Abstract:
This study investigated the
impact of two tillage systems, conventional
tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT), on soil
physical properties and soil water conservation
capacity in an experiment conducted on
the Big Island of Braila during two
agricultural years (2022–2023). The aim was
to evaluate the implications of the NT system
on soil physical properties – bulk density
(BD), water-stable aggregates (WTS) and soil
moisture – compared with the CT system. The
designated area, the Big Island of Braila, has
specific climatic conditions that make this
research of great interest for assessing the
possibility of imple-menting NT practice in
the future. The results showed that NT
significantly improved soil quality,
demonstrating higher structural stability and
superior water retention in the upper soil
layer. Although BD was higher with NT than
with CT, it was within the optimal range (1.0–
1.4 g/cm³) without affecting plant growth. CT
showed greater BD fluctuation, especially in
the surface layers, due to intense mechanical
disturbance. For NT, WTS was higher at all
depths, with a difference of up to 13.67%
compared with CT in the first year. Soil
moisture was also higher for NT, especially in
the 0–10 cm layer, due to plant residues that
reduced evaporation and improved water
infiltration.
