Abstract:
This study focused on soil degradation of Ukrainian
Mollisols and investigated the
effect of conservation practices on soil physical,
chemical, and biological properties over
the past 50 years. And the policies and relevant le
gislation are also outlined in this paper.
The results showed conversion from plow-tillage to
minimum tillage and no-till improved
infiltration rate, pH, and Soil Organic Matter (SOM
) in 0-10 cm layer and led to carbon
accumulation in fulvic acids and humins. No signifi
cant differences in SOM storage were
observed among tillage systems in the 0-100 cm laye
r. The five crop rotation increased
0.8, 0.71, and 0.94 t ha
-1
yield of cereals and 5.8, 1.0, and 4.2 t ha
-1
sugar beet under
conventional tillage, deep minimum tillage, and red
uced minimum tillage, respectively.
Application of fertilizer in conservation agricultu
re, including NPK and manure, was 12 t
ha
-1
in the humid zone, 10-12 t ha
1
manure in semi-humid zone and 8-10 t ha
-1
manure in
the Mollisols region of semi-arid zone. Green manur
e, cover crops, and inter crops
increased crop yield by 2-10% on Forest-Steppe and
Steppe Mollisols. The combination of
strip cropping, contour farming, contour bunds, and
terracing are particularly
recommended for the sloping farmland in order to re
duce soil erosion. In conclusion, soil
conservation practices should be applied in Ukraine
to prevent soil degradation.
Keywords
: Conservation tillage, Degradation, Erosion, Ferti
lizers, Soil organic carbon
