EXAMINATION OF SOIL PROTECTIVE CULTIVATION METHODS IN THE KARCAG RESEARCH INSTITUTE CASE

As the soil - besides the climate and weather - is one of the main factors of plant production, which basically determines the quality and economical conditions of production, that is why the knowledge of the effects of plant production on soil is very important. The main goal of the soil cultivation experiment set in 1997 was to determine the application possibilities and the efficiency of the applied reduced tillage system that can stop the physical degradation of the soil. We established that the machinery and tools of the soil protective production technology (soil cultivation tools and sawing machines) are well applicable within the frequently extreme climatic conditions characteristic for the investigated area. The quality of the tillage operations is higher comparing to the conventional operations. We figured out that by the application of the new method 50 percent decrease of fuel consumption and 50-60 percent decrease of tabour and operation hours can be achieved, while weed control was found to be the critical point of the new soil protective system.