Changes in the properties of soils in a solonetz soil complex thirty years after reclamation

The long-term (30 year) dynamics of a solonetz soil complex composed of solonetzic light chestnut soils and chestnut solonetzes under standard conditions and with the application of agromeliorative measures are considered. When the standard zonal agricultural practice is used, the soils of the solonetzic complex have unfavorable agrophysical, chemical, and physicochemical properties and low productivity. After 30 years of the standard three-level tillage of the soils to a depth of 40–45 cm, the productivity of the biogeocenosis decreased. Thirty years after a single rotary-milling subsoil treatment of the 20- to 45-cm soil layer using a milling tool FS-1.3, there were no morphological features pointing to the restoration of the solonetzic process. The humus content in the 0-to 20-cm and 20-to 40-cm soil layers was 2.3 and 1.7%, respectively; the content of adsorbed Na+ in the 20-to 30-cm layer was 11.6% of the total exchange capacity, or 38% lower than its content in the reference soil. The additional yield reached 30–70% and more of that obtained with the standard agricultural technology used during the whole period under investigation. The method of systems biogeotechnology (systems bio-geo engineering) is proposed as a method for the preventive control of soil evolution and the maintenance of the stability and high productivity of the soil cover.