Tillage systems influence on moisture reserves, water consumption and barley yields

The aim of research is to establish the influence of primary tillage systems of dark gray forest soil in the Northern Trans-Urals on moisture availability, water consumption of spring barley crops and its yield. The paper presents the results of long-term studies conducted in the northern forest-steppe of the Tyumen Region in a stationary experiment on average for the period of the 7th rotation of the grain-fallow crop rotation (2018-2022). All studied primary tillage systems during the sowing-emergence period had an equivalent effect on the reserves of productive moisture in the 0-30 and 0-100 cm layers. With almost equal values of total water consumption by the barley field during the growing season according to the variants of primary tillage systems, moisture was most productively used according to the tillage systems using tillage to a depth of 20-22 cm - moldboard, combined. Against the background of the use of fertilizers, the water consumption coefficient for resource-saving cultivation systems exceeded these options by 3.1-8.5 %, while against the background of the absence of fertilizers, this difference was more significant - 9.5-35.1 %. Moisture was spent more productively with the use of fertilizers than against the background of the absence of fertilizers, by 51.6-58.7 %. The use of fertilizers increased the barley yield by 52-99 %. Against the background of natural fertility, the best yield indicators were for the moldboard cultivation system - 9-27 % higher than for resource-saving ones. Against the background of the use of fertilizers, the combined cultivation system with alternating moldboard and non-moldboard cultivation to a depth of 20-22 cm ensured the barley yield at the level of the moldboard cultivation system. Cultivation systems with predominantly shallow cultivation methods (surface, flat-cut) reduced the yield by 0.18-0.25 t/ha (6.1-8.5 %).