A comparative characterization of postagrogenic soils under different lithological conditions in the Southern Taiga

The soils under two meadows overgrown by a small-leaved forest that are no longer used for agricultural purposes were studied. The changes in the plant cover resulted in an increase in the soil acidity, a decrease in the humus content, and a transformation of its composition; the content of fulvic acids increased. The most essential modifications to the soils were related to alterations in the density of the birch forest. The degree and rate of these changes depended on the local environmental conditions, such as the soil texture, the depth of the moraine layer, and the dynamics of vegetation. The dynamics of acidity were displayed to a greater degree in the sandy soils, while the dynamics of the humus content and its reserves were evidenced in the heavy-textured soils.     

Influence of fallen plant leaves on biological activity of post-agrogenic soils of southern taiga

Using the example of a successional form that manifests as overgrown arable land, we have studied the influence of post-agrogenic vegetation, i.e., easily decomposed litter deposits, on the dynamics of the microbiological activity of the soil. The largest deposit of nitrogen and ash constituents supplied to the soil by litter as observed for land that had been fallow for 5 years and a 35-year-old small-leaf forest. The biological activity of the soil, which is determined by substrate-induced respiration, protease activity, and cellulose decomposition activity, depends on the aftereffect of soil cultivation, as well as on the quantity and composition of easy-decomposed litter that supplies the soil. As a result of the optimal combination of these factors, high soil biological activity is observed for land that has been fallow for 5 years. This quite high index is also found in small-leaf forests due to large deposits of litter containing ash constituents.     

The Influence of Agricultural Land Use on the Dynamics of Biological Cycling and Soil Properties in the Course of Postagrogenic Succession (Kostroma Oblast)

Eurasian Soil Science - The postagrogenic dynamics of biological cycling and soil properties have been studied in three soil successions characterizing postagrogenic overgrowing of: (i) former...     

The Dynamics of Carbon Pools and Biological Activity of Retic Albic Podzols in Southern Taiga during the Postagrogenic Evolution

Eurasian Soil Science - The succession of natural vegetation on the former arable soils triggers the processes of postagrogenic restoration of soil ecological functions specific of a particular...     

Organic matter and biological activity of postagrogenic soils in the southern taiga using the example of Kostroma oblast

The dynamics of the humus status (some indices) and the biological activity of agrosoddy-podzolic soils in the course of the natural forest regeneration were studied based on the example of the soils of two succession series, which differed both in their parent rock and the history of their development. Upon the overgrowing of the croplands, the humus content increased, and its distribution within the soil profile became more differentiated. As a hayfield was overgrown, the humus content decreased to some extent at the earliest stages. The parameters of the humus status more clearly changed in the succession series with the light-textured soils, which had a relatively simple history of agricultural development. The biological activity mainly decreased at the earlier succession stages and became higher with the increasing productivity and greater amounts of easily decomposing falloff entering the soil. This relationship was especially distinctly revealed in the grass communities.     

Spatial-temporal dynamics of organic carbon in soddy-podzolic soils of postagrogenic biogeocenoses

The organic carbon content in developed soddy-podzolic soils increased during the overgrowing of abandoned plowland with meadow and forest vegetation. The highest carbon content was recorded at the stage of 40–50-year-old forest, which was related to the largest input of organic matter into the soil and the intense litter decomposition during this period. A decrease in the soil carbon content was observed during the development of forest vegetation on the long-term hayfields in place of the former croplands, because the humus content in the lower part of the old-arable horizon decreased significantly. The spatial variability in the distribution of organic carbon in the soils increased with the development of forest biogeocenoses.     

The biological activities of post-agrogenic soils (Based on an Example from the Moscow Region)

Based on the example of soils from the Moscow Region a number of biological activity indicators of arable, virgin, and post-agrogenic soils were studied. The lowest indicators of biological activity (potential breathing activity, biomass of microorganisms and the relationship between carbon and microorganisms to soil carbon) were shown by arable soils. Among post-agrogenic soils, the soils of neglected fields, which formed after the termination of plowing, are more biogenic than soils of perennial dry meadows; this is due to the combination of a high level of fertilizer elements and the annual receipt of a soft vegetative substrate. The carbon dioxide emissions of a soil as a multifactor and strongly varying indicator cannot be the only criterion of the biological activity of a soil.     

Changes in the Carbon Stocks,Microbial and Enzyme Activities of Retic Albic Podzol in Southern Taiga during Postagrogenic Evolution

Eurasian Soil Science - Soil organic matter largely controls the ecosystem functions of soil and is a source of energy and a nutrient substrate for the soil microbial community as well. The...