TILLAGE EFFECTS ON SOIL FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES: A REVIEW

Abstract

Soil is the foundation of all-natural production systems. There is a necessity to study the management systems impact on soil functional properties and crop productivity in response to climate change effects. Our review was conducted using published databases of Ukrainian and worldwide peer-reviewed publications, including high-quality databases in Scopus, Web of Science, ResearchGate, Ukrainian specialized publications, and other web sources to evaluate the effects of tillage, with- and without cropping diversity, cover crops, and chemigation, on soil functional properties associated with soil health and crop productivity. Globally used different types of tillage practices (plowing vs. no-till) affect soil biology, nutrient cycling and organic matter accumulation, water, nutrient, and air ecosystems, changes in the soil structural and hydrological properties, and factors responsible for soil erosion and degradation were evaluated. The relevance of the research is appropriate due to global climate change and the transition of farmers converting from plowing to minimum tillage technologies, including no-till in order to achieve economic crop production with enhanced agroecosystem services. While both plowing and minimum tillage technologies have contrasting benefits and limitations, there is a lacking of consistent advantages of one tillage technology over the other one to support economic crop production, regenerate soil health, and enhance agroecosystem services. Currently, no-till technologies are increasingly adopted by farmers in Ukraine; however, farmers are looking for evidence-based knowledge and the government to remove roadblocks. The issue is increasingly becoming more relevant in connection with climate change effects, which require further studies.