Comparative Research on Advanced Technologies for Minimum and Unconventional Soil Tillage with Application of Different Mulching Materials, for Growing Maize for Grain, on Sloping Agricultural Lands

Annually between 400,000 and 500,000 hectares of grain maize are grown in the Republic of Bulgaria, with about 50% of these areas being sown on sloping agricultural lands. On these terrains, the risk of soil degradation and in particular the risk of degradation processes, water erosion, compaction and loss of soil organic matter is significant. In order to reduce this danger or to prevent it, along with the many applied soil protection methods and technologies in our country, advanced technologies for minimum and unconventional soil tillage have been developed and studied. These include both combined reduced tillage system and the erosion control method of mulching (surface and vertically-into the soil), with ready compost or manure as a mulching material. The present research explores the results of long-term comparative studies with these technologies in the cultivation of grain maize on sloping agricultural lands in specific soil and climatic conditions, assessing their agro technical and soil protection capabilities.