The production of rainfed crops in arid regions is an extremely difficult task, especially without tillage. In southern Kazakhstan, in 2020–2021, the approbation of various nutrition regimes for winter wheat grown in conditions of no-tillage rainfed lands has been studied. The effect of different doses and terms of application of growth stimulators, micronutrients, bio-fertilizers and mineral fertilizers, as well as their economic efficiency, was studied in ten variables. The use of a combination of growth stimulators and microfertilizers produced the highest grain yield and was the most cost-effective. The greatest value of the nominal net profit of 223.25 euro and 244.10 euro from one hectare was provided and calculated with the recommended target grain yield of 2.0 t/ha dose of mineral fertilizers, respectively; however, the production cost of one ton of grain in these treatments was also highest. Further research is continuing with a wider range and combination of amendments and various crops in a rainfed no-till winter wheat farm in southern Kazakhstan.

Crop production in plastic greenhouses is one of the major sources of plastic pollution worldwide. The main hypothesis of this study is that the regular use of mulch film in greenhouses leads to the cumulative accumulation of microplastic particles (MPs) in the soil, which ultimately leads to changes in the soil properties. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to identify the possible changes in the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil in greenhouses in three regions of Serbia. The following chemical parameters were determined: electrical conductivity, soil acidity, cation exchange capacity (CEC), total carbon (TC) and nitrogen (TN) content, plant-available phosphorus and potassium content, and trace element content. The following physical parameters were determined: particle size distribution, volumetric mass, specific mass, and porosity; the biological parameters that were determined were microbial respiration and labile carbon. The obtained data were processed using network analysis (NA) to identify the complex relationships between MP content and soil parameters. The NA results support the main findings that the presence of microplastics leads to the destruction of soil structure, which reduces bulk density and increases soil porosity. A strong positive correlation of MPs with soil particles < 0.02 mm and a negative correlation with CEC were found. In the Danube Valley, soil respiration was 78% higher in the open ground compared to a plastic greenhouse. The results contribute to a better understanding of the influence of MPs on soil properties and its ecological functions.

The article discusses the change in the nature and fertility of chernozems with prolonged use in agriculture of Kostanay region, under the influence of anthropogenic load. As a result of the study, the current state of ordinary and southern chernozems was assessed, recently, due to the extensive use of chernozems in agriculture, the reclamation state of soils has deteriorated, the areas of eroded soils and other reverse processes have increased. Over 32 years of the use of ordinary and southern chernozems in agriculture, the physico-chemical indicators of soils have undergone significant changes. The humus content in the surface layers (0-20 cm) decreased by 0.16% of the initial content, nitrate nitrogen decreased by 21% in ordinary chernozem, mobile phosphorus - by 11%, and in the southern chernozem nitrate nitrogen decreased by 20%, mobile phosphorus - by 20%.

Cropping systems and agronomic practices play a critical role in regulating soil organic matter dynamics and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, which are key components of the global carbon cycle and climate change mitigation. However, the combined effects of tillage practices and seasonal climatic variability on CO₂ fluxes in chernozem soils (chernozems, WRB classification; highly fertile, humus-rich soils typical of steppe regions) of Northern Kazakhstan remain insufficiently understood. The aim of this study was to quantify soil CO₂ emissions under conventional tillage, no-till, and bare fallow systems during spring wheat cultivation on ordinary chernozems. Field experiments were conducted between 2023 and 2025 in the Kostanay Region (Kazakhstan). Soil CO₂ fluxes were measured using a chamber-based method, while soil temperature, moisture, and microbial community structure were monitored simultaneously. The results revealed pronounced seasonal and interannual variability in CO₂ emissions, ranging from 2 to 27 g CO₂·m⁻²·day⁻¹. Conventional tillage resulted in higher peak emissions due to increased soil aeration and accelerated organic matter mineralization, whereas no-till systems exhibited a more stable seasonal pattern and lower temperature sensitivity of soil respiration (Q₁₀ = 2.40 for no-till and 3.25 for conventional tillage). The application of machine learning techniques (Random Forest) significantly improved the prediction accuracy of CO₂ fluxes (R² = 0.67; RMSE = 3.37 g CO₂·m⁻²·day⁻¹) compared to linear models. These findings provide a scientific basis for the development of climate-smart agricultural practices aimed at improving carbon management in semi-arid steppe agroecosystems.

The dissolution of Ca and Mg in soil and their translocation in plants from different families when using different doses of liming materials of industrial waste origin have not yet been sufficiently studied. In this study, the influence of increasing doses of ameliorants of carbonate (dolomite flour—DF) and silicate (blast furnace slag—BFS) natures on the change in acid–base properties of soddy-podzolic light loamy soil, yield, and chemical composition of plants of the families Gramíneae (spring wheat), Brassicáceae (spring rapeseed), and Leguminósae (vetch and beans) was studied in five-year pot experiments. In the five-year experiments, the ameliorant of a carbonate nature showed greater effect on soil acid–base properties than that of a silicate nature. A return to the initial state of soil pH was not established in any of the treatments. Both ameliorants showed similar effects on wheat straw biomass, but DF had a greater positive effect on wheat grain yield than BFS. Regardless of the dose of DF applied, the accumulation of Ca and Mg by the plants throughout the study period was higher than when BFS was applied. Among the studied plants, those of the family Brassicáceae were the most responsive to liming and, at the same time, showed high ecological adaptability. Differences in the effects of the two ameliorants on the soil chemical properties were more significant than differences in their effects on plant productivity.