The influence of agroforestry on Chernozems: a case study of the Central Russian Upland

Abstract

Abstract Agroforestry is an essential tool for improving soil fertility and sustainable land use. We aimed to reveal the role of the old-growth shelterbelt in changing the basic Chernozem properties under the shelterbelt and at 10, 30, and 60 m distance from its edges (the south of the Central Russian Upland, Belgorod region). Our database includes organic carbon content, storage, and group composition, total nitrogen, exchangeable magnesium and calcium, the soil - water extract composition, and pH from different soil layers up to 3m. We detected the increase in humus horizon thickness, soil organic carbon content and storage, total nitrogen, exchangeable magnesium, acidification, and lowering the effervescence line in shelterbelt soil in comparison to arable ones. Agroforestry leads to the soil transformation - the shelterbelt soils differ from arable at subtype taxonomic level, and the influence of shelterbelts on adjacent arable soils can be traced up to 60 meters distant.