Gorokhova I.N., Avdeeva T.N., Pankova E.I., Prokopyeva K.O. SOIL-AGROCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SVETLOYARSKY IRRIGATED SITE IN THE VOLGOGRAD REGION // Arid ecosystems. 2019. V. 25. № 1 (78). P. 49-60. | PDF

In this article we analyze the agrochemical properties of the humus-accumulative horizons of irrigated soils of the key area, which is located on the territory of the Svetloyarsky Irrigation System in the Volgograd region. It was revealed that as a result of field planning, before the commissioning of the irrigation system, and a long period of irrigation, carbonate material was redistributed and its concentration in the upper part of the soil profile reached 5-13%, which led to the formation of a dense crust on the surface of soils and areas of sparseness (death of plants) in crops of alfalfa. The areas of sparseness are well fixed on the remote sensing data. For more than 45 years of land use under irrigation conditions, there was a significant reduction in level of humus content relative to arable rain-fed lands. The humus content in the soils of the key site averaged 1.23% and approached (according to “The Methodical Guidelines for Complex Monitoring of Agricultural Land Fertility”, 2003) the minimum permissible level. Soil degradation is caused by the general low level of farming and the long-term use of the surface irrigation method on a part of the area. The content of mobile phosphorus (20-102 mg/kg) and exchangeable potassium (316-806 mg/kg) in soils varied widely from medium to very high.

Keywords: irrigated soils, agrochemical characteristics of soils, carbonates.

DOI: 10.24411/1993-3916-2019-00044