NATURAL SCIENCES

Journal of fundamental
and
applied researches

Evaluation of the soil degradation condition of the Volga delta landscapes

2013. №1, pp. 28-36

Fedotova Anna V. - Sc.D. (Biology), Professor, Astrakhan State University, 1 Shaumjan Sq., Astrakhan, 414000, Russian Federation, estnauki2009@rambler.ru

Yakovleva Lyudmila V. - Sc.D. (Biology), Assistant Professor, Astrakhan State University, 1 Shaumjan Sq., Astrakhan, 414000, Russian Federation, estnauki2009@rambler.ru

Sorokin Andrey P. - Ph.D. (Biology), Astrakhan State University, 1 Shaumjan Sq., Astrakhan, 414000, Russian Federation, sor-and@mail.ru

Strelkov Sergey P. - Ph.D. (Biology), Astrakhan State University, 1 Shaumjan Sq., Astrakhan, 414000, Russian Federation, astra_serega@mail.ru

Bokova Elmira R. - Master (Physics), Astrakhan State University, 1 Shaumjan Sq., Astrakhan, 414000, Russian Federation, estnauki2009@rambler.ru

The article discusses an evaluation of the physical and salt condition of the degraded soils belonging to the Baer knoll landscape. It has selected for the investigation parts of the Volga Delta territory having soils of different salinity and degradation levels. In the Baer knoll landscape, for instance, the paper has chosen those parts characterized by the appearance of soil degradation processes: erosion processes at the north slope of the knoll; strong cracking of the soil horizontal surface; and absence of protective plant coverage (takir formation spot). The document discovered that soils, differing in degradation processes types, have unsatisfactory soil properties. Nonetheless, it carried out a normalization procedure for the investigated objects. This procedure indicated that the investigated parts have third-degree degradation (strongly degradated soil). In conclusion, the blueprint has created a mathematical statistical methodology to analyze the salt level influence on the soil and soil properties. Moreover, this statistical analysis found that the most sensitive parameters of the soil’s salt condition were pH, humidity and soil density.

Key words: soil degradation,salinity,soil properties,evaluation and normalization of the soil