Emission of Carbon Dioxide from the Dark Chestnut Soil in West Kazakhstan

Abstract

The necessity of studying and assessing emissions of carbon dioxide from the agricultural soils is related to the important role played by the soil in their formation. Active release of carbon dioxide shows changes in the content of the organic matter in the soil and its biological activity. Carbon dioxide emissions can be influenced both by biotic and anthropogenic factors. Due to the negative effect of grazing and arable plots on the soil respiration, unequal emission of carbon dioxide is noted. The research was aimed at assessing the dynamics of carbon dioxide emissions from the dark-chestnut soil, depending on the nature of the soil use in agriculture. The studies for determining the carbon dioxide flow rate were performed according to the standard variant of the closed dynamic chamber method. The results of studying the content and emission of carbon dioxide from the dark-chestnut soil of the agricultural lands in Western Kazakhstan are shown. The content and reserves of humus in the 100 cm layer of the studied soils are low, and the soil is characterized by low humus content. The total annual flow of carbon dioxide from the virgin lands is higher than that from the arable lands but is less than that from the pastures.