The influence of the weather conditions on biological soil activity and maize productivity

Abstract

Article presents the results of studies of the influence of weather conditions on the activity of maize microbiocenosis, plant green mass productivity, grain yield, the spread and development of diseases in agrocenosis. Methods. Field experiment, rehydration, adsorption, phytopathological assessment of plants. Results. Weather conditions during the research period were characterized by an increased temperature regime, insufficient and uneven distribution of precipitation during the growing season, which signi-ficantly affected the growth, development and maize productivity. The increase of the grain yield of maize (by 3-4 %) compared with the best year due to weather conditions, with a clearly reduced amount (by 3.5-13.7 %) of the formed green mass through the lack of moisture was noted. In conditions of overwetting (precipitation is more than 48 mm than the average annual and an increased average monthly air temperature of 3-5°C) compared with similar hot and dry (arid) periods (rainfall is 15-45 mm lower average annual), in gray forest loamy soil an increase in total microbial biomass by 12-108 % and carbon dioxide emission by 9-12 % increased the synthesis of humic substances by 15-39 % was noted. The decrease by 1.5 time in the develo-pment of root rot in maize plants and by 6-13 % of their spread was noted. Conclusions. Thus, changes in weather conditions (increase in average monthly temperatures by 3-5°C and increase in precipitation by 48 mm / decrease in precipitation by 15-45 mm) did not have a clear effect on the functioning and activity of microbiocenosis and soil fertility.