Published in Scientific Papers. Series A. Agronomy, Vol. LXI, Issue 1
Written by Sveatoslav BALIUK, Lyudmila VOROTYNTSEVA
The results of studies on the evolution of dark chestnut steppe solonetzic soil under conditions of different uses (virgin lands - from „Askania-Nova” reservation, irrigated and non-irrigated) and climate aridization are presented. It is shown that under the influence of agricultural use, in the arable and long-term irrigated soils with fresh water, the direction of soil formation processes changes. This process affects the properties of soils and the ecosystem services that it provides. The upper part of the soil profile is transformed into a qualitatively new cultivated horizon with altered properties due to soil cultivation and irrigation water action. Irrigation with fresh water promoted the desalinization of the naturally solonetzic virgin soil. The content of Na + K from the sum of the absorbed cations is reduced, from 4.3% to 3.3% (0-25 cm) and from 3.6% to 2.4% (25-50 cm). Due to agriculture use, as well as irrigation by sprinkling, there have been changes in agrophysical indicators of virgin soil. They consist of compaction, structural state deterioration, decrease in the strength of the microstructure and the water resistance of aggregates of dark chestnut steppe soil.
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