History of the development of agronomic science and tillage methods

plant science 23 st in the hands of the ruling class; the presence of an independent farmstead on the master's land belonging to a dependent peasant. In Byzantium in the 10th century, an agricultural encyclopedia appeared. In the 11th—13th centuries, a massive rise in agriculture took place: sown areas expanded, and the development of new lands intensified, often accompanied by land improvement measures. The first land cadastres appeared. A heavy plough with an iron mouldboard was invented and quickly found widespread use, contributing not only to cutting but also to turning over the top layer of soil. The use of the plough revolutionized existing tillage technologies based on the use of a wooden plough and a hoe, which served as an impetus for expanding areas for growing agricultural crops and created conditions for increasing the yield of cultivated crops.

The development of agriculture in Germany, France, England, the Netherlands, and the USA was marked by particularly great success. It is worth noting the works of W. Henley "On Husbandry" (England), A. von Holstein "On Plants" (Germany), and P. Crescentius "On the Benefits of Agriculture" (Italy). The latter work was the first printed edition of an agronomic nature, and it provided an agronomic calendar of agricultural work. Published in the 4th century, it was reprinted 61 times and remained relevant until the 18th century. Later, the works of A. de Candolle "Botanical Geography" (1855) and "Origin of cultivated plants" (1883) gained great popularity.

Until the 18th century, agricultural science was not developed in Russia, and the first knowledge in this field was borrowed from the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and Germans.

Among the ancient Slavs, starting from the 7th—8th centuries, arable farming was developed; however, after the collapse of Kievan Rus', it was, on the whole, at a low level. From the 13th century, the seizure of communal lands by boyars and monasteries began, and interest in land valuation increased. A cadastre more perfect than those in Western Europe appeared. In Belarus and non-chernozem Russia, the three-field system was established in agriculture from the 17th century. But there were no works on agriculture; the treatise by P. Crescentius was popular among wealthy boyars. Subsequently, the works of M. V. Lomonosov (1711—1765), A. D. Thaer (1752—1828), A. T. Bolotov (1738—1832), I. M. Komov (1750—1792), J. Liebig (1803—1873), and others began to influence the development of agriculture.

A. D. Thaer, a professor at the University of Berlin, in his book "Principles of Rational Agriculture" was the first to provide a classification of forms of humus, and also determined its importance for plants. 24 agricultural production and science

In the works of A. T. Bolotov "On Fertilizers", "On the Division of Fields", etc., great importance is attached to the fertilization of soils with manure, lime, and peat, and to the positive influence of crop rotation (according to the author, out of 7 fields of crop rotation, 3 should be under fallow). This dealt a blow to the three-field (fallow) farming system. Even before J. Liebig, A. T. Bolotov put forward a hypothesis about the mineral nutrition of plants.

I. M. Komov recommended combining agriculture with livestock farming and pointed out the need for clover sowing in combination with grain and row crops, which laid the foundations for the crop rotation system of farming. I. M. Komov expressed thoughts on the correct crop rotation, and on the necessity of autumn ploughing not only for spring crops, but also for fallow.

J. Liebig, in his work "Chemistry in Its Application to Agriculture and Physiology of Plants", developed A. D. Thaer's ideas about the role of soil humus for plant nutrition. J. Liebig's works contributed to the creation of the mineral fertilizer industry and a number of areas of agricultural science. J. Liebig formulated 2 basic laws of agriculture — the "law of the minimum" and the "law of full return".

From the second half of the 19th century, the next stage in the development of agronomy began, triggered by the rapid growth of productive forces and major discoveries in the field of natural sciences. In Russia, agronomic science was enriched by the works of A. V. Sovetov (1826—1901), P. A. Kostychev (1845—1895), and V. V. Dokuchaev (1846—1903).

A. V. Sovetov formulated the concept of farming systems and provided their classification. P. A. Kostychev laid the foundations of agronomic soil science, attached great importance to the physical properties of the soil and its structure, clarified the role of plants and methods of tillage in improving its agronomic properties, and developed a tillage system (aimed at regulating the water-air regime and controlling weeds). His works developed the ideas of his predecessors concerning the origin of chernozem soils, methods of their cultivation, the role of soil processes in plant nutrition, and the formation of humus in plants and on the ground. V. V. Dokuchaev, a great Russian soil scientist and botanist, laid the foundation for genetic and agronomic soil science, established a regular connection between soils and environmental conditions, showed that soil, as a special independent natural body, is formed as a result of the interaction of five natural factors, and proposed the first classification of soils based on their origin.

D. I. Mendeleev (1834—1907), I. A. Stebut (1833—1923), K. A. Timiryazev (1843—1920), V. R. Williams (1863—1939), D. N. Pryanishnikov (1865—1948), K. K. Gedroits (1872—1932), A. G. Doyarenko (1874—1958), N. M. Tulaikov (1875—1938), and others also made contributions to the development of agriculture.

crop production science 25

Modern intensive technologies in crop production are built upon a multi-year scientific foundation. For an agronomist, research in the fields of crop rotation, cultivation of complex soils, and efficient use of reclaimed lands is of practical significance. Understanding these interrelationships makes it possible to obtain stable harvests and preserve soil fertility.

Research work from the 1901–1989 period laid the foundation for modern crop rotations using forage grass seeding. Scientists proved the significant role of cover crops and green manure fallows, and also determined the best precursors for main agricultural crops. Data accumulated over 1896–1970 and 1919–1988 helped resolve issues regarding the cultivation of sod-podzolic soils.

A separate important stage was the development of drained swamps. Specialists justified that on reclaimed lands, it is most expedient to cultivate perennial grasses and grain crops of continuous sowing. This allows for the effective integration of new areas into agricultural rotation.

Industrialization of crop production and new technologies

After the end of the Great Patriotic War in 1941–1945, it was necessary to promptly restore the structure of crop production and livestock farming, and to increase farm profitability. A powerful production base was created to supply fields with machinery and fertilizer. During this period, new machine-building enterprises and chemical plants began operations.

• Tractor plant;
• Agricultural machinery plants;
• Potash combine;
• Nitrogen fertilizer plant;
• Phosphate processing plant.

In the 70s–80s of the XX century, crop production shifted to an intensification track. Methods of yield programming, comprehensive mechanization, chemicalization, and land reclamation were introduced into practice. These approaches rely on fundamental knowledge of plant physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, and soil science.

Thanks to breeding work, new high-productivity cultivars of potato, wheat, rye, triticale, flax, grain legumes, and forage crops were created. Research into the mechanisms of phytoimmunity, as well as fungal and viral diseases, helped protect crops from pathogens. The study of the photosynthetic activity of plants and the introduction of new sowing methods increased the efficiency of agrophytocenoses.

• Origin of 28 cultivated plants studied
• Post-war recovery period — 1941–1945
• Transition to intensification — 70s–80s of the XX century