Plant and Soil Science

Influence of primary tillage methods on the development of productive moisture reserves before sunflower sowing in the conditions of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine

Vladyslav Gurtovenko*, Oleksandr Pavlov

vlad.gurtovenko@nubip.edu.ua

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Abstract

The preservation and efficient use of productive moisture is one of the determining factors for stable sunflower production in conditions of unstable moisture and precipitation deficiency. The purpose of the study was to establish the influence of the method and depth of the primary tillage on the reserves and vertical distribution of productive moisture in typical chernozem before sowing sunflower in the conditions of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. The study was conducted in 2022-2026 in a stationary field experiment of the Department of Arable Farming and Herbology at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine. The treatments comprised deep mouldboard tillage to a depth of 25-27 cm, deep non-mouldboard tillage to 25-27 cm, and shallow non-mouldboard tillage to 14-16 cm. Productive moisture reserves were determined in the 0-100 cm soil layer according to the generally accepted method. It was established that the method and depth of the primary tillage affected the total supply and vertical distribution of productive moisture. The highest mean reserve of productive moisture in the 0-100 cm soil layer over the study period was recorded under deep non-mouldboard tillage at 25-27 cm, amounting to 214 mm, compared with 204 mm under mouldboard tillage and 191 mm under shallow non-mouldboard tillage at 14-16 cm. The most pronounced advantage of deep non-mouldboard tillage was observed in 40-60 and 60-100 cm soil layers. Correlation and regression analysis revealed a weak positive relationship between the sum of precipitation in the autumn-winter period and the reserves of productive moisture, while the coefficient of determination was 0.0845 for deep mouldboard, 0.0377 for deep non-mouldboard, and 0.1885 for shallow non-mouldboard. The results obtained proved the feasibility of using a 25-27 cm deep non-mouldboard tillage to increase the accumulation and preservation of productive moisture in the soil before sowing sunflower seeds

Keywords

typical chernozem; deep loosening; autumn-winter precipitation; water regime of the soil; disk cultivation; ploughing

Suggested citation
Gurtovenko, V., & Pavlov, O. (2026). Influence of primary tillage methods on the development of productive moisture reserves before sunflower sowing in the conditions of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. Plant and Soil Science, 17(3), 86-98. https://doi.org/10.31548/plant3.2026.86
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