Comparative evaluation of the influence of no-till and traditional treatment on the biological activity of agricultural chernozem of the Stavropol region

Using the method of inoculation on elective nutrient media, the abundance and activity of taxonomic (bacteria, actinomycetes, micromycetes) and functional (nitrogen fixers, ammonifiers, denitrifiers of amylolytic, cellulolytic) groups of microorganisms in agrochernozems of the Stavropol region under the influence of various tillage systems – direct seeding (no-till) and moldboard plowing with the turnover of soil horizon (traditional treatment). Analyzes were carried out for such crops as winter wheat, corn, sunflower and soybean with/without application of mineral fertilizers. Traditional tillage for the majority of crops leads to increased activity of aerobic ammonifiers, cellulolytics, denitrifiers, actinomycetes and micromycetes. No-till technology, in its turn, increases the intensity of anaerobic cellulolytics and nitrogen fixers, aerobic diazotrophs and amylolytics activity. The most responsive crop, under which the biological activity of almost all groups of microorganisms increased in the no-till variant, was corn, while winter wheat contributed to the increase in the number of microorganisms in the moldboard plowing variant. The use of mineral fertilizers provoked the growth of soil biological activity under sunflower sown directly in the soil, while conventional tillage resulted in higher soil biological activity without application of mineral fertilizers.