Biological activity of soils under different methods of primary tillage

Based on the analysis of domestic and foreign sources of scientific literature, the data on the state and prospects of restoration and preservation of soil fertility in modern agriculture in relation to primary soil tillage as one of the key agrotechnical practices that significantly affect its biological activity and, as a consequence, the yield of agricultural crops are presented. Biological activity of soil plays an important role in preserving fertility and stability of agricultural systems. Scientifically based crop rotation, taking into account both ecological and economic factors, becomes an effective tool to combat soil degradation and restore microbial diversity. Species and quantitative composition of microorganisms is not a static value and is subject to significant fluctuations under the influence of various factors, including agrotechnical (soil tillage). When analyzing the dynamics of microbiological processes in the treated and natural soil, the disruption of the natural course of biological processes occurring in the soil complex under mechanical tillage is shown, but at the same time different methods of tillage can have only a slight effect on the number of microorganisms. Decrease in the num-ber and biomass of fungi in the soil is one of the main reasons for reduction of humus content, loss of soil structure, as humic acids are formed with active participation of fungi. Consequently, changing the method of primary tillage is not enough to restore and preserve humus reserves. This statement emphasizes the complexity of the problem of the degradation of the fertile layer and the necessity of a complex ap-proach to its solution. The question of evaluation of microbiological processes depending on different methods of soil tillage remains open.