Answered by: Експерт по земеделие

In short: Mostoften, flexible sowing according to moisture, conservation treatments and rootless farming, precise disease forecasting and cooperation are applied.
Southern Dobrudzha is thedriest region of Bulgaria and production is mostly irrigable.
Therefore, good practices are aimed at preserving moisture and moreprudent use of fertilizers and detergents.
Flexible sowing norm.
ET "Agro-Svetlozar Dichevski" (Varna) has switched from fixed to flexible sowing norms according to soil moisture, with drought-resistant varieties.
The result is a morestable drought yield and less seed costs.
Rootless farming and minimal cultivation.
The technology has developed in Bulgaria since 2000, mainly in Dobrudzha: first in small areas, then with the gradual exclusion of ploughing.
Fewer passes in the field.
Bomar Trade combines operations in one pass, which protects the structure and moisture of the soil.
Disease prognosis.
"Agromate" (Yambol) uses a weather station and a disease model to spray at the right moment.
This reduces the use of pesticides by up to 30%.
Cooperation.
Motor 93 Insurance Company (Babuk) shows how sharing equipment gives access to technology without much investment.
The Help Center can connect you to these farms for hands-on experience.
Material: Good Practices 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8; Training Module 1 and 2; Report "Innovative Approaches in Agriculture".

It depends on the main risk in the field — drought or weeds.

When moisture is limited, an overly dense crop increases competition between plants for water. Sole trader "Agro – Svetlozar Dichevski" (Varna) moved from fixed to flexible seeding rates based on soil moisture and the expected weather, combined with drought-tolerant varieties and hybrids. The result: better root development, more even stands, more stable yields in drought and lower seed costs.

When the field is heavily infested with weeds (for example wild oat), a denser crop suppresses weeds — in wheat, a 50% higher seeding rate almost halves weed infestation.

The decision is made field by field: check soil moisture before sowing, consider the forecast and the preceding crop, and keep a log so you can compare results over the years.

The farms' contacts are in the table at the start of this section. The Help Desk can help you get in touch.

Material: Good practice 5; Training Module 1, sections 1.3 and 6.2; Brochure 1.

Yes. They all serve one purpose: the right input, in the right place, at the right time and in the right amount — decisions based on data rather than guesswork. You do not need to buy everything at once.

Where to start:

1. With data — soil analysis before fertilising and a field log.
2. With the fastest payback — GPS guidance and weather data for disease forecasting usually pay off fastest.
3. Share machinery — cooperation (good practice 7, agricultural cooperative "Motor 93", Babuk) or specialised service companies for drones and satellite maps give access without a large investment.
4. Look for support — investments in sensors, drones and platforms can be supported with up to 50% (section A).
5. Protect your data — before using a platform, check who owns the data and how it is protected.

According to the analysis of good practices, the main barrier is not cost but a lack of time and skills to work with data. So before buying, decide who will follow the data and what decisions you will take with it. The Help Desk does not recommend specific commercial brands.

Material: Training Module 1, section 8 "Precision farming technologies and how to start"; Report "Analysis of good practices" (Goranova); presentation by Assoc. Prof. V. Donev "Smart Agriculture", 7.07.2026.

Treatment is justified when the damage from the disease, pest or weed would cost more than the treatment itself. This level is called the economic threshold. The aim is not a "clean" field but keeping pests below this threshold.

How to tell whether the threshold has been reached:

1. Walk the field at least once a week, especially during active growth and flowering. Look for yellowing leaves, spots, rot, insects and larvae.
2. First identify the cause — pest, disease, or drought and nutrition stress. Yellowing is often not a disease.
3. Use simple aids — sticky and pheromone traps, a hand lens or a mobile identification app, weather-based forecasting models.
4. Compare with the threshold and record every observation and treatment in a field log.

If you treat: only with authorised products and according to the label; with selective products, early in the morning or late in the evening, to protect beneficial insects; rotating active substances to prevent resistance.

Material: Training Module 1, sections 5.2–5.4 and 6.3; Brochure 2, "Practical plan" and "Key diseases and pests".

Weeds take water, light and nutrients from the crop, and grass weeds and volunteers harbour diseases and pests. The rule is: prevention first, then agronomy, herbicide last.

1. Prevention

• Crop rotation — breaks the weed cycle. Fallow is an excellent preceding crop for wheat: weed pressure is lower and yield higher than after silage maize. Lucerne leaves a weed-free field.
• A clean field before sowing — destroy volunteers and grass weeds.
• Dense, competitive stands — dense crops suppress weeds more than sparse ones. On heavily infested fields (for example with wild oat), increase the seeding rate. Strongly tillering varieties (for example barley "Ahat") also help.

2. Agronomy and mechanical control

• Two shallow disc passes (6–8 cm) in July–August — weeds emerge and are destroyed before primary tillage.
• Spring harrowing against early weeds; inter-row cultivation and hoeing in row crops.
• Sowing date — later sowing reduces weed pressure but must be balanced against the risk to yield.

Trials show how strongly the seeding rate works:

3. Herbicide — only when needed. Spray when infestation is really above the damage threshold, and on time — it is most effective at early weed stages. Rotate active substances. Under minimum tillage and direct drilling, weed pressure is higher in the first years and needs particular attention.

Material: Training Module 1, section 6 "Weed control"; Literature review (Penchev); Brochure 1.

Southern Dobrudja is the driest region in Bulgaria and production is mostly rain-fed, so water is the limiting factor for yield. The cheapest water is the water already in the soil.

Conservation tillage and crop residues increase available soil moisture by 5–15% in dry periods and give 5–10% higher yields in drought compared with conventional tillage. As a guide: high wheat yields are achieved when autumn rainfall is above 150 mm and spring–summer rainfall is 200–250 mm.

On slopes, till and sow along the contour to slow water run-off. Shelterbelts reduce wind speed and evaporation.

Material: Training Module 2, sections 3 and 4; Training Module 1, sections 1.2 and 3; Brochure 1, sections 7 and 10; Literature review (Goranova), section 4.2.4.

Source: agri.bg — Deadlines in October, 01.10.2026.

Start with a few fields, not the whole farm. You need a direct seeding drill, a planned crop rotation and evenly spread crop residues from the previous crop. In Bulgaria the technology developed "bottom up" after 2000, mainly in Dobrudzha: first minimum tillage and direct seeding on small areas, then ploughing was gradually phased out. For practical experience, put the farmer in touch with good practices 1 and 8 (section J).

Material: Report "Research on innovative approaches in agriculture" (1.3.4), section 2.1.

The basic rule: not more fertiliser, but the right fertiliser at the right time.

1. Soil analysis before basic fertilisation — nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, acidity, micronutrients. It is the basis for every decision.
2. A realistic target yield for the field and variety, not the best year.
3. Adjust for the preceding crop — reduce nitrogen after legumes.
4. Adjust for moisture — in dry years a higher nitrogen rate often does not raise yield and may increase stress; moderate, timely doses give more stable yields.
5. Split nitrogen — autumn and spring, checking the crop and forecast before each top-dressing.

Plan fertilisation for the whole rotation, not just one crop. Balanced fertilisation based on soil analysis is also a condition of the conservation tillage intervention (section A).

Material: Training Module 1, section 2 "Nutrient management"; Brochure 1, section 13.

Not mechanically. The plan is a guide; spring top-dressing is adjusted to moisture and crop condition.

In dry years a higher nitrogen rate often does not increase yield and may even add to plant stress. Nitrogen applied to dry soil stays unused and may be lost. So before top-dressing, look at the crop, check soil moisture and the forecast for the coming days.

Material: Training Module 1, section 2.2; Literature review (Goranova), section 4; Brochure 1, section 13.

Yes — from 2 October to 2 November 2026 (inclusive), the second call for young farmers is open, with a budget of over €115 million. The aid is a €60,000 grant: €30,000 when the contract is signed and €30,000 after the business plan is carried out.

Source: MAF, 02.10.2026.