Soil Health Assessment under the Conditions of Practicing the Conservative Farming System

The aim of this paper was to assess soil health in accordance with the requirements of the European Commission through its "Soil and Food Health" (2021) program, in a farm (from the south of Romania) that practices a conservative farming system. A minimum system of soil tillage was applied for the maize crop, in an irrigated system. The fertilizer dose was established as optimal economic (177 kh/ha N, 50 kg/ha P and 22.5 kg/ha K). Soil samples were collected from three profiles, every 10 cm, up to a depth of 50 cm. Soil structural hydrostability (HA) was very high in the first 10 cm (43%) and high up to a depth of 50 cm; the dispersion (D) represented by the microformations with a diameter of <0.01 mm had extremely high values and leaded to very high values of the structural instability index (SI). In all three soil profiles, the texture was dusty-clay, and the carbonate content at a depth of 50 cm had average values (2-8%). The level of nutrient supply is normal and has not been negatively influenced by the production technologies applied. Analyzing the physical and chemical state of the soil, it is possible to appreciate its very good quality, in accordance with the local pedoclimatic conditions and it is capable of providing good quality productions and biomass. The technologies applied through the conservative system have led to a continuous improvement in soil fertility, expressed through the high yields obtained.