring vetch catch crops. High amounts of precipitation were stated in the study period, especially in years 2016 and 2017. Furrow sowing enabled placing seeds in soil layers characterized by higher moisture content than traditional sowing. The sowing method did not significantly affect the plant density in any of the three years of the study. Field pea turned out to be a more valuable species for cultivation in catch crops in conditions with excessive precipitation. This plant produced a significantly greater yield of above-ground dry matter and total biomass than spring vetch. The sowing method did not affect the yield of catch crop biomass in study conditions.

Simplified, ploughless tillage and multi-species, multifunctional crop production are important components of sustainable agriculture. Technologies that combine these components can play an even greater pro-ecological role in modern agriculture. The claim is made that row intercropping of spring barley and peas, along with strip tillage, is an alternative to traditional methods of sowing cereals and legumes. This hypothesis was verified in a three-year field experiment in which row intercropping of barley and peas (alternating every row) was compared with traditional mixed-crop, within-row cropping (plants of each species in each row) and pure sowing of each species. Row intercropping of barley and peas using strip-till, one-pass technology, as compared with mixed-crop, within-row, improved the uniformity of plant emergence and plant density of peas before harvesting and reduced weed infestation. The productivity of barley and peas was higher than with pure sowing by 8.5% and 10.2%, respectively, and the productivity of peas was also higher by 38.9% than when sowing in mixed-crop, within-row. The yield of barley grain/seeds and peas under row-intercropping was 1.75 t ha−1 higher than the yield of pea seeds with pure sowing, and 0.79 t ha−1 lower than the yield of barley in pure sowing. On the other hand, the yield of grain/seed protein under this mixture was similar to the pea protein yield with pure sowing and 109 kg ha−1 higher than the barley protein yield with pure sowing. The positive results should inspire further research to obtain a better understanding of the conditions and effects of growing grains with legumes with strip-till one-pass technology.

The dynamics of soil moisture and its temperature is an important criterion for evaluating soil tillage technology in terms of achieving plant production stability. Understanding changes in soil moisture and temperature depending on rainfall and air temperature is necessary to develop application models for agriculture 4.0. A hypothesis was adopted assuming that the dynamics of soil moisture and its thermal properties will depend on the technology of cultivation. Hence, the aim of the research was to learn the dynamics of soil moisture and temperature during a growing season using strip and conventional tillage. Soil moisture was monitored using TDR probes in the row and inter-row of winter barley using plowing and strip-till techniques. Soil temperature was also monitored. Measurements were made every 5 min. In the most important period for the growth and development of barley vegetation, the soil in the strip-till was characterized by greater moisture (3.6% v/v on average) and greater stability than was the case with plowing. The soil in the strip-till was cooler (an average of 0.64 °C), but more stable than in plowing—temporary temperature differences in ST vs. PT reached even more than 5 °C. Strip-till therefore mitigates weather extremes to a greater extent than plowing.

Tillage is an agrotechnical practice that strongly affects the soil environment. Its effect on soil properties depends on the system and, more specifically, on the degree of soil inversion and loosening. Strip-till is a non-inversive method that loosens only narrow soil strips. In strip-till one-pass (ST-OP) technology, tillage is combined with a simultaneous application of fertilizers and seed sowing. In a static multi-year field experiment, the soil properties after application of ST-OP for 8 years were compared to those of soil under conventional tillage with the use of a moldboard plough to a depth of 20 cm (CT), and equally deep loosened and mixed reduced tillage (RT). A field experiment of these three treatments was performed since 2012 in sandy loam soil, Luvisol. A total of 44 features were examined that described the physical, chemical, biological, and biochemical soil properties in the 0&ndash, 20 cm layer, and penetration resistance (PR), bulk density (BD), and soil moisture (SM) in the 25&ndash, 30 cm layer. The influence of the ST-OP technology on the yield of crops was also determined. Multivariate analysis shows that the ST-OP method, in terms of affecting the soil properties, differs considerably from RT and CT treatments. The soil after the ST-OP method contained two- to four-fold more earthworms (En), with a mass (Em) 2- to 5-fold higher, than those in the soil following RT and CT, respectively. In the ST-OP soil the content of available phosphorus (Pa) and available potassium (Ka), the total count of bacteria (Bt), cellulolytic microorganisms (Bc), and fungi (Ff), and the activity of phosphatases (AlP, AcP) were significantly higher. Compared with CT, the content of total organic carbon (Ct) and its content in the fractions of organic matter were also higher, with the exception of humins (CH). The yields of winter rapeseed and winter wheat using the ST-OP technology were marginally higher compared with those using the CT and RT technology.

Taking into account the climatic conditions of central Europe, yellow lupine is often considered as an alternative to soybean, which has significantly higher thermal requirements. Attempts to intercrop yellow lupine with cereals have often resulted in failure. In combined production, the relative amount of lupine has proven to be considerably smaller given the sowing mix proportions and its yield potential in pure stand. Low yield is attributed to lupine&rsquo, s low competitive potential, therefore strip intercropping presents a viable alternative. The main goal of the experiment was to determine the response of yellow lupine to the neighboring presence of wheat, triticale, barley, and pea, as well as to estimate the production effects of lupine in strip intercropping. Field trials were carried out in Poland (53&deg, 13&prime, N, 17&deg, 51&prime, E) in the years 2008&ndash, 2010. The experimental factor consisted of row layout: a four-row separation between lupine and the neighboring species. The proximity of cereals and peas proved to be most unfavorable to yellow lupine. It was determined that yellow lupine was most intolerant of barley and least affected by the proximity of peas. Depending on the neighboring species, adverse effects extended up to the third row of lupine&rsquo, s canopy. A beneficial alternative for the production effect involves an introduction of a path separating the lupine strip from the tested species.

The emergence of plants is especially important for the winter crops that are grown in the challenging environmental conditions of many countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The emergence and initial growth of winter rapeseed were compared in field trials in a randomized block design with three replicates for plants sown in conventional tillage systems (CT) and strip-till (ST), which had different weather conditions and on soil with a non-uniform texture over a period of two years. Sowing in the CT was carried out using Horsch Pronto 4DC (Germany) at a row distance of 0.29 m. The ST operations were performed using a Pro-Til 4T drill manufactured by Mzuri Limited (Great Britain) - row spacing of 0.36 m. In favourable rainfall and thermal conditions, the density of winter rapeseed plants two weeks after sowing was found to be higher if it was sown after the CT than in the ST system. In the year that had a serious shortage of rainfall during the sowing period, a considerably higher density of plants was achieved using the ST system. The uniformity of plant growth using the ST technology in soil with a varied texture, especially in a year with an unfavourable distribution of rainfall, was proven by less variability in the number of leaves in the rosette, in the dry mass of the leaf rosette and in the root neck thickness of the winter rapeseed than in the CT system. The ST system can create good conditions for the initial development and preparation of rapeseed plants for wintering.

Catch crop cultivation for green manure is considered to be a sustainable agricultural strategy whose main goal is to mitigate the negative effects of inappropriate plant sequent by increasing the soil biological activity, improving the nutrient content and reducing their loss from soil. Additionally, correct catch crop management is expected to improve the yield of consequent crops as well as their quality parameters. The effects of field pea when used as a catch crop, either incorporated in autumn or mulched and incorporated in spring vs. a control—without a catch crop on the soil chemical properties (total N, organic C, available forms of K and P) and the composition of spring barley grain and straw (total N, P, K, Ca) were studied for three years (2009 to 2011) in two-field, one-factor experiments, which were conducted on two different soil types (Luvisol and Phaeozem). The catch crop had no effect regarding the soil pH, soil organic C or total N content. In turn, applying a catch crop significantly affected the concentration of the available K (in both soils) and available P content (Phaeozem). The effect of a catch crop on the nutrients in the grain and straw of spring barley was associated with the soil type. In Luvisol, a catch crop, independent of its management, increased the total N and P in the grain and straw of spring barley. In Phaeozem, a catch crop that was incorporated in the autumn significantly increased the K content in grain.

Zonal tillage, including strip-till, can have a positive effect on soil properties, seed germination, plant emergence, growth, and yield of crops. The aim of this two-factor field experiment was to compare different technologies of basic soil tillage, fertilisation, and sowing of winter wheat carried out after two post-harvest agrotechnical practises in a region with low rainfall. The three treatments of the first factor were: conventional technology (CT)&mdash, plough tillage, pre-sowing fertilisation, seedbed preparation and sowing, reduced technology (RT)&mdash, plough tillage replaced with deep loosening and (ST)&mdash, one pass strip-till technology using a hybrid machine. Agrotechnical practises carried out after the harvest of the previous crop were the second factor treatments, i.e., crushed straw and shallow tillage (TS), mulch from crushed straw (MS). The measurement of the treatment effects included changes in soil moisture, plant emergence, yield components and their correlation, grain yield, and the dependence of the yield components on soil moisture. Wheat growing in ST technology resulted in a higher soil moisture than in RT and CT. Only immediately after winter was the soil moisture similar. Grain yield in ST was similar as in CT and significantly, up to 10.4%, higher than in RT. The higher ST grain yield resulted from uniform plant emergence, greater ear density, and grain weight per ear. The correlation between yield components was weaker in ST than in CT and RT. The positive dependence of the size of the crop components on soil moisture was also weaker. The agrotechnical practises performed right after the previous crop harvest affected neither the soil moisture during the growing season of winter wheat, nor the grain yield and its components.