Influence of treatment of peat-gley soil on the water and thermal regime and yield of potatoes under the Northern Trans-Urals conditions

The purpose of the study is to establish the influence of the depth of plowing of peaty-gley soil on the water and temperature regime, and potato yield. A study of the influence of the depth of cultivation of peaty-gley soil on the water-thermal regime and potato yield was carried out in 2014-2016 in the Tarmanskoye lowland swamp in the forest-steppe zone of the Northern Trans-Urals. As a result of the study, a decrease in moisture capacity in a 0.2-meter layer of peaty-gley soil was established by 17.2-34.7 %. This was facilitated by the enrichment of mineral soil during plowing to a depth of 0.27-0.37 m. At a depth of 0.2-0.4 m, moisture capacity increases by 5.5-13.4 % due to the organic matter of peat. Deep plowing (0.37 m) ensured an increase in moisture reserves in the 0.5 m layer from 0.6 HB at the control (0.22 m) to the upper limit of the optimum (0.9 HB). In the lower part of the soil profile (0.6-1.0 m), moisture reserves did not depend on the plowing depth. The maximum changes in soil temperature were established in plots with plowing of 0.15 m of mineral soil, where it increased on average by 0.6-0.7 °C over the years of study. The most significant differences in soil warming were noted in the first half of the growing season (1.1-1.2 °C). Potato yield on peaty-gley soil depends on the plowing depth: 0.22 m - 26.69 t; 0.27 m - 29.15 t (9.2 %); 0.32 m - 30.11 (12.8); 0.37 m - 32.45 t/ha (21.6 %). The starch content in potato tubers of the Nevsky variety increases compared to the control at a plowing depth of 0.37 m from 11.3 to 13.4 %.