Abstract
In the arid regions of Kazakhstan, agricultural crops are grown on low-productivity saline-alkali soils with varying properties across different horizons. Soil tillage is performed using non-plow implements that generate high traction resistance and turn over large clods of soil with a low degree of fragmentation. The aim of this study is to provide technical support for primary tillage to maximize soil moisture accumulation and humus conservation. The problem is solved by the layer-by-layer loosening of the plow layer with maximum preservation of the humus horizon and stubble on the field surface to accumulate soil moisture and prevent soil erosion. This operation is effectively performed by a combined loosener consisting of a flat-cutting tine with vertical knives and a rotary tiller blade. The plowshare cuts through the salt-affected horizon, partially crumbling its lower part, while the upper part is broken up by the vertical knives. The partially deformed upper humus layer prevents the infertile soil layer from being moved to the field surface and is loosened with minimal energy expenditure. Mathematical models of the process of saline soil horizon loosening were developed, and the parameters and operating modes of the loosening tine with vertical knives were substantiated. A loosener with vertical blades in the plow layer improves the soil’s water and air conditions for plant root development, creating a total porosity of 55.7%- 56.6% and a degree of crumbling 7–8% higher compared to standard machines. The oat and barley yields under the layer-by-layer tillage treatment were higher than those under surface tillage and moldboard plowing by 6.0–9.2 с/ha and 6.1–11.8 с/ha, respectively.