Typing of Agricultural Landscapes in the Volgograd Region

Abstract

The ecological state of agricultural landscapes in the zone of insufficient moisture and modern approaches to their preservation and improvement on the example of the Volgograd region are outlined. The potential agricultural resources of the region and the state and level of production of the agricultural sector at the moment are presented. Methodological approaches to the performance of economic activities based on the principles of adaptive landscape agriculture are presented on a scientific basis. The typing of arable land in the agrolandscapes of the Volgograd region has been carried out with consideration of the bioclimatic potential of land use territories. Particular importance is attached to the distribution of arable land along the slopes, since the role of the relief in yield variation is very large, 40–70%; depending on the erosion of the soil, the yield can decrease by 10–80%. There is some correlation between the grain yield and soil properties. In particular, improvement of the nutritional regime and an increase in soil cultivation help reduce the negative impact of drought on the productivity of grain crops. The Federal Scientific Center of Agroecology of the Russian Academy of Sciences has developed a method to differentiate arable land according to the intensity of use; the provision of the arable layer with general humus is taken as the main criterion for the level of soil fertility. Four gradations are distinguished: cultivated, optimal, near-critical and critical. Ultimately, the development of adaptive landscape approaches is confirmed by the results of practical farming.