Better Management of Soil Fertility in the Southern Steppe Zone of Ukraine

Abstract

Soil fertility has declined across the Southern Steppes through neglect of crop rotation, a big reduction in the area under legumes and perennial grasses, and lack of farmyard manure. Farmyard manure and incorporation of straw and stubble, applied separately and with mineral fertilizers, increase the soil's humus content and its capacity to absorb rainfall and supply this water to crops, and significantly reduce unproductive evaporation. Nowadays, crop residues are the chief source of organic matter for arable soils. Processing crop residues with a commercial stubble bio-decomposer accelerates decomposition with lesser dependence on the weather.