Conservation Practices and Management in Ukrainian Mollisols

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