Tyutyuma N.V., Bulakhtina G.K., Kudryashov A.V., Kudryashova N.I. MELIORATIVE EFFICIENCY OF THE BELT OF SHRUBS ON THE ARID PASTURES OF SOUTHERN RUSSIA // Arid ecosystems. 2020. V. 26. № 1 (82). P. 62-68 . | PDF

In this article we present the long-term study (2008-2018) of the influence of a belt of shrubs on the vegetation cover of semi-deserted and degraded pastures. We investigated the changes of snow cover depth during the winter period, productive soil moisture storage, species composition and arid pastures productivity in the dynamics of growth and development of the belt of shrubs. These experiments were carried out according to the methods developed by the All-Russian Research Institute of Agricultural Afforestation (1973), the All-Russian Research Institute of Forages (2015) and B.A. Dospekhov (1985). In comparison with a natural pasture without belts it was revealed that the snow cover depth was growing 3.5-11 times depending on the increased height of Krascheninnikovia shrubs and the amount of precipitation; soil moisture storage increased by 7.2-9.1 mm in the first 5 years, and by 8.8-24.8 mm when the belt’s height was more than 1 m; in the next 10 years the amount of dominant plant species increased by 4 species in the area with the belt of shrubs; pasture productivity increased 1.3-3.9 times in the 3rd years of Krascheninnikovia shrubs vegetation.

Keywords: phytocenosis of pastures, degradation, desertification, belt of shrubs, productive soil moisture storage.

DOI: 10.24411/1993-3916-2020-10084