Paleocryolithopedogenesis and differentiation of chernozems the center of the European part of Russia for microrelief

Landscape-related transformation and differentiation of Chernozems – Catenary approach in the Silesian Lowland, SW Poland

Soil organic carbon (SOC) has various pools with different stabilization mechanisms. It is unclear how these SOC pools respond to various mineral and organic amendments depending on a large climate-soil gradient. Here, we studied in three zonal soils: Ferralic Cambisol (subtropic), Calcaric Cambisol (warm-temperate) and Luvic Phaeozem (mid-temperate) under 23-year mineral, straw and manure amendments. Six SOC sub-pools were isolated: unprotected, physically, chemically, biochemically, physico-chemically and physico-biochemically protected pools. Compared to initial level, SOC and most sub-pools increased in the three soils under manure application (p < 0.05), but little under straw and mineral amendments. The Luvic Phaeozems had much higher sequestration efficiencies of bulk SOC (27%) and its five sub-pools (5–7%) more than the Calcaric Cambisol (9%, 1–2%) and Ferralic Cambisol (9%, 0.5–1%). In contrast, Ferralic Cambisol had highest sequestration efficiency of unprotected pool (7%). The Calcaric Cambisol had divergent patterns of the six SOC pools compared with Luvic Phaeozems and Ferralic Cambisol, due to the low clay content. With the build-up of bulk SOC, the building-up abilities of non-protected, physically-, chemically- and biochemically-protected pools depended on soil type, while the building-up abilities of physico-chemically- and physico-biochemically-protected pools were convergent (12–19%) among soils. In conclusion, the Luvic Phaeozems had much higher build-up ability of bulk SOC and most sub-pools than the other two soils. With the build-up of SOC, the physico-chemically- and physico-biochemically-protected pools (most stable) had convergent response rates among soils, while the other pools had divergent response rates.Graphical

An analogous time series of fallow ecosystems (gray soils (Luvic Phaeozems) plowed and fallowed for 2, 7, 20, 60, and more than 120 years) in the broad-leaved forest zone of Orel oblast has been analyzed. Changes in carbon pool and CO2 emission in the course of postagrogenic succession during the vegetation and winter seasons have been estimated. The restoration of ecosystems on Luvic Phaeozems follows regularities revealed in analogous studies of southern taiga Podzols and forest-steppe Chernozems. Analogously to the other studied zonal chronosequences, total annual soil respiration on Luvic Phaeozems reaches the initial level of undisturbed ecosystems simultaneously with the restoration of phytomass reserve, although significantly earlier than the organic carbon reserve in soils is restored. According to regression models, among the zonal fallows in European Russia, including the southern taiga (Podzols), mixed forests (Luvisols), broadleaved forests (Luvic Phaeozems ), forest-steppe (Chernozems) and dry steppe (Calcisol–Solonetz soil complexes), the mean annual soil respiration is maximum in the zone of gray soils and Chernozems. The increase in soil respiration under artificial wetting (Birch effect) on fallows in the broad-leaved forest zone is minimum among the studied zonal chronosequences: 1.1 ± 0.6 (no effect), which corresponds to the optimal hydrothermal conditions in this zone.

Recent and Late Pleistocene soils of the central forest-steppe in the East European Plain have been studied. The main objective of the work is to reveal changes in the properties of the Bryansk paleosol (final phase of MIS 3), one of the most important geosols of the Late Pleistocene. These changes could be induced by cryogenesis during the Valdai glaciation maximum (MIS 2) and by the Holocene pedogenesis (MIS 1) under different conditions of the modern microtopography. We have studied the catena of Holocene soils underlain by the Bryansk paleosol within a small closed depression in the Kazatskaya Steppe of the V.V. Alekhin Central Chernozemic Biospheric Reserve in Kursk oblast

The comparative assessment of the degree of solonetzic processes was conducted for the soils of solonetzic complexes in forest steppe and dry steppe zones. We analized virgin solonetzes and solonetzes affected by the agrogenic transformation with different content of exchangeable sodium and with different hydromorphism degree from Kostanai (Kazakhstan Republic), Astrakhan, Voronezh, Volgograd, Omsk, and Novosibirsk regions. We investigated meliorated solonetzes as with completely destructed profile, and with partically preserved solonetzic layer. For that purposes we used special B- grade, suggested by N.B. Khitrov. It is shown that solonetzic process is poorly manifested in virgin automorphic soils of dry steppe zone. The physical and chemical properties which are created after melioration do not encourage the restoration of solonetzic process. The solonetzic process in meadow-steppe solonetzes of dry steppe and, especially, forest steppe zones is active at the present moment. The melioration improves the properties of these soils, but it is insufficient for the destruction of physical and chemical conditions favourable for restoration of solonetzic process. The difference in post-meliorative development of solonetzes is stipulated by the initial degree of manifestation of solonetzic process in virgin soils at the present.

A new method for constructing detailed maps of the soil organic matter (SOM) distribution in the top layer of arable land has been developed and proposed. The method is based on the theory of spectral neighborhood of the soil line (SNSL) and the technology of constructing a multitemporal soil line (MSL). The method is based on the processing of big remote sensing data (BRSD) from 1984 to 2023. Filtering of BRSD and detection of bare soil surface (BSS) is carried out on the basis of neural networks. The method was implemented for BSS with an area about of 79,000 ha with a spatial resolution of 30 m in the Mtsensk district (Oryol Oblast, Russia). Verification was provided by four independent field surveys (which were carried out using three various methods) in different years (2022–2023). The regression is described by a polynomial of degree 2. The coefficient of determination (R2) of the regression was 0.8. The proposed method can be widely used for mapping of SOM in the areas of transition from leached chernozems (Luvic Chernozems) to sod-podzolic (Albic Retisol) and gray forest (Luvic Phaeozems) soils or in similar nature conditions.

The study of soils with the compilation of a soil map of a broad-leaved forest “Natural plantations of oak” (hereinafter referred to as the NPO) in the Komsomolsky District of the Chuvash Republic (forest-steppe zone of the Volga region) was carried out for the first time. The time of research is summer 2017. The relief is a weakly undulating watershed of the Volga Upland. The woody and shrubby vegetation of the reserve is represented mainly by an oak of different ages, linden, maple, and rarely spruce. Of the factors of soil formation, only the soil-forming rock and the relief change. Of the factors of soil formation, only the soil-forming rock and the relief change. The soil cover of NPO is represented by Glossic, Albic, Dystric Retisol on Jurassic clay eluvium and Glossic, Albic, Dystric Retisol on Jurassic clay eluvium soils, Glossic, Albic, Dystric, Stagnic Retisol on Jurassic clay eluvium, Glossic, Greyzemic, Luvic Phaeozems on Cretaceous clay eluvium, and Glossic, Greyzemic, Stagnic, Luvic Phaeozems on Jurassic clay eluvium. The humus horizons have a low content of humus and plant nutrients.

In the central part of the Volyn Upland, the Pryluky palaeosol unit have been studied in nine loess-soil sites (Boremel 1 - 3, Novyi Tik, Smykiv, Shybyn, Kolodezhi, Kovban, Novostav). Several sections were excavated along a slope in each studied site in order to reveal the palaeocatena and to study the most complete palaosol successions. The last were found in palaeorelief depressions, which were acting as sediment traps. The genetic interpretation of palaeosols was carried out on the basis on field macromorphological and analytical (micromorphology, grain-size analysis, content of humus and CaCO3) studies. In order to reconstruct the main features of palaeovegetation as an important factor of pedogenesis, pollen analysis of the palaeosols was carried out. It proved a good correspondence between a character of palaeovegetation and a palaeosol type. It has been shown that grain-size composition of the lower Prylyky soils strongly depends on that of parent rocks (Tyasmyn unit of hillwash sandy loam and Kaydaky unit of pedosediment).. The Chernozem-like polygenic soil is the most common within studied area. The lower part of soil has signs of podsolization (powder of SiO2, light color, low content of clay). The upper Pryluky soils are distorted by erosional and cryogenic processes (mainly by solifluction textures) that hampers the interpretation of diagenetic and original pedogenicprocesses. The abundant bioturbations in the subsoil (the largest number among the Late Plestocene soils), high content of humus, complex microaggregates, but leach in the СaCO3 have been established to Pryluky soil unit. The presence of relic pedogenic signs in the polygenetic soil, an assumption is made about the existence of several stages of its formation. The investigation of pedocomplexes confirm it. The study of well-developed pedocomplexes in sedimentation traps allows the allocation of those pedogenic phases during Pryluky times: pl1b1 – Podzolic, Cryptopodzolic, Albeluvisol, Albic Luvisol; pl1b2 – Luvic Chernozem, Chernic Chernozem and Cryptopodzolic,; pl1с – Umbrisol and Cambic Luvisol; pl3a – Luvic Cambisol; pl3b1 – Luvisol and Luvic Cambisol; pl3b2 – Mollic and Luvic Cambisol.

The aim of the study. To find a method to estimate plant available potassium for soil testing that does not require expensive flame photometry or atomic absorption spectrometry. Location and time of the study. Southern parts of West and Central Siberia, 2016-2019. Methodology. Comparison the potassium pool, extractable by 0,1M MgSO4 solution, with exchangeable potassium, extractable by 1M NH4OAc solution (according to GOST 26210-91) by regression analysis of the contents in 100 soil samples of arable soils (Luvic, Haplic and Calcic Chernozems, and Luvic Phaeozems) with different granulometric composition. Results. Exchangeable potassium showed the best correlation with the uptake of the element by plants and with yield in a variety of soil and climatic conditions. It was found that the relationship between potassium availability indices KAIAc (potassium extracted by 1M NH4OAc) and KAIMg (potassium extracted by 0,.1M MgSO4) was satisfactorily described (R2 = 0.88) by a simple linear function for soils with texture classes from sandy loam to sandy/silty clay and well described (R2 = 0.92) by a power function for silt loam, clay loam and sandy/silty clay. In 81% of the soils surveyed the difference between the calculated (according to the power equation) and actual KAIAc values was no more than 20%, and for 97% of the studied soils it did not exceed 30%. The cost of analytical equipment required for potassium analysis for soil testing is 7-60 times lower for KAIMg determination as compared with KAIAc. Conclusions. The KAIMg potassium availability index can be used alongside the standard KAIAc availability index for soils with soil texture classes from silt loam to sandy/silty clay. Conversion of KAIMg into KAIAc can be made by the following formula: KAIAc = 8,.108 • KAIMg0,793.

A study was undertaken in Adami Tulu Jido Kombolcha District of Oromia region, Ethiopia, to investigate the site, morphological and physico-chemical characteristics, classification and mapping of soils. Fourteen soil pedons at representative sites were described and 66 disturbed and undisturbed soil samples from identified horizons were taken for laboratory analysis. The data obtained showed that the soils varied from moderate to very deep, well drained, the surface soil color at (dry) varied from light gray (10YR 7/2) to very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/2); at moist varied from brown (10YR4/3) to black (10YR2/1), while the subsurface color varied from white (10YR 8/1) to black (7.5YR 3/1,) at dry conditions and at moist condition the color varied from light gray (7.5YR 7/2) to black (7.5YR 2.5/1), the structure in the surface layers of the pedons 1, 2, 3, 6, 14 had weak fine granular and gradually in subsurface changed to Moderate fine sub angular blocky in the same pedons; Strong fine granular at surface changed to strong fine sub angular blocky in pedon 4; Strong fine angular blocky in pedon 5 and moderate medium granular in pedon 7 and 8 at surface and subsurface without gradual change. The values of the determined soil physical characteristics revealed that sand, silt, clay, bulk density and total porosity ranged from 34 to 81.78%, 9.22 to 48%, 5 to 28%, 0.95 to 1.31 g cm&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;-3&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;, 50.56 to 64.15% respectively. Moreover, the soils were neutral (pH 6.7 to 7.3) to strongly alkaline (pH &amp;gt;8.0), salt free (&amp;lt; 1dsm&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;-1&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;) except pedon 9 and 10 near to lake Abjeta. Soil organic matter content ranged from very low to moderate in and total N ranged very low to moderate, available phosphorus ranged from very low to low respectively. Soil exchangeable Ca&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;2+&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; ranged from moderate to high (5.13 to 21.8 cmol(+) kg&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;-1&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;), high to very high in exchangeable K (0.65 to 3.46 cmol(+) kg&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;-1&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;), moderate to high in Mg (1.28 to 6.7 cmol(+) kg&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;-1&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;), low to very high in exchangeable Na (0.13 to 10.1 cmol(+) kg&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;-1&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;) and, moderate to high CEC (13.13 to 38.88% cmol(+) kg&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;-1&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;) and moderate to very high PBS (50.92 to 97.69%), respectively. Soil of the district was classified as chromic vertisols, Luvic phaeozems, vitric andosols, Solonetz and mollic andosols.

Data of the agrochemical survey of arable soils in Belgorod oblast during the period from 1964 to 2014 have been analyzed. The soil cover mainly consists of typical chernozems (Haplic Chernozems) and leached chernozems (Luvic Chernozems) in the forest-steppe zone and ordinary chernozems (Calcic Chernozems) in the steppe zone. Under long-term agricultural use (from 1964 to 2014), the content of mobile phosphorus in arable soils of the region under study has increased from 55 to 137 mg/kg, and the content of mobile potassium has increased from 105 to 147 mg/kg. During the period of 1976–2014, the share of acid soils has increased from 22.8 to 45.8%, including medium-acid soils from 1.5 to 12.6%. No significant changes in the weighted average content of soil organic matter are revealed for the period from 1985 to 2014. The value of this parameter is within the range of 4.8–5.0%. In the 2010–2014, 95.0% of arable soils belonged to the category of low supplied with mobile sulfur; 99.2, 96.9, 94.1, and 54.4% of soils were poorly supplied with zinc, copper, cobalt, and manganese, respectively. During the same period, the maximum average productivity of the crop area (3710 f. u./ha) was noted at the application of 4.8 t/ha organic fertilizers and 97.9 kg/ha organic fertilizers on the average. The maximum long-term yields of sugar beet (36.8 t/ha) and corn grain (4.97 t/ha) were obtained at the application of relatively low fertilizer rates.

Objective – to evaluate agrochemical, allelopathic and microbiological characteristics of the soil environment for Actinidia arguta (Siebold et Zucc.) Planch. ex Miq. plants cultivated in Ukraine and two provinces of China. Material and methods. The rhizosphere soil was sampled at 0–15 cm layer under A. arguta plants in the stage of fruit ripening in Ukraine (Kyiv city: North of Ukraine, Forest-Steppe zone, a temperate continental climate) and two provinces of China (Shandong: East China, a monsoon temperate zone; and Heilongjiang: Northeast China, continental monsoon climate). The concentrations of carbon, available forms of macro- and micronutrients, phenolic compounds in the soil samples were determined. pH and redox potential of soil were measured. Soil phytotoxicity was studied by direct bioassay method on cress (Lepidium sativum L.) root growth. Microbiological analyses of soil samples were conducted. Results. The dissimilarities in the concentrations of carbon, macro- and micronutrients in the examined soil samples were shown. The domination of reduction conditions (Eh &lt; 400 mV) in the soils under A. аrguta points the deceleration in the humification processes, as well as the presence of the mobile forms of organic compounds with the allelopathic properties. The redox potential decreased with the increase of pH values. This reflects the intensifying of reduction processes. The soil phytotoxicity under A. аrguta reached 20–70% compared with the control. This is obviously due to the accumulation of phenolic compounds as well as iron and manganese. The relationship between pH, the phytotoxicity and the abundance of the main taxonomical and ecological trophic groups of microbiota in soils under A. аrguta was ascertained. Conclusions. Calcic Luvisols from the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden of the NAS of Ukraine (Kyiv city, Ukraine) and Luvic Chernozems from Jiamusi (Heilongjiang province, China) were determined to be the most favorable for A. arguta cultivation. Salic Solonetz from Harbin (Heilongjiang province, China) and Haplic Luvisols from Linyi (Shandong province, China) had the least suitable soil conditions for A. arguta plants.

To assess the transfer of macro (K, P, S, Mg, Ca, as well as Si, Na, Fe, Al, Mn and Ti) and microelements (Zn, Ba, Cu, Sr, Mo, as well as As, Zr, Pb, Co, Ni, V and Cr) from Luvic Chernozems (Aric, Loamic, Pachic) into agricultural plants, we studied the inventories of chemical elements in three agrocenoses (wheat, soybean, Galega orientalis Lam. and Bromopsis inermis Leyss grass mixtures) from the Plavsk upland (Tula Region). This territory is subjected to intensive industrial and agricultural impacts: it is 40 km away from the town of Shchekino with a nitrogen fertilizer plant and a thermal power plant, 60 km away from Tula with large metallurgical enterprises, 70 km away from the town of Novomoskovsk with several chemical enterprises and state district power plant. In soils, the total content of elements was determined by the X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The elemental composition of plants after autoclave decomposition with a mixture of concentrated nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide and the content of the bioavailable fraction (extracted by an ammonium acetate buffer with pH 4.8) of elements in soil were estimated by the atomic emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma. In topsoil (a 10-cm layer), maximal inventories are typical for total Si (40 ± 4 kg/m 2 ), Al (7.0 ± 0.8 kg/m 2 ) and Fe (3.4 ± 0.3 kg/m 2 ) and for bioavailable Ca (570 ± 48 g/m 2 ), Mg (43 ± 4 g/m 2 ), K (22 ± 6 g/m 2 ). In plants, the main inventories (g/m 2 ) of K, P, S, Mg, Si, Mn, Zn, Ba, Cu, Mo occur in the above ground phytomass. The most effectively plants assimilate bioavailable fractions of K, P, Ti, Mo, As, Zr, V. Based on the resource method for soil quality assessment, the studied Chernozems are characterized by a low level of Ni contamination, a moderate supply of bioavailable K with a lack of bioavailable P .

The State Register of Plant Varieties Suitable for Distribution in Ukraine as of April 2024 contains 1.104 hybrids of annual sunflower: of which 730 hy­ brids or 66.1% are of foreign selection and 374 hybrids or 33.9% are of domestic selection. 83 hybrids belong to the high-oleic group. The qualification examina­ tion of annual sunflower hybrids for suitability for distribution in Ukraine (PSP) was carried out at the 184 research stations of the Ukrainian Institute of Plant Variety Examination within the soil and climatic zones of the Steppe and Forest-Steppe of Ukraine during 2022–2023 for seven new high-oleic annual sunflower hybrids ‘LG50648’, ‘F2687 Tsl’, ‘F4413VO’, ‘MAS 908HOCP’, ‘N4H413 KL’, ‘N4L460 CL’, ‘SULIANO’. The research was conducted in accor­ dance with the «Methodology for conducting a qua­lification examination of plant varieties for suitabi­lity for distribution in Ukraine (General Part)» and «Methodology for conducting an examination of plant varieties of the technical and fodder group for suitability for distribution in Ukraine». Their comprehensive evaluation was carried out according to the main economic and valuable indicators: yield, oil content, oleic acid content, protein content. It was found that the average yield of hybrids grown in the Forest-Steppe zone over two years of research was within 2.77–3.71 t/ha and exceeded the yield of hybrids grown in the Steppe zone, which was 2.10–2.90 t/ha. The highest average yield, both in the Forest-Steppe and the Steppe, was characterized by the hybrids ‘SULIANO’ and ‘LG50648’, respec­tively — 3.39 and 2.91 t/ha and 2.84 and 2.76 t/ha аnd the hybrid ‘N4H413 KL’, the yield of which, both in the Forest-Steppe and the Steppe was 2.90 t/ha. The highest oil content in seeds when grown in the Forest-Steppe zone was characterized by the seeds of the hybrids ‘LG50648’ — 53.3% and ‘F2687 Tsl’ — 51,3%, and in the Steppe zone — LG50648’ — 51.0%, ‘F4413VO’ — 49.8%. The highest values of oil yield per hectare were characterized by the hybrids ‘MAS 908HOCP’ — 1.64 t/ha and SULIANO’ — 1.49 t/ha in the Forest-Steppe zone, and in the Steppe zone — ‘N4H413 KL’ — 1.27 t/ha and ‘LG50648’ — 1.24 t/ha. The oleic acid content in the oil varied from 72.1 to 86.5%. In the Steppe zone, the highest values were obtained in the hybrid ‘LG50648’ — 86.5%, and the lowest — in ‘F4413VO’ — 80.0%. In the Forest-Steppe zone, the oleic acid content in the oil of the studied hybrids was somewhat lower. The maximum value was characterized by the hybrid ‘SULIANO’ — 86.2%, and the lowest — by ‘N4L460 CL’ — 72.1%. According to the results of the qualification examination for suitability for distribution, it was established that all seven studied sunflower hybrids are characterized by high indicators of productivity and seed quality and are recommended for cultivation in the Steppe and Forest-Steppe zones of Ukraine

Purpose. To evaluate new varieties of soft winter wheat under different soil and climatic conditions for the main economic and quality indicators, including yield, 1000 grain weight, protein and crude gluten content. Methods. The study of soft winter wheat varieties 'NOVIK', 'HIMARS', 'Papilon', 'Obivan' and 'STK21G' was conducted during two seasons (2021/22-2022/23) on the experimental fields of 16 structural units of the Ukrainian Institute for Plant Variety Examination located in the soil and climatic zones of Steppe, Forest-Steppe and Polissia. The trials were established and harvested in accordance with the methods of qualification testing of plant varieties. Research methods: field, laboratory, biochemical, descriptive and statistical, comparison and generalisation. Results. In all years of the study, the yield of the investigated varieties was higher in the Forest-Steppe zone than in the Steppe and Polissia. The average yield in 2021/22–2022/23 was 8.03–9.14 t/ha in Forest-Steppe, 7.9–8.63 t/ha in Polissia and 7.17–8.05 t/ha in Steppe. The highest yields were achieved by the varieties 'HIMARS' (8.71 t/ha) and 'Obivan' (9.14 t/ha). In terms of quality indicators, 'NOVIK' (14.2%), 'Papilon' (14.0%) and 'HIMARS' (14.0%) led in protein content; 'NOVIK' and 'Papilon' had the highest gluten mass fractions (25.0–29.2 and 24.6–29.1%, respectively). Evaluating the influence of growing zone conditions, it was found that in Polissya the protein content in grain varied from 12.1 to 13.5%, in Forest-Steppe – from 13.0 to 13.5%, in Steppe – from 13.1 to 14.2%. The mass fraction of crude gluten in the Polissia zone was 22.9–27.6%, in the Forest-Steppe zone – 25.3–28.6% and in the Steppe zone – 26.6–29.2%. Conclusions. Soil and climatic conditions influence the productivity and quality of common soft winter wheat. In particular, the maximum yield was observed in the Forest-Steppe zone. At the same time, rather low levels of protein and gluten in the grain were recorded in Polissia. Thus, the results confirm the feasibility of growing the investigated varieties in the Forest-Steppe and Polissia zones of Ukraine.