Indicators of mountain-forest brown soils in Azerbaijan

Abstract

Comprehensive studies have been carried out on some physico-chemical indicators of mountain-forest brown soil. The humus content, carbonate content, and pH of soil samples selected from natural biotopes and cereal agrocenosis were comparatively determined. The dynamics of changes in these indicators for individual layers of the studied cenoses was established and characteristic differences were analyzed. Physico-chemical analyzes of soil samples from natural and cultivated biotopes of mountain-forest brown soil showed some differences between them. It has been established that the total humus content in natural cenoses varies in individual layers, respectively, between 2.48-1.91% and 5.85-3.1%. In grain agrocenoses, this indicator varies between 3.13-2.25%. The reaction of the aqueous solution of soil samples from different cenoses varies respectively between 7.31-7.61; 7.65-7.82; and 7.54-7.68-7.94. Similarly, in these cenoses the carbonate content also varies within the range from 11.93-20.15%. The amount of absorbed bases was 39.08 mg.eq. in the layer 0–25 cm, 38.76 mg.eq. in the layer 22–37 cm and 38.86 mg.eq. in the layer 37–90 cm and gradually increased to 46.10 mg.eq. The conducted soil studies can be used as literary material for the protection of soil resources in Azerbaijan, improvement of the current ecological state of lands used in agriculture, and environmental assessment.