The purpose of this investigation was to study the effect of different seed-bed preparation systems with addition of rice straw on some soil physical properties, rice straw distribution and wheat seed yield. To achieve this goal, the following treatments were used and tested: Chisel plow (tow passes) followed by land leveler with rice straw (Ch2.L + S), Chisel plow (one pass) followed by rotary plow with rice straw (Ch1.R + S), Rotary plow (one pass) with rice straw (R + S) and Chisel plow (tow passes) followed by land leveler without addition rice straw as traditional system or control (Ch2.L). The wheat crop variety of (Shakha 69) was used and planted at prepared flat land by a mechanical drilling (seed drill). The field experiments were carried out in a loamy soil at the Farm of Fac. of Agric., Fayoum Univ. Fayoum Governorate. The results obtained from the present investigation could be summarized as follows: the conservation and reduced tillage treatments (Ch1.R+S and R+S) were more effective for distribution and incorporating the added rice straw into the tested soil depth than the conventional tillage treatment (Ch2.L.). The conservation tillage treatment with rice straw (Ch1.R+S) gave the lowest soil bulk density and highest soil porosity. The reduced tillage treatment with rice straw (R+S) gave the lowest soil penetration resistance, regularity of seed distribution and high percentage of seedling emergence. The addition of rice straw to soil increased the biological and grain yield of wheat at all tillage treatments compared with conventional tillage treatment without rice straw. The use of rotary plow after chisel plough or using rotary plow alone considered as appropriate tillage system for wheat crop after rice harvesting. The use of rotary plow after chisel plow or using rotary plow alone gave the highest values of biological wheat yield (grain and straw).
It is concluded that the tillage systems with rotary plow only or after chisel plow improved the soil physical properties and recorded high crop yield of wheat