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Straw returning enhances soil fertility and increases corn yield, but the impact on soil fertility varies with different incorporation methods. To explore the optimal straw-returning method, this study, based on a long-term field experiment, investigated the following different corn-straw-returning methods: deep plowing and straw returning (B), rotary tillage and straw returning (RT), crushing and mixing straw returning (TM), pulverized cover straw returning (C), high-stubble-retention straw returning (LHS), strip cover (S), and flat no-tillage without straw returning (CK). High-throughput sequencing technology was employed to analyze the soil bacterial community composition and structural changes under different straw-returning methods. The study further explored the relationships between the soil bacterial community and nutrient content. The results indicated that different straw-returning methods altered the composition and structure of the soil bacterial community. The TM treatment significantly increased the richness and diversity of the soil bacterial communities. Shredding and covering (C and TM) effectively improved the soil nutrient content and bacterial community structure. In the C treatment, the abundance of Blastococcus, Nocardioides, and Microvirga increased the most, by 241.02%, 77.79%, and 355.08%, respectively, compared with CK. In the TM treatment, Pseudarthrobacter showed the highest abundance, increasing by 343.30%. The genes involved in soil carbon hydrolysis (pulA), nitrification (hao), organic nitrogen degradation and synthesis (gudB), and the nitrogen limitation response (glnR) significantly decreased by 56.21%, 78.75%, 66.46%, and 67.40%, respectively, in the C treatment. The genes involved in soil carbon hydrolysis (IMA), carbon fixation (pccB-A), methane metabolism (moxF), nitrate reduction in soil (nirD), organic nitrogen degradation and synthesis (gdh, ureAB, ureE), and phosphate absorption (glpT) significantly increased by 93.37%, 92.68%, 95.00%, 23.42%, 35.40%, 114.21%, 59.14%, and 75.86%, respectively, in the C treatment. The nitrate reduction gene (nrfA) significantly increased by 80.27% in the TM treatment. Therefore, we concluded that straw primarily stimulates the activity of bacterial communities and regulates the bacterial community by changing the relative abundance of the soil microorganisms and functional genes, thereby improving the soil nutrient content. This study considered pulverized cover straw returning and crushing and mixing straw returning to be the most reasonable methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar application is an effective way to improve soil organic carbon (SOC) content and ensure food security. However, there were differences in SOC content following biochar application under different conditions. We collected 637 paired comparisons from 101 articles to determine the following: (1) the average effect of biochar application on SOC content and (2) the response of SOC content to different soil nutrient contents, climate zones and cropping systems following biochar application. The results showed that the soil available phosphorus (P) content and soil available potassium (K) content reached the highest level in the category of <10 mg kg−1 and >150 mg kg−1, respectively. Soil total P content subgroups achieved maximum increase in the intermediate category. The Cw zone (temperate, without dry season) obtained the maximum level of SOC content. Compared with plough tillage, rotary tillage presented significantly higher SOC content. Therefore, low available P and K contents, moderate soil total N and P contents, rotary tillage and the Cw zone were more effective in increasing SOC content. Furthermore, the results of a random forest algorithm showed that soil nutrient contents were the most important variables. This study provided a scientific basis for SOC sequestration and improving soil fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important reserve for increasing the productivity of agricultural production is a scientifically based crop structure and the use of rational crop rotations, which implement the optimal ratio of agroecological standards. The aim of the research was to determine the influence of elements of agrotechnical measures, in particular, the saturation of crop rotations with sunflower, soil tillage system on the number and species composition of various agrobiological groups of weeds in sunflower crops, including the weed parasite sunflower broomrape (Orobahche cumana Wallr.). Weed control measures and the spread of the parasitic weed sunflower broomrape in sunflower crops have been carried out according to the methods generally accepted in agriculture and weed science. The scheme of the experiment has been included crop rotations with saturation in the structure of sunflower sowing of 12.5%, 20%, 25%, 33.3%, 50%, 100% and three systems of basic tillage: moldboard plowing, disc tillage, no-tillage. As a result of the research, it has been found that the systems of disc tillage and no-tillage cause an increase in the number of weeds in sunflower crops compared to the moldboard plowing by 1.3-1.5 times. On average, over the years of research, the abundance of weeds in the plots when using disk tools was 10.4-15.1 pcs/m², moldboard plowing - 7.1-12.4 pcs/m², before harvesting - 2.6-5.2 and 4.1-12.4 pcs/m². The highest degree of sunflower broomrape damage has been observed in 2-fields crop rotation (winter wheat - sunflower) and permanent sunflower cultivation, as 16.0-32.4% of affected sunflower plants have been observed here. The intensity of sunflower broomrape damage to sunflower plants was higher in the moldboard plowing system and amounted to 1.2-8.3 pcs/per plant, which exceeded disc tillage and no-tillage by 1.2-1.6 times. The maximum seed yield of 2.92-2.95 t/ha has been obtained in 8- and 5- fields rotations with the use of moldboard plowing. The lowest yields of sunflower seeds were in short-rotation crop rotations with a sunflower saturation of 50% in the structure of sown areas and permanent cultivation and amounted to: moldboard plowing - 1.75-2.21 t/ha, disk tillage - 1.57-2.01 t/ha and no-tillage - 1.49-1.95 t/ha. Given the urgency of supplying the global market with sunflower oil, in the future it is necessary to increase the concentration of sunflower in the structure of sown areas to 30-40% through the system of basic tillage, selection of resistant hybrids and use of herbicides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As interest in eco-friendly work vehicles grows, research on the powertrains of eco-friendly tractors has increased, including research on the development of eco-friendly vehicles (tractors) using hydrogen fuel cell power packs and batteries. However, batteries require a long time to charge and have a short operating time due to their low energy efficiency compared with hydrogen fuel cell power packs. Therefore, recent studies have focused on the development of tractors using hydrogen fuel cell power packs; however, there is a lack of research on powertrain performance analysis considering actual working conditions. To evaluate vehicle performance, an actual load measurement during agricultural operation must be conducted. The objective of this study was to conduct an efficiency analysis of powertrains according to their power source using data measured during agricultural operations. A performance evaluation with respect to efficiency was performed through comparison and an analysis with internal combustion engine tractors of the same level. The specifications of the transmission for hydrogen fuel cell and engine tractors were used in this study. The power loss and efficiency of the transmission were calculated using ISO 14179-1 equations, as shown below. Plow tillage and rotary tillage operations were conducted for data measurement. The measurement system consists of four components. The engine data load measurement was calculated using the vehicle's controller area network (CAN) data, the axle load was measured using an axle torque meter and proximity sensors, and fuel consumption was measured using the sensor installed on the fuel line. The calculated capacities, considering the engine's fuel efficiency for plow and rotary tillage operations, were 131.2 and 175.1 kWh, respectively. The capacity of the required power, considering the powertrain's efficiency for hydrogen fuel cell tractors with respect to plow and rotary tillage operations, was calculated using the efficiency of the motor, inverter, and power pack, and 51.3 and 62.9 kWh were the values obtained, respectively. Considering these factors, the engine exhibited an efficiency of about 47.9% compared with the power pack in the case of plow tillage operations, and the engine exhibited an efficiency of about 29.3% in the case of rotary tillage operations. A hydrogen fuel cell tractor is considered suitable for high-efficiency and eco-friendly vehicles because it can operate on eco-friendly power sources while providing the advantages of a motor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite conservation tillage being a promising strategy to mitigate soil degradation, the intricate role of microbial communities in shaping soil quality over long‐term tillage remains poorly understood. The study aimed to investigate the microbial mechanisms governing the soil quality index (SQI) and maize yield under different tillage practices spanning 13 years, including no‐till without straw retention (NT0), no‐till with straw retention (NTSR), plough tillage with straw retention (PTSR), and rotary tillage with straw retention (RTSR). The findings revealed that NTSR improved the SQI index by 22.4% and 11.3% higher than PTSR and RTSR, respectively, within the 0–10 cm soil layer. This improvement was correlated with an increase in maize yield (R2 = 0.39, p < 0.05). PERMANOVA analysis confirmed that both soil depth and tillage practices significantly impacted the composition of microbial communities (p < 0.05). Furthermore, conservation tillage, compared to PTSR and RTSR, increased the abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis by 78.6%–460.3% but decreased the saprophytic fungal abundance by 27.5%–28.3%. Soil quality was notably influenced by the interaction between bacterial and fungal communities. The presence of bacterial‐dominated Module 2 was associated with decreased soil quality in the 0–10 cm soil depth (r = −0.47, p < 0.01). This study emphasizes the pivotal role of microbial diversity and dominant taxa in driving soil quality after long‐term conservation tillage practices. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for establishing farmland management to achieve agricultural and ecological sustainability in the face of climate change and soil degradation challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the importance of mechanization in agriculture, particularly in developing countries where there is a shortage of agricultural labor due to rapid urbanization. It highlights the development of various farming machinery for soil preparation, sowing, fertilization, pest control, harvesting, and post-harvesting. The article presents research papers from five countries, covering topics such as improved measurement methods for agricultural tractors, optimizing the design of farming machinery, and the interaction between soil and mechanical systems. It also includes studies on soil properties and their impact on agricultural applications. The article concludes by expressing gratitude to the authors and reviewers for their contributions to the special issue. [Extracted from the article]

The implementation of unsuitable tillage practices has the potential to disrupt the structure integrity of the ploughed layer, as well as to influence the physical parameters of the soil. The application of a reasonable tillage method has been demonstrated to result in an improvement in the physical quality of the soil. Three autumn tillage practices have been implemented at the Dongyang Experimental Station of Shanxi Agricultural University since 2016: no-tillage with straw mulch (NTS), autumn rotary tillage with straw incorporation (RTS), and autumn plough tillage with straw incorporation (PTS). The impact of autumn tillage practices on soil physical quality in the 0-30 cm profile of spring corn fields was evaluated following the corn harvest in 2018 and 2019. The results showed that compared to the NTS treatment, the application of RTS was found to have decreased significantly by 9.6%-24.2% in soil bulk density, while it increased significantly by 12.8%-34.0% in total porosity and by 43.5%-146.4% in macroporosity at a depth of 5-10 cm. In comparison to the NTS treatment, the adoption of PTS was found to decrease significantly by 10.7%-30.5% soil bulk density, while it increased significantly by 9.9%-42.7% the total porosity and 23.1%-202.8% the macroporosity at a depth of 0-10 cm. Furthermore, the soil microporosity significantly increase of 7.5%-11.1% under the RTS treatment at the 0-5 cm soil depth and 7.7%-11.2% under the PTS treatment at the 10-20 cm soil depth. Soil physical quality index (SQI) significantly increase under the RTS and PTS treatments, with a 41.26% and 57.57% improvement, respectively, in comparison to the NTS treatment. In summary, the adoption of autumn tillage with straw return (RTS and PTS) demonstrated a reduction in soil bulk density, an increase in soil porosity, macroporosity, and a promotion of capillary porosity, and promoted the improvement of soil physical quality on the Eastern Loess Plateau when compared to no-tillage with straw mulch (NTS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lynchets, often the defining component of historic agricultural landscapes in northern Europe, are generally associated with soft-limestone geologies and are particularly well developed on loess-mantled landscapes. To understand their formation and chronology, the authors present their geoarchaeological analyses of lynchet soils and loess deposits at Blick Mead and Charlton Forest in southern England, and Sint Martens-Voeren in Belgium. The lynchets date from the late prehistoric to the medieval periods and were constructed by plough action at the English sites, and by both cut-and-fill and ploughing in Belgium. This has resulted in the preservation of highly fertile loessic soils across chalk slopes, lost elsewhere. Although each example is associated with local/regional agricultural histories, the lynchets' effective soil-retention capacities allowed them to survive as important heritage features with environmental benefits over millennia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Straw returning may be an efficient strategy to maintain agricultural sustainability. However, which straw returning strategy can effectively improve soil properties and crop yield remain unclear. A five-year (2011–2016) field experiment in sub-humid, drought-prone areas of northwestern China with uneven rainfall distribution and irrigation was conducted to evaluate the effects of nitrogen fertilizer without straw mulching (CK), with regular straw mulching (LSM), and with ammoniated straw plowing (ALSP) on soil water, soil aggregates, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), and water use efficiency (WUE) in an annual winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)–summer maize (Zea mays L.) rotation system. The results demonstrate that ALSP had a greater soil water content than CK in the 0–60 cm soil layer. ALSP also had substantially more soil water than LSM in the 0–100 cm layer during the wet year (2011–2012) and two dry years (2014–2015 and 2015–2016). In the normal years (2012–2013 and 2013–2014), the soil water content in ALSP was significantly lower than in LSM in the 0–20 cm soil layer. ALSP was better able to alleviate soil drought in dry years and excessive humidity in wet years. Compared to CK, SOC in the 0–20 cm soil layer in 2016 increased by 8.3% in LSM and 11.7% in ALSP, and TN in the upper soil increased by 6.6% in LSM and 10.1% in ALSP. The equivalent wheat yield and WUE increased in ALSP by 15.6% and 17.5%, respectively, relative to CK, and by 6.79% and 5.97%, respectively, relative to LSM. Thus, we concluded that plowing ammoniated straw with N fertilization is a promising strategy for improving soil fertility and crop productivity in winter wheat–summer maize rotation systems in the sub-humid, drought-prone areas of northwestern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A decline in rainfall as a source of agricultural water has affected and will continue to affect sustainable crop production globally including in Hungary. Conservation of the greatest water reservoir is important for the sustainable development of agriculture in Hungary. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the different tillage methods on soil moisture content, grain yield, and root weight of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus) under rainfed conditions. A field study was conducted at the Józsefmajor Experimental and Training Farm (JM) of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences near Hatvan. The experiment consisted of six tillage treatments: disking (D, 16 cm), shallow cultivation (SC, 20 cm), no-till (NT), deep cultivation (DC, 25 cm), loosening (L, 45 cm), and plowing (P, 30 cm). Soil moisture content (SMC) was measured monthly, and grain yield and root weight were measured at the end of the cropping period. Our results showed no significant difference in SMC between conservation and conventional tillage methods in 2018. However, in 2021, greater SMC was significantly conserved under NT compared to P. Regarding the sampling date, a significant increase in moisture with time was observed. A significantly lower SMC was observed on 3 June 2019 between L and D. while on the 9 September 2020, SMC significantly differed between P and all the other treatments (D, SC, NT, DC, and L). Interestingly in 2018, SMC was significantly lower at 10–20 cm depth between L and D. Notably the effect of depth on SMC was observed as moisture significantly increased with increasing depth in all tillage treatments. Root weight was greatest at DC (1.54 t ha−1) in 2018 and under L (3.89 t ha−1) in 2021. Similarly, wheat grain yield was greatest at DC (2.48 t ha−1) in 2018, while sunflower yield in 2021 was greatest at L (3.86 t ha−1). It is comprehensible that conservation tillage methods such as L and NT can increase SMC and grain yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the population grows, more food is needed to keep the food supply chain running smoothly. For many years, intensive farming systems have been used to meet this need. Currently, due to intense climate change and other global natural problems, there is a shift towards sustainable use of natural resources and simplified methods of tillage. Soil tillage intensity influences the distribution of nutrients, and soil's physical and mechanical properties, as well as gas flows. The impact of reduced tillage on these indices in spring barley cultivation is still insufficient and requires more analysis on a global scale. This study was carried out at Vytautas Magnus University, Agriculture Academy (Lithuania) in 2022–2023. The aim of the investigation was to determine the effect of the tillage systems on the soil temperature, moisture content, CO2 respiration and concentration in spring barley cultivation. Based on a long-term tillage experiment, five tillage systems were tested: deep and shallow moldboard ploughing, deep cultivation-chiseling, shallow cultivation-chiseling, and no tillage Shallow plowing technology has been found to better conserve soil moisture and maintain higher temperatures in most cases. During almost the entire study period, the spring barley crop with deep cultivation had lower moisture content and lower soil temperature. Shallow cultivation fields in most cases increased CO2 emissions and CO2 concentration. When applying direct sowing to the uncultivated soil (10–20 cm), the concentration of CO2 decreased from 0.01 to 0.148 percent. pcs. The results show that in direct sowing fields, most cases had a positive effect on crop density. Direct sowing fields resulted in significantly lower, from 7.9 to 26.5%, grain yields of spring barley in the years studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For economic, environmental, and climatic reasons, soil cultivation methods without the use of a plough have became increasingly popular in recent decades. As research has shown, their impact on the growth and yield of crops is not always positive, especially when direct sowing is used. Recently, a new solution in the field of tillage has appeared which involves loosening the soil only within the sowing zone, which is called strip till. In the research presented in this work, this method was used for various cultivars of winter wheat on uncultivated stubble, but also after cultivation of the stubble just after harvest of a forecrop. The aim of the paper was to define the impact of the aforementioned factors on the parameters of photosynthesis, leaf area index, and water use efficiency. The range of soil cultivation after the harvest of the forecrop and cultivars influenced significantly the measured photosynthesis parameters. The impact of the cultivation method and variety on water use efficiency was small, although it should be noted that limiting the intensity of cultivation after the forecrop harvest had a temporary positive impact on the flag leaf phase. The winter wheat cultivar had an impact on the yield obtained: Formacja (0.44 t ha-1) and Metronom (0.37 t ha-1) yielded higher than Desamo. In the case of plough tillage, the yield was higher than in the case of minimum tillage and no tillage. Given the economic and environmental benefits associated with reduced fuel consumption, no tillage with a relatively slightly lower yield may be an alternative to the use of plough tillage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research conducted in the north Steppe of Ukraine throughout 2020-2022 studied such elements of corn growing technique as the basic tillage method and mineral fertilization for corn hybrids of different ripeness groups. It was found that the highest yield among all hybrids under experiment was achieved as a result of using turning plowing method. The LG 31377 hybrid showed itself as the most productive with the result of 8.91 t/ha. Change from turning plowing to subsoiling led to insignificant yield reduction, which constituted 1.7% and 1.9% for middle-early LG 31272 and Adevey hybrids and to minor but essential 3.5% for middle-ripe LG 31330 and LG 31377 hybrids. Growing corn after shallow tillage caused yield losses of 15.5-24.0%. While studying the impact of fertilizers on corn hybrid productivity, it was concluded, that the lowest yield was harvested on plots with no mineral fertilization. Within the range of hybrids under research, in case of no fertilizers used, the lowest productivity 7.33 t/ha was registered for the LG 31377 hybrid, while the highest yield of 7.48 t/ha was formed by the LG 31272. The application of mineral fertilizers in the amount of N30P30K30 contributed to the yield growth by 10.1-17.2% among the hybrids under research, which constituted 0.76 t/ha for the LG 31272, 1.04 t/ha for the Adevey, 1.08 t/ha for the LG 31330 and 1.26 t/ha for the LG 31377 hybrid. The increase of mineral fertilizers amount to N60P60K60 resulted in further yield growth of 0.6-2.2% only. In case of application of N30P30K30 and N60P60K60 the LG 31377 had the highest yield among other hybrids -- 8.59 and 8.78 t/ha. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper quantifies the annual dynamics of the shortwave radiation reflected from bare arable land as a result of smoothing previously plowed land located in three different agricultural subregions of the European Union and associated countries. This estimate takes into account the annual variation of the bare arable land area, obtained from Sentinel 2 satellite imagery; the spatial variability of soil units within croplands, obtained from digital soil and land-cover maps; and the laboratory spectral reflectance characteristics of these units, obtained from soil samples stored in the LUCAS soil database. The properties of the soil units, which cover an area of at least 4% of each subregion, were characterized. The highest amounts of shortwave radiation reflected under clear-sky conditions from air-dried, bare arable land surfaces—approximately 850 PJ day−1 and 1.10 EJ day−1 for land shaped by a plow (Pd) and smoothing harrow (Hs), respectively—were found in the summer around 8 August in the western subregion. However, the lowest radiation occurred in the spring on 10 April at 340 PJ day−1 for Pd and 430 PJ day−1 for Hs in the central subregion. The largest and the smallest amounts of this radiation throughout the year—only as a result of smoothing, by Hs, land that was previously treated by Pd—was estimated at 42 EJ for the western and southern subregions and 19 EJ for the central subregion, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil tillage and maize residues return are important practices for tackling and promoting soil quality and improving crop yield in the North China Plain (NCP), where winter wheat production is threatened by soil deterioration. Although maize residues incorporation with rotary tillage (RS) or deep plowing tillage (DS) is widespread in this region, only few studies have focused on rotation tillage. Four practices, namely RT (continuous rotary tillage without maize residues return), RS, DS, and RS/DS (rotary tillage every year and deep plowing interval of 2 years), were evaluated under field conditions lasting a period of 5 years. After a 5-year field experiment, the mean soil bulk density of the 0–30 cm soil layer decreased significantly with RS, DS, and RS/DS, i.e., by 4.19%, 6.33%, and 6.71% compared with RT, respectively. The treatments greatly improved the total soil porosity, soil aggregate size distribution, soil aggregate stability, and the root length density in the 0–30 cm soil layers. Residues return with DS and RS/DS treatments significantly increased the soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) storage in the 0–30 cm soil layer, mainly owed to the increases in the SOC and TN pool associated with the macro-aggregate. A positive trend in the grain yield was noted under both DS and RS/DS conditions, whereas a decreasing tendency was presented in continuous rotary treatments. In summary, RS/DS treatment significantly increased the amount of SOC and TN, improved the particle size distribution of soil aggregates, and thus improved the soil's physicochemical properties, which is beneficial for wheat to achieve high yields. Our results suggested that RS/DS was a highly efficient practice to improve soil quality and increase crop production in the NCP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tillage practices are of critical importance in maintaining soil quality on cropland and for food production, with rice cultivation representing a significant portion of the world's food production and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While numerous studies have examined the effects of reduced and no-tillage on soil GHG emissions and rice yields, the impact of adopting a rotational approach to tillage practices on the rice cultivation cycle remains uncertain. In this study, we conducted a four-year (2017–2020) field experiment in a single rice-growing area in Northeast China with the aim of investigating the effects of different tillage practices on GHG emissions from paddy fields and rice yields under full straw return conditions. We set up three experimental treatments: rotary tillage, plowing, and rotational tillage (i.e., a combination of one year of plowing and one year of rotary tillage). The results showed that averaged across all treatments, average methane (CH4, 302.6 ± 51.1 kg ha−1) and nitrous oxide (N2O, 0.86 ± 0.361 kg ha−1) emissions and rice yield (9.0 ± 0.9 t ha−1) did not exhibit significant inter-annual variability during the entire experimental period and were comparable to the average for the region. The ranking of GHG emissions during the rice-growing season was as follows: rotary tillage > plowing > rotational tillage. Across the experimental period, CH4 and N2O emissions were 9.1% and 8.5% lower in the plowing treatment and 21.2% and 13.1% lower in the rotational tillage treatment compared to the rotary tillage treatment. During the experimental period, there was no significant effect of tillage treatments on rice yield. This reduction in emissions may be attributed to changes in soil penetration resistance. In the rotational and plowing treatments, soil penetration resistance was in a range more adapted to rice growth and GHG emissions reduction compared to the rotary tillage treatment. The yield-scale GHG emission intensity was reduced by 12.7% and 26.1% in the plowing and rotational tillage treatments, respectively, in comparison to the rotary tillage treatment. This suggests that rotational tillage is a management practice that can achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions in paddy fields and stabilize or possibly increase rice yields. Consequently, the results demonstrated that a rotational alternation of multiple tillage practices is a synergistic strategy for achieving low carbon and high yield in rice in the cold rice-growing region of Northeast China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cotton is an important cash crop in Xinjiang, accounting for 90.2% of China's total production in 2022. However, natural factors such as drought, high soil salinity, and the constraints of perennial shallow tillage soil management practices limit the yield and efficiency of cotton production and sustainable agricultural development. Deep vertical rotary tillage facilitates the breaking up of soil solidification and promotes the salt leached by irrigation water. In order to investigate the improvement effect of deep vertical rotary tillage on heavily saline cotton fields in Southern Xinjiang of China, this study conducted a 2 a (2021-2022) field experiment with three deep vertical rotary tillage depths (DT20: deep vertical rotary tillage 20 cm, DT40: deep vertical rotary tillage 40 cm, DT60: deep vertical rotary tillage 60 cm), and alternate with conventional tillage (five-share plowing 20 cm CT20), and CT20 was set to be the two consecutive years of conventional tillage. Original soil samples from 0-60 cm were collected to determine the water-stable aggregates. Soil moisture, salinity, organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and total potassium were defermined by samples under the drip irrigation tapes, wide rows and narrow rows of each treatment on the 3rd day after each irrigation. Cotton root samples were collected at 105 days after sowing in 2021 and at 103 days in 2022. The effects of different depths of deep vertical rotary tillage on soil physical properties, soil nutrient content, cotton root length density, boll weight, dry matter mass accumulation and seed cotton yield were investigated, and the effect of crop yield was quantified by structural equation modeling. The results showed that: 1) deep vertical rotary tillage was able to loosen the soil in the tillage layer to optimize the soil structure. DT60 treatment was able to significantly reduce the soil bulk density, the content of coarse aggregates (>2 mm), and silt and clay particle (<0.053 mm) in the tillage depth layer compared with DT20 and CT20 treatment, which led to a significant reduction in mean weight diameter and mean geometric diameter, and increased total soil porosity and the content of micro-aggregates (<0.25～ 0.053 mm), while DT60 treatment was unable to further improve the soil structure in the deep soil layer compared with DT40 treatment. 2) DT40 and DT60 treatments were able to significantly increase soil moisture from 0-40 cm soil layer and reduce soil salinity and pH value, whereas DT20 treatment was only able to reduce soil salinity from 0-20 cm soil layer, whereas DT60 treatment was able to significantly reduce soil salinity and pH value from 0-60 cm soil layer compared with DT40 treatment. The reduction of soil salinity promoted the accumulation of soil organic carbon in the 0-40 cm soil layer and soil total nitrogen in the 0-60 cm soil layer, but DT60 treatment was unable to significantly increase soil organic carbon and soil total nitrogen in the 0-20 cm soil layer compared with the DT40 treatment. 3) The analysis of the structural equation modeling showed that soil salinity was an indirect factor affecting the seed cotton yield, and the accumulation of cotton’s dry matter and the weight of cotton bolls were the direct factored. The reduction of soil salinity favors soil nutrient accumulation and cotton root growth, promoted nutrient transport and accumulation to the plant organ, and increased cotton dry matter accumulation and seed cotton yield. Therefore, DT60 treatment had the best effect of soil salinity reduction, and thus the effect of yield increase. Comprehensive analysis showed that the depth of 60 cm on deep vertical rotary tillage with conventional tillage alternating can realize the synergy of improving and increasing the yield and efficiency of the severe saline cotton fields in the Southern Xinjiang of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the main contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) in paddy soil, information on methane (CH4) emission characteristics under different tillage and cultivation practices are limited. A five-year field trial was conducted from 2019 in a single-cropping rice system in Taihu Lake region, east of China. The experiment had a completely randomized block design, and the treatments included rotary tillage plus rice dry direct seeding (RD), rotary tillage plus rice mechanical transplanting (RT), and plowing tillage plus rice mechanical transplanting (PT). We determined the rice yield, GHG emission, soil traits, and methanogens and methanotrophs in 2022 and 2023. The results revealed that PT and RT significantly increased rice yield compared to RD, whereas PT simultaneously increased CH4 emissions. The year-averaged cumulative CH4 emissions in PT were increased by 38.5% and 61.4% higher than RT and RD, respectively. Meanwhile, yield-scaled global warming potentials (GWPs) in RT and RD were lower than those in PT. Tillage and cultivation practices shifted mcrA and pmoA abundances, and PT significantly decreased pmoA abundance. The community structure and diversity of the methanogens and methanotrophs were not significantly affected. Structural equation model analyses illustrated that CH4 emissions were regulated by mcrA and pmoA directly, which in turn, regulated by soil carbon and nitrogen. Overall, rotary tillage plus mechanism transplanting was a feasible agronomic technology in a single-cropping rice system in Taihu Lake region, exhibiting higher and more stable rice productivity, accompanied with lower CH4 emissions and yield-scaled GWP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both subsoiling tillage (ST) and ridge and furrow rainfall harvesting (RF) are widely implemented and play an important role in boosting wheat productivity. However, information about the effects of ST coupled with RF during the summer fallow season on wheat productivity and environmental issues remains limited. This study aims to explore the effects of ST coupled with RF on water harvesting, wheat productivity-yield traits, water and nutrient use efficiency and quality, and soil nitrate-N residue in dryland winter wheat-summer fallow rotation at the intersection of southern Loess Plateau and western Huang-Huai-Hai Plain in China in 2018-2022. Three tillage practices--deep plowing with straw turnover (PTST), subsoiling with straw mulching (STSM), and STSMcoupled with RF (SRFSM)-- are conducted during the summer fallow season. The results indicated that tillage practices during the summer fallow season significantly impacted wheat productivity and soil nitrate-N residue. Compared to PTST, STSM significantly enhanced rainfall fallow efficiency and water use efficiency by 7.0% and 14.2%, respectively, as well as N, P, and K uptake efficiency by 16.9%, 16.2%, and 15.3%, and thus increased grain yield by 14.3% and improved most parameters of protein components and processing quality, albeit with an increase in nitrate-N residue in the 0- to 300-cm soil depth by 12.5%. SRFSM, in turn, led to a further increase in water storage at sowing, resulting in an increase of water use efficiency by 6.8%, as well as N, P, and K uptake efficiency and K internal efficiency by 11.8%, 10.4%, 8.8%, and 4.7%, thereby significantly promoting grain yield by 10.2%, and improving the contents of all the protein components and enhancing the processing quality in grain, and simultaneously reducing the nitrate-N residue in the 0- to 300-cm soil layer by 16.1%, compared to STSM. In essence, this study posits that employing subsoiling coupled with ridge-furrow rainfall harvesting (SRFSM) during the summer fallow season is a promising strategy for enhancing wheat yield, efficiency, and quality, and simultaneously reducing soil nitrate-N residue within the dryland summer fallow-winter wheat rotation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of coating a flat blade surface with titanium nitride nano coatings (TiN), nano tantalum carbide (TaC), Fiberglass (Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer) (GFRP), Galvanized Steel (GAS), and St37 (SST37) was investigated in order to decrease the adhesion of soil on tilling tools, external friction and, ultimately, the draft force. The soil tank, which was filled with soil of the desired conditions, was pulled on the bearing on the rail. A S-shaped load cell was used to measure the draft force. Tests were conducted at a distance of 2 m and speeds of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 m·s−1 at a depth of 10 cm. A model based on input factors, including blade travel speed, rake angle, and cohesion and adhesion of soil–blade, was developed in an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), and draft force was the output parameter. To verify the performance of the developed model using ANFIS, a relative error(ε) of 6.1% and coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.956 were computed. It was found that blades coated with Nano (TiN-TaC), due to its hydrophobic surface, flatness, and self-cleaning properties, have considerable ability to decrease adhesion in wet soils and showed a linear relationship with draft force reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanical properties of vegetables or crop materials play a noteworthy part in designing new related implements. These properties can be extracted from force–deformation curves. Several factors, such as soil preparation, irrigation, and pre- and post-harvest treatments influence them. The core objective of this investigation work was to analyze force–deformation curves obtained from compression, penetration, and shear tests of potatoes (Spunta cv.) produced with three tillage implements. The potatoes cv. Spunta were cultivated in loamy sand soil under the center-pivot irrigation system. The tillage implements used were a disc harrow plow, chisel plow, and moldboard plow. The trials were performed at a constant planting depth (15 cm) below the soil and a single plowing speed of 5.4 km/h. All data were expressed as an average of five replicates ± standard deviation. The force–deformation curves analysis showed that the modulus of elasticity for potatoes cv. Spunta ranged from 4.32 to 5.8 N/mm, the bioyield force ranged from 84.25 to 114.12 N, and rupture forces ranged from 100.90 to 139.78 N. Furthermore, the results showed that the average values of the elastic and plastic ranges were 3.0 and 2.1 mm, respectively. The mean value of hardness was 1671.53 N·mm. No significant differences were observed with respect to the two planting seasons, but tillage implements had a significant impact on the characteristics extracted from the compression tests. The mean of the maximum forces required to penetrate the potato during the penetration stage were 41.24 N, 44.86 N, and 47.16 N for potatoes produced with the disc harrow plow, chisel plow, and moldboard plow, respectively. Similarly, the means of the maximum forces required to cut the potato in the shear stage were 724.38 N, 761 N, and 773.43 N for the disc harrow plow, chisel plow, and moldboard plow, respectively. The force–deformation curves showed that additional information might be required to obtain a complete description of the potato quality necessary to harvest potatoes cv. Spunta using harvesting and handling equipment with reduced economic loss. An extensive study of the soil characteristics and the above-mentioned properties is also recommended. The results obtained about the mechanical characteristics of potatoes cv. Spunta can be useful in providing information that aids in designing potato harvesting machines and in potato products factories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing methodologies employed for the quantification and regulation of tractor's tillage depth present considerable shortcomings, primarily characterized by their low accuracy and poor disturbance rejection proficiency in complex agricultural terrains. In this study, we present a sophisticated feedback control strategy designed to mitigate these challenges. Our innovative approach hinges on calculating tillage depth from the alignment of the tractor's hydraulic lifting arm, achieved by employing a mechanical angle sensor. This sensor adeptly gages the angle of the lifting arm, aligning it with the tillage angle of the pull rod and the implement's angle, resulting in a robust relational model correlating the lifting arm angle with the tillage depth. This pioneering method amalgamates the accuracy inherent in the static model, derived from the tillage angle-based depth measurement, with the dynamic stability afforded by the mechanical ascertainment of the lifting arm angle. In conjunction, we introduce a Hybrid Extended State Observer-Based Backstepping Sliding Mode Controller (HESO-BacksteppingSMC). The HESO is instrumental in estimating unmeasured state variables and lumped disturbances, utilizing the system's output feedback signal. Our control frame component capitalizes on the fast power-reaching law to yield a continuously smooth control signal, effectively eradicating the conventional chattering phenomenon inherent in controllers and amplifying its functional applicability. Theoretical evaluations affirm the uniformly and ultimately bounded stability of the errors associated with our proposed observer and controller, underscoring their robustness. The superior performance of our proposed tillage depth measurement and control methodology has been corroborated through a series of comprehensive simulation and field plowing trials, attesting to its precision and reliability in complex agricultural settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Kirkuk University for Agricultural Sciences is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Kirkuk University for Agricultural Sciences is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The use of instrumental methods of analysis in the assessment of indices that record changes in symmetry in the structure of grains to evaluate the quality of durum and soft wheat grain is currently considered a search tool that will allow us to obtain previously unavailable data by finding correlations associated with differences in the shape and ratio of starch granules in conditionally symmetrical and asymmetrical wheat fruits (kernels) formed in different field conditions and with different genotypes. Indicators that had previously shown their effectiveness were used to analyze the obviously complex unique material obtained as a result of growing under critically unique sowing conditions in 2022, which affected the stability of grain development and filling. For the evaluation, a typical agronomic comparative experiment was chosen, which was used to evaluate the soil tillage practices (fallow, non-moldboard loosening, and plowing) and sowing dates (early and after excessive rainfalls), which made it possible to analyze a wider range of factors influencing the studied indices. The soil tillage methods were found to affect the uniformity of kernel fullness and their symmetry, and the sowing dates did not lead to significant differences. This study presents detailed changes in the shape of the middle cut of a wheat kernel, associated with assessing the efficiency of kernel filling and the symmetrical distribution of storage substances under the influence of external and internal physical factors that affect the formation of the wheat kernel. The data obtained may be of interest to breeders and developers of predictive phenotyping programs for cereal grain and seeds of other crops, as well as plant physiologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed to determine the influence of performing primary tillage by moldboard plow and planting operation by four rows Gaspardo planter on some performance and economic indicators of Armatrac tractor 854e 84 hp (62kw). The system calculates and measures slippage percentage, draft force, energy requirements, and total costs for planting and tillage operation at three practical velocities and two depths. Planting operation performed at 5 and 7 cm depth under 2.90, 4.27, and 5.28 km.h-1 . while ploughing operation performed at 15 and 20 cm tillage depth under 3.89, 5.28, and 6.67 km.h-1 . Two factorial experiments were carried out using randomized complete block design with two factors and three replications. The results of analysis of variance showed that increases of practical velocity results in increase of slippage percentage and draft force but results in decrease of energy requirements and total costs. Furthermore, this study revealed that increases the depth of operation results in increase of slippage percentage, draft force, energy requirements, and total costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Chinese Journal of Oil Crop Sciences is the property of Oil Crops Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Cultivated soils are constantly under stress, in particular, from anthropogenic pressure due to their tillage. At the same time, climate change, moisture deficit, trends in crop rotation and improved crop tillage technologies encourage farmers to pay more attention to tillage systems. In addition, this element of technology plays a significant role in ensuring the sustainability of the entire agrophytocenosis. The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of different tillage practices on certain soil fertility indicators and corn yield. The research was carried out in 2021-2023 at the Dokuchaevske Experimental Field of the State Biotechnological University, which is located in the Left-Bank Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine. The experimental design includes the study of different tillage methods: ploughing with PLN-4-35 at 25-27 cm (control); chisel local tillage with PC-2.5 at 33-35 cm; moldboardless tillage with PRN-31000 at 33-35 cm and discing with BDM-2.5 at 10-12 cm. The reaction of the soil to the main tillage in corn crops was determined through its main water and agrophysical parameters: moisture content, density and hardness. The results of the research showed that the condition of typical chernozem is almost the same after ploughing and moldboardless tillage with the PRN-31000 ("paraplough"). A slight increase in the density of the arable soil layer was found after the application of chisel and discing tillage. All tillage options created favourable conditions in the soil, as its hardness in the 0-20 cm soil layer was in the range of 13.3-15.1 kg/cm2. In corn crops, moisture reserves in the one-metre layer did not differ by tillage options. However, there was a tendency for its decrease in the variants with chisel and discing tillage compared to ploughing. For all variants of soil tillage, compared to ploughing, there was a significant decrease in corn grain yield. The practical significance of the results obtained is to optimise the regulation of water and physical properties of typical chernozem with the achievement of soil protection technologies and stabilisation of corn grain yields in the context of climate change and variability of modern production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A drag-adaptive plowing control method for an electric tractor is proposed. • A PMSM field-oriented control model with temperature compensation is developed. • The speed and slip are controlled by adjusting the battery position and motor torque. • The traction efficiency is increased by 23.33 % compared to that without control. • The method improves the plowing operation stability when the motor temperature rises. Traditional plowing efficiency control methods are difficult to balance the tillage efficiency and uniform plowing depth, and the impact of the motor temperature rise on the control accuracy cannot be ignored during electric tractor operations. Therefore, a plowing drag-adaptive operation control method considering the motor temperature rise was proposed for an electric tractor equipped with a sliding battery pack. Firstly, a field-oriented control model with temperature compensation for the PMSM was developed based on the obtained winding resistances and flux links at different temperatures. Then, the driving torque and battery displacement were regulated to adapt the drag variation by the fuzzy neural network algorithm, allowing joint control of the speed and slip rate, and the simulation analysis was performed. Finally, a field plowing test was conducted. The results showed that the traction efficiency is increased by 23.33 % compared with those without control, and when the motor temperature rises, it can be compensated for temperature to output the required torque accurately, and the average relative errors in both speed and slip rate are reduced. The proposed method can improve the slip and greatly enhance the plowing operational stability, which provided technical support for the automatic precision operation of electric tractors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop Residue Cover (CRC) is crucial for enhancing soil quality and mitigating erosion in agricultural fields. Accurately estimating CRC in near real-time presents challenges due to the limitations of traditional and remote sensing methods. This study addresses the challenge of accurately estimating CRC using unsupervised algorithms on high-resolution Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) imagery. We employ two methods to perform CRC estimation: (1) K-means unsupervised algorithm and (2) Principal Component Analysis (PCA) along with the Otsu thresholding technique. The advantages of these methods lie in their independence from human intervention for any supervised training stage. Additionally, these methods are rapid and suitable for near real-time estimation of CRC as a decision-making support in agricultural management. Our analysis reveals that the K-means method, with an R 2 = 0.79 , achieves superior accuracy in CRC estimation over the PCA-Otsu method with an R 2 = 0.46 . The accuracy of CRC estimation for both corn and soybean crops is significantly higher in winter than in spring, attributable to the more weathered state of crop residue. Furthermore, CRC estimations in corn fields exhibit a stronger correlation, likely due to the larger size of corn residue which enhances detectability in images. Nevertheless, the variance in CRC estimation accuracy between corn and soybean fields is minimal. Furthermore, CRC estimation achieves the highest correlation in no-till fields, while the lowest correlation is observed in conventionally tilled fields, a difference likely due to the soil disturbance during plowing in conventional tillage practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

he mechanized tillage systems of agricultural soils for the cultivation of quinoa in the central Ecuadorian highlands are influenced by several factors, among them: the skidding that occurs in soil tillage, with different implements used both in conventional tillage and in minimum or reduced tillage, in plowing, harrowing, furrowing, which are executed for the cultivation of quinoa, without considering the slope, humidity, soil compaction and the increase in cost and time. The objective of the study was to determine the percentage of skidding in sandy textured soils for quinoa cultivation, with slope ranges from 5 to 12% with moisture contents from 13 to 18% under conventional and minimum or reduced tillage systems in plowing, harrowing, furrowing, using disk plow, chisel plow, disk harrow, furrower coupled to an agricultural tractor of 95 KW of power with assisted traction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of intensive and reduced tillage, fertilization, and irrigation on soil chemical and microbiological parameters were studied in a long-term field experiment in Hungary. The treatments were plowing tillage, ripper tillage, strip tillage; control (without fertilization), NPK fertilization (N: 160 kg/ha; P: 26 kg/ha; K: 74 kg/ha); and non-irrigation and irrigation. Soil samples were collected through maize monoculture in the fall of 2021 in the 30th year of the experiment. The soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, soil microbial biomass (based on PLFA analysis), and soil enzyme activity were observed to be significantly high in the strip tillage plots, but were lower in the ripper tillage plots, and even lower in the plowing tillage plots. The fungal, arbuscular mycorrhiza fungal, and bacterial biomasses were significantly higher in the strip tillage and ripper tillage plots compared to the plowing tillage plots. The strip tillage treatment was found to be the most favorable cultivation method for improving the microbial biomass and activity of Chernozem soil, followed by the ripper tillage and plowing tillage treatments. The long-term use of chemical fertilizers greatly reduced the soil microbial biomass and negatively impacted the soil microbial community, leading to a decrease in fungi and Gram-negative bacteria. The ratio of cyclopropyl PLFA precursors to cyclopropyl PLFAs, as a "stress factor", indicated the most stressful bacterial environment was that found in the fertilized, non-irrigated plowed soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the aspect of the sustainable development of agrocenoses, the proper management of plant residues remaining after harvesting, the appropriate selection of tillage and maintaining high microbiological activity of soil are particularly important. Therefore, a four-year two-factor experiment with winter wheat monoculture was conducted. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of 18 cultivation technologies variants on weed infestation and yield structure of winter wheat grown in a 4-year monoculture. Six methods of tillage and management of residues after harvesting forecrops (first factor) and the use of microbiological preparations (second factor) were tested. The experiment showed that simplified tillage (elimination of plowing) had an adverse effect on the weed infestation of the field and most of the tested plant characteristics, including the yield. In terms of yield, the best solution was to leave the forecrop straw mulch on the field surface until plowing was carried out before sowing, regardless of the use of microbiological preparations. The application of preparations containing effective microorganisms brought beneficial effects only when the shredded straw of the forecrop was mixed with the soil using a grubber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tillage-induced erosion has negative impacts on the soil environment and production of the soil under intensive farming. Tillage erosion was evaluated during soil tillage performed by two technologies, i.e. conventional tillage and reduced tillage, commonly used in the Czech Republic. A field experiment was aimed at evaluating the soil particle translocation and magnitude of the vector angle. Aluminium cubes with an edge length of 16 mm were used as tracers. After each soil tillage operation, a metal detector searched these tracers in the topsoil. During the experiment, agricultural practices were always carried out on their respective dates for the whole season. The experiment results show that conventional tillage had a more adverse effect on tillage erosion than reduced tillage. This was confirmed on three experimental parcels with different slope gradients of 2, 6 and 11°. The largest translocation of soil tracers was observed on a parcel with the highest slope of 11°. There, the length of the translocation of tracers reached up to almost 10 m. The average length of soil tracer translocation in reduced tillage and conventional tillage ranged between 0.86 and 3.69 m. The largest average vector angle of tracer locations was recorded on a parcel with a slope of 6° for reduced tillage. In the treatment with the slope of 2° and conventional tillage used, the direction vector indicated upslope translocation of soil tracers. It was caused by soil tillage with a mouldboard plough turning over the topsoil layer upslope. In a treatment with a slope of 2° and reduced tillage used, no influence of the crosswise slope gradient of the plot on the direction vector was observed. The acquired knowledge will be used in further study of soil erosion processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil tillage is widely acknowledged to affect soil characteristics and agricultural productivity. This research investigates the short‐term effects of various tillage methods on soil physical properties and crop yields at a Central German field site with a dry climate (mean temperature 9.5°C; annual precipitation 470 mm). Three tillage approaches were evaluated: conventional plough tillage (25 cm depth), cultivator tillage (18 cm depth), and double‐layer plough tillage (15 and 30 cm depth). We assessed soil physical properties through standard laboratory analyses, compression tests, soil pore structure via X‐ray computed tomography (X‐ray CT) and crop yields over 3 years. The results indicate that cultivator tillage approach increased soil bulk density relative to conventional tillage, especially in the second year, though this effect diminished over time. Double‐layer plough tillage emerged as a viable short‐term alternative to conventional tillage, achieving comparable soil bulk density. Saturated hydraulic conductivity values were generally higher for soils under conventional tillage or double‐layer plough tillage than for cultivator tillage, highlighting their soil loosening effect. Classical soil analysis methods combined with X‐ray computed tomography provided valuable insights into tillage induced changes to soil structure. Cultivator tillage resulted in a distinct pore structure with reduced macroporosity and pore connectivity. Despite notable soil property variations, crop yields remained consistent across the tillage methods. Overall, double‐layer plough tillage presents a sustainable option, moderately improving soil physical properties while maintaining crop yields. This study highlights the need to assess the short‐term effects of tillage on soils and contributes to the broader dialogue on optimizing tillage strategies for effective soil management and crop production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In mechanized agricultural activities, fuel is particularly important for tillage operations. In this study, the impact of seven distinct parameters on fuel usage per unit of draft power was examined. The parameters are tractor power, soil texture index, plowing speed, plowing depth, width of implement, and both initial soil moisture content and soil bulk density. This study investigated the construction of an artificial neural network (ANN) model for tractor-specific fuel consumption predictions for two tillage implements: chisel and moldboard plows. The ANN model was created based on the collection of related data from previous research studies, and the validation was performed using actual field experiments in clay soil using a chisel plow. The developed ANN model (9-22-1) was confirmed by graphical assessment; additionally, the root-mean-square error (RMSE) was computed. Based on the RMSE, the results demonstrated a good agreement for specific fuel consumption per draft power between the observed and predicted values, with corresponding RMSE values of 0.08 L/kWh and 0.075 L/kWh for the training and testing datasets, respectively. The novelty of the work presented in this paper is that, for the first time, a farm machinery manager can optimize tractor fuel consumption per draft power by carefully controlling certain parameters, such as initial soil moisture content, tractor power, plowing speed, implement width, and depth of plowing. The results show that the input parameters make a significant contribution to the output over the used data with different percentages. Accordingly, the contribution analysis showed that the implement width had a high impact on tractor-specific fuel consumption for both plows at 30.13%; additionally, the chisel and moldboard plows contributed 4.19% and 4.25% in predicting tractor fuel consumption per draft power. This study concluded that practical useful advice for agricultural production can be achieved through optimizing fuel consumption rate by selecting the proper levels of affecting parameters to reduce fuel costs. Moreover, an ANN model could be used to develop future tractor fuel-planning schemes for tillage operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rotary tillage, ridging, and mulching are commonly used cultivation methods for crops such as chili peppers, tomatoes, and strawberries in the arid regions of Northwest China. An integrated machine for rotary tillage, ridging, and mulching was designed by considering the growth characteristics of pepper root systems and the agronomic requirements of ridge beds. The structural parameters and their value ranges for key components such as the rotary tillage device and the ridging device were determined. By introducing the Bonding contact parameter, the soil cohesion between soil particles during the process of rotary tillage and ridging can be simulated. A coupled simulation model using the Discrete Element Method (DEM) and Multibody Dynamics (MBD) is established. The experimental factors selected were rotary tillage depth, ridging roller speed, and machine forward speed. The evaluation indexes were the traction resistance of the stemming roller and the soil compactness of the ridges. A response surface Box–Behnken Design test was carried out to obtain the best working parameters of the rotary tillage and ridging process for chili pepper cultivation as follows: the rotary tillage depth was 176 mm, the ridging roller speed was 283.71 r/min, and the machine forward speed was 0.55 m/s. Field experiments with optimal parameters showed that the ridge top width was 549.2 mm, the ridge bottom width was 750.5 mm, the ridge height was 222.9 mm, the ridge spacing was 1173.1 mm, the surface smoothness of the ridge was 12.3 mm, the width of soil covering the film edge was 76.3 mm, the stability coefficients of the ridge size parameters were all above 91.73%, and the soil compactness after operation was 60.82 KPa. All indicators meet the requirements for the rotary tillage and ridging cultivation of chili peppers in arid regions, providing reference for the design of rotary tillage and ridging mulching implements and the development of sustainable agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important reserve for increasing the productivity of agricultural production is a scientifically based crop structure and the use of rational crop rotations, which implement the optimal ratio of agroecological standards. The aim of the research was to determine the influence of elements of agrotechnical measures, in particular, the saturation of crop rotations with sunflower, soil tillage system on the number and species composition of various agrobiological groups of weeds in sunflower crops, including the weed parasite sunflower broomrape (Orobanche cumana Wallr.). Weed control measures and the spread of the parasitic weed sunflower broomrape in sunflower crops have been carried out according to the methods generally accepted in agriculture and weed science. The scheme of the experiment included crop rotations with saturation in the structure of sunflower sowing of 12.5, 20, 25, 33.3, 50, 100% and three systems of basic tillage: moldboard plowing, disc tillage, and no-tillage. As a result of the research, it has been found that the systems of disc tillage and no-tillage cause an increase in the number of weeds in sunflower crops compared to the moldboard plowing by 1.3–1.5 times. On average, over the years of research, the abundance of weeds in the plots when using disk tools was 10.4–15.1 pcs./m2, moldboard plowing was 7.1–12.4 pcs./m2, and before harvesting was 2.6–5.2 and 4.1–12.4 pcs./m2. The highest degree of sunflower broomrape damage has been observed in 2-fields crop rotation (winter wheat—sunflower) and permanent sunflower cultivation, as 16.0–32.4% of affected sunflower plants have been observed here. The intensity of sunflower broomrape damage to sunflower plants was higher in the moldboard plowing system and amounted to 1.2–8.3 pcs./per plant, which exceeded disc tillage and no-tillage by 1.2–1.6 times. The maximum seed yield of 2.92–2.95 t/ha has been obtained in 8- and 5-fields rotations with the use of moldboard plowing. The lowest yields of sunflower seeds were in short-rotation crop rotations with a sunflower saturation of 50% in the structure of sown areas and permanent cultivation and amounted to: moldboard plowing—1.75–2.21 t/ha, disk tillage—1.57–2.01 t/ha, and no-tillage—1.49–1.95 t/ha. Given the urgency of supplying the global market with sunflower oil, in the future it is necessary to increase the concentration of sunflower in the structure of sown areas to 30-40% through the system of basic tillage, selection of resistant hybrids, and use of herbicides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial necromass is a crucial contributor to the formation of soil aggregates and serves as a key source of stable soil organic carbon (SOC). However, how tillage practices regulate microbial necromass accumulation within aggregate fractions at different soil depths remains unclear. Thus, a 20‐year field experiment was carried out to identify how microbial necromass carbon (MC) is distributed in aggregates and its contribution to SOC under no‐till (NT) and plow tillage (PT) in a rice‐wheat rotation system. The results showed that NT significantly increased bacterial and fungal necromass carbon (C) concentrations in both macro‐ and micro‐aggregates (>0.25 and <0.25 mm), and enhanced the contribution of MC to SOC compared with PT at 0–5 cm topsoil depth. However, NT decreased SOC concentration in micro‐aggregates by 12.4% mainly attributed to lower bacterial and fungal necromass C in micro‐aggregates by 21.6% and 27.6% compared with PT at 5–15 cm subsoil depth. There was no significant difference for SOC mineralization per unit SOC concentration between NT and PT, which can be attributed to the equilibrium between microbial necromass C and labile C (e.g., dissolved organic C). Random forest and partial least squares path model demonstrated that soil total nitrogen, available NH4+, and NO3− positively regulated β‐glucosidase activity, and thus affected MC and SOC concentration. NT decreased soil nitrogen concentration and β‐glucosidase activity in micro‐aggregates, and thus lowered MC formation at 5–15 cm depth. Our findings highlights that NT reduced subsoil organic carbon due to decreased microbial necromass in micro‐aggregates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Straw return (SR) has been widely recommended as a conservation agricultural practice in China. However, the effects of SR on crop yield and soil properties are inconsistent across studies of rice–oilseed rape cropping systems in China. This study aimed to investigate the effects of SR on crop yield and soil nutrient content in a rice–oilseed rotation system, and to understand the mechanism of straw return on the difference in yield increases between rice and oilseed rape. Additionally, suitable climate factors, soil properties, and agricultural practices were identified to achieve maximum increases in yield and soil nutrients in a rice–oilseed rotation under SR. This paper is based on a meta-analysis of 1322 observations from 83 peer-reviewed studies to evaluate the effects of climate, initial soil conditions, and agricultural management practices on rice and oilseed rape yields and soil nutrients under SR. The results showed that the responses of oilseed rape and rice yield remained positive, with 12.37% and 6.54% increases, and were significantly higher under SR than the control (no SR). Moreover, SR significantly increased the contents of several soil nutrients (soil organic carbon (SOC), total nutrients, available nutrients) and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN). Interestingly, the increase in crop yields was attributed to the increase in SOC, total nitrogen, and available potassium. Additionally, the increase in yields was mainly affected by climate factors, initial soil properties, and agronomic practices. For example, both mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP) had a positive correlation with crop yield increases under SR (p < 0.01). Initial soil conditions such as low SOC and total nitrogen content were more suitable for increased rice yield under SR, while the opposite was true for increased oilseed rape yield. Without fertilization, the SR did not significantly improve crop yield and soil nutrients, while it was more pronounced with N fertilization at 150–180 kg hm−2. The positive effect of SR on crop yields is more evident with plowing tillage, whereas the SR caused the highest increase in soil nutrients with the no-tillage condition. These findings have important implications for further improving crop yield, SOC, and soil nutrients in the Chinese rice–oilseed cropping system through straw return. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To overcome the shortcomings of plowing and rotary tillage, a human-like weeding shoveling machine was designed. The machine's various moving rods were analyzed using Matlab R2019b(9.7.0.1190202) software to determine the appropriate entry and cutting conditions, as well as non-cutting conditions. It was concluded that a θ2 of 90° was optimal for cutting the soil and that the shoveling depth was suitable for greenhouse weeding. The Adams and DEM coupled discrete element simulation system was developed for this machine and was used to analyze the rotating shaft torque and shovel bending moment. A strain measurement system based on strain gauges was designed to measure the rotating shaft torque and shovel bar bending moment. A bending moment and torque measurement system was designed to perform field measurement tests for comparison with simulation results. The simulation system's rotating shaft had an average torque error of 6.26%, while the shovel rod's bending moment had an average error of 5.43%. The simulation accuracy was within the acceptable error range. Table U8 (81 × 44) of the Uniform Design of the Mixing Factor Level for the Homogeneous Virtual Simulation Test includes eight levels of forward machine speed ranging from 0.1 to 0.45 m/s and four levels of output shaft speed ranging from 90 to 165 r/min. Crank lengths were set at four levels ranging from 155 to 185 mm, while shovel lengths were set at four levels ranging from 185 to 230 mm. Four types of shovel shapes were proposed, including pointed curved shovels, pointed straight shovels, straight-edged curved shovels, and straight-edged straight shovels. A mathematical model was created via a regression analysis of the results of coupled simulation tests to establish the relationship between shaft torque and shovel rod bending moment, tool advance speed, shaft speed, crank length, tool length, and tool shape. The model was used to determine the optimum working parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted in northeast China to examine the response of nitrogen cycling enzymes, that is, protease, N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminidase (NAG), amidase, urease, and peptidase, as well soil organic nitrogen (SON) fractions and their relationships to RT (no maize residue application), NT (no tillage with maize residues placed on the surface), TT (plow maize residues into the soil at 0–35 cm depth in the first year, 0–20 cm in the second year, and 0–15 cm in the third year), and PT (plow maize residues into soil at 0–35 cm depth). The results have shown that NT significantly enhanced the activities of protease and NAG at 0–10 cm soil depth in comparison with other treatments. NT and TT significantly enhanced the activities of protease compared to RT and PT at 10–20 cm soil depth. TT significantly enhanced the activities of NAG in comparison with RT at 10–20 cm soil depth. TT and PT significantly enhanced the activities of NAG and peptidase compared to RT and NT at 20–35 cm soil depth. PT significantly increased the activities of protease in comparison with RT at 20–35 cm soil depth. NT, TT, and PT significantly enhanced the activities of peptidase compared to RT at 10–20 cm soil depth. NT significantly increased the concentration of hydrolyzable NH4+‐N$$ {\mathrm{NH}}_4^{+}\hbox{-} \mathrm{N} $$ in comparison with other treatments at 0–10 cm soil depth. PT significantly enhanced the concentration of hydrolyzable NH4+‐N$$ {\mathrm{NH}}_4^{+}\hbox{-} \mathrm{N} $$ and amino acid N compared to other treatments at 20–35 cm soil depth. Redundancy analysis showed that protease played a crucial role in the cycling of SON under RT and NT, whereas peptidase and NAG played a significant role in the cycling of SON under TT and PT, respectively. This study provided a comprehensive understanding of crop residue return methods for regulating soil N cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This field experiment, was conducted to investigate a comparison of two methods for harvesting potatoes: mechanical and handy when using moldboard and chisel plow for primary tillage and three different distances for planting tubers in the rows 15, 25, and 35 cm in silt clay loam soil south of Baghdad. The factorial experiment followed a randomized complete block design with three replications using L.S.D. 5 % and 1 %. Mechanical harvest recorded the best valid potato tubers at 88.78 %, marketable yield of 31.74 ton. ha-1, efficiency lifted 95.68 %, tubers damage index 28.41, speeding up the harvesting process and reducing time and effort. Handy harvest gave the least damage to potato tubers, 6.02 %, and unlifted potato tubers, 4.32 %. However, this method requires effort and more specialized labor, whether from men or young women, and leaded to delays in the harvesting process. Regarding planting distance of 15 cm between one tuber and another gave the highest total productivity, 46.92 ton. ha-1 and the greatest number of plants, but most of the tubers were small in size. A planting distance 25 cm produced good quality in size of potatoes with yield of 36.19 ton. ha-1, 90.99 % best valid tubers, 5.43 % least total damage tubers, 3.57 % least unlifted potato, 96.42 % best efficiency lifting, and least tuber damage index 22.39. Most interaction among the treatments was significant. The most influential factor in the experiment traits was the planting distances of potatoes in the rows. The shape of the potatoes was Spheroid. Mechanical potato harvesting saves effort saves effort, time, harvest speed, reduce the labors and increasing efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weed control in winter wheat crops is an important issue. There is a risk of increasing populations of certain weed species that are resistant to some of herbicides used for winter wheat crops. This could be controlled by a combination of agronomic, mechanical, chemical, and biological methods. After introducing winter wheat into the rotation and improving tillage, the weediness of regular black soils with perennial root and emerged weeds were significantly reduced. The formation of nodal and rudimentary roots had a significant effect on the productivity of winter wheat under different soil moisture conditions. The highest yield of winter wheat was obtained when sown at the optimum time, with higher stem density and ear productivity due to better grain fullness. We studied what effects did the tillage methods have on the aggregate state of the soil in relation to weed development in winter wheat crops, finding that the structural and aggregate composition of the soil played an important role in winter wheat crops, influencing both the development of the crop root system and the water-physical balance of the chernozem, as well as naturally influencing the course of erosion processes in the experimental plots, and having a universal dynamic in terms of adaptation of aggregation and disaggregation processes. Prolonged mechanical stress on soil can cause destruction of its structure. For instance, continuous ploughing or moldboardless tillage with little or no manure application may permanently reduce soil fertility by increasing humus mineralisation. Subsequently, these factors may cause a significant decline in the soil's structural and aggregate composition, resulting in larger amounts of dusty particles smaller than 0.25 mm and cloddy particles larger than 10–12 mm. The soil's structural condition before sowing winter wheat in early September, on average for 2011–2016, indicates increased dispersion of the tilth layer (0–10 cm) in the experimental variants where shallow disc tillage of 10–12 cm was applied. Increase in the number of clods larger than 10 mm in the areas where moldboardless tillage had been applied can be attributed to significant soil drainage. The soil's aggregate state was rated as good, with 8.7% in the 0–10 cm soil layer and 1.7% of clods > 10 mm in the 0–30 cm layer. In 2014–2016, it was rated as satisfactory, with 7.4% and 9.8% of clods > 10 mm, respectively. Shallow disc cultivation resulted in slightly worse indicators: 6.6% and 8.3% of clods > 10 mm in soil layer 0–10 cm and 0–30 cm, respectively, in 2011–2013; and 7.2% and 6.9% of clods > 10 mm, respectively, in 2014–2016. In general, the parameters of optimal structural condition were positive. The tillage method used had a considerable effect on weed growth and development, particularly for those with a root and rhizome structure. It also affected the prevalence and development of pests and diseases in winter wheat. Agrotechnical methods of weed control do not guarantee complete destruction of weeds. Mechanical moldboardless tillage to the depth of 14–16 cm and disc tillage to the depth of 10–12 cm left the fields with 4.1 to 8.8 annual weeds per square meter and 1.3 to 3.3 specimens of harmful root weeds such as Convolvulus arvensis, Lactuca tatarica and Cirsium arvense. Mechanical moldboardless tillage to the depth of 14–16 cm and disc tillage to the depth of 10– 12 cm left the fields with 4.1 to 8.8 annual weeds per square meter and 1.3 to 3.3 specimens of harmful root weeds such as Convolvulus arvensis, Lactuca tatarica and Cirsium arvense. Post-harvest residues (4–5 t/ha) can provide almost complete protection against weeds by covering the soil surface. However, pests and diseases may spread more easily due to preservation of fungal spores on the surface of plant residues and preservation of pest larvae in the straw and soil. The distribution of weed seeds in the soil was altered when the rotational tillage of common chernozems in winter wheat cultivation technology had been replaced with energy–saving minimum tillage (shallow flat-cutting disc tillage). This resulted in the concentration of most of the weed seeds (85–90%) in the upper soil layer (0–10 cm). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation tillage (CT) is a ploughless tillage with a reduced number of operations, and its positive effect on soil functions and health is widely known. Multivariate analyses are required to choose indicators that adequately characterize the changes in soil health. However, there is little research on the comprehensive analysis of the full spectrum of soil physical, chemical and biological properties. Therefore, we examined 21 soil parameters in a long-term CT experiment conducted in Hungary. Four pairs of similarly sized CT and conventional ploughing tillage (PT) plots were set up in 2003 on Luvisols. The soil samples were collected after 17 years. The total organic carbon (TOC) increased significantly in the 0-15 cm layer at CT sites compared to those in PT, indicating a total increase of 5.22 tha-1 TOC stock. In addition, the increasing biological activity and improved soil structure were the most important processes at the CT sites. Furthermore, more complex humic substances with higher molecular weights are characteristic of water-extractable organic matter (WEOM) as a result of CT. The potentially available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were also measured with a relatively high response ratio. Slowly changing parameters, such as cation exchange capacity and base saturation, are important soil physical and chemical parameters, but are not good indicators of the impact of tillage practices. Based on principal component analysis, we suggest the use of water-extractable organic C, amino-nitrogen, water-stable aggregates, available P and K and photometric analysis of WEOM to identify the soil improving processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient management of fertilizer phosphorus (P) is crucial for enhanced resilience of agro‐ecosystems. We assessed five rates (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 kg P ha−1) of starter P fertilizer on silage corn (Zea mays L) yield in high‐P manured soils at eight sites in 2020 and 2021 in the Fraser Valley, Canada, monitoring soil phosphate concentrations using anion exchange membranes (AEM‐P). At the V3 and V6 (3‐ and 6‐leaf) stages, corn dry matter (DM) weight response to starter P was not significant, except at one site where the critical rate was 5 kg P ha−1. At maturity, corn DM yields were in the optimum provincial range (20–25 Mg ha−1), with the exception of two sites, one with low initial soil P concentrations and the other with waterlogged soils. These results indicate that during the growing season, phosphate supply from manure application alone was sufficient for silage corn growth. Root length and diameter were not affected by starter fertilizer, while root surface area, volume, and root DM weight decreased with increasing starter fertilizer at the V3 stage in 2020. In addition, AEM‐P increased with starter P only during the first week after application. We conclude that starter fertilizer P, at any application rate, in high‐P manured soils does not improve silage corn yield; farmers applying manure at plowing in soils with high P concentrations can reduce or eliminate starter fertilizer P without impacting silage corn yields, decreasing reliance on off‐farm P inputs, and reducing potential P loss to the environment. Core Ideas: Response of silage corn to starter fertilizer phosphorus (P) in high‐P manured soils was not consistent across eight sites.Critical starter fertilizer P rate was maximum 5 kg P ha−1 in one responsive site.Mature silage corn yield was not increased by starter fertilizer P across sites.Anion Exchange Membrane‐P mimicked starter P rates only during the first week.Mineral starter P has no benefit in fields with high soil test P receiving manure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was carried out in 2020-2022, from May to September in each year. The entomological material that is the object of this study was collected from three corn agroecosystems located in three stationary from Iasi County, Romania: Ezăreni, Trifeşti, and Schitu Duca. To achieve the objectives of the research, four variants were used: V1, superficial tillage in the spring and untreated seeds; V2, deep tillage during autumn plowing and untreated seeds; V3, superficial tillage in the spring and treated seeds; and V4, deep tillage during autumn plowing and treated seeds. Biodiversity characterization indexes, namely the biodiversity index, the Shannon diversity index, equity, and the Simpson diversity index, were used to quantify biodiversity in the habitats. Data analysis and interpretation were carried out with the help of the BIODIV application to calculate the main biodiversity indicators. In our opinion, these comparative studies on the Carabidae fauna in relation to current pest control methods are useful in agricultural practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, climatic changes have induced long periods of drought during growing season that caused a high dicrease of agricultural yields of classic grain legumes crop. In this circumstances, chickpea crop is considered to be more and more involved in crop rotation in Romania as it withstands drought best and has very good nutritional value. Thus, improving crop technology becomes an important aim for near future. This study aimed at the impact of tillage and chichpea varieties on quantity and quality index under climatic environment of Moara Domneasca in 2022 where at three varieties of chickpea (Burnas, Rodin, Kuky) three types of tillering were performed (plowing at 25 cm, subsoiling at 35 cm and disc harrowing at 12 cm). Finally, it was concluded that type of tillage most influenced yields than varieties, best average yield being 1575 kg/ha when plowing at 25 cm. Also, tillage types positively impacted quantity and quality indexes of chickpea yields in a higher degree than varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]