The influence of the preceding crops on the soil moisture content under the spring soft wheat fields

The paper presents data on the influence of the preceding crops on the soil moisture content under the spring soft wheat fields in the conditions of the moderately dry steppe in Altai Krai. The wheat was sown after three different predecessors: legumes, row crops and fallows. The total soil moisture content in the one-meter layer had been decreased from the beginning to the end of the vegetation period. The preceding crops have a significant influence on this indicator. This must be taken into account for the development of technology for environmentally sustainable and efficient spring soft wheat production.