POTENTIAL AND EFFECTIVENESS OF SOIL BIOFUMIGATION THROUGH THE USE OF OILSEED RADISH IN A SUMMER INTERMEDIATE GREEN MANURE SYSTEM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/naturaljournal.13.2025.31Keywords:
glucosinolate potential, weed infestation level, potential weed seedbank, microbiological structure of the soil complexAbstract
The effectiveness and significance of soil biofumigation through the use of green manure crops have been substantiated. The main advantages of this agrotechnological practice have been outlined, emphasizing its comprehensive role in reducing soil fatigue, significantly suppressing weed infestation and soil- borne pathogens, and enhancing the soil’s microbiological potential. The aim of the study was to assess the efficiency and feasibility of biofumigation using oilseed radish as a single-species variant cultivated as a green manure crop during the intermediate (summer) growing period.Based on a multi-year research cycle (2020–2024), the study identifies the main components of the effectiveness of oilseed radish as a monovarietal biofumigant on grey forest soils, focusing on the following indicators: aboveground and root bioproductivity, realization of bioproductive potential under dynamic climate change conditions, glucosinolate potential of the leaf-stem and root biomass, overall and intraspecific allelopathic potential, and influence on soil microbial structure.Research findings support the feasibility of applying biofumigation technology within crop rotations for soil restoration and conservation, using components of natural bio-organic origin. The proposed system involves the systematic use of oilseed radish grown as a summer-sown green manure crop under unfertilized conditions, with a seeding rate of 2,5 million viable seeds per hectare, sown in conventional rows. Plants were mown at flowering stage (BBCH 64–67), chopped into 3–4 cm pieces, and incorporated into the soil via intensive rotary disc mixing to a depth of 14–16 cm, followed by bioconservation for 5–7 days using surface coverage with white agrotextile (geotextile type, 30–50 g/m² density).This technological variant of biofumigation, over a five-year accounting cycle, resulted in a 41,16% reduction in weed infestation density, a 33,35% decrease in total weed biomass, and a 17,28% reduction in the potential weed seed bank in the 0–30 cm soil layer, compared to the control. A positive impact was also observed on the microbiological structure of the soil: total microbial counts increased by 18,51%, ammonifiers by 27,27%, phosphorus-mobilizing bacteria by 10,53%, and actinomycetes by 50,0%, while the counts of oligotrophs and fungi decreased by 22,23% and 13,56%, respectively.
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