Physical and agrochemical properties of alluvial soils with perennial grasses and potatoes seeding

Abstract

During the research it has been found out that there are notable differences in fertility between soils with perennial grasses and potatoes. It was revealed that a strongly compacted soil layer at a depth of 20-50 cm was formed in potato planting. In the layer of 20-40 cm the density of soil increased by 11.6 to 13.0 %, in the layer of 40-50 cm it was by 8.0 –11.8% in comparison with the optimal. Density decrease in perennial grasses seeding led to increase in the total soil porosity by 3-5% and aeration porosity by 2.8–4.7% compared with soil with potato planting. Perennial grasses cultivating increased moisture storage with full moisture capacity in 0-50 cm layer by 1.8–2.0%, capillary moisture capacity by 8.6–19.3%, and the lowest one by 6.7–19.4% compared to soil with potato planting. The studied soils are characterized by moderate-recovery range. In 0-90 cm soil layer of perennial grasses seeding redox potential is not beyond critical indicators. In potato seeding the optimum and good redox potential values was observed only in 0-30 cm layer. In the lower layers, the figure is reduced to critical. It has been found out that arable and subsurface layers of soil in perennial grasses seeding are characterized by satisfactory water permeability. The 0-20 and 20-40 cm soil layers in potato seeding on the are characterized as unsatisfactory according to permeability, but the 40-60 cm layer is satisfactory, which is associated with an increase in silt and lumpy fraction, structure coefficient decrease and increase of lumpy coefficient. Humus deposits in 0-120 cm layer of perennial grasses seeding were 8.8-12.5% higher compared to soils used for potato planting, and 0-50 cm layer were 9.3–21.7% higher. Perennial grasses reduced the acidity of the soil, increased the number of absorbed bases, increased the amount of mobile forms of nitrogen and potassium.