Effects of Different Soil Tillage on Soil Moisture, Weed Control, Yield and Quality of Maize (Zea mays L.)

Abstract

The study of the relationship between the crop plant and the technological measures is very important for establishing the best management to increase the yield, to preserve water in the soil and to reduce weed pressure. This article emphasizes the influence of tillage systems: conventional tillage (CT), minimum tillage (MT) and no-tillage (NT) on soil moisture, weed control and maize yield over three years (2020-2022) on a chernozem soil type at NARDI Fundulea, Romania. Determinations of soil moisture contributed to the climatic characterization of the agricultural year and supplied yearly reference data. In 2022, very low soil moisture values were recorded, being differentiated by the tillage system, leading to a minimum value of only 15.0% (517.5 m3 ha-1 ) for the CT system with spring plowing, a maximum of 19.4% (640.2 m3 ha-1 ) in the NT system and intermediate values in the MT system with 15.8% (564.9 m 3 ha-1 ) for chisel variant. The structure of the weeds present in the maize crop was 36% monocotyledonous and 64% dicotyledonous. The best weeds management does not involve their eradication, but keeping them under economic threshold using technological measures, such as soil tillage systems. Statistical analyzes showed significant effects of all soil tillage on maize yield and of their interactions with other technological measures. The three-year average results showed that the highest yields were recorded with MT (4.51 t ha-1 ), while the averages for CT and NT were lower (4.81 t ha-1 and, respectively, 3.38 t ha-1 ). The application of technological measures in accordance with the climate forecast led to an increase in the chances that maize crop will go well through the vegetation period and give high and stable yields.