Influence of forest plantations and long agricultural use on properties of southern chernozems

The purpose of this study is to determine changes of properties of southern chernozems, caused by long forest plantations and agricultural use on an example of the Beloprudsky research station. High degree of degradation of southern chernozems after 55 years of intensive agricultural use is diagnosed. Consolidation of an arable layer of earth on 0,25 g/sm3 in comparison with a reference value (1,00 g/sm3), and also decrease in the maintenance of a humus by 2 % is revealed. On the contrary, forests over the age of 55 years are characterized by decrease in density of addition of a layer of earth of 0–20 sm by 0,1–0,2 g/sm3. In a similar layer the humus maintenance has increased by 1 %. The soil under an arable land also is characterized by lower (on 19 %) maintenance of fraction 10–0,25 mm of units in comparison to a forest and higher pH water suspension (under an arable land 7,8–8,5, and a forest belt 7–7,5).