Functionally diverse flax-based rotations improve wild oat (Avena fatua) and cleavers (Galium spurium) management

Wild oat (Avena fatua L.) and false cleavers (Galium spurium) are currently a challenge to manage in less competitive crops such as flax (Linum usitatissimum L.). Increasing the functional diversity in crop rotations can be an option to improve weed management. Nonetheless, this strategy is not tested in flax in Western Canada. A 5-yr (2015-2019) crop rotation study was carried at three locations in western Canada to determine the effect of diverse flax-based crop rotations with differences in crop species, crop life cycles, harvesting time and reduced herbicides on managing A. fatua and G. spurium. The perennial rotation (flax-alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)-alfalfa-alfalfa-flax) under reduced herbicide use was found to be the most consistent cropping system, providing similar A. fatua and G. spurium control to the conventional annual flax crop rotation[flax-barley (Hordium vulgare L.)-flax-oat (Avena sativa L.)-flax] with standard herbicides. At Carman, this alfalfa rotation provided even better weed control (80% A. fatua, 75% G. spurium) than the conventional rotation. Furthermore, a greater A. fatua control was identified compared to conventional rotation where two consecutive winter cereal crops were grown successfully in rotation (flax-barley-winter triticale (x Triticosecale ex A. Camus)-winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-flax), greater A. fatua control was observed compared to the conventional crop rotation under standard herbicides. Incorporation of silage oat crops did not show consistent management benefits compared to the perennial alfalfa rotation but were generally similar to the conventional rotation with standard herbicides. The results showed that perennial alfalfa in the rotation minimized G. spurium and A. fatua in flax cropping systems, followed by rotations with two consecutive winter cereal crops.

Impact of conservation agriculture on soil health: lessons from the university of fort hare trial.

Conservation Agriculture (CA) promotes soil health, but issues to do with soil health are poorly researched in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. This study reports on findings from a field trial done on the effects of tillage, crop rotations composed of maize (Zea mays L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and soybean (Glycine max L.) and residue management on a number of soil health parameters such as carbon (C)-sequestration, CO2 fluxes, enzyme activities, earthworm biomass and the Soil Management Assessment Framework soil quality index (SMAF-SQI). The field trial was done in a semi-arid region of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, over five cropping seasons (2012-2015). It was laid out as a split-split plot with tillage [conventional tillage (CT) and no-till (NT)] as main plot treatment. Sub-treatments were crop rotations: maize-fallow-maize (MFM), maize-fallow-soybean (MFS); maize-wheat-maize (MWM) and maize-wheat-soybean (MWS). Residue management: removal (R-) and retention (R+) were in the sub-sub-plots. Particulate organic matter (POM), soil organic carbon (SOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and enzyme activities were significantly (p < 0.05) improved by residue retention and legume rotation compared to residue removal and cereal-only rotations. Also, carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes under CT were higher compared to NT. The calculated soil quality index (SQI) was greatly improved by NT and residue retention. MWM and MWS rotations, in conjunction with residue retention under NT, offered the greatest potential for building soil health. Residue retention and inclusion of soybean in crop rotations are recommended for improving soil health under CA systems in the semi-arid regions of South Africa.

The Influence of the Degree of Saturation of Crop Rotations with Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa L.) and Winter Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.) with Ncp on the Accumulation of Plant Mass and Nutrients in the Energy Storage System of Soil Content in the Western Precaspian

The energy storage system of soil maintenance in the irrigation landscapes of the Western Precaspian is based on the use of the second half of summer for the formation of a natural crop phytocenosis (NCP) and plowing it for green fertilizer. The article deals with the formation of plant mass in grain-grass crop rotations, the concentration and accumulation of nutrients in it. The degree of saturation of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) with natural crop phytocenosis (NCP) crop rotations ranges from 0 to 100%. The most productive of the studied crop rotations is a four-field with one output field of alfalfa and three fields of winter wheat, after harvesting which in the second half of summer a NCP for green fertilizer is formed. In this crop rotation, 97.4 t of agricultural products were produced on 1 ha of the crop rotation area, including 30.2 t/ha of its non-alienable part from the soil. Accordingly, the removal of N, P2O5 and K2O from the soil increases. The proportion of the returned amount of nutrients from the phytomass inalienable from the soil was (%): N-17.7; P2O5 and 45.3.

THE INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT CROP ROTATIONS AND FERTILIZATION SYSTEMS ON CHERNOZEM SOIL BULK DENSITY

The soil health can be deduced by chemical, biological and physical properties. This triad of features influence each other and equally determines soil quality and fertility. The paper includes the study regarding physical state of the chernozem soil characterized by bulk density – soil physical property that estimate soil compaction. The study took place in long-term field experiments of the Selectia Research Institute of Field Crop located in the North part of Moldova. The experimental data were obtained in 2019-2020 agriculture year. The soil bulk density, studied in different crop rotations and fertilization systems, was determined under winter wheat agrocenosis after harvesting in the 0-40 cm soil layer. The researches has shown that chernozem soil bulk density registered more favorable indices in crop rotations that include: perennial legumes and grasses in a mixture or only perennial legumes; less row crops - which means minimizing tillage (mechanic disturbance of soil). Regarding fertilization systems – the soil compaction is lower on the plots with adequate amount of organic fertilizer.

Cultivar of oil flax Y 220

The oil flax cultivar Y 220 is developed by a method of individual selection from a line k4165 at severe background after 6-field flax monocrop. It was estimated by resistance to fusariose in epicentrum of fusariose infection and to flax sickness at monocrop cultivation. Due to results of variety trials for 2019–2020, the cultivar Y 220 exceeded the standard cultivar FLIZ by yield by 0.77 t per ha. Plant height is 80–90 cm. Vegetative period is 75–80 days. Weight of 1000 seeds is equal to 6.02–6.06 g. Seeds color is brown. Oil content is 44.4%; linolenic acid content is lowered (23.3%). The cultivar Y 220 is differed with full resistance to flax sickness and high field resistance to fusarium wilt. This makes it possible to cultivate it in short crop rotations and at monocrop.

Leveraging Parrondo's paradox for sustainable agriculture

Rotating crops is a sustainable agricultural technique that has been at the disposal of humanity since time immemorial. Switching between cover crops and cash crops allows the fields avoids overexploitation due to intensive farming. How often the respite is to be provided and what is the optimum cash cover rotation in terms of maximising yield schedule is a long-standing question tackled on multiple fronts by agricultural scientists, economists, biologists and computer scientists, to name a few. Dealing with the uncertainty in the field due to diseases, pests, droughts, floods, and impending effects of climate change, is important to consider when designing the cropping strategy. Analysing this time-tested technique of crop rotations with a new lens of Parrondo's paradox allows us to improve upon the technique and use it in synchronisation with the burning questions of contemporary times. By calculating optimum switching probabilities in a randomised cropping sequence, suggesting the optimum deterministic sequences and judicious use of fertilisers, we propose methods for improving crop yield and the eventual profit margins for farmers. Overall we also extend the domain of applicability of the seemingly unintuitive paradox by Parrondo, where two losing situations can be combined eventually into a winning scenario.

Quality of winter wheat grain with different systems of main tillage in crop rotations of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine

The article investigates the influence of the application of different systems of basic tillage on the quality of winter wheat grain in short crop rotations of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine. It is established that the grain quality of winter wheat in the Southern Steppe of Ukraine is mainly determined by the genetic characteristics of the variety, but also largely depends on the conditions and technologies of cultivation. In winter wheat grain, which is used for food purposes, reserve proteins are important, which in winter wheat determine the baking properties of flour. In drought conditions, when the yield of winter wheat decreases, the protein content in its grain tends to increase. In wet years, on the contrary, there is a reverse pattern. According to experimental studies, wheat varieties have a negative correlation between grain protein content and yield. It is established that during 2016–2020 research shows almost the same pattern of action of different predecessors and systems of basic tillage on the formation of grain quality of winter wheat in arid conditions. It was found that, on average, according to all variants of research, only with the use of the system of tillage-free tillage received grain of winter wheat with a protein content of 12,5%, which met the requirements of the 2nd class. It is recorded that on average over five years of research on all tillage systems, grain of winter wheat with gluten content was obtained, the quality of which corresponded to the 3rd class. Different tillage systems caused a slight impact on the gluten content, which ranged from 20,6% to 21,1%. It is determined that the precursors have a certain effect on the protein content in the grain of winter wheat. The analysis of qualitative indicators showed that on average in five years of research, when growing winter wheat after a pair of black and a pair of green wheat with winter vetch, grain was formed, which in terms of protein content corresponded to the 2nd quality class. More protein was accumulated in winter wheat grain after a pair of black, which was 12,9%. After peas for grain, as well as a pair of green with a mixture of white mustard and peas, received a grain of winter wheat, which was the 3rd quality class. It was found that on average in five years of research, all variants of winter wheat were grown with gluten content, which met the requirements of the 3rd class. Black vapor and green vapor with winter veneer caused the accumulation of gluten at almost the same level with a small increase in the version with winter vetch up to 21,8%. The lowest level of gluten was obtained in the grain of winter wheat after peas per grain, which was 19,7%. In all variants of the experiment, sidereal steam with winter tillage and the use of tillage-free tillage had the best effect on the growth of winter wheat grain quality indicators. The grain of winter wheat was mainly formed in terms of quality, which allows it to be used for food purposes – mainly in the flour-milling and baking industries, as well as for export. It is established that it is important to further study the quality of winter wheat grain and other cereals in short crop rotations of the arid Southern Steppe of Ukraine, especially in climate change.

History of organic development and implementation Agricultural production

Leaders of the agro-industrial complex of various forms of economic ownership must remember that the Earth is the main bioresource of mankind. Industrial, biological (organic) and ecological systems of agriculture are now introduced. The first in this list is used for 90 % of arable land. As the agricultural sector cannot immediately abandon the industrial system of agriculture, softened options for its biological direction must be developed.The information on development and introduction of systems of organic production in agro-industrial production which was formed in the world and in Ukraine during the last decades is generalized. The dependence of the distribution of organic production on the development of productive forces and production relations is revealed.The organization of ecologically balanced crop rotations with optimal saturation, ratio and location of crops should be soil-ecological approach, which combines all biological factors of agriculture and aims to ensure the rational use of land resources, soil protection and the environment.The structure of short-rotation crop rotations with 100 % saturation with grain crops (winter-wheat peas-corn for spring-barley grain) with the use of organic fertilization systems in conditions of unstable moisture of the Left Bank Forest-Steppe was developed, and the study of 3 fundamentally new models was developed and started. crop rotations with saturation of cereals, cereals and legumes (soybean-spring wheat-buckwheat; soybean-spring-wheat millet), which under different fertilizer systems (by-products of predecessors, green manures, biofertilizers and their complexes) will provide a sufficiently high yield of ecological high quality grains will contribute to the gradual growth of natural fertility of chernozems of the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine.The studied short-rotation crop rotations in the conditions of climate change will ensure the yield of high-quality ecological grain at the level of 3.5-4.5 t/ha of crop rotation area.