Mikhail Shevchenko1, Oleksandr Tsyliuryk1, Oleksandr Mytsyk3, Sergey Shevchenko2, Lidiya
Desyatnyk1, Kateryna Derevenets-Shevchenko4, Oleksandr Havryushenko3 and Dmytro Novikov3
1 Laboratory of agriculture and soil fertility, State Enterprise Institute of Grain Crops of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, Dnipro, Ukraine
2 Department of plant science, Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University, Dnipro, Ukraine
3 Department of general agriculture and soil science, Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University, Dnipro, Ukraine
4 Laboratory of plant protection, State Enterprise Institute of Grain Crops of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, Dnipro, Ukraine
Shevchenko, M., Tsyliuryk, O., Mytsyk, O., Shevchenko, S., Desyatnyk, L., Derevenets-Shevchenko, K., Havryushenko, O. & Novikov, D. (2026). Changes in the weed population and species composition in maize agrocenoses depending on soil tillage methods and fertilization in the Northern Steppe of Ukraine. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 32(3), 610–616
The structure of weed phytocenoses in maize crops is determined by the adaptive capacity of weeds and the specific characteristics of crop area distribution in rotation systems. The main factors driving weed dominance include herbicide resistance, a broad germination range, morphological plasticity, and the presence of neotenic traits. The use of shallow non-inversion mulching tillage methods (such as chisel plowing and flat-cut loosening) in maize cultivation increases weed infestation levels by 1.4–1.8 times, necessitating additional applications of pre-emergence and post-emergence herbicides to control weeds and prevent yield reduction. Research indicates that plow tillage and chisel plowing provide a slight advantage in maize grain productivity on unfertilized soils and under fertilization with N30P30K30. This advantage arises from improved nutrient availability and reduced weed infestation levels. However, with increased nitrogen application (N60P30K30), shallow flat-cut loosening becomes more effective, yielding similar results to plow tillage and chisel plowing, thus mitigating earlier disadvantages. At low overall weed infestation levels (9.0–12.6 plants/m²), primary soil tillage methods have no significant impact on maize grain quality. The application of mineral fertilizers, particularly nitrogen, increases protein content in maize grain while reducing carbohydrate levels, particularly starch.