Search Results (437)

Field surface fluctuations and crop residues can induce significant random vibrations of no-tillage planters, which may negatively affect seed implantation stability and crop yield. At present, it is difficult to understand the extent to which the working components of a no-tillage planter affect its vibration, and how to reduce the influence of vibration on the quality of the no-tillage seeding is a critical problem. The main factors affecting the vibration of no-tillage planters were studied by tractor engine vibration source impact analysis experiments, no-tillage planter structural vibration source experiments, and light and heavy no-tillage configuration vibration source analysis experiments. The results show that the effects of the ground wheels, the fertilizing and stubble breaking and cleaning devices, the packer wheels, and the power output shaft gradually diminish. The resonant frequencies of the tractor–no-tillage planter system were 68.36 Hz and 67.38 Hz. Furthermore, this study provided a relative assessment of the correlation between planter downforce and its vibration intensity. To sum up, the multi-source vibration impact analysis method proposed an effective method for studying the contribution of individual components to the overall vibration behavior of no-tillage planters. It provides a theoretical basis for the optimization design of the vibration damping system. Full article

Water scarcity and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions pose significant challenges to sustainable wheat production in tropical regions such as the Brazilian Cerrado. This study evaluated the effects of different soil water depletion levels, denoted as f (20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% of available water capacity—AWC), on no-tillage winter wheat irrigated after rainfed soybean cultivation. Grain yield decreased significantly at depletion levels ≥ 60%, with the highest yields observed at f = 20% (6933 kg ha⁻¹) and f = 40% (6814 kg ha⁻¹). Water use efficiency (WUE) ranged from 12.4 to 14.0 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹, with no significant differences among treatments. Nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions peaked at f = 60% (4.55 kg ha⁻¹), resulting in the highest average global warming potential (GWP = 1.185.78 kg CO₂ eq ha⁻¹) and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI = 192.66 kg CO₂ eq Mg⁻¹ grain). Methane (CH₄) acted as a net sink across all irrigation levels. Soil enzymatic activities (β-glucosidase and arylsulfatase) were not significantly affected by irrigation management. Overall, irrigation scheduling based on f = 40% soil water depletion provided the best balance between productivity and environmental sustainability, representing a climate-smart and resource-efficient strategy for wheat production in tropical agroecosystems. These findings provide promising insights for tropical agriculture by showing that sustainable irrigation can balance productivity and climate mitigation in the Cerrado. Maintaining soil water depletion below 60% significantly reduces N₂O emissions and environmental impact, emphasizing the importance of conservation practices. Additionally, preserving soil biological quality supports the long-term viability of these practices and offers valuable guidance for policies promoting efficient irrigation in climate-vulnerable regions. Full article

Aiming at the problems of intensified soil compaction under the conditions of no-tillage operations and machine blockage caused by large-scale straw returning to the field, an operation mode of “straw strip collecting-strip subsoiling” was proposed, and a Monomer Profiling Strip Tillage Machine (MPSTM) with Straw-Strip-Collecting and Subsoiling Functions was designed to achieve anti-blocking operation and three-dimensional soil compaction reduction. The principle and mechanism parameters of monomer profiling in strip tillage are analyzed, and the effective profiling conditions are clarified. It is determined that the deflection angle, inclination angle, and installation spacing have a key influence on the straw clearance effect. The theory of soil failure and soil compaction reduction under the operation of the subsoiling and strip tillage mechanism is studied, and a combination of a medium-sized Subsoiler shovel handle and a 150 mm double-wing shovel is adopted. Using the EDEM discrete element method, taking the spatial parameters of the stubble clean disc (SCD) as the test factors and the straw removal rate (SRR) as the test indicator, a quadratic orthogonal rotation test is conducted to clarify the influence of each parameter on the straw clearance. The optimal SCD spatial parameters were determined as a deflection angle of 16.5°, an inclination angle of 25°, and an installation spacing of 100 mm, achieving a maximum SRR of 95.34%. Field test results demonstrated stable machine operation. Post-operation measurements yielded the following results: the width of the straw-cleaning band (WSCB) in the sowing strip is 193.7 mm; the overall straw removal rate (OSRR) is 84.82%, which is basically consistent with the simulation results; the subsoiling depth (SD) is 271.7 mm; the subsoiling depth stability (SDS) is 91.85%; the soil fragmentation rate (SFR) is 81.19%; and the reduction of soil compaction in the 0–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm soil layer is 50.08%, 21.78%, and 40.83%, respectively. These results confirm that the machine effectively cleaned straw within the seeding band and reduced soil compaction, meeting the agronomic and technical requirements for strip tillage. Full article

Mycotoxin contamination in wheat, a staple food critical to human nutrition, poses significant public health concerns. This study investigated the natural occurrence of 17 mycotoxins in Tunisian durum wheat, assessed the influence of soil tillage practices on mycotoxin contamination, and performed an associated exposure risk assessment. A total of 167 wheat samples were randomly collected over two years (2021 and 2022) from fields managed under conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT) systems during both pre- and post-harvest periods. Mycotoxins were extracted using the QuEChERS method and quantified via UHPLC-MS/MS. The results demonstrated contamination by ZEN, DON, OTA, ENA1, ENB, and ENB1. Among regulated mycotoxins, OTA was the most prevalent, detected in 68 out of 167 samples with a mean concentration of 1.85 µg/kg. ZEN was the most abundant, detected in 65 samples with a mean concentration of 26.85 µg/kg, while DON was less frequently detected in 62 samples with a mean concentration of 0.68 µg/kg. Regarding emerging mycotoxins, ENB was the most prevalent and abundant, found in 51 samples with a mean concentration of 10.13 µg/kg; ENB1 and ENA1 were detected in 20 and 10 samples, with mean concentrations of 3.38 µg/kg and 1.69 µg/kg, respectively. Furthermore, mycotoxin concentrations varied according to agricultural practices. DON, ZEN, ENA1, ENB, and ENB1 showed higher frequencies and concentrations (ranging from 0.08 to 210.11 µg/kg) in samples collected during the 2021 pre-harvest period from NT fields. In contrast, OTA exhibited greater prevalence and higher concentrations (ranging from 2.33 to 9.78 µ/kg) in samples collected during the 2022 post-harvest period from CT fields. The Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) of mycotoxins by Tunisian adults was calculated based on contamination levels in raw durum wheat from fields under NT and CT practices, resulting in the following values (ng/kg bw/day), with the first value corresponding to NT samples and the second to CT samples: OTA (17.3; 20.8), ZEN (466.3; 194.0), DON (8.0; 7.56), ENA1 (4.30; 18.85), ENB (105.17; 121.08), and ENB1 (49.91; 40.91). Both the Margin of Exposure (MOE) values for OTA and the Hazard Quotients (HQ) for ZEN and DON exceeded established safety thresholds, indicating potential health risks for Tunisian adults. These findings highlight the urgent need to implement stricter mycotoxin regulations in Tunisia and enhance surveillance systems. Further research is warranted to elucidate the mechanisms by which soil tillage practices influence mycotoxin contamination and to develop targeted mitigation strategies to ensure food safety. Full article

One type of pore fundamental to water dynamics is the intra-aggregate pore, which holds water vital for plant and root system development, mainly in finer-textured soils such as clays. The distribution of intra-aggregate pores also influences the redistribution of water. Thus, it is important to study the dynamics of the intra-aggregate pore network under processes such as wetting and drying cycles (WDC). Changes in these pore types can play essential roles in organic matter protection, water movement, microbial activity, and aggregate stability. To date, there are few studies analyzing the impact of WDC on intra-aggregate pore dynamics. This study aims to provide results in this regard, analyzing changes in the pore architecture of a subtropical Oxisol under no-tillage (NT), conventional tillage (CT), and forest (F) after WDC application. Three-dimensional X-Ray microtomography images of soil aggregate samples (2–4 mm) subjected to 0 and 12 WDC were analyzed. The results showed that WDC did not affect (p > 0.05) the imaged porosity, number of pores, fractal dimension, tortuosity, and pore connectivity for the different soil management types. To analyze the permeability and hydraulic conductivity of the soil pore system, the most voluminous pore (MVP) was examined. No differences were observed in the imaged porosity, fraction of aggregate occupied by the MVP, connectivity, tortuosity, hydraulic radius, permeability, and hydraulic conductivity between 0 and 12 WDC for the MVP. Comparing soil management types after 12 WDCs, for example, F samples became more porous than CT and NT samples. In contrast, the pore system of NT had a lower fractal dimension and was more tortuous than that of CT and F samples. Our results show that for highly weathered soils such as the Brazilian Oxisol studied, the intra-aggregate pore network proved resistant to changes with WDC, regardless of the type of management adopted. Full article

Regenerative agriculture has emerged as a new organic farming movement, initially difficult to distinguish from similar approaches. Its core concerns, such as ecosystem degradation caused by intensive farming, align with those of many other organic systems. However, regenerative agriculture prioritizes soil health, biodiversity, and social equity, setting itself apart through its scalability and flexibility. Unlike other ecological farming methods, often limited to smaller scales, regenerative agriculture aims to be implemented on large farms, typically major contributors to pollution due to reliance on external inputs like fertilizers and pesticides. Notably, regenerative certification standards are more flexible, allowing the use of industrially synthesized inputs under specific conditions, provided that regenerative principles are upheld. This review systematically examines seven core regenerative practices: no-tillage farming, crop rotation, cover cropping, green manures, intercropping, perennial cover systems, and integrated crop-livestock systems. It outlines the practical advantages and ecological benefits of each, while identifying key adoption challenges, including costs, farm size, and institutional barriers. The paper argues that addressing these issues, particularly concerning scale and socio-economic constraints, is essential for broader adoption. By synthesizing recent evidence, this review clarifies the distinctiveness of regenerative agriculture and highlights pathways for its scalable implementation. Full article

This study, which began in the 2013/2014 agricultural year, aimed to assess the suitability of two soil tillage systems for wheat cultivation: conventional soil tillage (CS), which involved moldboard plowing to a depth of 28 cm followed by a single pass with a rotary harrow to prepare the seedbed, and no-tillage (NT). It also sought to analyze the impacts of these systems on weed infestation levels and, consequently, on yield. A moderate level of fertilization was applied. The experimental field was established with a three-year crop rotation system: soybean–winter wheat–maize. The total number of weed species was 30 in CS, the representative species being Xanthium strumarium, and in NT there were 29 species, with Xanthium strumarium, Cirsium arvense, Bromus tectorum, and Agropyron repens predominating. There was an increase in the number of perennials (dicots and monocots). The total dry matter of weeds was 35.4 t ha⁻¹ in CS and 38.8 t ha⁻¹ in NT. After 11 agricultural years, it was found that there were no significant differences between the two soil tillage systems in terms of wheat yield (6.55 t ha⁻¹ in CS and 6.46 t ha⁻¹ in NT). The uneven rainfall negatively affected wheat growth and favored the spread of weeds, especially dicotyledonous ones. Full article

Tillage is a major factor influencing soil biological communities, particularly earthworms, which play a key role in soil structure and nutrient cycling. To address soil degradation, less-intensive tillage practices are increasingly being adopted globally and have shown positive effects on earthworm populations when applied consistently over extended periods. However, understanding of the earthworm population dynamics in the period following the implementation of changes in tillage practices remains limited. This three-year field study (2021–2023) investigates earthworm populations during the early transition phase (4–6 years) following the conversion from conventional ploughing to conservation (<8 cm depth, with residue retention) and no-tillage systems in a temperate arable system in central Slovenia. Earthworms were sampled annually in early October from three adjacent fields, each following the same three-year crop rotation (maize—winter cereal + cover crop—soybeans), using a combination of hand-sorting and allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) extraction. Results showed that reduced tillage practices significantly increased both earthworm biomass and abundance compared to conventional ploughing. However, a significant interaction between tillage and year was observed, with a sharp decline in earthworm abundance and mass in 2022, likely driven by a combination of 2022 summer tillage prior to cover crop sowing and extreme drought conditions. Juvenile earthworms were especially affected, with their proportion decreasing from 62% to 34% in ploughed plots and from 63% to 26% in conservation tillage plots. Despite interannual fluctuations, no-till showed the lowest variability in earthworm population. Long-term monitoring is essential to disentangle management and environmental effects and to inform resilient soil management strategies. Full article

The production of winter wheat, spring barley, spring oilseed rape, and field beans requires detailed experimental data studies to analyze the quality and productivity of spring barley grain under different cultivation and tillage conditions. As the world’s population grows, more food is required to maintain a stable food supply chain. For many years, intensive farming systems have been used to meet this need. Today, intensive climate change events and other global environmental challenges are driving a shift towards sustainable use of natural resources and simplified cultivation methods that produce high-quality and productive food. It is important to study different tillage systems in order to understand how these methods can affect the chemical composition and nutritional value of the grain. Both agronomic and economic aspects contribute to the complexity of this field and their analysis will undoubtedly contribute to the development of more efficient agricultural practice models and the promotion of more conscious consumption. An appropriate tillage system should be oriented towards local climatic characteristics and people’s needs. The impact of reduced tillage on these indicators in spring barley production is still insufficiently investigated and requires further analysis at a global level. This study was carried out at Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy (Lithuania) in 2022–2024. Treatments were arranged using a split-plot design. Based on a long-term tillage experiment, five tillage systems were tested: deep and shallow plowing, deep cultivation–chiseling, shallow cultivation–disking, and no-tillage. The results show that in 2022–2024, the hectoliter weight and moisture content of spring barley grains increased, but protein content and germination decreased in shallowly plowed fields. In deep cultivation–chiseling fields, the protein content (0.1–1.1%) of spring barley grains decreased, and in shallow cultivation–disking fields, the moisture content (0.2–0.3%) decreased. In all fields, the simplified tillage systems applied reduced spring barley germination (0.4–16.7%). Tillage systems and meteorological conditions are the two main forces shaping the quality indicators of spring barley grains. Properly selected tillage systems and favorable climatic conditions undoubtedly contribute to better grain properties and higher yields, while reducing the risk of disease spread. Full article

Sustainable farmland management is vital for global food security and for mitigating environmental degradation and climate change. While individual practices such as crop rotation and no-tillage are well-documented, this review synthesizes current evidence to illuminate the critical synergistic effects of integrating four key strategies: crop rotation, conservation tillage, organic amendments, and soil microbiome management. Crop rotation enhances nutrient cycling and disrupts pest cycles, while conservation tillage preserves soil structure, reduces erosion, and promotes carbon sequestration. Organic amendments replenish soil organic matter and stimulate biological activity, and a healthy soil microbiome boosts plant resilience to stress and enhances nutrient acquisition through key functional groups like arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMFs). Critically, the integration of these practices yields amplified benefits that far exceed their individual contributions. Integrated management systems not only significantly increase crop yields (by up to 15–30%) and soil organic carbon but also deliver profound global ecosystem services, with a potential to sequester 2.17 billion tons of CO₂ and reduce soil erosion by 2.41 billion tons annually. Despite challenges such as initial yield variability, leveraging these synergies through precision agriculture represents the future direction for the field. This review concludes that a holistic, systems-level approach is essential for building regenerative and climate-resilient agroecosystems. Full article

Crop residue management and soil tillage (CRM and ST) are key steps in agricultural production. The effects of different CRM and ST modes on the quality of seedbed, seeding, and harvest yield are not well determined. In this study, the system of maize (Zea mays L.)–soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr) rotation under ridge-tillage in the semi-arid regions of Northeast China was chosen as the study conditions. Four modes were investigated: deep tillage and seeding (DT and S), stubble field and no-tillage seeding (SF and NTS), three-axis rotary tillage and seeding (TART and S), and shallow rotary tillage and seeding (SRT and S). Results show that the DT and S mode produced the best quality of seedbed and seeding. Among the conservation tillage modes, the SRT and S mode produced the shortest average length of roots and straw, the best uniformity of their distribution in the seedbed, and the highest soybean yield. Both the SRT and S and SF and NTS modes yielded a higher net profit as their cost-effectiveness. When considering only the quality of seedbed and seeding under conservation tillage as a prerequisite, it can be concluded that the SRT and S mode is both advantageous and sustainable. Full article

Soil compaction is a critical challenge in perennial fruit production, limiting root growth, water infiltration, and nutrient uptake—factors essential for climate-resilient and sustainable orchard systems. In subtropical Asian pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai) orchards under the annual top-working system, intensive machinery traffic exacerbates subsurface hardpan formation and tree performance. This study evaluated the effectiveness of pneumatic subsoiling, a minimally invasive method using high-pressure air injection, in alleviating soil compaction without disturbing orchard surface integrity. Four treatments varying in radial distance from the trunk and pneumatic application were tested in a mature orchard in central Taiwan. Pneumatic subsoiling 120 cm away from the trunk significantly reduced soil penetration resistance by 15.4% at 34 days after treatment (2,302,888 Pa) compared to the control (2,724,423 Pa). However, this reduction was not sustained at later assessment dates, and no significant improvements in vegetative growth, fruit yield, and fruit quality were observed within the first season post-treatment. These results suggest that while pneumatic subsoiling can modify subsurface soil physical conditions with minimal surface disturbance, its agronomic benefits may require longer-term evaluation under varying moisture and management regimes. Overall, this study highlights pneumatic subsoiling may be a potential low-disturbance strategy to contribute to longer-term soil physical resilience. Full article

Crop straw chopping and returning technology has gained global implementation to enhance soil structure and fertility, facilitating increased crop yield. Nevertheless, technological adoption faces challenges from inherent limitations in machinery performance, including poor chopping and returning quality and high energy consumption. Consequently, this review first presented a theoretical framework that described the mechanical properties of straw, its fracture dynamics, interactions with airflow, and motion characteristics during the chopping process. Then, based on the straw returning process, the chopping devices were classified into five types: the chopped blade, the chopping machine, the chopping device combined with a no-tillage or reduced-tillage seeder, the chopping and ditch-burying machine, the chopping and mixing machine, and the harvester-powered chopping device. Advancements in spreading devices were also summarized. Finally, six key directions for future research were proposed: developing an intelligent field straw distribution mapping system, engineering adaptive self-regulating mechanisms for chopping and returning equipment, elucidating the mechanics and kinematics of straw in the chopping and returning process, implementing real-time quality assessment systems for straw returning operations, pioneering high forward-speed (>8 km/h) straw returning machines, and establishing context-specific straw residue management frameworks. This review provided a reference and offered support for the global application of straw returning technology. Full article

Pressure on agroecosystems is increasing with rising agricultural demand, pushing Brazilian agriculture toward more sustainable systems that prioritize soil health. This study aimed to evaluate whether long-term no-till management and inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense influenced soil bioindicators; chemical, biological, and enzymatic attributes; and how these attributes correlated with crop productivity in a rotational system. The experiment also assessed the residual effects of phosphate fertilization (initially applied in 2013 and reapplied in 2020) and its interaction with inoculation on soil phosphorus fractions and crop performance. This study was conducted on Dystrophic Red Oxisol in the low-altitude Cerrado region under 20 years of no-tillage management, using a randomized block design in a 5 × 2 factorial scheme: five phosphorus doses (0, 30, 60, 120, and 240 kg ha⁻¹ P₂O₅) and inoculated or non-inoculated grasses, with four replicates. The results showed that inoculation influenced dry matter (DM) production and nutrient cycling, improving soil health despite lower fertility and total DM. The correlation between bioindicators and productivity suggests that soil health indicators can be used to monitor system sustainability. No consistent effects of inoculation or phosphate fertilization were observed for some crop components, indicating complex interactions under long-term conservationist systems. Full article

Excessive tillage and chemical fertilization are the primary attributes of conventional farming and the main causes of soil degradation. This research focused on the comparative study of two tillage systems: conventional (CT) and no-tillage (NT), as well as on the effect of chemical fertilizers and different Bacillus megaterium var. phosphaticum inoculum rates (75, 100 and 125%) on soil properties. This short-term experiment was conducted under field conditions in Northeastern Romania from 2023 to 2024. Soil dehydrogenase, catalase, acid, and alkaline phosphatase activities, pH, organic carbon content (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus, and available phosphorus (TP and AP) were determined. Bacillus treatments generally inhibited soil enzyme activity by 0.35 to 57%, depending on the enzyme type. Under NT, activity increased by up to 59% for dehydrogenase, 43% for acid phosphatase, and 70% for alkaline phosphatase compared to the CT system. An opposite trend was found for catalase, along with a negative correlation with the other enzymes. There were positive differences in TP concentration at 125% Ecofertil + N in both CT (0.0577 ppm) and NT (0.0578 ppm) in 2023 compared to the control (0.0346–0.0374 ppm). In the same year, after the first inoculation, AP increased significantly with bacterial treatments in CT, from 32.34% (T0) to 47.94% (T4), and at crop harvest in NT in 2024, from 34.18% (T0) to 91.06% (T3). The results suggest that enzymatic activities and soil chemical properties were more influenced by soil management than the interaction between inoculated bacteria and chemical fertilizers. Full article