Monitoring of Agroecological Condition of Arable Soils of the Central Chernozem Region of Russia

Abstract

Based on the analysis of the results of agroecological monitoring, it was found that in the Central Chernozem region (CCR) for 2016–2020, compared with 2001–2005, there was a significant increase in the use of mineral fertilizers (1.8–7.8 times) and the volume of chemical soil reclamation (2.3–43.9 times). The highest level of application of mineral fertilizers (156 kg/ha) was achieved in the Kursk region, organic fertilizers (8.83 t/ha) and liming of acidic soils (65.9 thousand hectares per year) – in the Belgorod region. The minimum level of mineral fertilizers (88.1 kg/ha) and liming (13.0 thousand ha) was registered in Voronezh, and the use of organic fertilizers (0.24 t/ha) – in the Tambov regions. Over the same years, the yield of grain and leguminous crops increased by 1.51–2.19 times. The maximum yield was achieved in Kursk (4.95 t/ha) and Belgorod (4.87 t/ha) regions, the minimum – in Tambov (3.67 t/ha) and Voronezh (3.62 t/ha). As of 01.01.2021, the most significant increase in the provision of soils with organic matter, mobile forms of P2O5 and K2O, a decrease in the proportion of acidic soils was noted in the Belgorod region. In arable soils of the Tambov region the maximum weighted average content of organic matter (6.5%) was recorded, the minimum (4.7%) was noted in the Kursk region. The highest content of mobile forms of P2O5 (143 mg/kg) and K2O (169 mg/kg) was observed in the soils of Belgorod, the lowest (respectively 88 and 106 mg/kg) – in the Tambov regions. The highest proportion of acidic soils (77.9%) was recorded in the soils of arable land in the Lipetsk region, while in the Belgorod and Voronezh regions it was 31.0%. Arable soils of the region are mainly characterized by low availability of mobile forms of zinc, copper and cobalt. The highest proportion of soils with low availability of mobile forms of sulfur (95.1%) and manganese (88.3%) was noted in the Tambov region, the lowest – respectively in the Voronezh (74.7%) and Lipetsk (3.1%) regions.