Soil moisture is an important factor that affects not only crop growth but also a wide range of soil parameters. Nowadays, most crops can be grown in different ways: for example, conventional and conservation techniques. Different cultivation systems also affect soil moisture. For this reason, the main focus of this paper is to compare conventional and strip-till techniques for growing maize (Zea Mays L.) in terms of their effect on topsoil moisture. These techniques were chosen primarily because of the significant difference in surface coverage by plant residues. The research was conducted between 2023 and 2024 at two locations in the Czech Republic. Soil moisture at a depth of 15 cm was monitored using moisture sensors with automatic recording throughout the maize growing season. Temperature was also measured in the same way. Due to the changing soil surface cover, the maize growing season was divided into three parts: the initial growth period, the period up to two months after sowing, and the period of full growth. The results show the different effects of the tested techniques on soil moisture, especially in the period shortly after sowing. The strip-till had statistically higher (P=0.05) soil moisture in both years compared to the conventional technique. This confirmed the positive effect on soil water content during the initial growth period of maize. In the remaining two periods, due to the gradual growth of maize and the decomposition of plant residues, the differences between the both techniques decreased. In the case of soil temperature, this is a more stable soil parameter which did not differ statistically between the techniques considered.
Kabelka et al. (Thu,) studied this question.