Specificity of the physical properties of soils in locally waterlogged landscapes in the lower reaches of the Don River

We studied the physical properties of chernozems subjected to local waterlogging because of different reasons. The secondary soil hydromorphism resulted in insignificant changes in the soil’s texture related to some redistribution of the elementary soil particles by the particle-size fractions. The physical clay content somewhat increased in the lower part of the soil profiles (in the B2 and BC horizons) at the expense of the clay particles. The bulk density of the waterlogged soils somewhat increased, particularly in the B2 horizon. The regular soil waterlogging worsened the soil’s structural status with a decrease in the content of the silt-size aggregates and an increase in the content of the coarse blocky aggregates. The changes in the soil’s structure can be considered a diagnostic feature of the locally waterlogged chernozems. The water stability of the aggregates increased due to the higher contents of the major cementing agents, including the soil humus and carbonates.