Long-term intensive plowing of different types of soils in Ukraine has led to large-scale development of degradation processes in them. Soil degradation due to water erosion has become widespread, dust storms and deflation processes are taking place in the south of the country, agrophysical degradation and humus losses are characteristic for many regions, certain ecological risks also arise from irrational drainage of wetlands and irrigation. The article analyzes soil degradation processes and undesirable consequences for the environment as a result of their development. It is noted that soil erosion is the main factor in their degradation, which is spread over an area of 13.4 million hectares. This leads to a decrease in the energy potential of the soil, siltation of reservoirs, clogging of roads, and thanks to the manifestations of deflation, air pollution with dust and an increase in the risk of people's respiratory diseases. As a result of the spread of agrophysical degradation, flooding and crusting on the surface of the soil, a decrease in their infiltration level, and a restriction of access to nutrient-rich crops are undesirable. It is noted that humus losses is widespread on an area of about 39 million hectares of land, and often the cause of its manifestations is the burning of crop residues, which leads to losses of carbon, nitrogen, humus burning, and the destruction of useful microflora. Improvement measures should include the mass introduction of leguminous and cider crops in crop rotations, the use of alternative organic fertilizers and calcium-containing meliorants. With long-term drying, the hydrological regime, vegetation and fauna change, erosion resistance weakens, and mostly such lands are used as unproductive meadows and pastures. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account all the undesirable consequences of soil degradation, to apply economically beneficial and effective measures to improve their properties, which would improve the phytosanitary and ecological-remedial state of the environment.
The study of soil physical properties is a theoretical and practical basis for choosing of a cultivation system. It is an important agri-acceptance of modern agriculture. In the scientific literature, many publications in periodicals is devoted to the study of soil physical properties. In this paper are shown features of study of physical parameters of soils on southern chernozem, which characterized by low-humus content under different cultivation systems for corn: plowing, chisel, No-till and grassland are highlighted. The methodological features of the research are described in detail in the paper. Determination of physical parameters for different soil tillage systems showed that the five-year application of No-till for maize significantly improved compared with the plowing, the structural composition of the southern chernozem was 62.4-66.6 %, and the aggregates had a rounded form with pronounced porosity. Soil density was also optimal within the range of 1.10-1.26 g / cm3, which gives grounds for positively assessing the investigated agriculture measure and the possibility of its introduction into production.
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