Productivity of winter wheat depending on predecessors and systems of basic tillage in short crop rotations in conditions of the Southern Steppe

Goal. To develop environmentally friendly technologies for competitive production of high-quality winter wheat products in the Southern Steppe. Methods. The following methods were used in the study: field (for monitoring plant development and yield), laboratory (for analyzing grain quality), mathematical-statistical (for processing data and determining the reliability of the results). Results. The results of research on the influence of different systems of the main soil tillage (southern unwashed heavy loam chornozem) on the productivity of winter wheat in short crop rotations of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine are given. The experimental part was performed in the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 agricultural years on the experimental field of the Odesa State Agricultural Experimental Station of the Institute of Climate-Smart Agriculture of the NAAS (vil. Khlibodarske, Odesa district, Odesa oblast). It was established that various predecessors and systems of soil tillage significantly influenced the yield of winter wheat. The use of sideral fallow with winter vetch increased the yield of winter wheat grain compared to black fallow, sideral fallow with peas, white mustard, and the predecessor — peas for grain. In the case of using sideral fallow with winter vetch, yields increased by 1.4 – 7.5% due to improved nitrogen regime of the soil and more efficient use of moisture. Less productive was the option after peas for grain, in which the yield decreased by 9.7 – 15.0% compared to black fallow. Depending on the systems of basic tillage, the largest yield (4.42 t/ha) was provided by the BMMBM system (no-till cultivation). The excess in comparison with the PMMPM system (moldboard tillage) was 5.2 – 10.2%. Conclusions. The obtained results confirmed the expediency of the use of sideral fallow with winter vetch in short crop rotations as an effective agrotechnical technique for increasing the productivity of winter wheat and rational use of soil moisture. The complex combination of sideral fallow with winter vetch as a precursor and no-till basic tillage made it possible to increase the yield of winter wheat, while combinations of peas for grain + differentiated tillage reduced the efficiency of production.