title: Soil Mulching as an Important Element in the Strategy of Using Natural Water Resources in Agroecosystems of the Steppe Crimea
abstract: Using the earlier developed MULCH model of heat-and-water exchange in the “soil–mulch cover–vegetation cover–land-surface atmosphere layer” system, we showed that the zero (minimum) tillage technology in combination with mulching the soil surface with plant residues is the most promising method for increasing the water availability and yield of wheat in steppe regions of the Crimea. It was found that the optimal thickness of the mulching layer on rainfed fields under wheat is ~4–5 cm. It was sho
journal: Eurasian Soil Science