Changes in Parameters of Effective Soil Fertility in the Kamennaya Steppe under the Effect of Forest Shelter Belts Allocated to Various Landscapes

Abstract

Studies of changes in the parameters of effective fertility in space and with time under the effect of forest shelter belts allocated to various landscapes (forest belt no. 40 on the watershed and forest belt no. 72 on the slope) were performed within the framework of the theme of state task at the Dokuchaev Voronezh Federal Agricultural Scientific Center in 2021–2022. It was found that the soils of the watershed area were characterized by the greatest mobility of available phosphorus and exchangeable potassium. The provision of soils with nitrate nitrogen on the watershed and on the slope during the growing season was similar. The watershed area was characterized by a decrease in the amount of mineral elements in soils of the fallow land and at the edges of forest belt no. 40. As for the forest belt itself, the parameters were maximal in its center and gradually decreased towards the edges. The parameters of plow land fertility increased with the distance from the forest belt to the maximum at a distance of 75–150 m from the forest belt. On the plowed land adjacent to ravine forest belt no. 72, the content of mobile phosphorus and exchangeable potassium increased towards the forest belt. The content of nitrate nitrogen, on the contrary, decreased down the slope, reaching a minimum near the forest belt. It was proved that, on the watershed, the content of nitrate nitrogen and exchangeable potassium increased by the end of the growing season, and the content of mobile phosphorus decreased. On the slope plot, there was an increase in all the studied fertility parameters by the end of the growing season.