Wind resistance of southern carbonate and ordinary сhernozems in agroforest landscapes of the steppe zone of Russia

Relevance. The rate of destruction of chernozems in the steppe zone as a result of deflation is very high. There is a threat of their loss of the humus horizon. To optimize the complex of protective measures, it is necessary to establish the regularities of the formation of wind resistance of these soils.Methods. The seasonal dynamics of the structure of the upper layer (0–5 cm) of chernozems of the steppe zone of the Lower Volga region and the Central Pre-Caucasus in the network of forest belts is studied. The aggregate composition was determined by fractionation of an air dry sample. The wind resistance of the soil was assessed by the total content of particles with a diameter of less than 1 mm.Results. It has been established that the open surface of southern carbonate chernozems is deflationary dangerous at any time of the year. Two spraying peaks were revealed — in early spring and before harvesting grain crops. In the first period, the content of particles with a diameter of less than 1 mm was 33–47%, in the second — 60–61%. Shelter forest belts reduced soil spraying in the zone of effective influence. A change in the internal structure of the deflationally dangerous fraction was detected during the year. The disintegration of large aggregates and an increase in the volume of smaller ones were observed. By the harvesting period, the number of particles with a diameter of 0.5–1.0 mm decreased by 1.7–2.6 times compared to the spring. Number of aggregates with a diameter of 0.1–0.5 mm, most strongly blown by the wind, increased by 1.3–1.8 times. The total dispersion of ordinary chernozem is almost two times lower than that of southern chernozem. However, the amount of particles with a diameter of 0.1–0.5 mm in the deflationary dangerous fraction of southern carbonate chernozem in the spring period is 37%, during the harvesting period — 50–56%. And in ordinary chernozem, already since the spring, there are more than 55% of such particles, in the future their number increases to 60%. As a result, by the harvesting period, the danger of a fraction with a diameter of less than 1 mm becomes the same for both subtypes of chernozems. This requires adjusting the complex of protective measures.

Features of the formation of winter wheat yield depending on the methods of basic tillage and the level of fertilization in the conditions of the southern foothill zone of the North-West Caucasus

The research was out on low-humus heavy-duty heavy-clay merged leached chernozems in 2017–2020 in the Republic of Adygea, in the soybeans – winter wheat link of crop rotation. We studied the effect of soil cultivation techniques of varying intensity and fertilization level on the productivity of winter wheat and the agrophysical properties of the soil in its crops. The studies were carried out according to the method of the field experiment by B.A. Dospekhov. It was found that moldboard plowing was a more effective method for cultivating winter wheat, which provided additional formation of +1,18 t/ha (25,7%) of grain in comparison with double disking; sowing of winter wheat provided the maximum yield on the variants with the application of doses of Fon mineral fertilizers (N24 P104 + N5 P20) + N30 + N30, which contributed to the receipt of an additional +0,9 t/ha (18.8%) of grain. The effectiveness of the use of fertilizers for all varieties and doses of fertilizers according to the variants of the experiment was noted. Close correlations between productivity and a set of characteristics: the mass of grain from one spike; the number of grains in an ear; weight of 1000 grains; the total number of plants and productive stems were revealed. The positive effect of plowing on the structural and aggregate composition of the soil was noted. The average indices of the volumetric mass of the cultivated layer by both methods of cultivation did not exceed the optimal values of soil density for the cultivation of winter wheat (1,24–1,27 g/cm3). Productive moisture reserves were assessed as good and satisfactory. It was found that from 51,0 to 88,0% of the yield variability depended on the influence and mutual influence of the most significant elements of the yield structure (R2 is the coefficient of determination 0,88; 0,77; 0,51).

Agrophysical properties of soil and yield of spring barley for various predecessors and mineral fertilizers in the Central Black Earth Region

The research is devoted to the study of the influence of precursors and mineral fertilizers, applied in various doses, on the agrophysical properties of the soil, the value of the grain yield of spring barley in the soil and climatic conditions of the Central Black Earth region. The field experiment was based on the long-term hospital of Belgorod State Agrarian University named after V. Ya. Gorin. As an object, the variety of spring barley Knyazhich, recommended for the region, was chosen. The soil of the experimental plot is typical chernozem, medium loamy granulometric composition on loess-like loam. The experiment scheme (4×4) provided for the study of four gradations of factor A (predecessors: corn for grain - control, sunflower, sugar beet, soybeans) and factor B (doses of mineral fertilizers: N10P10K10 - control, N30P30K30, N50P50K50, N70P70K70). Growth and development of spring barley plants in 2018-2020 took place in meteorological conditions characterized as arid with a predominance of elevated temperatures and insufficient precipitation during the critical phases of plant vegetation. The results of field experiments established that the water and agrophysical properties (density and structural-aggregate composition) of the soil under the influence of previous crops approached the optimal values and changed insignificantly. Increased doses of mineral fertilizers had a positive effect on the value of the yield of barley grain according to the studied predecessors. The highest grain yield over the years of research was obtained at high N50P50K50 and intensive N70P70K70 backgrounds for the predecessors of soybeans and sugar beets and amounted to 5.48 and 5.03 t/ha and 5.33 and 5.32 t/ha, respectively. This was higher than the control of corn for grain 0.82 and 0.37 t/ha and 0.62 and 0.61 t/ha, while for sunflower it decreased to 4.06 and 4.71 t/ha and was at the level with the control.

Investigation of Building Materials Belonging to the Ruins of the Tsogt Palace in Mongolia

This work focuses on the characterisation of the heritage building materials (plasters, mortars, bricks and glazed tiles) of the Tsogt Palace’s ruins located in the Bulgan Province of Mongolia. In addition, contribution is also given to a preliminary evaluation of their state of conservation in consideration of the climate conditions to which the site is exposed. To accomplish the objectives, information on the climate and historical context have been acquired. A set of analytical methodologies has been applied on the seventeen samples collected: Polarized Light (PLM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), X-Ray Diffraction (XRPD), Raman Spectroscopy and Ion Chromatography (IC). The data obtained allowed us to achieve a mineralogical and petrographic characterisation of the samples, underlining the nature of the binder in mortars and plasters, the type of clay used as raw material for bricks and tile, their hypothetical firing temperature and the aggregate composition. Moreover, it was also possible to identify the colouring coating typology in tiles and their process of production. Regarding the state of conservation, the principal deterioration phenomena affecting the site due to environmental impact can be also hypothesised, even though major studies are necessary for an exhaustive assessment.

Clay–Magnetite Co-Aggregates for Efficient Magnetic Removal of Organic and Inorganic Pollutants

This work reports the behavior of montmorillonite–magnetite mixtures of varying composition in aqueous dispersions and evaluates their adsorbing properties using a cationic organic pollutant, methylene blue (MB+), and an anionic inorganic pollutant, arsenate (As(V)), as the adsorbing species. The effects of the presence of montmorillonite on the As(V) adsorption by magnetite and the effects of magnetite on the MB+ adsorption by the clay were specially addressed. The simple mixture of a montmorillonite dispersion with a magnetite dispersion led to the spontaneous formation of montmorillonite–magnetite co-aggregates. These co-aggregates showed a unimodal electrophoretic mobility distribution, with no evidence of the presence of separate populations of montmorillonite or magnetite. The application of a magnetic field confirmed the formation of co-aggregates and showed that their separation rate increased as the magnetite content increased. Adsorption studies as a function of the aggregate composition demonstrated that MB+ uptake was mainly controlled by the content of montmorillonite, while As(V) adsorption was mainly controlled by the content of Fe3O4. This permits an easy tuning of the adsorbing properties of cations and anions by controlling the composition of the system.

Effect of sprinkler irrigation on the properties of leached chernozem and the yield of Bromopsis inermis Leyss. in the Southern Cis-Ural

The paper examines the effect of the long-term (10 years) low-intensity sprinkler irrigation on the properties of leached chernozem soils covered with Bromopsis inermis Leyss. (BIL) stands in the Southern Cis-Ural forest-steppe. The study analysed changes in the soil’s agrophysical and chemical properties. As a result of long-term irrigation, the humus horizon (A + AB) thickness increased by 16 ± 3 cm; the organic carbon (Corg) content and nutrients decreased in this rooting zone, in particular, Corg by 0.3%, available phosphorus by 24.8 mg/kg, exchangeable potassium by 18.4 mg/kg and the stock of Corg by 16 t/ha. The particle size distribution of irrigated soil did not significantly changed; some changes were observed for the soil’s aggregate composition. The soil’s hydrophysical properties, water and air regime worsened.