EFFECT OF AGROBIOLOGICAL MELIORATION ON THE SALT PROFILE OF ALKALI SOIL IN EASTERN BARABA DISTRICT

The solonetz soil cover 21.7 % of Novosibirsk Region, or 3 686.2 thousand hectares. In the Barabinsk lowland and northern Kulunda, solonetz soil is seen as agricultural land, as it doesn’t make solid massifs, but occur as small spots among zonal soils (black soils, meadow-black soils and black earth-meadow soils). Regardless the vast area, solonetz soils fulfil 20 - 25 % only of the needs of the livestock industry, which is caused by low productivity in the natural state (1.0 - 3.0 c/ha of dry matter in the steppe and 3.0 - 5.0 c/ha in the forest steppe). The authors outline the necessity to increase solonetz complexes fertility and therefore improve precision technologies of farming based on various methods of land reclamation such as chemical, agrotechnical and phytomelioration with adaptive-landscape farming systems that preserve soil fertility and crop yields. Agrobiological reclamation is based on layer-by-layer soil treatment performed once per rotation. This treatment includes milling or distillation of the upper solonetz layer with further deep nonmoldboard loosening, as well as application of dry resistant, salt resistant and solonetz resistant annual and perennial grasses into the crop rotation. These grasses extract easily soluble salts and ash elements from the soil. The research results show the effect of agrobiological melioration on solonetz soils of the Barabinsk lowland. The authors observed the decrease in the number of salts in the soil profile. Particularly, the number of carbonates and hydrocarbons decreased; that indicates slight effect of soda in the soil formation. The researchers observed variation in pH from 9.1 (in virgin variant) to 8.1 – 8.5 influenced by reclamation. Graded tillage and phytomeliorants applied in the crop rotation resulted in higher fertility of saline soils and their chemical parameters equal to the values of zone soil.

The effect of compost made of sheep manure on the first cut of a semi-natural grassland

In an experiment, two types of compost were tested on natural grassland in order to improve the productivity of a natural sward on solonetz soil. Both composts were made of on-farm produced sheep manure, but the second one was enriched in phosphorus. These fertilizers/composts are officially authorized and can be applied in organic farming. Zero application and three rates of fertilizer were tested (10 t ha-1, 20 t ha-1, 30 t ha-1) on 30 m2 experimental plots wit four replications. Dry matter, crude protein and net energy content for maintenance were measured and determined and their yields per unit area were calculated. We found that all the treated plots produced significantly higher yield than the control ones, and in some cases the yields were almost three times higher. However, the optimal compost dose varied, depending on the examined parameter. Based on the evaluation of the experiment results along with rainfall data, it was concluded that, with higher precipitation, the positive effect of the compost application was bigger. The difference between the natural and enriched compost is remarkable, but it has to be mentioned that even the natural compost showed good results; therefore, it is also effective in improving the fertility of grassland.

Amelioration and arable land-use possibilities of Solonetz soils in the Trans-Tisza region of Hungary

Salt affected soils cover about 1 million hectares in Hungary. This paper is based on the research results obtained at the Karcag-puszta long-term experimental site, where, depending on the catena, crusty (A horizon=0–7 cm), medium (A hor.=8– 20 cm) and deep (A hor.>20 cm) subtypes of the Meadow Solonetz soil could be found. The chemical reclamation was made specifically for the given site. Lime was applied on the soils with neutral or slightly acidic top layer, while on the soils with alkaline top layer, gypsum was applied. As regards internal drainage, a tube system with an average depth of 1 m and 5, 10 and 15 m drain spacing was constructed. Decreasing salt and sodium content could be measured both in drained and non-drained soils. The advantage of drainage was that the leachingout extended to the whole layer above the drain pipes, while without drainage, the Na ions exchanged from the upper layers still accumulated at a depth of 60– 100 cm. In the first two decades, the groundwater level was deeper and leaching was the dominant process. Since 2004, due to the frequently high groundwater level, the leaching and deepening of the fertile top layer has been slower.

COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF THE MICROBIOME IN THE COMPLETE PROFILE OF VIRGIN LIGHT-COLORED SOLONETZ SOIL AT THE TERRITORY OF DZHANYBEK EXPERIMENTAL STATION

Under study was the microbiome structure in virgin light-colored hydromorphized solonetz soil by using molecular-genetic and cultural methods. It was shown that the diversity of the microbial community is constantly decreasing down the soil profile being sharply declined in the solonetz horizon. Against the background of decreasing the biodiversity some groups of Proteobacteria are prevailed in the solonetz horizon and in the lower part of the profile. An unusually higher share of Crenarchaeota (almost 20% of the community) is observed in the topsoil.

Pasture vegetation near the village of Idjos

A pasture on the solonchakic solonetz soil in the vicinity of the village of Idjos (Banat, Serbia) was found to harbor 137 plant taxa (129 species, 7 subspecies and 1 variety). The plant cover they formed was specific from the ecological, phytogeographical and phytocoenological points of view. The specific ecological feature of the surveyed plant cover was that 47 or 34.31% of the recorded taxa were rated with the ecological index S+ due to their ability to grow in saline soil. The specific phytogeographical feature of the surveyed plant cover was the presence of two Pannonian endemics, Plantago schwarzenbergiana Schur and Statice gmelini subsp. hungaricum (Klokov) So?, and two subendemics, Puccinellia limosa Holmb. and Roripa kerneri Menyh. The specific phytocoenological feature of the surveyed plant cover was the presence of two phytocoenoses from the class Phragmitetea Tx. et Prsg. 1942 (ass. Scirpo-Phragmitetum medioeuropaeum and ass. Bolboschoenetum maritimi continentale), one phytocoenose from the class Molinio- Arrhenatheretea Tx.1937 p.p., Br.-Bl. et Tx. 1943 p.p. (ass. Trifolio-Lolietum perennis) and ten phytocoenoses from the class Festuco-Puccinellietea So? 1968 (ass. Puccinellietum limosae, ass. Pholiuro-Plantaginetum tenuiflorae, ass. Hordeetum histricis, ass. Agrostio-Alopecuretum pratensis, ass. Agrostio-Beckmannietum, ass. Halo-Agropyretum repentis, ass. Poeto-Alopecuretum pratensis halophyticum, ass. Artemisio-Festucetum pseudovinae, ass. Trifolio-Festucetum pseudovinae and ass. Achilleo-Festucetum pseudovinae). The presence of 34.31% of taxa rated with the ecological index S+, the presence of two Pannonian and two sub-Pannonian floristic elements and the predominance of stands from the class Festuco-Puccinellietea So? 1968 led us to conclusion that the pasture near the village of Idjos (Banat, Serbia) is a part of the halobiome of the Pannonian Plain.

The variation of yield components in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in response to stressful growing conditions of alkaline soil

The paper presents the results of experiments with 11 varieties of wheat grown in alkaline soil stressful conditions. The experiment was set up at the site in the Banat, on the non-ameliorated solonetz soil, as control variante, and with ameliorative measures using phosphogypsum. The phenotypic variability and genotype by environment interaction for the grain number and weight per spike, using AMMI model in three vegetation seasons were studied. The analysis of the results revealed that the tested varieties responded differently to external, stressful conditions and ameliorative measures. Based on the AMMI analysis results the significance of PCA axis was observed.