Condition of peat soils on the territory of Precarpathian and Prednistrian Podilla

Abstract

The article outlines the views on the peaty soils as unique formation according to their genesis, expansion, and characteristics. We are managed to trace that the soils change their composition, properties, and economic value depending on their place of formation. The peaty soils are insufficiently studied in Ivano-Frankivsk region. Primarily, their geography, genesis, and modern agro-ecological state require the special attention. Nowadays, the peaty soils are used in agriculture as low-productive hayfields, pastures, and sometimes they are used for plough lands. A great number of drained peaty massifs are abandoned. They are being overgrown with shrubs and weeds, which are not peculiar to the natural vegetation of marsh ecosystems. The peaty soils somewhat differ from the mineral ones, so the article describes characteristic features of forming the peaty massifs and their properties. The main target of the study is an analysis of physical and chemical properties of the peaty soils, the reaction of soil solution, the organic content and total microelements of soils. On the ground of the analyses conducted with the studied soils, we have established that they belong to saturated and unsaturated peaty soils depending on their acid-base properties. Unsaturated soils are mostly expanded within the areas of great peaty massifs that are not used in agriculture for plough lands. It was noted, that the ash content value is very important for characteristics of the peaty soils. The peat mostly does not have a high ash content value due to the weak mineralization ground waters supplying the peat massifs. The peat soils are characterized by high quality of the organic content and nitrogen. However, only an insufficient part of the total nitrogen is available for plants in the forms of nitrate and ammonia compounds. It is noted, that in spite of the high nitrogen content, the peaty soils are characterised by the low content of phosphorus and the lower content of potassium. The author has generally characterised the using of peaty soils in agriculture, peat extraction industry, and partly in the recreational sphere. The studies have proved that the peaty soils, which are in agricultural use, should be applied for the high-productive meadowlands and pastures. The mentioned lands are very important for ecology as the extensive root system of the well-developed grass canopy contributes to reducing the loss of organic content within drained peatlands. About 700 hectares of massifs are used in the studied area for the extraction of peat raw materials, the most part of which is used for stocking of the organic-mineral fertilizers and soil substrates. In the recent years, there has been increasing the demand for production of peat briquettes and lump peat for communal and household consumption. In addition, the peat is widely used in medicine, chemical industry, and cosmetology. The scientific work attracts attention to the insufficient and scientifically unjustified use of the peat resources in the national economy. That is why there is a feasibility to use the certain areas as environment-oriented lands. This direction of use includes the creation of recreational zones, hunting grounds, high-productive plantations of berries and unique medicinal plants. We have grounded the idea that these soils can be attributed to ecologically sensitive objects, which require the detailed study for rational use. In the article, the author concludes that an integrated approach to using peatland resources will give the possibility to preserve these unique intrazonal formations.