Influence of tillage methods on food security and its agrophysical and water-physical properties

Abstract To maintain the pace of the agriculture industry and assist bridge the gap between food supply and demand, best-implemented, sustainable, and optimal solutions are needed. Soil and water resources, research and development, extension, agricultural education, and related infrastructure development must be prioritized to boost food production and enhance soil and water management. Research has been carried out on the effect of various methods of main tillage - chiseling with various types of chisel rippers and moldboard plowing - on the agro- and water-physical parameters of light chestnut soil. Differences in soil density and moisture levels have influenced the development of corn plants. On the variants with deep chisel tillage, the accumulation of dry and raw plant biomass and the yield of corn grain were higher. Thus, the methods of main tillage allow to regulate the agro- and water-physical state of the soil and to have a significant effect on the productivity of plants. On the basis of the data obtained, for high-quality main tillage, providing optimal indicators of its density, crumbling, reserves of total and available moisture in the soil, it is possible to recommend the use of an experimental chisel ripper CR-2.4

Screening of sweet and grain sorghum genotypes for green biomass production in different regions of Kazakhstan

As the impact of global climate change increases, the interaction of biotic and abiotic stresses increasingly threatens current agricultural practices. The most effective solution to the problem of climate change and a decrease in the amount of atmospheric precipitation is planting extremely drought-resistant and high-yielding crops. Sorghum can grow in harsh conditions such as salinity, drought and limited nutrients, also it is an important part of the diet in many countries. Sorghum can be introduced in many zones of Kazakhstan. Plant height and yield of green plant biomass of 16 sorghum samples in arid conditions were determined based on a set of agrobiological characteristics for field screening. The height of the studied samples of grain sorghum was 0.47 ±0.03 m, and the height of sweet sorghum was much longer, reaching up to 2.88 ±0.12 m. Also, there was a strong difference in green biomass in cultivated areas under different soil and climatic conditions, the green biomass of sweet sorghum was 3.0 Mg∙ha-1, and in grain sorghum, it reached up to 57.4 Mg∙ha-1. Based on the data of the field assessment for various soil and climatic conditions, the following samples were identified for introduction into production: samples of sweet sorghum for irrigated and rainfed lands of the Almaty Region and in the conditions of non-irrigation agriculture of the Aktobe Region - a promising line ICSV 93046. For non-irrigation agriculture of the Akmola Region, genotypes of sweet and grain sorghum are ‘Chaika’, ‘Kinelskoe 4’ and ‘Volzhskoe 44’

Tillage system and cover crop effects on organic carbon and available nutrient contents in light chestnut soil

Optimal use of management systems including tillage and cover crops are recommended to improve available nutrient contents in soils and sustain agricultural production. The effects on organic carbon and available nutrient contents of three tillage methods (conventional tillage, minimum tillage and no-tillage) and different cover crops such as flaxseed oil, buckwheat, soybean, pea, corn, sorghum, spring oilseed rape and sugar beet were evaluated in a short-term experiment on a light chestnut soil in Kazakhstan. Organic carbon and available nutrient contents were measured in the autumn of 2021. The field measurements included the yield of cover crops and input of organic matter into soils with root and other residues of cover crops. In the laboratory, total organic carbon, labile organic carbon, easily hydrolyzable nitrogen (NH4-N), NO3-N, available P and exchangeable K were measured. The results showed that one season of cover crop growth was not enough to find detectable changes in soil organic matter and available nutrient status in light chestnut soils. On the other hand, even in a short-term field experiment period of 3 months, the most labile organic carbon in soil organic carbon was obtained in conventional tillage. Overall, the results show that at least in the short term and under lower drip irrigation rate in summer for the study area, reduced tillage methods (no-tillage and minimum tillage) is suitable in the study area for soybean, corn and sugar beet production after intensive tillage in the previous year