Changes of Chemical and Micromorphological Properties of Poltava Region Soils of Ukraine for the Last 130 Years

Abstract

The purpose of the scientific publication is a comparative analysis of the chemical composition and microstructure of modern samples of typical chernozems (Vermic Haplic Chernozem) and meadow-typical chernozem soils (Gleyic Chernozem) with 130-year-old samples taken by V.I. Vernadsky in the Kremenchuk district of Poltava region. Age-related changes in the content of organic matter and oxides revealed significant differences in the genesis of natural and agrogenic edaphotopes of the southern of Poltava region. In the conditions of natural edaphotopes, an increase in the total humus content by an average of 0.8 % in five cases out of six is recorded. On the other hand, for all soil samples from agrogenic edaphotopes, a decrease in the humus content by an average of 1.1 % is identified. A slight (1.1 times) but more intense increase in the content of silica (SiO2) in agrogenic edaphotopes (almost 10 %), compared with edaphotopes of natural biogeocenoses (by 5.5 %), as well as an increase in the content of alumina (Al2O3) on average in two times (by 3.7 %) are established. A decrease in the content of Phosphorus compounds by an average of 1.4 times (by 0.1%) against the background of an increase in the content of substances containing Potassium by 7.5 times (by 1.4 %) is registered. The homogeneity of the micromorphological organization of organogenic and mineral components of soils of modern samples and samples taken 130 years ago is revealed. Based on the research results, recommendations for the scientific substantiation of a comprehensive project of environmental measures aimed at protection and balanced uses of Poltava soils are formulated.

Diversity of soils in the Dnipro River valley (based on the example of the Dnipro-Orilsky Nature Reserve)

“…gime and flooded during floods (Yan et al, 2018). Terraces are former and abandoned floodplains that are not integrated well into the existing hydrological regime of the river (Pazzaglia and Gardner, 1993). Fluvial terraces are stepped landforms that are at a higher elevation than the current water level and represent the residue of abandoned floodplains, valley bottoms, or channel beds formed by a previous stage of erosion or deposition (Kothyari and Luirei, 2016;Luirei et al, 2018).…”

“…In many parts of the European continent, well-developed terrace systems have been preserved. In contrast, the rivers within the Eastern Euro pean Platform have a large sedimentary archive that has not been preserved as terrace steps (Ponomarenko et al, 2022). Instead, they form sets of laterally piled sedimentary rock packages that are never more than a few tens of meters above or below the modern river level.…”

Mechanisms of influence of forest ecosystems on the aggregate composition and water stability of soil aggregates in the semi-arid area of southeast Ukraine

“…Until recently, researchers expressed doubts that in steppe conditions, fullfledged chernozem soils could form under natural forest vegetation (Travleev, 1996). The results of complex studies carried out by Belova & Travleev (1999), Yakovenko (2017), Bozhko & Bilova (2020), Ponomarenko et al (2022), Yakovenko et al (2024) confirm the fact of the formation of chernozem soils under natural forest vegetation in the steppe zone of Ukraine.…”

Visual evaluation of soil structure in low‐intensity land use systems of steppe zone of Ukraine

“…The steppe zone of Ukraine is an important region in world agricultural production, in particular for the cultivation of cereals and oilseeds. Intensive land management, however, causes nutrient losses and impairs the physical and structural properties of soils of the steppe landscapes of Ukraine (Baliuk et al, 2021;Medvedev et al, 2014;Ponomarenko et al, 2022). Introduction and improvement of agroforestry techniques were demonstrated to be efficient strategies to counteract soil degradation, as they enable creation of an environmentally sustainable land use system based on the integration of natural forests into the agricultural landscape; they usually involve the creation of man-made forest plantations having various functional purposes (Pantera et al, 2021;Plieninger et al, 2020;Rolo et al, 2023).…”