Changes in the humus status of a layland sandy gleyic soddy-podzolic soil

Changes in the content, reserves, and composition of humus in a sandy gleyic iron-humus-illuvial soddy-podzolic soil under intensive, decreasing, and ceased agrotechnical impacts were studied. It was shown that when a well-cultivated soil is removed from economic use, the conditions of humus formation in the former homogeneous plow layer develop differently. A deterioration of the humus status parameters of the layland soil was found as compared to the cultivated soil. It was concluded that, when a soil is removed from economic use, its profile, which was disturbed by the anthropogenic impact, tends to return to the original genetic state. The change in the level of the agricultural practices affected the optical density of the humic acids only slightly, which is indicative of their relative stability under specific soil-forming conditions.