Directions and reproduction soil fertility technologies in the post-war period in Ukraine

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the military action's negative consequences on the soil fertility state in Ukraine and directions for their reproduction. The topic actuality is that a third of the arable agricultural lands were affected by military actions, which, taking into account the agrarian direction of production in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine, threatens a significant decrease in the agricultural products' cultivation. The article aims to substantiate the effectiveness of technologies applied to overcome the affect of military activities on soil fertility reproduction in Ukraine. The study reveals the war negative consequences on the soil structure and properties and argues that it will take hundreds of years to reproduce naturally. The main types of warfare-induced disturbances to soil are defined and described: the soil structure modification (bombs craters, sealing, etc.) and chemical disturbances (pollutants input). Taking into account the existing experience of overcoming the military actions consequences in the agricultural soil reproduction, a certain procedure for reproducing the soil fertility with different degrees and causes of damage is proposed. The options for soil reproduction with a natural integrity of genetic horizons violation and methods of removing contamination with heavy metals (mechanical, physico-chemical, and biological) are considered. For the practical implementation of the proposed measures, an approximate costs' calculation of the soil fertility reproducing from the military actions consequences in Ukraine was made. It has been determined that for the reproduction of soil properties and their suitability for use in agricultural production, the greatest expenses (excluding humanitarian demining) are spent on mechanical melioration (81.8 %). However, the expenses amount depends on the number of shell explosion craters and their caliber, and the methods of reproduction the soil agrochemical properties. The peculiarities of legal regulation in soil conservation and the fertility protection, in determination of damage caused to lands and soils of Ukraine as a result of armed aggression against the country are indicated. The performed calculations will become key evidence in terms of damage amount compensation in lawsuits against the aggressor country. Key words: toxic elements, bombturbation, demining, basalt tuff, bioremediation, phytoremediation.