On issue of inventory of irrigated lands in Volgograd region using remote monitoring methods

Abstract

Purpose: justification of the need for irrigated lands inventory and their allocation into a separate category as the main component of the agricultural landscape that forms the ecological stability and sustainability of agricultural production. Materials and methods. The research was carried out within the boundaries of Svetloyarsk district Volgograd region. The object of research is a semi-desert zone of light chestnut soils. The research was carried out using aerospace observation methods in combination with geoinformation technologies and computer modeling. As a result of computer processing and transformation of space photographs, an overview space photomap of the research region is created, on which a coordinate grid, boundaries and additional attributive information are plotted. For geoinformation analysis and implementation of data processing, the QGIS 3.12 software package was used. The images were obtained from the Sentinel-2, Landsat-8 or Landsat-7 satellites, and they make it possible to carry out the whole complex of studies related to obtaining information on the state of agricultural land. Results. The location, boundaries and actual use of 2355 plots of arable land have been determined, of which 1424 are irrigated. The features of each specific site, namely the area, minimum and maximum slope angles, elevation differences and other characteristics have been determined, which made it possible to determine the suitability of these sites for irrigation purposes more accurately. Conclusions. Clarification of the nature and intensity of the use of land plots, of which more than 60 % are irrigated, requires their detailed inventory and tracking of ongoing changes. The maximum (1071 hectares) and minimum (0.7 hectares) areas of irrigated areas, the maximum slope angle of 8.18 grade, the vertical drop up to 131 m and the configuration characterize the course of erosion processes during irrigation. The discrepancy in the areas within the boundaries of Raygorodsky rural settlement was 148.26 hectares, which reflects the real picture of the irrigated lands use and availability.