Fertility Parameters of Typical Chernozem Soils and Winter Wheat Yields: Relationship Evaluation and Optimal Values

• Published in: Russian agricultural sciences 2023-12, Vol.49 (Suppl 3), p.S425-S431
• Main Authors: Masyutenko, N. P., Kuznetsov, A. V., Masyutenko, M. N., Pankova, T. I., Priputneva, M. A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural technology; Agriculture; Agrochemicals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Carbon; Carbon content; Chernozems; Crop yield; Decomposing organic matter; exchangeable calcium; Fertility; Humic acids; Humic substances; Humus; Hydroxyapatite; information exchange; Information transfer; Life Sciences; microbial biomass; Microorganisms; Parameter identification; Phosphorus; Phosphorus content; Plant Biochemistry; potassium; Soil fertility; Soils; spring; Triticum aestivum; Weather; Wheat; Winter wheat
• ISSN: 1068-3674; 1934-8037
• DOI: 10.3103/S1068367423090112

Studies were conducted in 2020–2021 to evaluate the relationship between fertility parameters of typical chernozem soils and winter wheat yields and identify their optimal values for the studied crop in Kursk oblast. The objects of research were typical heavy loamy chernozem soils and the Leonida winter wheat variety. Information–logical analysis made it possible to identify in the soil–plant system the nature, direction, and strength of the relationship between parameters defining the humus and agrochemical state of the soil and winter wheat yields. In 2020, yield strongly correlated with mobile phosphorus content in the soil and the ratio between mobile humic acids (MHA) and humus: the information transfer efficiency coefficients (Ce) reached 0.23 and 0.22, respectively. Also, yield depended on the following parameters: the ratio between microbial biomass (MB) and MHA (Ce = 0.19), exchangeable calcium content (Ce = 0.18), and ratio of MB to mobile humic substances (MHS) (Ce = 0.17). Under dry conditions of 2021, at low soil fertility levels and with the same agricultural technology, the role of the following parameters in the formation of yields by the Leonida winter wheat variety increased: MB proportion in MHA (Ce = 0.31), MB proportion in humus (Ce = 0.28), humus content in the soil (Ce = 0.20), and MHS quality (Ce = 0.19). The optimal fertility parameters of a typical chernozem soil that made it possible to form a winter wheat yield of 5.58–7.47 t/ha under the conditions of sufficient moisture supply in spring and semiarid July were as follows: humus content = 5.0–5.1%, pH aq. 5.9–6.0, mobile phosphorus content = 83–119 mg/kg soil, mobile potassium content = 103–121 mg/kg, MHA/H ratio = 5.9–6.5, MB/MHA = 34.0–40.5, MB/MHS = 13.2–16.5, Ca/Mg = 4.2–4.4, MHS/H—11.0–12.0, MHA/MFA = 0.93–1.00, MHS carbon content = 5100–5500 mg/kg soil, MHA carbon content = 2920–3200 mg/kg, and MB carbon content = 860–990 mg/kg. A lower soil fertility level (humus content = 4.90–5.05%, MHA/H = 4.8–5.3, MB/MHA = 33.8–40.5, MB/MHS = 14–17, MHA/MFA = 0.93–1.00, and MB carbon content = 510–800 mg/kg soil) and dry weather conditions reduced the yield of the Leonida winter wheat variety to 3.34–5.28 t/ha.