The effect of the microrelief on salinization of semidesert soils

The microrelief affects the distribution of soluble salts in the upper horizons of salt-affected soils. This has been shown for semidesert soils—meadow solonchak, solonchakous meadow, and meadow soils—within the Sulak Lowland in the Republic of Dagestan. The total content of salts and the concentrations of sodium, magnesium, chlorine, and sulfate ions are higher in the soils of microelevations. However, no significant effect of the microrelief on the distribution of calcium in the soil water extracts has been found. The properties of the solid soil phase (the humus content and the content of adsorbed bases, including calcium, magnesium, and sodium) and the soil pH are not reliably differentiated by the elements of the local microtopography.