Danylo Andriiovych Klochkov

Sumy National Agrarian University

Sumy, Ukraine

 Abstract. The author focuses on the features of the introduction of innovative technologies in the agrarian sector of Ukraine. Such eco-friendly and safe technologies as the mini-tillage, no-tillage and strip-tillage cultivation are described in the paper. The advantages of the above technologies, as well as the challenges related to their implementation in Ukraine are indicated.

 Key words: agrarian sector, innovative technologies, mіnі-tillage cultivation, no-tillage cultivation, strip-tillage.

 The current state of the Ukrainian agrarian sector is contingent on the global reach of the process improvement and technological modernization, which fail to meet the actual needs of agricultural producers. Therefore, when seeking to adhere to the basic principles of innovation development of agriculture, our country should take into account the features and capabilities of domestic agricultural production and the need to introduce the eco-friendly and safe technologies, aimed at preserving the environment, increasing economic profitability, using non-renewable resources more efficiently, as well as to verify the existing and implemented technologies.

 Despite the ambivalence and instability of innovation activity and related risks, agricultural producers are trying to integrate the advanced scientific and technical developments and adapt them to their own production. Among the leaders, which are the first to use the latest technologies in agriculture, crop farming and livestock, are Mriia Agroholding, Kernel Group Holding, UkrLandFarming PJSC, Astarta-Kyiv New Century Holding (NCH) and others. The implementation of innovations is the path they choose to challenge themselves and the world to sustained equilibrium in the agrarian sphere. The above agricultural producers try to embody new knowledge and understanding of soils, and find the ways of integrating these aspects with new technologies.

 Nowadays, each sector of the agricultural sphere applies innovative solutions having a specific nature that makes it possible to use them in accordance with the conditions and terms of the latest development or production stage. In the Ukrainian agriculture, innovations in soil tillage are actively used to increase fertility and preserve microelements, but sometimes their implementation results in an adverse effect on the environment. For this reason, the innovative no-tillage and/or minimum tillage cropping systems are becoming more and more popular not only abroad, but also in our country.

 1. Mіnі-tillage cultivation is one of the innovative technologies which provides for the minimization of technical and technological impact on the soil during its tillage. It increases the economic efficiency and environmental friendliness of the process of growing crops by reducing weather and climatic effects, significantly reducing the level of fuel, fertilizers, plant protection products, reducing the use of agricultural machinery, yield growth, crop rotation optimization, improving the natural environment. The advantages of mini-till are as follows:

• increase in profitability;
• reduction in diesel fuel costs; 
• humidity preservation; 
• humus conservation; 
• erosion prevention; 
• preservation of soil structure due to tillage at different depths;
• increased opportunities for consistent sowing of different crops [1].

 2. No-tillage cultivation has been increasing over the last several decades. It is a farming practice where the soil is minimally disturbed from planting to harvest. During the planting process, holes are drilled into the soil where the seed will be planted and then covered up. Among the advantages of no-till are:

• reduction in soil erosion;
• reduced amount of fuel and equipment operation;
• increase in farmer’s profits;
• water conservation;
• increase in crop yields;
• increase in beneficial insects and soil microbes;
• high resource availability [2].

 3. Strip-till is a conservation system that uses a minimum tillage. It combines the soil drying and warming benefits of conventional tillage with the soil-protecting advantages of no-till by disturbing only the portion of the soil that is to contain the seed row. The advantages of strip-till include the following:

• warmer soil temperatures at no-till planting time;
• mellow seedbed;
• lessens need for fertilizer on the no-till drill or planter;
• possibility of using anhydrous ammonia if applied in the fall;
• excellent fertilizer placement;
• removal of residue from rows;
• possibility of earlier no-till planting.
• possibility of executing some work in the fall;
• possibility of no-tilling of row crops in northern latitudes;
• better competing narrow rows with weeds;
• potential of narrow rows for higher no-till yields [3].

 The above mentioned technologies have the common disadvantages which include: the need for additional equipment, more expensive equipment because of row width, proper soil conditions for fertilizer application, etc.

 Therefore, it should be noted that the introduction of resource-saving tillage technologies, regardless of their characteristics, have similar problems regarding their adjustment to domestic conditions. These include weak state support, significant financial costs, an increase in the usage of herbicides, the need to replace the tractor fleet and the use of modern information technologies. The above tillage farming may not be successful in certain types of soil. In addition, farmers should conduct research in order to determine if no-till, strip-till or mini-till farming is appropriate for local soil and climate conditions. The initial investments in the above mentioned tillage technologies are one of the major deterrents to switching from conventional tilling to innovative ones.

 Each type of tillage cropping agriculture ranges over the performance of specific crops with stubble mulching, strip tillage, no-tillage or mini-tillage under the general climate, soil, weed, and types of residue conditions of a particular agricultural ecosystem [4].

 Nevertheless, despite a set of structural transformations, which transition economies undergo, and a lot of difficulties in the agrarian sphere, the Ukrainian producers try to address the challenges they face by implementing the innovative technologies in their operation.

Literature:

1. Main reasons for the transition of farmers to minimum and zero tillage. Retrieved from: http://www.bakertilly.ua/ru/news/id684

2. Pros and Cons of No-Tillage Farming. Retrieved from: https://greentumble.com/pros-and-cons-of-no-tillage-farming/

3. Pros, Cons Of Narrow-Row Strip-Tilling. Retrieved from: https://www.no-tillfarmer.com/articles/3627-pros-cons-of-narrow-row-strip-tilling?v=preview

4. Conservation Tillage and Cropping Innovation. Retrieved from: https://ru.scribd.com/document/35488134/Conservation-Tillage-and-Cropping-Innovation