Multiple assessment of the soil cover in the area of natural monuments Tra-Tau and Yurak-Tau monadnocks under conditions of technogenic loads

The soil cover of Tra-Tau and Yurak-Tau shikhans (monadnocks) has been examined. Leached and typical medium-deep chernozems are developed on colluvial fans on the footslopes and on the lower parts of slopes, whereas typical calcareous thin slightly and moderately gravelly chernozems are developed on the upper and medium parts of slopes. The leached and typical chernozems of the footslopes correspond to zonal soils of the adjacent plain areas, though they have some specific features related to the local topographic conditions. These soils are somewhat thinner than plain chernozems and are characterized by the perfect granular water-stable structure, the high content of humus of the humate type, the high content of exchangeable cations, strong acid-base buffering, and high enzymatic activity. These features predetermine their high tolerance towards technogenic impacts. The concentrations of highly hazardous substances of the first toxicity class (mercury, arsenic, lead, and cadmium) and of moderately hazardous substances of the second toxicity class (copper, zinc, and nickel), as well as the concentrations of low-hazardous elements (manganese and iron) in these soils do not exceed provisional maximum permissible concentrations of these substances in soils irrespectively of the slope aspect. No changes in the physicochemical and biological properties of the soils under the impact of technogenic loads from Sterlitamak industrial center have been identified.     

Communities of microorganisms and invertebrates in soil-like bodies of soccer fields in Moscow oblast

Artificially created soil-like technogenic formations (STFs) of soccer fields are developed under combined action of intense technogenic and natural factors and processes, which cannot but affect the structure and biological activity of their microbial communities and mesofauna. The microflora of the STFs is very similar to the microflora of the background soddy-podzolic soils of Moscow oblast with respect to the composition of the physiological groups of microorganisms. However, they are drastically different in their quantitative characteristics. The numbers of all the trophic groups of microorganisms, except for the microscopic fungi, in the STFs are much higher than those in the zonal soils. An increased biological activity of the STFs is due to regular watering, heating, application of sand and mineral fertilizers, and technogenic turbation processes. The mesofauna of the STFs is represented by several ecological groups of earthworms, including soildwelling (endogeic) earthworms (Aporrectodea caliginosa), epigeic earthworms dwelling at the soil-litter interface (Lumbricus rubellus), and litter-dwelling earthworms (Eisenia foetida).     

Normatives of changes in the physical properties of chernozems in the forest-steppe zone of European Russia under conditions of their intensive agricultural use

Normatives of changes in the physical properties of plowed typical and leached heavy loamy and light clayey chernozems under their intensive agricultural use are developed for two major provinces of the forest-steppe zone of European Russia. The limits of the optimal, permissible, and critical values of the physical properties of the plow layer for crop growth are determined. It is shown that the variation in the physical properties of the plow layer of chernozems is determined not only by the zonal-provincial features but also by the period and type of their use and the farming standards. In the plow layer, the natural differences in the physical properties of chernozems at the subtype level are significantly leveled by agrotechnical measures and the similar requirements of cultivated crops. Upon high farming standards, the physical properties of plowed chernozems on fields with high and moderate fertility levels remain close to the optimum or permissible values. The technogenic compaction of the plow layer of chernozems of different textures in the forest-steppe zone and the corresponding decrease in the yield of cereals are predicted on the basis of known models. The developed normatives of changes in the physical properties of cultivated chernozems can be applied to assess the modern state of the physical conditions of these soils and the tendencies of their alteration; they can serve as a basis for improving regional systems of land use.     

Agrogenic evolution of automorphic chernozems in the forest-steppe zone (Belgorod oblast)

Agrochronosequences of chernozems with different periods of their use in rainfed farming with application of traditional technologies have been studied in a typical forest-steppe area in Belgorod oblast. Certain stages in the development of these soils during more than two centuries of their agricultural use have been identified. These stages are related to changes in the intensity and direction of soil forming processes, such as soil compaction, soil aggregation, dehumification of the upper horizons, calcification of the soil profiles, argillization, etc. A significant impact on the soil changes during the agrogenic evolution of chernozems is exerted by the digging activity of burrowers, which is especially pronounced in the old-arable chernozems.     

Potassium status and clay mineralogy in ordinary chernozems treated with different rates of potassium fertilizers

The effect of a single instance of potassium fertilization at rates of 0, 70, 140, and 280 kg/ha on the potassium status and clay mineralogy was studied in a field experiment on ordinary chernozems. The content of exchangeable potassium determined by the Maslova method and the potassium potential vary with greatest reliability in response to increasing fertilizer rates. The content of easily exchangeable potassium and the potassium-buffering capacity are insignificantly affected by the application rate of potassium fertilizers. The chernozems under study without fertilization are characterized by a low supply of available potassium. When potassium fertilizers are applied at rates of 70 and 140 kg/ha, the soils pass into the category of unstable or high supply according to different gradation systems. The lower limit of the high or optimal supply category is reached only at the application of 280 kg/ha of potassium fertilizer. However, even in this case, chernozems are characterized by a low potassium supply according to the value of potassium potential and the content of nonexchangeable potassium. A single application of potassium fertilizers does not cause significant changes in the contents of illites in the clay fraction.     

Biological activity in the profiles of chernozems as dependent on the character of their agricultural use and microtopography

The biological activity of soil samples taken from genetic horizons of plowed and virgin chernozems in the Kamennaya Steppe Reserve was determined as the amount evolved from the soil upon its incubation in laboratory conditions. In the top humus horizons, the biological activity of virgin chernozem was two to three times higher as compared with that in the plowed chernozem. The intensity of biological processes and the microbial biomass in the soil profile was mainly controlled by the quantity and quality of soil organic matter. Long-term agricultural use exerted a weaker effect on the biological properties of chernozems developed on microelevations (blocks) of the paleocryogenic microtopography in comparison with chernozems developed in the microdepressions between the blocks. The factor analysis showed that soil characteristics related to the biological processes comprise more than 50% of the total variance of factor loads and are distinctly differentiated in the soil profile.     

Daily dynamics of cellulase activity in arable soils depending on management practices

The daily dynamics of cellulase activity was studied during 27 days by the cellophane membrane method on soils managed using the conventional high-input farming system (application of mineral fertilizers and pesticides) and the biological conservation farming system (application of organic fertilizers alone) in a microfield experiment. The regular oscillatory dynamics of the cellulase activity were revealed and confirmed by the harmonic (Fourier) analysis. The oscillatory dynamics of the cellulase activity had a self-oscillatory nature and was not directly caused by the disturbing impacts of both the uncontrolled (natural) changes in the temperature and moisture (rainfall) and the controlled ones (the application of different fertilizers). The disturbing impacts affected the oscillation amplitude of the cellulase activity but not the frequency (periods) of the oscillations. The periodic oscillations of the cellulase activity were more significant in the soil under the high-input management compared to the soil under the biological farming system.     

Assessment of the mineralogical status of silicate components in chernozems

An approach to assess the mineralogical status of chernozems is discussed. It is based on ten characteristics of the main groups of minerals composing the silicate part of the soil and allows us to give a comprehensive assessment of the mineralogical status of chernozems and its transformation under the impact of pedogenetic processes. The obtained data may be used for determining the soil genesis; improving soil classification; and solving various applied problems, including the assessment of the adverse effect of irrigation of chernozems on the state of their minerals, the irrigation-induced degradation of smectites and illite formation, illite formation upon the nonexchangeable fixation of potassium from fertilizers, etc. The principles of this approach may also be applied to other soils with due consideration for their mineralogical composition.     

Dynamics of the agrochemical fertility parameters of arable soils in the southwestern region of Central Chernozemic zone of Russia

Data of the agrochemical survey of arable soils in Belgorod oblast during the period from 1964 to 2014 have been analyzed. The soil cover mainly consists of typical chernozems (Haplic Chernozems) and leached chernozems (Luvic Chernozems) in the forest-steppe zone and ordinary chernozems (Calcic Chernozems) in the steppe zone. Under long-term agricultural use (from 1964 to 2014), the content of mobile phosphorus in arable soils of the region under study has increased from 55 to 137 mg/kg, and the content of mobile potassium has increased from 105 to 147 mg/kg. During the period of 1976–2014, the share of acid soils has increased from 22.8 to 45.8%, including medium-acid soils from 1.5 to 12.6%. No significant changes in the weighted average content of soil organic matter are revealed for the period from 1985 to 2014. The value of this parameter is within the range of 4.8–5.0%. In the 2010–2014, 95.0% of arable soils belonged to the category of low supplied with mobile sulfur; 99.2, 96.9, 94.1, and 54.4% of soils were poorly supplied with zinc, copper, cobalt, and manganese, respectively. During the same period, the maximum average productivity of the crop area (3710 f. u./ha) was noted at the application of 4.8 t/ha organic fertilizers and 97.9 kg/ha organic fertilizers on the average. The maximum long-term yields of sugar beet (36.8 t/ha) and corn grain (4.97 t/ha) were obtained at the application of relatively low fertilizer rates.     

Assessment of biological activity in agrogenic and natural chernozems of Kabardino-Balkaria

Parameters of biological activity (humus and microbial biomass reserves, potential intensity of the CO₂ emission, and enzyme activity) have been determined in arable and natural chernozems on the plains of Kabardino-Balkaria as a part of the system for the ecological assessment of the state of the soil cover. Integral parameters of the eco-biological state of studied soils have been calculated on the basis of obtained data, and the level of changes in their total biological activity has been determined. A statistically significant decrease of the values of all the considered biological properties under the impact of tillage has been found. The data of two-way ANOVA suggest a stronger influence of agricultural management in comparison with genetic features of chernozems at the level of subtype. Differential approach is insufficient for evaluating the total level of soil biological activity, because there are many biological properties of soil, and the degrees of their changes in agrogenic soils are different. An integral approach has been used; it integrates the obtained data into a single integral assessment parameter. In arable soils, this integral parameter decreases by 39–46% and makes it possible to assess the degree of disturbance of the ecological functions of soils and their capacity for self-restoration.     

Changes in the physical properties of typical chernozems of Kursk oblast under the conditions of a long-term stationary experiment

The light clayey typical chernozems were studied on the fields of a long-term experiment on continuous fallowing performed by the Kursk Research Institute of Agroindustrial Production. The experiment was initiated in 1964. It includes the following variants: bare fallow, fallow with NPK application, fallow with manure application, idle land, and cropland under traditional cereal rotation. The fundamental physical properties of the chernozems, such as the particle-size distribution, the aggregate-size distribution, the water stability of the aggregates, the specific surface (as determined by the methods of the equilibrium desorption of water vapor and nitrogen), the mechanical stability of the air-dried aggregates, and the penetration resistance have not changed significantly under the impact of fertilizers and manure application. At the same time, reliable changes have taken place in the physicomechanical properties of the chernozem, including, in particular, the strength of the aggregates and the dependence of the penetration resistance on the water content. This attests to changes in the structural bonds between the soil particles under the impact of the fertilizers. An exponential equation describing the dependence of the penetration resistance on the soil’s water content in the range from the liquid limit to the plastic limit has been suggested. The analysis of the approximation parameters of this equation shows that the application of manure increases the dilatant characteristics of the chernozem and lowers its penetration resistance at the given water content. Reliably higher values of the penetration resistance have been found in the soil of the cropland, which may be related to the somewhat coarser soil texture in this experimental variant.     

Fractional composition of humus in leached chernozems and gleyed podzolized chernozem-like soils of the northern forest-steppe zone

The composition of humus in leached chernozems differs from that in gleyed podzolized chernozem-like soils in the northern forest-steppe zone of European Russia. Leached chernozems have the fulvate-humate humus. Gleyed podzolized chernozem-like soils have the humate-fulvate humus. A more aggressive composition of humus in the latter soils is caused by their overwetting and the development of gley processes under conditions of a stagnant-percolative soil water regime.     

Changes of the content of oil products in the oil-polluted peat soil of a high-moor bog in a field experiment with application of lime and fertilizers

A field model experiment on stimulating the activity of native oil microorganisms–decomposers was performed on an oil-polluted area in a high-moor bog under its total flooding in the northern taiga (Western Siberia). For two summer months, the doses of lime and nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers applied have caused a decrease in the oil products (OP) content by 54% relative to their initial amount. The decrease of the OP content in the soil profiles was nonuniform, and at the depth of 30–50 cm it was accompanied by the acidification of peat. The stimulation of the activity of aboriginal microorganisms by applying lime and mineral fertilizers led to the development of migration processes with the participation of oil and products of its transformation. These processes differed from those in the soil without application of lime and fertilizers. An original technology of applying lime and fertilizers providing minimal disturbances the upper 50-cm peat layer is suggested.     

Changes in the physical status of the typical and leached chernozems of Kursk oblast within 40 years

The changes in the physical properties of the chernozems in the Central Russian province of the forest-steppe zone (Kursk oblast) that took place from 1964 to 2002 are analyzed in relation to the corresponding changes in the agrotechnology, agroeconomy, and agroecology. Three periods of the soil transformation are distinguished. The first period was characterized by the use of machines with relatively small pressure on the soil and by the dynamic equilibrium between the physical state of the soils and the processes of the humification-mineralization of the soil organic matter. The use of power-intensive machines in the next period resulted in greater soil compaction with negative changes in the soil physical properties. At the same time, the physical properties of the chernozems remained close to optimum on the fields where heavy machines were not used. The third period was characterized by the use of heavy machines and by the decrease in the rates of the organic and mineral fertilizers and certain disturbances in the crop rotation systems because of the economic difficulties. The negative tendencies of the changes in the soil physical properties observed during the preceding period continued.     

Comparative assessment of the biological tolerance of chernozems in the south of Russia towards contamination with Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb in a model experiment

The biological properties of chernozems in the south of Russia worsen under the impact of contamination with Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb compounds. The tolerance of chernozems towards contamination decreases in the following sequence: ordinary chernozems > typical chernozems > southern chernozems > leached vertic chernozems. This sequence is specified by the soil reaction and the organic matter content. The high humus content determines the high buffer capacity of chernozems towards contamination with chromium, whereas the high pH values ensure the soil tolerance towards contamination with copper, nickel, and lead. With respect to their adverse effect on the biological properties of the chernozems, the studied heavy metals can be arranged into the following sequence: CrO₃ > CuO > PbO ≥ NiO.     

Solonetzic process in postagrogenic and postameliorative conditions of the Kamennaya Steppe area

The physicochemical conditions and morphological features of solonetzic process in soils of chernozemic solonetzic complexes were studied in the area of solonetzic experimental station no. 1 in the Kamennaya Steppe area in 55 years after a single application of ameliorative measures (earthening, gypsuming, and manuring) and cessation of the annual plowing. It was found that the modern soil-forming factors favor the development of soil processes inherent in native chernozems and solonetzes prior to their plowing and amelioration. They cause the restoration of the humus horizon in chernozems and the morphological differentiation of solonetzes after the cessation of plowing. Active postameliorative and postagrogenic restoration of solonetzic features is related to the preservation of the physicochemical conditions (the low concentration of salts and the presence of exchangeable sodium) in the soil profile. The humus horizon of chernozems applied over the surface of solonetzes is characterized by the appearance of solonetzic features under hydromorphic conditions.     

新型肥料对全球三大粮食作物产量和土壤生物学活性影响的Meta分析

  【目的】  随着近年来农业发展方式从资源消耗型向绿色生态型的转变,发展绿色新型肥料成为一大热门。已有研究大多关注新型肥料对三大粮食作物 (小麦、玉米和水稻) 产量、氮吸收和氮利用效率的影响,但关于新型肥料对土壤生物学活性影响的系统研究相对较少。本研究旨在整合已有的研究结果,定量分析新型肥料对三大作物产量和土壤生物学活性的影响,进而为加快新型肥料的研发与推广提供科学依据。  【方法】  本研究数据来源于“中国知网 (CNKI) ”及“Web of Science”数据库,以“小麦”、“玉米”、“水稻”、“产量”、“微生物量”、“酶活性”、“新型肥料”为主要关键词检索相关的田间试验文献,共筛选出文献29篇,包含32个独立试验,共545组数据。以施用传统化学肥料为对照组,施用新型肥料为试验组,采用Meta分析的方法,整合分析施用新型肥料对作物产量、土壤微生物量及酶活性的影响。  【结果】  与施用传统化学肥料相比,施用新型肥料显著提高三大作物产量、地上部吸氮量和氮肥利用效率,分别提高8.4%、9.9%和36.8%。施用新型肥料显著增加土壤微生物量氮 (14.6%),但对土壤微生物量碳无显著影响。施用新型肥料显著提高了土壤磷代谢酶活性 (8.6%) 和氧化相关酶活性 (5.7%),但对土壤碳代谢酶活性和氮代谢酶活性无显著影响。  【结论】  施用新型肥料提高了三大作物产量、地上部吸氮量和氮肥利用效率,同时增加了土壤微生物量氮、土壤磷代谢酶活性和氧化相关酶活性,提高了农田生态系统土壤生物学活性。     

Assessment of the Influence of Pyrogenic Factors on the Biological Properties of Chernozems

Eurasian Soil Science - Changes in the biological properties of chernozems caused by several pyrogenic agents have been studied in simulation experiments with the low-temperature plasma, infrared...     

营养和病虫害管理对双季杂交水稻种植系统的土壤生态质量的共同影响

The mineral fertilizers(NPK) and pesticide,including herbicides,insecticides and fungicides,were applied alone or in combination and the soil sampling was done at different growth stages during the crop cycle to study the changes in soil organic matter,microbial biomass and their activity parameters in a paddy soil with different nutrient and pest management practices in a hybrid rice double-cropping system.A consistent increase in the electron transport system(ETS) activity was measured during the different crop growth stages of rice.The use of fertilizers(NPK) alone or with pesticides increased ETS activity,while a decline of ETS activity was noticed with pesticides alone as compared with the control.Nearly an increasing trend in soil phenol content was observed with the progression of crop growthstages,while the usage of pesticides alone caused maximum increments in the soil phenol content.The soil protein content was found nearly stable with fertilizers and/or pesticides application at various growth stages in both crops taken.But notable changes were noticed at different growth stages probable because of fluctuations in moisture and temperature at particular stages,which might have their effects on N mineralization.Marked depletions in the phospholipid content were found with the advancement of crop growth stages,while the incorporation of fertilizers and/or pesticides also produced slight changes,in which a higher decline was noticed with pesticide application alone compared with the control.