Journal of Climate Change and Pollution

ABSTRACT

The research introduces the creation and assessment of a technological strip-tillage and volumetric (3-D) spraying system (TIV) aimed at boosting resource efficiency and environmental sustainability in crop production. This TIV system combines several soil and plant management tasks into one pass, performing 3–4 mechanical tillage operations while ensuring precise agrochemical application. With adjustable cultivation widths, it can adapt to different crop needs, improving soil aeration, moisture retention, and nutrient availability leading to yield increases of up to 20%. Compared to conventional plow-based tillage, the TIV system reduces human-induced soil impact by 1.8 times, improving both economic and ecological outcomes. Its advanced 3-D volumetric spraying feature allows fertilizers and crop protection agents to be applied directly to cultivated plants, reducing drift and off-target contamination. The system ensures a more even droplet distribution across plant layers 30–19% coverage from upper to lower leaves and an extra 28% on stems and leaf undersides outperforming traditional continuous spraying approaches. Field experiments in the Volgograd region (Russia) revealed that strip application technologies could boost ecological efficiency by 20–39%, depending on crop row spacing. These findings demonstrate that the TIV system aligns with regenerative agriculture and green economy principles, supporting high productivity while cutting input costs, chemical use, and environmental pollution. Future developments aim to enhance the TIV’s adaptability for vegetable and melon crops and optimize strip width for various cultivation systems.

Keywords: Agricultural machinery; Vegetables; Irrigation system; Strip system