Effect of long-term organo-mineral fertilizer application on the fertility of eroded soils

Abstract

The research was carried out in 1986–2019 in a multi-factor stationary experiment located in the Rostov region, Russia. The dynamics of organic matter and basic nutrients has been studied depending on the structure of crop rotation and tillage in conditions of an erosion hazard slope. The use of soil–protecting crop rotations on slope lands with 20% of perennial grasses reduced soil washout by 34.8–42.5%, runoff by 32.7–40.6%. An increase in the share of perennial grasses halved soil washout by 54.3–60.0%, runoff – 76.1–97.6%. The use of soil-protecting tillage along the contour lines and leaving stubble on the surface of the field reduces soil loss by 13.0–23.8%, runoff by 11.7–24.1%. As a result of the extensive technology of cultivation of agricultural crops, due to the removal of nutrients with the crop and erosion processes, the content of organic matter and nutrients in the soil decreases in all the studied crop rotations. Systematic application of fertilizers in high doses contributes to the expanded reproduction of soil fertility. It has been established that the nutrient regime of the soil affects the productivity of both individual crops and the entire crop rotation as a whole.