Scholarly record

THE CHANGES IN THE DRY STEPPE SOIL COVER DEPENDING ON GRAZING INTENSITY

Anastasia V. Potapova

Abstract

Degradation of soil cover is one of the most important problems in modern environmental management. In this paper, the results of field studies of changes in the dry steppe soil cover depending on grazing intensity are presented. The study area is located within the dry-steppe zone of the Russian Plain on the western slope of the Yergeninskaya Upland in Remontnesky District of Rostov Region. The soil cover is represented by Kashtanozems and Solonetz. In the vegetation cover, wormwood-grass associations prevail. As a result of the studies performed, it was established that the soil cover of pastures changes significantly depending on the intensity of pasture load. Therefore, on the area with the maximum pasture load (at a distance of 200 m from the sheep farm) in the soil cover solonetz prevailed (60%). At the same time, about a third of the area (35%), eroded solonetz occupied, which were in elongated erosion depressions. In these soils, the AE horizon had a thickness of less than 2-3 cm. At the site, located 600 m from the farm, where pasture load was less strong, solonetz were also prevailed in the soil cover (61%), but at the same time, eroded solonetz occupied only 3% of the total area. At the site with a minimum grazing load (at a distance of 1300 m from the farm), solonetzes are virtually absent, and kastanozems occupy more than 90% of the soil cover. Thus, it has been shown that grazing leads to an increase in the share of solonetz in the ? the soil cover of dry steppe.

Publication Impact Profile

• Citations
• Scopus - Citation Indexes: 1

• Captures
• Mendeley - Readers: 3

PLUMX see details

DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2019/3.2/s13.062

Publication details

Back to publication list