The physical properties of soil defined over winter wheat flowering depended on the weather conditions, first of all on precipitation. The soil moisture in ploughless and in traditional cultivation were similar, while wheat sowing in white clover mulch significantly lowered the moisture of the topsoil, especially in the lowest precipitation year. Direct wheat sowing, as compared with traditional cultivation, significantly lowered the total soil porosity and increased its capillary porosity, the bulk density and the soil compactness. The wheat intercrop sowing affected the total porosity and the bulk density, similarly to traditional cultivation, while the capillary porosity – to ploughless sowing. The cultivation without pre-sow ploughing, in the 0-10 cm layer, decreased, while in the 10-20 cm increased the topsoil compactness as compared with that observed in traditional cultivation. Yet greater soil compactness of the deeper layer was observed due to wheat sowing in white clover mulch, significantly higher both as compared to that observed in the traditional sowing and that in direct sowing.

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