Due to the favourable climatic conditions and numerous natural features, agriculture in the Vipava Valley is varied and suitable for fruit, arable, and vine production, with viticulture predominating. Water is an indispensable resource in agriculture, and climate change makes responsible water management crucial. We carried out a study on the impact of agricultural tillage on soil water content in the Vipava river basin. In July 2021, we selected sample plots on two local farms, one with conventional (moldboard ploughing) and one with conservation tillage (shallow non-inversion tillage), installed SM150T probes (Delta-T Devices, Cambridge, UK), and started measurements, which were carried out several times a day until September 2022. The results of the study show that the method of soil tillage impacts soil water content. Conservation tillage soils have higher average water content values over the whole growing season (30-50% vol.) than conventionally tilled soils (20-45% vol.), which is attributed to shallow no-till, maintaining at least 30% permanent agricultural land cover, and crop rotation. The water-holding capacity (WHC) of the soil was also significantly influenced by the tillage method. The differences in the WHC of the soil between the two tillage methods were evident. The WHC values in conventionally tilled soils (0.43-0.47 m³/m³) were slightly higher compared to conservation tillage soils (0.41-0.42 m³/m³). The average soil water content values throughout the growing season, at all sampling depths, were within the WHC range, which means that the soil largely retained the optimum amount of water for plant growth and development.
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