To the question of diagnostics and protection of soils from deflation in Stavropol territory

Abstract

Abstract. The research aim is to assess the degree of deflation when comparing traditional crop cultivation technology using soil treatment and no-till. Object of research is located on the territory of the Ipatovsky district of the Stavropol territory, where the method of evaluating the deflation of ordinary chernozems (WRB 2006 Voronic Chernozems Pachic) by morphometric indicators and properties of the soil profile has been tested on the example of 2 farms using different technologies. Methods. In this research, a morphometric method for estimating deflation was used, based on measuring the capacity of the humus horizon of soils based on data from manual drilling of wells fixed by GPS in 5-fold repetition. Results and practical significance. The obtained data revealed a decrease in the capacity of the humus horizon in the treated soils (on average by 19-21 cm) compared to the soils of the farm that has been using no-till technology for the past 13 years. The forest belt serves as a buffer zone, it accumulates the dusty material of chernozems carried out during deflation with a capacity of up to 40-50 cm. Deflation of arable soils is caused by cultivation and use of pure steam in crop rotations (every third year). It leads to the transformation of the soil profile as a whole, changing the species composition of chernozems by one gradation from medium and carbonate (no-till) to low-power and high-carbon (traditional technology). The reduction or cessation of deflation of chernozems in the no-till technology is associated with its anti-deflation feature – the distribution of crop residues on the soil surface, the refusal to use pure steam, which together leads to the restoration of degraded properties of chernozems. Scientific innovation consists in testing a field morphometric method for estimating deflation in time and space, which can be used for monitoring soil cover (soil mapping, agrochemical surveys, etc.) or targeted research.