Biological activity of soils under different methods of primary tillage

Based on the analysis of domestic and foreign sources of scientific literature, the data on the state and prospects of restoration and preservation of soil fertility in modern agriculture in relation to pri-mary soil tillage as one of the key agrotechnical prac-tices that significantly affect its biological activity and, as a consequence, the yield of agricultural crops are presented. Biological activity of soil plays an im-portant role in preserving fertility and stability of agri-cultural systems. Scientifically based crop rotation, taking into account both ecological and economic fac-tors, becomes an effective tool to combat soil degrada-tion and restore microbial diversity. Species and quan-titative composition of microorganisms is not a static value and is subject to significant fluctuations under the influence of various factors, including agrotech-nical (soil tillage). When analyzing the dynamics of microbiological processes in the treated and natural soil, the disruption of the natural course of biological processes occurring in the soil complex under mechan-ical tillage is shown, but at the same time different methods of tillage can have only a slight effect on the number of microorganisms. Decrease in the number and biomass of fungi in the soil is one of the main rea-sons for reduction of humus content, loss of soil struc-ture, as humic acids are formed with active participa-tion of fungi. Consequently, changing the method of primary tillage is not enough to restore and preserve humus reserves. This statement emphasizes the com-plexity of the problem of the degradation of the fertile layer and the necessity of a complex approach to its solution. The question of evaluation of microbiological processes depending on different methods of soil till-age remains open.